Sonder House Productions Presents Sam Shepard's TRUE WEST

True West is Sam Shepard's classic 1980 tale of sibling rivalry. Austin, a budding screenwriter house-sitting for his mother outside L.A., finds himself reconnected by chance with his estranged and criminal older brother, Lee. In the heat of the California night, jealousy and mistrust bubble beneath the surface, threatening to destroy what little the brothers have. According to the National Review, "True West still rings true and stands as the greatest American drama since Long Day's Journey Into Night."

Sonder House Productions is a brand-new Production Company launched by Vancouver actors Joel Butler and Patrick Dodd, who will be playing Austin and Lee in True West. Butler and Dodd met as actors on another Shepard play, Fool For Love, in Clockwork Theatre's premier production in 2015: a production that "found the heat in its performances" (Mark Robins, Vancouver Presents). The two planned to perform more of Shepard's work, and were granted the rights to produce True West the same day the legendary playwright passed away.

Butler is a B.C. native, having grown up in Coquitlam before studying acting in New York. Dodd hails from Alberta, and came to Vancouver to complete a Masters degree in Clean Energy Engineering at UBC. He regularly improvises in various shows around the city.

The company will be conducting a fundraiser for their debut production, and 10% of the money raised will be donated to Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, an organization that Dodd volunteers with.

Anthony Santiago, as the Hollywood producer Saul, and Lynne Karey-McKenna, as the brothers' mother, round out the cast. Santiago, who has worked professionally across Western Canada (Bard on the Beach, Citadel Theatre), has recently returned to Vancouver stages after taking a break of several years. Chicago-born Karey-McKenna is a four-time recipient of Theatre BC's Best Actress award.

Kenton Klassen, a graduate of UBC's BFA Acting program and a familiar face in Vancouver's theatre scene, will be directing. Klassen recently made his directorial debut with Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, before playing Coleman in Lonesome West, both at Pacific Theatre.

https://www.sonderhouseproductions.org/

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