2022/23
season
THE
BIRDS
BY EMILY DIX
Directed by EMILY DIX
hart house theatre
NOV 25 - DEC 10, 2023
Inspired by the Daphne DuMaurier short story and
Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name.
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STARRING
Anna Douglas as Daphne Daniels
Alex Clay as David Harper
Oliver Georgiou as Mitch Brenner
Kiera Publicover as Annie Hawthorne
Chad Allen as Hank
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PRODUCTION
Set and Lighting Design by Wes Babcock
Sound, Prop and Costume Design by Emily Dix
Fight Direction by Matt Richardson
Assistant Directed by Julia Edda Pape
Stage Managed by Kate McArthur
Assistant Stage Managed by Jane Aster Roe
Production Assistance by Sarah Allen, Kiana Josette and Ainsley Munro
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PRODUCED BY
Conor Fitzgerald and Emily Dix
Associate Producer Jane Aster Roe
VENUE SPONSOR
Script workshopped and edited with the help of the following artists: Anna Douglas, Alex Clay, Oliver Georgiou, Kiera Publicover, Chad Allen, Julia Edda Pape, Kate McArthur and Jane Aster Roe.
ABOUT
The Birds is a Cold-War Era thriller that examines what happens when the line between truth and paranoia becomes dangerously blurred. New York Socialite Daphne Daniels is headed to an old family cottage with her brother and husband for a weekend of R&R, but when her husband is unexpectedly delayed and their neighbours turn out to be Daphne’s old flame and his new girl, tensions run high. Things take a bizarre turn when reports of violent bird attacks start flooding the airwaves and the sudden crisis brings out everyone’s deepest fears and darkest convictions.
"the feminist and Queer sympathies pointed out the absurdity of Cold War, "he-man" posturings, while the birds's disaffection represented similar "treason" against the human-animal hierarchy...this play is a harbinger of fine talents"
- George Elliott Clarke, Literary Critic, Playwright and Poet Laureate
"an immersive spectacle...nuanced and innovative...a suspenseful, perfectly realized period atmosphere telling a new story in which the birds are both ever-present yet entirely incidental."
- Istvan Dugalin Reviews
"masterful homage to a highly specific filmic tradition and massaging complex performances from a formidable cast."
- Aisling Murphy, Intermission Magazine
"a remarkably effective exercise in style...The pacing, the suspense, the growing sense of danger, the last-minute twists, are all in place."
- Patrick Young
Nominated for thirteen 2023 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;
Best Play; Best New Play; Best Direction (Emily Dix); Best Performer (Anna Douglas, Alex Clay); Best Supporting Performer (Oliver Georgiou, Kiera Publicover, Chad Allen); Best Scenic Design (Wes Babcock & Emily Dix);
Best Lighting Design (Wes Babcock); Best Costume Design (Emily Dix); Best Sound Design (Emily Dix)
winner of three 2023 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;
Best Direction of a Play - Emily Dix
Best Performer in a Play - Anna Douglas
Best Supporting Performer in a Play - Chad Allen
directed by emily dix
March 3-18, 2023
Campbell House Museum
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An original combination of in-person ambulatory theatre, immersive projection and a live digital streaming experience. Based on the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
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STARRING
Kate McArthur* as The Woman
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CREATED BY
Emily Dix - Writer, Director, Producer
Kate McArthur - Writer & Actor
Bria Cole - Media Producer
Steven Dirckze - Animator
Julia Edda Pape - Assistant Director
Conor Fitzgerald - Producer
Shreya Patel - Associate Producer
Helga Packeviciute - Production Design Assistant
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WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
Oliver Georgiou for recording the voice of John
Nicolino DeFrancesco for carpentry work
Barbara Athanasoulas for recording the voice of Mary
Davide Sallese for recording the voice of Henry
Julia Edda Pape for recording the voice of Julia
Jonah Waugh for recording the voice of William
Robert Pape for recording the voice of Weir Mitchell
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THE yellow wallpaper
BY charlotte perkins gilman
Presented by Bygone Theatre in partnership with Campbell House Museum, with thanks to Blackmagic Design, who creates the technology that makes this show possible.
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*The participation of this Artist is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance-Opera-Theatre Policy (DOT).
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ABOUT
Based on the classic short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper follows the story of A Woman who, after showing signs of depression, is subjected to the "rest cure" and pushed into forced isolation by her physician husband. As her long, lonely days stretch on, she becomes increasingly consumed with the sickly yellow wallpaper that covers her bedroom walls, rapidly losing her sense of self and her grasp on reality.
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A biting critique on the treatment of women in medicine when it was first published in 1892, the story remains unfortunately relevant today when a staggering 38% of women have reported a mental health decline since the onset of the pandemic, and 40% have said they do not have access to the mental health care they need (BCWHF).
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Inspired by the negative impact that COVID-19 has had on those who already suffer from mental illness, this production is set in the historic Campbell House Museum and presents a live performance through artistic use of projections displayed throughout the home. Audience members are invited to wander the house and experience the show from different perspectives as they interact with unique elements found in each room. The order in which they access the rooms, as well as the time spent with various elements will inform their experience of the play, and of The Woman's madness - each audience member will be able to have a unique experience of the story. Additionally, a live-streaming experience will be available for audience members to watch from home.
projection technology graciously provided by
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FUNDED BY the digital now fund
"Pandemic isolation meets one of the masterpieces of early feminist fiction in The Yellow Wallpaper...vivid, disturbing"
- Glenn Sumi, So Sumi
"Delightfully ominous"
- Istvan Dugalin, Istvan Reviews
"Genius"
- Trina McQueen
Nominated for six 2023 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;
Best Play; Best New Play; Best Direction (Emily Dix); Best Performer (Kate McArthur);
Best Costume Design (Emily Dix); Best Sound Design (Julia Edda Pape)
DIRECTED BY PAUL BATES
May 25 - 27, 2023
Hart House Theatre
Canadian comedy legends WAYNE AND SHUSTER are being brought back to the stage in a new collection of their classic skits. Bygone Theatre is honoured to have the chance to work with the duo’s descendants – Brian and Michael Wayne and Rosie Shuster – to bring these much-loved sketches back for a new generation of comedy lovers.
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CREATED BY:
Original Scripts by Johnny Wayne & Frank Shuster
Directed by Paul Bates
Artistic Producer - Emily Dix
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FEATURING:
Matt Baram
Aurora Browne
Leigh Cameron
Bren Eastcott
Oliver Georgiou
Darryl Hinds
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WAYNE & SHUSTER, LIVE!
*The participation of these Artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance-Opera-Theatre Policy (DOT).
VENUE SPONSOR
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