A Season of Firsts: Bringing Water to Life: Theatre Erindale Presents
|
| MISSISSAUGA, ON - The Theatre and Drama Studies program is ready to dive into the second main stage show of the semester with Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of The Mill on the Floss directed by the award winning and Gemini nominated Anita La Selva. This is the second of three shows performed by the graduating class this semester, and we are thrilled to re-introduce our MiST theatre with this exciting production!
Edmunson’s Mill on the Floss is adapted from the novel by George Elliot. George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans) chose to write under a male pseudonym in order to have a strong professional career as an author. Through her writing, we can see how her feelings of being suppressed by her gender fill out the lives of the characters she creates. Jump into mid-19th century England with us as Maggie Tulliver’s imagination comes to life. As we move through a decade with the Tullivers, we begin to see how difficult the life of a working class family can be, and how easily they can be swept away from stability. Maggie Tulliver is asked to sacrifice family, love, and intellect and suppress her desires and dreams. Theatre Erindale is thrilled to bring on director Anita La Selva to tackle this whirlwind of a production and push the boundaries of this 19th century world. In the current artistic environment where so much new work is being created to reflect the social and political times we live in, Anita had to ask herself ‘Why this play? Why now?’. Her reasoning? “On January 21 2017, more than three million women and men from around the world took part in the Women’s March on Washington, including more than 600 individual marches on seven continents.” This play may not be dealing with the same issues for woman that we have today, but the idea and concept of women breaking free from the box society expects them to fit into is a struggle that has been going on for centuries, and the re-birth of this production only emphasizes the length and persistence of this fight. Theatre Erindale’s The Mill on the Floss places itself it a world of fantastical realism where anything can come to life. Anything that Maggie feels, or thinks of, becomes reality in the world of this show. You will not only witness the character’s lives, but will be taken back to witch dunkings, boat rides, and the unravelling of Maggie’s self. Director La Selva’s vision for this show began with a piece of fabric, which the cast has molded into free-flowing water. Water that has the ability to not only control the show, but allow the audience to feel the cold rush of wind as it moves in an almost interactive experience. Ride the current with us and watch what happens when Maggie Tulliver defies what women ‘should’ do, risk’s everything she has, and then faces the consequence of rebelling against the status quo. Running in the MiST Theatre located in the CCT building from February 16th-19th and March 3rd-5th, 2017. “Things out of nature never thrive.” |
| Meet the Director:
We welcome guest director Anita La Selva to the Theatre Erindale stage as she directs this epic production. Anita is a graduate of London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the UK, holds an MFA in directing from York University and teaches in the Seneca College and York University Acting Programs. Throughout her time in the industry she has evolved into a Toronto-based actor, director and dramaturge and teacher. She has worked in all aspects of theatre ranging from devised interdisciplinary creations to the classics. Her production of Look Back In Anger (Fevergraph Theatre) won two awards for Best Independent/Regional Director and Best Production - My Entertainment World Theatre Awards and she was recently nominated for the Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director. She has also recently acted in everything from If Truth Be Told (Blyth Festival), to The Melville Boys (Drayton Entertainment). Television credits include Orphan Black, and a Gemini nominated performance on the series Earth: Final Conflict. She is currently in development for The Stones Project – an interdisciplinary creation she is devising for an ensemble of women. |
| Show Information: | |
| Mill on the Floss will be running at the MiST Theatre in the CCT building of the University of Toronto Mississauga. (Look for the MiST Theatre elevator button if you choose our underground parking). The show dates/ times are as follows:
Feb. 16th @ 8:00 |
For tickets follow the URL  email the box office boxoffice.utm@utoronto.ca or call (905) 569-4369 to reserve your tickets today! |
| The Cast: Lucy Deane/ Aunt Glegg - Marissa Otto Stephen Guest/ Uncle Pullet - Johnathan Muench Bob Jakin/ Uncle Glegg/ Bailiff - Gabriel Golin Mr. Stelling/ Mr. Wakem/ Blacksmith - Hershel Blatt Mrs. Bessy Tulliver - Bryn Kennedy Maggie Tulliver 1 - Alessa Dufresne Maggie Tulliver 2 - Avery Logan Maggie Tulliver 3/ Aunt Pullet - Victoria Dennis Mr. Tulliver/ Dr. Kenn - Grzegorz Guzik Tom Tulliver - Jack Comerford Phillip Wakem - Zane O’Connor |
 |
Theatre and Drama Studies:
The Theatre and Drama Studies Specialist Program is a unique partnership in theatre training offered jointly between the University of Toronto Mississauga and the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Students earn a two-year (equivalent) conservatory diploma in professional actor training from Sheridan in combination with a Specialist program focused on performance history, theory, and dramatic literature from UTM.
Contact: David Matheson 905-845-9430 x2436