Tawillager swims into the Geordie 4001 Space

Tawillager presented by the Carney Collective is written, performed, and co-directed by Joseph Bembridge, and co-directed with live sound by Alexandra Draghici. Originally produced for the 2008 Concordia SIPA festival. Joseph Bembridge, a Concordia Theatre Program graduate, is founder and artistic director of the company. He has appeared on stage in numerous successful and popular productions like: Dance Animal (JFL 2009 Fringe selection), 7 Stories (MECCA award winner), and David (nominated the top five play of Montreal Mirror poll 2007.)

There are sounds in the darkness: The drip of water in a pipe; The creak of a stair; A far off and unsceen train. In this basement, these sounds are James' music and his audience is his best friend, a fish named Tawillager. This is the story of a young boy named James who we meet in an unknown time and space. He is not of this world, yet completely from it. His is a story untold, not talked about in the everyday. James is a boy who was abducted, stolen from his family and the world that he lived in. He has been captive for many months with very little human contact. He copes, broken down and battered by psychological, physical and sexual abuse, he is very damaged, but not broken.

"The play covers an immense amount of emotional territory in a very short period of time. The production is not gratuitous, it has great sensitivity and humanity, yet is incredibly painful to see and to hear." Kit Brennan, playwright. GO C IT!

Performances: April 24th & 25th @ 8pm & 10pm. Geordie's 4001 Space, 4001 Berri. Tickets 10$ @ 514 933-4736 carneycollective@gmail.com.

HARVEY hops onto the Segal Center stage.

Harvey by Mary Chase, directed by Diana Leblanc, is presented at The Segal Centre for Performing Arts, April 18 to May 9, 2010. This Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy (1944-45) is one of the longest running shows in Broadway history with 1,775 performances, Nov. 1944 - Jan. 1949.

“I am delighted that the talented Diana Leblanc is directing the Segal production. Diana brings exceptional directorial skills and panache to this timeless piece about the lovable Elwood P. Dowd and his friend Harvey the ‘pooka’, a six-foot-six invisible rabbit, ... Harvey is a powerful tonic for the spirit. Mary Chase wrote this wonderful, imaginative comedy to bring comfort, humour and reassurance to a world that was torn apart by the ravages of World War II.” Artistic Director Bryna Wasserman.

When Elwood (RH Thomson) introduces Harvey at a high-society party, his status-obsessed sister Veta (Nora McLellan) is mortified and decides to have him committed to spare her family further embarrassment. But things do not go according to plan. Elwood and Harvey spark pandemonium and the medical establishment’s definition of ‘normal’ is turned totally upside down. The daughter of Irish immigrants, American author Mary Chase was profoundly influenced by Celtic tradition and folklore. Harvey’s character was inspired by a dream she had about a rabbit chasing a psychiatrist; and the mythical Celtic “pooka”, a shape-shifter that takes the form of a rabbit, or other creature, and appears only to those who believe in them. According to folklore, pookas can be impish, even terrifying, but will be kind if treated nicely.

Set in pre-WWII America, the Segal production of Harvey features stylish period costumes by designer James Lavoie. John Dinning’s stunning full Broadway interior style set includes rich wood floors, an elegant colour scheme and architectural elements of the American neo-Classicism period. A striking choreography of light and sound by lighting designer Sarah Yaffe and composer Keith Thomas further enhance the production.

Harvey was adapted into a film starring Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull in 1950. Hull’s performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Stewart received a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

R. H. Thomson – Elwood P. Dowd, Moira Wylie – Betty Chumle, R. H. Thomson – Elwood P. Dowd, R. H. Thomson – Elwood P. Dowd, Gemma James Smith – Miss Ruth Kelly, Mike Paterson – Taxi Driver (E.J. Lofgren) & Orderly (Duane Wilson), Alex McCooeye – Lyman Sanderson M.D. Photo: Nora McLellan and RH Thomson. Photographer Randy Cole. GO C IT!

Box Office: (514) 739-7944 Admission (514) 790-1245 www.admission.com

Traffik Femme

Traffik Femme: The Trafficking of human flesh for sexual purposes is organized crime's fastest growing business. It is also one of the world's most invisible human rights issues; most people have no idea that these enslaved women even exist, and in Quebec we are no strangers to this issue.

Le Trunk Collectif is a Montreal based theatre company that uses the performing arts as a tool for social development and as a springboard to create dialogue. Their objective is to create high-quality theatre productions that address difficult and topical social issues. We strive to break down any existing language barriers by producing plays that can be understood by both the Anglophone and Francophone communities.

Written by : Emma Haché Translated by : Michael Brunet Directed by : Lynne Cooper Performed by: Nico Lagarde Live music by: Roberto Lopez Costume and set design: Julie Measroch Lighting design: Yan Lee Chan Choregrapher: Lucie-Carmen Grégoire. GO C IT!

Presented in French April 14 to 18 and in English April 21 to 25 at the MAI (Montreal, arts interculturels) 3680, Jeanne-Mance, Montréal. Box office : 514.982.3386 ticket.boxxo.info www.letrunkcollectif.com

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley. Directed by Heidi Hawkins. Presented by Nani Tanifa Productions at Players' Theatre.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea pulls together a number of themes that run through Shanley’s works – violence, sexual exploitation, a search for truth, the power of love – and combines them in a work that is both visceral and sensitive. Danny is a true original from an American literary master.

New York playwright John Patrick Shanley's work was last on stage in during Centaur’s 2009 production of Doubt. This April the Pullitzer Prize winner’s first published work will be presented on McGill's Players' stage. The play is described as a powerful, unflinching look at alienation and the exorcising power of love. The subtitle of this darkly beautiful piece is “An Apache Dance” – the name of a fast, violent and sexually charged street dance between a Parisian gangster and his girl.

The spare stage design transforms the space into a rundown bar in the Bronx. Two of society's rejects, Danny and Roberta, strike up a halting conversation over their beers. He is bruised and hostile; his out-of-control anger may have driven him to murder. She is a self-loathing single mother, unable to escape the memory of an ugly sexual incident involving her father. Wary at first, they unexpectedly, hesitantly, begin to open up to one another. In the end, there are no easy answers for Danny and Roberta, or for the audience. But their funny, frightening and ultimately fascinating interaction offers us insight and compassion for these deeply flawed, and truly human, characters.

Nani Tanifa’s new Montreal production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea features all local talents, on and off the stage. Shawn Baichoo plays Danny, seething with barely-checked aggression. Roberta is brought to guilt-ridden, angry life by newcomer Christina Filippidis, who also produces. “When I first read the play, I was floored, I knew it was a story I wanted to share with people.” The rhythmic, emotional piece is directed by Heidi Hawkins and features lighting designed by Jody Burkholder. It's my pick of the week. GO C IT!

Players' Theatre, 3480 McTavish, 3rd floor, SSMU Building, McGill University (Peel metro). Performances : April 8, 9, 10 & 15, 16 at 8pm; Matinees: April 10, 11 & 17 at 2pm. Wheel chair accessible. General seating. Tickets: $15. Reg. Students & seniors $12. Reservations: ntprods@gmail.com

Speed The Plow

Speed The Plow by David Mamet. Directed by Jonathan Marquis. Presented by Jeux de Mots Productions. With: Maya Dhawan, Marc-André Poulin*, Jonathan Marquis.

* "... I was fascinated by the universality of its themes. Are we called to strive for ideals at the expense of our own wellbeing? Where do we draw the line between personal and professional integrity? These are questions we all face on a daily basis and are truly at the core of Bobby’s dilemma. Bobby ultimately does make his decision, but would it be yours?"

Mamet is known for rapid-fire dialogue studded with obscenities and for his preoccupation with power relationships and corporate corruption. Mamet uses the rhythms and rhetoric of everyday speech to delineate character, describe intricate relationships, and drive dramatic development. His plays include: Speed-the-Plow (1987), and Pulitzer Prize winning Glengarry Glen Ross (1983). His screenplays include: The Verdict (1980), The Untouchables (1986) and State and Main (2000).

Jeux de Mot Productions is a newly established theatre company whose aim is to produce stage works covering the world of Musicals, Opera, and Theatre. Our goal is to produce works which have achieved success in North America and abroad for Montreal audiences.

Théâtre de L'Ésquisse, 1650 Marie Anne E. April 8, 9, 10, & 15, 16, 17 @ 20h. April 10, 11, & 17, 18, matinées @ 16h30. Tickets: 15$ reg. Students & seniors 2-4-1. Matinées: Pay what you can. 514 527-5797

Holy Mothers or "Die Presidentinnen"

Holy Mothers by Werner Schwab (1958-1994); Translation by Meredith Oakes. Directed by Jacqueline Van de Geer. With: Marie-Noelle Dufour, Caroline Fournier, Michaela De Casare. Presented by MiaYaya and Orange Eyes Productions at Théàtre Saint Catherine, April 5th preview @ 19h30, & 6th to 10th @ 20h; matinées April 10th, 11th, 14h.

Three blue collar religious women engage in a sinister show to tell their fantasies and a growing discomfort develops as we watch and listen. We soon recognize the struggle for domination and the insistence that one's fantasy world view must replace and annihilate all the others. Schwab playfully, and with deadpan innocence, invites us into the world of these three, on the surface, seemingly harmless eccentrics. Rapidly we become aware that we've seen this play before in the realities of our own twentieth century history. The power of fantasy is seductive; it can captivate whole peoples and, as we see all to often in the news either about the treatment of prisoners of war or the behavior of trusted religious leaders, it can cause untold suffering in the names of piety, morality and even justice. What begins as a pleasant evening at home among three friends dissolves into horrifying and ludicrous chaos, a devolution that mirrors the process by which rosy ideals become the justification for genocide.

The language of the text is at times awkward, unclear and quite uneven in the translation. Set design although adequate for the play was somewhat over cluttered for this small stage, which should have had the extension added to accommodate all the downstage action. As for the lighting it is a very appropriate well focused design.

The performances were at times over acted and somewhat forced with an almost deliberate camp delivery. Caroline Fournier as Grete the sexually unsatisfied golden ager, who's fantasies are not unlike those of Blanch on Golden Girls, appeared to be pushing herself through the text to get to her character through the scenes. Michaela Di Cesare as Mariedl is cute and comical as the 'look no gloves' toilet-unclogging expert and is the butt of most of the jokes. The performance of Marie-Noëlle Dufour as the mother striving to become a grandmother Ema, has the most consistent performance and most identifiable character.

The production would have benefited by some tightening up of the blocking and transitions and being presented in one act with no intermission. The ending is not one that everyone will get or necessary accept, but then it's art so it's subjective. Tickets : 15$ reg. 12$ student & senior, QDF @ Theatre Ste-Catherine. GO C IT!

The Madonna Painter splashes onto the Centaur canvas.

"The Madonna Painter or The Birth of a Painting" by Marc Bouchard, translated by Linda Gaboriau, directed by Roy Surette. Centaur Theatre’s artistic director Roy Surette “When I read The Madonna Painter I was immediately captivated by its exotic, almost folkloric quality. There is mystery and superstition interspersed with major historical events and Quebec’s unique religious past.”

In 1918 a handsome young priest settles in a village in Lac Saint-Jean. Determined to inspire the faith he believes will protect the town from the onset of the Spanish flu, he commissions a visiting Italian painter by the name of Alessandro to create a fresco depicting the Blessed Virgin. With the financial backing of a misanthropic doctor, he sets out to recruit a model from among the village women, all of whom are deeply fixed in their own medieval-like mythologies and martyr and saint roles. Just when the perfect model has been picked the plan takes a turn for the worst. Set against a rich imagistic backdrop of iconography, sex and blood, this dark and humorous fable explores the collision of ecstasies, secrets and lies in the face of an impending epidemic.

The Madonna Painter had its World Premiere in Italian in 2002. 'Il pittore di madonne o Nascita di un quadro di un quadro' by Francesca Moccagatta, was first produced in Florence, Italy. The French language première, "Le Peintre des madones, ou la naissance d’un tableau' was presented at l’Espace GO in 2004. It has since been translated into Spanish and Greek. Most recently The Madonna Painter opened at Toronto’s Factory Theatre.

The production stars: Stefanie Buxton, Graham Cuthbertson, Lucinda Davis, Alessandro Juliani, Jean Leclerc, Meg Roe, Amelia Sargisson. GO C IT!

Playing at Centaur Theatre March 30 to May 2. www.centaurtheatre.com