Past Productions
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
Written by: Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield
Date: May 16-26th, 2007
Director: Emily Tate
Producer: Stephanie N. Yantsis
Cast: Stephanie Davidson, Jared Lenover, Matthew Moore
Synopsis: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) is a fast-paced, somewhat precise, daredevil ride through Shakespeare’s canon. The play, written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, ran for ten years at the Criterion Theatre, making it London’s longest-running comedy. It has been praised by the Los Angeles Times as “wildly funny” and by the Montreal Gazette as “the funniest show you are likely to see in your entire lifetime.” So if you’ve never seen the Complete Works before, start preparing your mind to be blown all over the wall.
Crazy and a Half
Written by: D.R. Anderson
Date: September 14-22nd, 2007
Director: Stephanie N. Yantsis
Producer: Jared Lenover
Cast: Stephanie Davidson, Andrew Hadden, A.J. Haygarth, Jaclyn Scobie
Synopsis: Divided into East and West coast sensibilities, the first half, collectively called ‘New York Crazy’ deals with two therapists competing for their shrink’s last appointment, a divorced couple in a canine custody battle, and a gun-toting Mafia wife demanding that her therapist make her happy. “California Crazy” shifts to the West, where an annoyed psychiatrist tries to end his therapy sessions with a burnt-out rock star, a quirky young patient decides to educate her therapist on love and lust, and a married couple with intergalactic problems seeks treatment with a husband and wife team on the verge of divorce themselves.
Reviews: VIEW Magazine, The Hamilton Spectator
Stop Kiss
Written by: Diana Son
Date: January 18-26th, 2008
Director: Stephanie Davidson
Producers: Jared Lenover & Matthew Moore
Cast: Emily Tate (Callie), Stephanie N. Yantsis (Sara), A.J. Haygarth, Caroline Concordia, Matthew Dyck, Shane McCartney
Synopsis: Winner of an Obie Award, the New York Times Best of 1999, and the 1999 Media Award from GLAAD, Stop Kiss tells the story of two women in New York who enter one another's lives and discover a deeper relationship than either was prepared for. Callie, a typical 20-something New Yorker who feels trapped in her job and circle of friends, meets Sara, a confident teacher from St. Louis who has moved to the city to work in the Bronx. As the play progresses, an unspoken attraction develops between the two friends and their first kiss leads not only to shocking violence, but a moving transformation. Told through an unusual timeline combining past and future events, Stop Kiss transcends the stereotypes of a gay romance and embraces broader themes of commitment and identity
Reviews: VIEW Magazine
Misha
Written by: Adam Pettle
Date: August 16-24th, 2008, (Hamilton Fringe 2008)
Director: Bryan Fotheringham
Cast: Iain Lacourt, Michael Herman, Timothy Mauch
Synopsis: After witnessing the murder of his best friend, Max Cohen takes the audience on an emotional journey through the life and death of his best friend Misha Ilanov, a 16 year old Russian/Jewish immigrant. Told through a variety of flashbacks, Max relates the stories that shaped the lives of these two young boys, while he contemplates committing suicide. Based on the disturbing story of Matti Baranovski, a Toronto teen murdered in November 1999, Misha carefully walks a very thin line between aspects of high drama and hilarious comedy. In the hands of a less skillful playwright this could have been deeply offensive, but instead Adam Pettle creates memorable and powerful characters.
Reviews: “Misha — Hamilton’s Black Box Fire delivers a powerful tale of a teenager haunted by the death of his best friend and contemplating suicide. Despite this subject material, there are some real laughs as well. The script makes highly creative use of flashback and repetition, the acting is solid, and this is a show worth seeing.” Jeff Santa Barbara – VIEW Magazine
Dead Certain
Written by: Marcus Lloyd
Date: September 12-20th, 2008
Director: Jared Lenover
Producer: Stephanie N. Yantsis
Cast: A.J. Haygarth, Alicia Micallef
Synopsis: When actor Michael takes on a one night job helping a wheelchair-bound playwright with her script he thinks it will be a simple way to make some quick money. But the evening quickly becomes anything but simple as he's faced with a series of strange coincidences and psychological twists which leave him confused and disoriented. Suddenly Michael is faced with the consequences of a moment from his past he hardly remembers. Is it fate, or are things anything but certain?
Reviews: VIEW Magazine, The Hamilton Spectator
The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge
Written by: Mark Brown
Date: December 5-13th, 2008
Director: Matthew Moore
Producer: Stephanie N. Yantsis
Cast: Michael Anania, Monica Cairney, Jason Dick, Andrew Hadden, Jim Molloy, Parker Martin, Alicia Micallef, Ryan Moran, Sara Van Barneveld
Synopsis: A year after his miraculous transformation, Ebenezer Scrooge is back to his old ways, suing Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas for breaking and entering, kidnapping, slander, pain and suffering, attempted murder and the intentional infliction of emotional distress. As the trial of the century progresses, hilarity ensues.
Reviews: VIEW Magazine
Its Tough to be Somebody
Written by: Lee Howard & Greg Gamble
Date: February 13-24th, 2009
Director: Iain Lacourt
Producer: Jared Lenover
Cast: Meg Banks, Michael Herman, Kim Jonasson, Adam Kitchener, Margaret Long, Ian Robert, James Thomas
Synopsis: “The idea that fame is the result of hard work is the biggest myth around. It's not always going to happen to someone else. No one is immune." It's Tough To Be Somebody takes a hilarious look at our culture's obsession with fame and the fact that, while everyone seems to yearn for stardom, few are prepared for the pitfalls of success. The show's rapid pace and preposterous dialogue highlight the most contradictory and amusing aspects of the human psyche as it operates within a celebrity-obsessed society.
pyg
Written by: Rose Condo
Date: February 13-24th, 2009
Director: Jaclyn Scobie
Producer: Jared Lenover
Cast: Stephanie N. Yantsis
Synopsis: Are you stuck in a rut? Do you feel the need to meet new and exciting people? So does the Pretty Young Girl in PYG, a fresh new play by Canadian playwright Rose Condo. Our heroine has a job, a car, and a good home, but still feels as though something is missing. She decides she needs some romance in her life, and makes several enthusiastic attempts to satisfy that need with nights at the bar, dating websites, complete makeovers and a bag of potato chips. She makes drastic changes to herself, putting everything on the line to achieve her goal... but is it worth it? This show explores our willingness to be manipulated by peer pressure and media expectations. We often sacrifice what makes us unique and ultimately, happy, by putting on the face we think the world wants to see. But at what point do we abandon who we really are?
Down the Road
Written by: Lee Blessing
Date: May 8-16th, 2009
Director: Matthew Moore
Producer: Iain Lacourt
Cast: A.J. Haygarth, Alexa Holbrook, Jared Lenover
Synopsis: The story centres on a convicted serial killer and the husband and wife team hired to help him write an account of his crimes. The killer, Bill Reach, has admitted to the murder of 19 women, but there may have been more. Over many weeks of interviews, the couple, Dan and Iris Henniman, grow more and more uncertain of the ethics of what they are doing. Are they simply relating terrifying events, or are they helping readers consume rape, murder and mutilation as if they were any other product of our society? Are they, in fact, helping to turn Bill Reach into a celebrity?
Reviews: VIEW Magazine
Pride & Prejudice
Original Book: Jane Austen
Adaptation by: Christina Calvit
Date: February 11-17, 2010
Director: Stephanie N. Yantsis
Producer: Matthew Moore and Stephanie N. Yantsis
Cast:Elizabeth Bennet – Lauren Repei, Mr. Darcy – Andrew Huisman,Mrs. Bennet – Kim Jonasson,Mr. Bennet – Peter Gruner, Jane Bennet – Natalie Ruginis,Mary Bennet – Vicki Penner, Kitty Bennet – Hailey Balaz, Lydia Bennet – Jenaé Davey, Mr. Wickham – A.J. Haygarth, Mr. Bingley – Ryan Miller, Miss Caroline Bingley – Andrea Madsen, Lady Catherine de Bourgh – Kathleen Dodd, Mrs. Hurst – Kristi Boulton, Mr. Hurst – Iain Lacourt/Andrew Hadden, Colonel Fitzwilliam – Iain Lacourt/Andrew Hadden, Mr. Collins – Alex Schneider, Charlotte Lucas – Fiona Haque, Sir William Lucas – Luke Fillion, Mr. Gardiner – Luke Fillion, Mrs. Gardiner – Brenda Ziemann,Mrs. Phillips – Brenda Zieman, Mr. Denny – Farhang Ghajar
Synopsis: One of the most famous love stories of all time, Pride and Prejudice centers around the Bennet family, a respectable family with little excess money and the arduous task of five daughters to marry off. When wealthy new gentlemen arrive in town, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, their scheming mother tries her best at match-making. The eldest daughter is blessed with beauty while the cleverest one, Elizabeth, is quick-witted and speaks her mind whether it pleases others or not. A favourite novel of young and old alike, you are left asking: Will the proud Darcy and prejudiced Elizabeth ever get together?
Reviews: VIEW Magazine