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May 27, 28, 29, 30
Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui
English : 1h30 |
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Theatre of compassion
A few bricks, a couple of chairs, some music and traditional Russian folksongs and voilà ! The little village of Ukleevo in late 19th century Russia is brought back to life. There, in the ravine, live poor wretches, exploited and abandoned by God, living their lives under the tender and compassionate gaze of Dr. Chekhov. A storyteller steps forward. He is soon accompanied by four women who portray the many characters of this comic, touching tale of a family of money-grubbing predators soon to be visited by misfortune. With this new exploration of the incredible theatricality of Chekhov’s short stories, Michele Smith and Dean Gilmour, leading figures in the Toronto theatre scene, rely again on the richness of their impecunious theatre. They have created a simple and whimsical play, spare and powerfully evocative, spartan yet full of emotion. It is Chekhov, and thus throbbing with life.
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© David Leyes
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Not in the plays but rather in the short prose works of Anton Chekhov, Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith have discovered material wondrously suited to their peculiar theatrical talents. The Globe and Mail
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| ADAPTATION |
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Dean Gilmour, Michele Smith and the company |
| DIRECTION |
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Dean Gilmour et Michele Smith |
| ASSISTANTS TO DIRECTORS |
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Matt Baram and Pam Halstead |
| SET AND COSTUME DESIGN |
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Victoria Wallace |
| LIGHTING DESIGN |
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Kimperley Purtell |
| SOUND DESIGN |
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Derek Bruce |
| STAGE MANAGER |
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Zoe Carpenter |
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| CAST |
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Dean Gilmour
Michele Smith
Ann-Marie Kerr
Michelle Latimer
Michelle Monteith
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Michele Smith and Dean Gilmour
After studying at École Jacques-Lecoq in Paris in the late ’70s, Michele Smith and Dean Gilmour founded their company in 1980. Back in Toronto, they developed a staging technique based on the Lecoq method. It focuses on the dynamics of the body, the spontaneous nature of the human being and the “ accidental nature of his presence in the world ”. Major figures in Toronto theatre, they have adapted stories from the Bible, Dante and Boccacio. Chekhov Longs... In the Ravine continues research begun in 1999 with Chekhov's Shorts, a collage of five short stories. Their intelligent and subtle stage adaptation led to a nomination for the Chalmers Award in 2000, and proved to be a huge success with audiences both in English Canada (including a presentation in Montreal last year at the Saidye Bronfman Centre) and abroad. Their interest in the great Russian author continues, as they are preparing an adaptation of Ward Six to be presented next season at the Factory Theatre in Toronto.
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