Lord of the Flies Hits the Stage
For
Immediate Release
February 25, 2003
CALGARY,
AB…Sage Theatre presents the stage adaptation of one of the
great novels of the last 100 years, William Golding's Lord of
the Flies. The western Canada premiere runs from March 12 -22nd
at Dancers' Studio West Theatre. This masterpiece of world literature
is as relevant as ever in this time of looming war.
Artistic Director Rob
Moffatt characterizes it as such: "Lord of the Flies fits
perfectly into our mandate of Theatre of Immediacy. It's an arresting
drama full of dimension and humanity, and the acting ensemble
requires total physical, vocal and emotional commitment. I'm confident
that our production will be a compelling and memorable experience."
When a group of schoolboys
are stranded on a desert island, their efforts to organize clash
with the savagery borne of the human condition. Generations to
have read the novel will recall the indelible portraits of Ralph,
Jack and the doomed Piggy. Abounding in symbolism, Lord of the
Flies resonates on many levels, and it remains an electrifying
examination of the human soul.
Sage Theatre is an
award-winning company with a reputation for artistic excellence
(Shimmer, Stuck, Polygraph, Bent, Lion in the Streets). Lord of
the Flies is directed by Kevin McKendrick (The Good Life, The
Hobbit) and assisted by Elizabeth Stepkowski (formerly of One
Yellow Rabbit). Leading the 11-person acting ensemble is Scott
Roberts as Ralph, Danny Dorosh as Jack and Ben Laird as Piggy.
Lord of the Flies runs
at 8 pm, Monday through Saturday, from March 12 - 22nd, 2003.
Dancers' Studio West Theatre is located at 2007 - 10th Avenue
SW. Ticket prices are $14 for students and $18 for adults, with
Monday night being Pay-What-You-Can. For tickets, please call
Arts RSVP at 283-7725.
Sage Theatre has been
generously sponsored by the Alberta Community Initiatives Program,
the Calgary Region Arts Foundation, the Alberta Foundation for
the Arts, and the Calgary Foundation. Our media sponsors are FastForward
and CJSW.
For Further Information,
Rob Moffatt, Artistic Director
Please Contact: 264-SAGE (7243) / rob@sagetheatre.com www.sagetheatre.com
A
Company History: 1998 - 2002
"KER-POW! What
an entrance! Every new theatre company should debut with the same
jaw-socking impact as Sage Theatre." - Martin Morrow, Calgary
Herald
Sage Theatre stepped
into the spotlight in the fall of 1998 with Judith Thompson's
Lion in the Streets. The unprecedented success of this debut included
a one-week hold-over and a still-record seven Betty Mitchell Award
nominations, winning in the categories of Outstanding Direction,
Leading Actress, Supporting Actress and Soundscape.
The impressive debut
was followed up in March with Reading Hebron, a thorny comedy-drama
probing Middle East politics and issues of faith and redemption.
Well-received by audiences and critics, Reading Hebron firmly
established Sage Theatre as a player on the Calgary theatre scene,
and a company that promoted theatre with soul and intelligence.
Sage Theatre capped
its first season with an ambitious co-production with the University
of Calgary's Department of Drama to produce the Canadian premiere
of renowned playwright Tony Kushner's Slavs!. This drama portrayed
Russia before and after Glasnost as a meditation on the function
and fall of Soviet Communism. Once again, Sage Theatre employed
some of Calgary's leading actors, and strengthened its reputation
as a cutting-edge Theatre of Immediacy.
Sage Theatre's second
season opened with Martin Sherman's seminal Bent, a tragic Nazi-era
love story that broke box office records at the Big Secret Theatre
and was held-over for a sold-out AIDS Calgary benefit. Bent won
the Outstanding Supporting Actor Betty Mitchell Award, and received
nominations for Outstanding Actor and Lighting Design.
Tough! followed in
the spring, a rapid-fire comedy dealing with teen pregnancy by
a giant in Canadian playwriting, George F. Walker. Employing some
of the finest in emerging theatre talent in the city, Tough! enjoyed
a solid run and continued accolades from audiences and critics.
Sage Theatre chose
another Canadian icon, Robert Lepage, in producing his noirish
metaphysical thriller Polygraph in December, 2000. This bilingual
drama garnered a further two Betty Mitchell nominations for Sound
Design and Choreography, was held-over for another AIDS Calgary
benefit and exposed Calgarians to our country's foremost international
theatre innovator.
Canadian Graffiti marked
Sage Theatre's first new play premiere in the spring. Sparked
by the issues surrounding violence in schools, this play combined
stylized movement, live sound and music, and an exuberant cast
of emerging artists. With the risk-taking and personal expression
involved in developing new plays, a theatre finds its fullest
creative voice, as did Sage Theatre with this successful production.
After three years of
producing work in the Big Secret Theatre in the Performing Arts
Centre, Sage inaugurated a new Calgary venue, The Biograph Theatre.
Its celebrated fall production was David Rubinoff's Stuck, a surreal
Beat poet's journey through the mean streets of Toronto and an
insight into the homeless. Actor Frank Zotter gave a riveting
performance that brought the play back for an encore in the spring
and earned an Outstanding Actor Betty Mitchell nomination.
Now in its fourth season,
Sage Theatre has a reputation for provocative and enchanting theatre
art. The company has introduced Calgarians to leaders of contemporary
Canadian and world drama while pushing the boundaries of theatrical
style and form. As in the past, Sage Theatre is dedicated to healthy
collaboration, smart risk-taking, striking a meaningful dialogue
with its public and delivering the finest of Calgary's established
and emerging artists to the stage.
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