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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR LISTINGS/ ANNOUNCEMENTS
RYERSON
THEATRE
SCHOOL
2008
2009
SEASON
THE THREE BIRDS
By Joanna Laurens
Oct 15 – Nov 13
METAMORPHOSES
By Mary Zimmerman
Oct 17 – Nov 14
RYERSON DANCES
2008
Nov 18 - 22
Produced by Karen
Duplisea
MOTHER COURAGE
AND HER CHILDREN
By Bertolt Brecht
February 4 - 12
CHOREOGRAPHIC
WORKS
Produced by Vicki St.
Denys
March 4 - 14
NEW VOICES
Produced by Sheldon
Rosen
March 24 - 29
44/ 46 Gerrard Street
East Toronto, ON
M5B 1G3
PH: 416-979-5118
FAX: 416-979-5194
www.ryersontheatre.ca
Media Contact: Jessica Denise Petrakis
Phone: (416) 979-5118
Fax: (416) 979-5194
Email: rytheatr@ryerson.ca
www.ryersontheatre.ca
RYERSON THEATRE SCHOOL PRESENTS
MOTHER COURAGE
AND HER CHILDREN
BY Bertolt Brecht
Translated by David Hare/ Music Composed by Jonathan Dove
9 PERFORMANCES ONLY!
Preview: February 3 at 8:00pm
Run: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 at 8:00pm
Matinees: February 7, 8 at 2:00pm
Ryerson Theatre School (RTS) is pleased to present Mother Courage and Her Children by
Bertolt Brecht from February 4-12, 2009 at Ryerson’s Mainstage Theatre, 43 Gerrard Street
East. The performances showcase the promising talents of the graduating acting class from
Ryerson’s four-year BFA program under the direction of returning acclaimed guest artist
Richard Greenblatt. For ticket information please contact the Ryerson Theatre School
Public Relations and Box Office at 416-979-5118, or at rytheatr@ryerson.ca.
First performed in 1941, Mother Courage and Her Children remains one of Brecht’s most
celebrated masterpieces, known for its profound exploration of war. Set in the 17th
century during the Thirty Years War, the play follows Anna Fierling– “Mother Courage” –
a travelling street merchant who, with her two sons and mute daughter, become profiteers
of the war by selling goods to soldiers across war-torn Europe. As the war drags on,
Mother Courage begins to lose her loved ones to the atrocities of the war and the bitter
struggle for survival. This epic tale of corruption and loss invites audiences to question
some of society’s assumptions about motherhood, war, business, and morality.
With works that have been translated into 42 languages, Bertolt Brecht is widely
considered one of the most influential playwrights of Twentieth century theatre. A
lifelong committed Marxist, he is most notably linked to the development and practice of
“epic theatre.” Brecht viewed the stage as a forum for political and social debate that
encourages audiences to become observers and judges rather than mere spectators. His
plays continue today to provoke audiences to observe objectively, think critically and
impel social change.
Richard Greenblatt trained as an actor at RADA in London, England. He has acted in
theatres across the country, as well as in radio, television and feature films. Favourite
recent roles include Creon in Antigone, The Concierge in The Gladstone Variations, and
Merv in The Sisters Rosenszweig. He has directed well over 100 productions for theatres
across the country, including The League of Nathans, Nothing Sacred, The Cherry
…over
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Orchard and Detaining Mr. Trotsky. Last year, he directed Lion in the Streets at Ryerson Theatre School. Richard
has been a co-writer on the award winning plays i.d., 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Letters from Lehrer, Care, and Sibs
(which was also filmed for CBC Television). He performed 2P4H a staggering 750 times, including a Canadian
tour, Off Broadway in New York, the West End in London and in Tokyo. Richard has been the Resident Director
at Young People’s Theatre, Deputy Artistic Director at Canadian Stage, and Artistic Director of The Hour
Company. He has taught acting, directing and play creation at most of the theatre training institutions in the
country. Richard has won four Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and two Chalmers Playwriting Awards, and has
received numerous other nominations. Upcoming, he will direct The Speediness of Jamie Cavanaugh for
Roseneath Theatre, and perform in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Bedbound, both in Toronto.
Glenn Davidson is a freelance set and lighting designer for live performance based in Toronto, Canada. Working
primarily in Canada designing for the theatre, he has also designed opera, music and dance. With over 200
designs to his credit, his work has included a wide array of different scales of production, from small budget new
works by fledgling theatre companies to large scale work in major theatres across Canada. In 1993, he was the
recipient of the Pauline McGibbon award. His designs have garnered fifteen Dora Mavor Moore nominations.
Alex Gilbert is currently the Wardrobe Supervisor at Ryerson Theatre School, where she is entering her sixth
season. She has also designed Lion in the Streets by Judith Thompson at Ryerson Theatre School, The Optimists
by Morwyn Brebner at Tarragon Theatre, and was the Assistant Costume Designer for Festen, produced by the
Company Theatre. She has worked in various capacities in wardrobes across Toronto and Ontario including Blyth
Summer Festival, The National Ballet School, and Soulpepper. Alex was the winner of the Pauline McGibbon
Award for Upcoming Production Craftsperson 2004.
Mother Courage and Her Children
By Bertolt Brecht
Ryerson Theatre
43 Gerrard Street East
Preview:
Tuesday February 3rd, at 8:00pm
Run:
Wednesday February 4th, at 8:00pm
Thursday February 5th, at 8:00pm
Friday February 6th, at 8:00pm
Saturday February 7th, at 8:00pm
Tuesday February 10th, at 8:00pm
Wednesday February 11th, at 8:00pm
Thursday February 12th, at 8:00pm
Matinees:
Saturday February 7th, at 2:00pm
Sunday February 8th, at 2:00pm
Ticket Prices:
$18 General Admission, $14 Students/Seniors, $12 Group rate (eight or more)
For more information on Mother Courage and Her Children or tickets please contact the Ryerson Theatre
School Public Relations Office at (416) 979-5118 or email at rytheatr@ryerson.ca
www.ryersontheatre.ca
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