The Washington Post
From George F. Walker's Suburban Motel 6-play cycle, one seedy motel room sees a parade of lovable losers. Denise and R.J. are a down-on-their-luck young couple in Problem Child, desperate to reclaim their daughter from foster care, in spite of a disdainful social worker. Comically incompetent thugs Rolly and Stevie (remember them from Beautiful City?) are mixed up with the Mafia again in Criminal Genius, and making a mess of their 'assignment'.
Director Brad Lepp has long been an admirer of Walker's work, and is excited to work on these two one-acts. “The world he writes about is nothing like the one I live in,” says Lepp, “but whatever we think of these characters, we admire their honesty and are drawn in by their humour and bravery. The emotions that drive them are so pure, audiences can respect that.”
George F. Walker is a Toronto boy, born and bred. A prolific writer, his plays are produced all over the world, and here at home have garnered fistfuls of awards - including multiple Chalmers, Doras, and Governor General's. Problem Child won both a Dora Mavor Moore Award and a Chalmers Award in 1998. Walker's most recent forays have taken him to small and silver screens. He and his writing partner, Dani Romain, created and wrote the CBC-TV series This Is Wonderland, about the courtroom shenanigans in Toronto's Old City Hall, now in its second season. Walker and Romain also penned the script for a feature film, Niagara Motel. Based on three of the Suburban Motel plays (Problem Child, Featuring Loretta and The End Of Civilization), it was shot in Winnipeg last fall.
Alumnae Theatre Company's production of Problem Child features Irene Carl as Denise, Cyrus Lane as R.J., Sarah Kitz as Helen the social worker, and Donovan Woods as Phillie, the alcoholic motel manager. Phillie also appears in Criminal Genius, along with John Healy as small-time crook Rolly, Sean Jordan as his son Stevie, Andy Fraser as underworld figure 'Shirl the Pearl' and JoAnn Mailloux as Amanda, a crime boss' angry daughter.
The set, as designed by Yulia Shtern, reflects a world that's just a little 'off' - slightly skewed and off-kilter. The lighting (designed by Ben Sanford), sound (by Kevin A. Cameron) and Maja Pamic's costumes also combine to evoke feelings of neglect, alienation and exclusion. It's real, but twisted. Check into this motel!
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IRENE CARL
(Denise in Problem Child)
Irene is thrilled to make her Alumnae Theatre debut. Theatre credits include Wasps (Hart House Theatre), Mollie in The Mousetrap (Toronto Truck Theatre), Lisa/Referee in Never Swim Alone and Constance in Goodnight Desdemona... (Circle in the Square Downtown). Film and Television credits include Amy Sweeney in Zero Hour: The Last Hour of Flight 11 (History Television), Samantha in Higher Hand (Manhattan Network), Eva in Her Name was Eva... (Blast Media). Irene holds an MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School. She looks forward to Moving at the Speed of Life, her one-woman show hitting the Fringe this summer!
ANDY FRASER
(Shirley in Criminal Genius)
After producing After You, the third show of this Alumnae season, Andy is thrilled to be back on stage in George F. Walker's Criminal Genius. Some other theatre credits include Absurd Person Singular and The Real World?; The Uninvited Guest (also produced); The Real Thing; Shrink Wrap; Office Hours; Semi-Private; Rumors; I Hate Hamlet; and Death Defying Acts. Many thanks go to Brad for another great opportunity, to Jessica and Danielle for their continued support, to John, Sean, Donovan and Jo for the talents they've so generously shared and most of all to my son Jack, the greatest kid in the world.
JOHN HEALY*
(Rolly in Criminal Genius)
John's a familiar face at the Alumnae Theatre. Last season he performed (with Andy Fraser) in a very successful run of Michel Tremblay's The Real World? directed by Barbara Larose. He's also appeared in several New Ideas Festivals over the years. In his spare time John likes to do dishes and laundry and some cooking for his lovely family (Karen, Zoe and Ava). He doesn't like to clean. John's very pleased to be working with such a talented funny group of people on this production. John's done some other stuff too and is always happy to do . . . more . . . stuff. ENJOY!
*Appears courtesy of Canadian Actors' Equity Association
SEAN JORDAN
(Stevie in Criminal Genius)
Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sean is a graduate of the Dalhousie theatre program and is making his Alumnae Theatre debut in Criminal Genius. When not performing, Sean enjoys movie-based marshmallow cereals, cats (the animals, not the musical) and rolling up rims to win. Thanks to the cast and crew (you guys are great!), the wonderful Claire Sim and the beautiful and talented Molly Johnson.
SARAH KITZ (Helen in Problem Child)
Having trained in the BFA Acting programme at the University of Windsor, Sarah is pleased to be back home in Toronto. Summer 2004 was spent acting with Shakespeare by the Sea in Halifax, and she is gearing up for her Summer 2005 season with Shakespeare in the Square where she will act and assistant direct. Sarah is in script development of her own, and looking forward to working with The ColouRed Girls Collective in December. She is excited to be making her Alumnae debut in Problem Child. Sarah's family wanted to know if she would be playing the problem child . . . Sarah likes pie.
CYRUS LANE* (R. J. in Problem Child)
This is Cyrus' Alumnae Theatre debut. Other credits include Take Me Out, Amadeus and Sweeney Todd at CanStage; Route 66 and Sleeping Beauty at the Stirling Festival; Little Shop of Horrors at Red Barn Theatre and Raging Dreams with Theatre Gargantua. Cyrus has also performed with Festival of Classics, Shaw Festival and Huron Country Playhouse. For Toronto Fringe he wrote The Tenant in 2002 and performed in Last Laugh in 2001. This summer Cyrus returns to the Fringe to do SARSical: the Musical and in the fall to CanStage for Habeas Corpus.
* Appears courtesy of Canadian Actors' Equity Association
JOANN MAILLOUX (Amanda in Criminal Genius)
This is JoAnn's first show with Alumnae Theatre. Past stage credits include Olivia in Eugene (Praxis Theatre), Ophelia in Hamlet (Classical Theatre Project), Kendall in Scenes From A Jazz Bar (Talking Camel Productions), Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Classical Theatre Project), and various roles in a compilation of David Ives works entitled Ordering Ives (Talking Camel Productions). Independent film credits include Chest of Doors (Toolkit Productions) and Hollow (Moving Pictures Entertainment).
DONOVAN WOODS (Phillie in Problem Child and Criminal Genius)
This is Donovan's first outing with Alumnae Theatre. He is a proud graduate of the University of Guelph's drama program. Some of his favourite theatre credits include Charlie Fox in Speed-the-Plow, or Thomas in Grace at the University of Guelph, or perhaps Jinx in Forever Plaid for SUMR players in his hometown of Sarnia. He was last seen in Toronto in a play called Lovely at the Fringe Festival. Donovan will also be appearing on the Roger's Cable television series, Hart of the Annex. He's excited to be a part of this production and he thanks his parents for all their love and support.
GEORGE F. WALKER
(Playwright)
Toronto-born and bred, Walker is a prolific, award-winning writer of stage plays, television shows and films. His blackly comic plays have been produced all over the world, and the CBC-TV courtroom series This Is Wonderland, which he created and writes with Dani Romain, is now in its second season. The longtime writing partners also co-wrote the script for a Canada/UK feature film,Niagara Motel, which was shot mostly in Winnipeg last fall. It's based on three of the plays from Walker's 'Suburban Motel' play cycle - Problem Child, Featuring Loretta and The End of Civilization. Directed by Gary Yates, the film stars Wendy Crewson, Janet-Laine Green, Kevin Pollak and Tom Barnett.
BRAD LEPP
(Director)
After last year's production of Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular, Brad is shifting gears for his sophomore production with the Alumnae Theatre and tackling two of Walker's 'Suburban Motel' pieces. Recent projects include directing the Toronto premiere of Fred Euringer's provocative drama Night Noises (Drama Centre); co-directing Pick-Up Bras & Long Term Shorts (Toronto Fringe 2003); and producing the hugely successful Evil Dead 1& 2 The Musical (Beyond Chutleigh Productions). Other credits include: Pantalone Becomes Prime Minister, Richard III, A Common Man's Guide to Loving Women, and A Kabal of Hypocrites. During the summer months he is the director of production for the Driftwood Theatre Group, and this year The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged will be playing in communities across Ontario. Brad is thrilled to be directing the final show in what has been a terrifically exciting season.
JESSICA KATZ (Producer)
Jessica is very happy to be back at the Alumnae after a few years away. She recently returned from Edmonton, where she earned her diploma in Theatre Production from Grant MacEwan College. She is primarily a stage manager, but is happy to be wearing the producer hat on this production. Currently, she is also the Apprentice Stage Manager for Stage West Mississauga's production of Anne of Green Gables. Thanks to a great cast and crew for spending these last couple months at the Suburban Motel.
DANIELLE GUSLITS (Stage Manager)
Danielle graduated from Mount Allison University in sunny New Brunswick, and has been working non-stop in Toronto since last spring, when she stage managed Defrosting and My Red Feather Boa at Alumnae Theatre's New Ideas Festival 2004. Other recent projects include stage managing the Toronto premiere of Dave Carley's After You (Alumnae Theatre Company); two by Albee: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Alumnae Theatre Company) and The American Dream (a hit at the Toronto Fringe Festival 2004); and assistant stage managing Power Of The Dog at Equity Showcase Theatre.
KEVIN A. CAMERON (Sound Designer)
The creative use of sound to complement the expression of the performance on stage is Kevin's goal. A graduate of the Producing Engineering program from the Harris Institute, Kevin has taken to many fields including sound design, music recording and post audio for film. His previous work at the Alumnae Theatre includes sound operator and additional sound design for the Toronto premiere of Dave Carley's After You.
ALAN LEIGHTIZER (Assistant Stage Manager)
Alan likes tech. At Alumnae Theatre he has stage managed several shows in the past two New Ideas Festivals, and was backstage crew for last year's Absurd Person Singular. Last summer he toured with Driftwood Theatre Company's A Midsummer Night's Dream as day crew, and this past winter toured with Big Kid Entertainment's production of Jack About the Beanstalk as both performer and crew. This summer he plans to rejoin Driftwood's next production, The Compleat Works of Shakespeare, abridged as - you guessed it - tech.
MAJA PAMIC (Costume Designer)
Maja has been a make-up artist and stylist for 28 years. Her career spans print, television and film. Since 1998, she has begun an acting career as well. She is extremely excited to be able to participate in the production of Problem Child/Criminal Genius as Costume Designer, and is looking forward to more involvement with the Alumnae Theatre.
BEN SANFORD (Lighting Designer)
British-born Ben Sanford has been working professionally in the entertainment industry for almost ten years. Trained in lighting design, stage management, technical direction and production management, he has worked across Southern Ontario and all over the United States. Winner of an award for 'Creative Use of Light', Ben has experience ranging from traditional theatre to live televised special events and from trade show booths to architectural installations. Recent lighting design credits include James Joyce's The Dead for Toronto Irish Players, the 2004 All-Canadian Jazz Festival in Port Hope, Electronic Theatre Controls' booth for the 2004 Entertainment Technology Show, and Criminal Hearts for Alumnae Theatre. He is currently the Director of Marketing for Cast Software, creators of the Emmy Award-winning WYSIWYG software.
YULIA SHTERN (Set Designer/Head Scenic Painter)
Yulia received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Ontario College of Art and Design. Since 1999, her artwork has been exhibited in over 5 solo and more than 25 group exhibitions throughout Ontario. To date, she has participated in over 20 theatrical productions in the capacity of Scenic Designer and/or Scenic Artist. Her work has been recognized by the Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant (2003), Sophie Massin Memorial Award for Theatre Set Design (2000, 2001) and John Hirsch National Scholarship (2001). Yulia is affiliated with VAO, CITT and Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee. She lives in downtown Toronto with her cat Tosca.
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