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“I had the longest, thickest hair. All the hockey players were after me.”
Jessica is mourning the very recent death of her artist-lover, Martin. Her mother (a farmwife from the Canadian prairie) and her intellectual American ex-mother-in-law have come to her Connecticut beach house to help her deal with the loss. Meanwhile, Jessica's teenage daughter Polly has everyone worried when she doesn't return home after a school dance.
Saskatoon-born playwright and novelist Joanna McClelland Glass has written a moving comedy about three generations of women.
Winner of the 1994 Governor General's Award for Literary Merit.
April 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 2007 & May 3, 4, 5, 2007
Thursday to Saturday: 8:00 pm
Sunday Matinee: 2:00 pm
Box Office opens one hour before performance time.
Friday & Saturday: $18
Sunday Matinee: PWYC
Thursdays: 2 FOR 1
CASH ONLY! Box Office does not accept credit or debit cards
Email: reservations@alumnaetheatre.com
Phone: 416-364-4170
ROSEMARY DOYLE,
Actor (Jessica)
During a busy March, Rosemary began If We Are Women, was creative director for Delectable Divas 5 at Hart House, was awarded Best Actor for the Q2F Film Festival for her work in the short films, The Wish and And my Sister Too. She also welcomed her mother's arrival from Ireland for a three week visit. (Thanks, Mom, for taking the kids during those first rehearsals!) In April Rosemary released her first volume of plays at Theatre Books, so, like Jessica, she can relate to having her books at the book store - it is very exciting. Rosemary has been a member of the Alumnae since 2001 and she is proud to have her main stage debut with such a great group of women. Over the years with Alumnae, she has directed Amy's View, Gallagher and Only Silence Remains, done costumes for The Real World, and as a playwright. participated in Nuite Blanche and the Write Now! 24h Writing Festival. Rosemary is the Equity Liaison and occasional emergency caterer. She would like to thank Rita, for the opportunity, Razie for the phone call, and CAEA for their understanding.
JANE CARNWATH,
Actor (Rachel)
Jane is delighted to be acting again on the Alumnae stage, where she's been more active as a director in the past few years. Her most recent Alumnae directorial assignment was last season's Homeward Bound. Before that she directed After You, A View From The Roof, The Gut Girls, The Madwoman Of Chaillot and Wild Honey. Among productions in which she she has appeared as an actor at the Alumnae were Amy's View, The Cocktail Party, The House Of Bernarda Alba and He Who Gets Slapped. Jane recently retired as acting instructor for the Music Theatre Department at Sheridan College. For several years she has been a participant in R. Murray Schafer's wilderness-theatre project, And Wolf Shall Inherit The Moon. And, at the risk of dating herself, she admits to having played Shane's mom (and therefore Emma's Grandma!) in the first generation of De Grassi High.
PAT McCARTHY,
Actor (Ruth)
Pat is thrilled to be let out of the attic to work on the MainStage after working on New Ideas for the last few years. Pat directed Whose Party Is It? (03), I Was Thinking of Something (06) and Death to Dating (07) and performed in Half Dozen of the Other (05) and The Gay Parrot (05). She was last seen on the MainStage in Ten Lost Years. Other credits include directing Waiting for Wolfgang for the ROM's family series and Without Whom at the Village Playhouse. Pat dedicates this performance to the memory of her sister Cele, who first cast her at the age of seven, as the Angel Gabriel, in the Houston Family Christmas Pageant.
GINA RAE,
Actor (Polly)
From the family farm to the Toronto stage! Gina is so grateful for this opportunity to create and explore with such talented, innovative cast and crew. Working with such strong and artistic women role models at the Alumnae Theatre Company is inspiring everyday. Originally a farm girl from Naicam, Saskatchewan, Gina finds many of the “jewels” in this Saskatchewan playwright's writing. After spending two years at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in B.C., Gina moved to the Toronto. Recent roles include, Lady Agatha in Lady Windermere's Fan (Alumnae Theatre), Phoebe in Yeoman of the Guard (North Toronto Players) and Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Broadway North). Gina has started her own collective musical theatre/opera/piano concerto production titled Divas Divine (granitedragon.ca/diva/). Gina dedicates this performance, “To my mother, who gave me both roots and wings”.
RITA SPANNBAUER,
Director
Rita joined the Alumnae Theatre Company in 1984, making her directing debut with Jane Martin's Talking With in the Studio a year later. MainStage directing credits include Peter Shaffer's fanciful Lettice and Lovage, the '02 season hit, Orpheus Descending, and the time-shifting drama, The Shadow Walkers. Other directing credits include a trio of plays with the Village Players: A Murder is Announced, Inherit the Wind and Pack of Lies, and Norm Foster's Melville Boys with Theatre Etobicoke. Back at the Alum, renewing old friendships and making new ones, Rita is particularly pleased that all four actors in this dream cast are fellow members of the Company. She dedicates her work on this production to Lydia, her mom and her best friend.
MARGOT DEVLIN,
Stage Manager
Margot has stage managed three shows for Alumnae Theatre Company this year: Baby With the Bathwater, Lady Windermere's Fan and If We Are Women. Other stage management highlights include She Stoops to Conquer (Alumnae Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Fallen Rock Productions), Goodnight Disgrace (Postscript Productions) and The Real World? (Alumnae Theatre). Margot has also acted as Assistant Stage Manager for The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare in the Rough), Platinum Travel Club (By the Word and Theatre Passe Muraille co-production), After the Fall (Equity Showcase), A Lie of the Mind (Alumnae Theatre) and as Production Assistant on Urinetown (CanStage). Thank you to Shaun for his love and support.
ED ROSING,
Set and Lighting Designer
Ed, an English/Drama Major, received his BA at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He went on to study at Yale Drama School and completed his education at Central School in London, England. He has been learning ever since. This winter he has done Lighting for Lady Windermere's Fan (Alumnae Theatre), In Love's Kitchen (Abrams Studio Theatre), The Chekhov Vaudevilles (Robert Gill Theatre) and The Taming Of The Shrew (Dancemakers Theatre). Ed loves the abstract world of limitless imagination he is able to enter with the creation of both set and lighting in this Alumnae production of If We Were Women. Upcoming: The Museum (Robert Gill Theatre).
J. R. RUDGE,
Sound Designer
Have ya ever been out to sea Billy? John is delighted once again to reunite with friends at the Alumnae. He began sound designing for theatre in 1995 and his first show at the Alumnae Theatre was The Sisters Rosensweig. His most current production was the quirky Baby With The Bathwater. Besides audio production, John operates a production company which involves both video and photography. Email: jrrproductions@hotmail.com.
RAZIE BROWNSTONE,
Costumes
A longtime member of Alumnae Theatre Company, Razie has filled many positions: props, lighting operation, costume designer, producer, actor. This year she performed in Alumnae's production of Lady Windermere's Fan, even though she was busy acting as the its co-producer. Razie's professional career includes movies, videos and commercials, but she finds her amateur work very rewarding.
KATHLEEN BURROWS,
Sound Board Operator
Spending her high school and college years performing and crewing in school and community theatre productions, Kathleen was inspired to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Although not in theatre, she successfully attained positions in the music and post production industry in Australia, the UK and now in Canada. This has allowed her to be involved in theatre and live music production, purely on a passionate level.
MICHAEL DI FLORIO,
Head Carpenter
If We Are Women is Michael's second stint as the Head Carpenter on an Alumnae production. Michael is a young and talented jack-of-all trades, who not only constructed the set, but also made valuable contributions to both hanging the lights and programming the lighting board. The producer thinks he's wonderful.
KAI FAI HO,
Lighting Board Operator
Kai Fai Ho has been involved in community theatre, for almost 10 years, operating in various capacities backstage, mainly in opera and musical theatre. He has served as Stage Manager for productions of La Traviata, L'Elisir d'Amore, Cosi Fan Tutte and Don Giovanni for the San Francisco Lyric Opera, and as Assistant Stage Manager in The Magic Flute for the Stanford University Department of Music. Recent credits include Stage Managing Chekhov Vaudevilles for the Hart House Drama Society. Although it's been years since he's touched a lighting board, he is very excited to join the Alumnae Theatre Company for If We Are Women.
NONNIE GRIFFIN,
Props
Nonnie Griffin, who has been a performer in theatre forever and is now a member of The Alumnae, is delighted to be part of the props crew for this great play by Joanna Glass. Nonnie, along with Colin Fox, will be appearing in Hauntings by Gary Michael Dault, score by composer Eric Robertson, at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Saturday, April 21st. Look for a potential second performance in the near future.
DUNCAN MCCALLISTER,
Photographer
Duncan McAllister started taking pictures at the age of 13 when given his father's old Konica Auto S2 rangefinder. Thirty years later, he is still taking pictures. He started developing color prints in high school in the early seventies with his Vivitar enlarger. He bought his first SLR camera with money earned at a part-time job at the library; a used 1964 Canon FX, which at that time was already 10 years old. Duncan later went on to apprentice in film and television production in the area of lighting design. He has worked with such companies as CFTO-TV, Rabco Television Productions, and Panavision Canada. In his twenties, he had been a lighting director for film, television and the performing arts. Later in life, Duncan used his technical abilities to start a new career in computer consulting. Although never without a Nikon, he worked as a technical consultant and project manager for 15 years. Last year, he started Telechrome Media, which specializes in commercial photography and digital media. This has developed into a feasible endeavor which marries the best of both photographic and computer technologies. Duncan can be reached at media@telechrome.com.
ALANNA STONE,
Assistant Director
Alanna is thrilled to have worked with such a wonderful group of people on If We Are Women. This is Alanna's second year with the Alumnae Theatre. Last year she directed the staged reading, As Large as Alone, as a part of the New Ideas Festival. This is her first show as an Assistant Director. Many thanks go out to the cast, Rita, Margot, and Diana for making this experience one of growth and laughter, to David and Ari for their constant support and encouragement, and to my mother, for inspiration. Enjoy the Show!
DOROTHY WILSON,
Assistant Stage Manager
Although originally a props and costumes person, lately Dorothy has been Assistant Stage Manager for five Main Stage Alumnae productions: She Stoops to Conquer, Homeward Bound, Baby With the Bathwater, Lady Windermere's Fan, and now, If We Are Women. It's a lovely job and allows her to boss people around.
ALUMNAE THEATRE COMPANY
70 Berkeley Street
Toronto, Ontario • M5A 2W6
Phone: 416-364-4170
Email: contactus@alumnaetheatre.com
