Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) video teaser from Marie Balsom on Vimeo.
Ann-Marie MacDonald’s award-winning Canadian classic, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), on stage at the Dramatic Arts Theatre in downtown St. Catharines
The Department of Dramatic Arts (DART) is proud to present Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), a clever, lively comedic tale of self-discovery, to be held in the Dramatic Arts Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, from February 26 – March 5, 2016.
Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) was first performed in Toronto in 1988, and went on to be performed nationally and internationally. It has become one of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s most popular plays. Winner of the Governor General’s Award for Drama, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) is a feminist re-envisioning of Othello and Romeo and Juliet. Set at Queen’s University in Kingston, overlooked and under-appreciated academic Constance Ledbelly has spent the last ten years ghost writing for a professor while trying to prove her theory that Othello and Romeo and Juliet were originally comedies written by an unknown author that Shakespeare plundered and made into tragedies. When she deciphers the ancient ‘Gustav Manuscript,’ Constance is propelled smack dab into the tragic turning points of each play, saving both Desdemona and Juliet from their tragic fates. The result is a topsy-turvy ride through the recesses of her own mind as Constance learns to appreciate her own self-worth, find confidence and discover who she really is.
Heading up the creative team is Director Danielle Wilson who is also an actor and voice coach. In 2006, she moved to St. Catharines to take up her current position at Brock University where she teaches voice and performance. She is also active in the local theatre scene as a vocal coach and director, and is the co-artistic director of Stolen Theatre Collective. This is Professor Wilson’s fourth mainstage direction for Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts and her first production for the new DART theatre opened in September 2015.
Assistant Director Mark Harrigan is a fourth year BA (Honours) Dramatic Arts student. Lighting design is by Professor Yasmine Kandil with sound design by Gavin Fearon (assisted by student Kelsey Burcher). DART is delighted to engage guest artists to complete their creative team: set design by Nigel Scott (assisted by student Charlotte Nazari), costume design by Kelly Wolf, and fight direction by Jamie Treschak. Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) showcases the talents of students in the Department of Dramatic Arts undergraduate program, including the performers: Raylene Turner; Katelyn Lander; Elizabeth Amos; Alexandra Li Tomulescu; Michael Fusillo; Robert Herr; Josh Sanger; and Jeremy Knapton. The student Stage Manager is Oriana Marrone, assisted by Kaitlyn Seguin and Elena Milenkowski. Second year students in Stagecraft build and operate the show under the direction of the Production Manager Brian Cumberland, Technical Director Gavin Fearon (assisted by student Jennifer Dewan) and Head of Wardrobe Roberta Doylend assisted by students Dana Morin (Properties Co-ordinator) and Paige Patterson (Wardrobe Assistant).
Danielle Wilson states, “I wanted to do a play with strong female characters, which is surprisingly difficult to find in 2016. Ann-Marie MacDonald brilliantly revises Shakespeare’s Juliet and Desdemona by exploring the role of gender in romantic alliances and questioning their boundaries.”
Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) runs February 26 and 27 at 7:30 pm; February 28 at 2 pm; March 4 at 11:30 am and 7:30 pm; and March 5 at 7:30 pm, and will be held in the Dramatic Arts Theatre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines. Tickets are $18 Adults; $15 Students/Seniors; $12 Groups (10+); $5 eyeGo high school program, and are available through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office at 905.688.0722, online: http://firstontariopac.ca; or e-mail: boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca
Such programs from the Department of Dramatic Arts (http://www.brocku.ca/dramaticarts) are an integral part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.
Limited paid parking is available on-site, however, there are more than 1,000 spots available in nearby parking garages, surface lots and on city streets within a five-minute walk to our address at 15 Artists’ Common. Visit http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/livein/ParkingLotsGarages.asp for a list of parking locations.
Media Day: Thursday, February 18 at 5 pm, held at the Dramatic Arts Theatre, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, ON.
For interviews please contact:
Marie Balsom, Communications Coordinator, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
T: 905-688-5550, ext. 4765 | E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: www.brocku.ca/miwsfpa