THEATRE NEWS: Soulpepper seasons 2011
20 Oct'10

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

Seems Soulpepper is turning into a spice to be applied to the Toronto theatre scene in a most liberal fashion. At least that's the impression in the wake of artistic director Albert Schultz's announcement Tuesday of his company's new 17-show 2011 season at the Young Centre.

Of those 17 shows, five will be remounts of earlier Soulpepper productions — Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, Neil Simon's ODD COUPLE, Miklos Laszlo's PARFUMERIE (adapted by Adam Pettle and Brenda Robins) William Saroyan's THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE and John Gray and Eric Peterson's BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR.

But Soulpepper artists will also be hard at work focusing their attention and ours on other classics of the theatre canon, including David Mamet's OLEANNA, William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, Tennessee William's THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Eugene Ionesco's EXIT THE KING, Arthur Miller's THE PRICE , Henrik Ibsen's GHOSTS in a new translation/adaptation by Morris Panych, and for musical theatre fans, THE FANTASTICKS, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt.

As for Canadian content, well Soulpepper has got that covered too, with new productions of Guillermo Verdecchia's FRONTERAS AMERICANAS and Judith Thompson's WHITE BITING DOG planned, in addition to a pair of one acts: THE ALEPH, based on a short story by Jorge Luis Borges and adapted by Diego Matamoros and Daniel Brooks and Leo Tolstoy's THE KREUTZER SONATA, adapted by Ted Dykstra. A double bill — (Re)Birth: e.e. cummings in Song, and WINDOW ON TORONTO, directed by Laszlo Marton — round out the season.

Soulpepper subscriptions can be renewed after Oct. 18, with new subscription available Nov. 2 and single tickets, Nov. 23. For further information, call 416-866-8666 or visit soulpepper.ca.