Towering artists and socio-political provocateurs.” —THE GLOBE AND MAIL
KING ARTHUR’S NIGHT
NEWORLD THEATRE (CANADA) PRESENTED WITH
UBC THEATRE AND FILM
Here is theatre at its most transformative. This production is a work of radical upheaval, in which the King Arthur legend is made fresh for our eyes. Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere—they’re all present in this tale of love, honour and war. New to us are the live band, the 20-person choir and, most of all, the radically inclusive cast. The players in this drama, all professional, include people whose life experience includes Down syndrome. They stand on stage defined by their extraordinary perspectives. Playwrights and performers Niall McNeil, playing our eponymous hero, and Marcus Youssef have collaborated to write a show that will defy expectations and, hopefully, create new ones. Their art is original and personal, but it feels as necessary as the classic literature it draws on: they want to change theatre, and they want theatre to change us. Vancouver’s beloved Neworld Theatre has been wowing audiences for years with their boundarybreaking theatre. Niall McNeil performs locally and nationally to great acclaim, and sometimes teaches acting at the Down Syndrome Research Foundation. Together, with co-producer Leaky Heaven Circus, they scored at the PuSh Festival in 2011 with Peter Panties.
WRITERS Niall McNeil, Marcus Youssef COMPOSER Veda Hille DIRECTOR James Long PERFORMERS Amber Funk-Barton, Andrew
Gordon, Nathan Kay, Tiffany King, Billy Marchenski, Niall McNeil, Lucy McNulty, Kerry Sandomirsky, Matthew Tom-Wing, Marcus Youssef MUSICIANS Veda Hille, Skye Brooks CHOREOGRAPHER Josh Martin COSTUME DESIGNER Christine Reimer SET, PROP DESIGNER Shizuka Kai LIGHTING DESIGNER Kyla Gardiner SOUND DESIGNER Nancy Tam VIDEO DESIGNER Parjad Sharifi STAGE MANAGER Yvonne Yip COMMISSIONED BY Luminato CO-PRODUCED BY National Arts Centre MAJOR SUPPORT FROM Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Stratford Festival, Bard On the Beach Shakespeare Festival, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts COMMUNITY PARTNER Down Syndrome Research Foundation of BC SUPPORTED BY Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Province of British Columbia, Vancouver Foundation, individual and private donors
JA N 31–F EB 3 7 :30 P M F EB 4 2PM F R EDER I C WO O D TH EATR E
$39 POST-SHOW TALKBACK: FEB 1
80 mins, no intermission
JAN
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
FEB
1 2 3 4 37