PL AYBILL the anger in ernest and ernestine
the anger in ernest and ernestine
Leah Cherniak, Robert Morgan, Martha Ross }{
A pproxi m at e ru n ni ng t i m e: 2 hou rs & 10 m i nu t es T her e w ill be one 20 m i nu t e i n t er m ission
ARTIST NOTE: LEAH CHERNIAK
Martha Ross, Robert Morgan and I created The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine through a process of improvisation. This means that the script evolved over months and months of exploration before any dialogue was ever written down. Ernest and Ernestine premiered in 1987 in the now defunct Poor Alex Theatre and was remounted at Factory Theatre in 1990. The show continued its life as a published play and has been produced by companies across Canada and internationally including Los Angeles, Czechoslavakia and Cuba. I am very grateful to Soulpepper for giving me the opportunity to get back inside it. I’ve always considered this play a tour de force for the two actors. Raquel Duffy and Gregory Prest embrace the challenges of a very physical comic world that slowly slips into a darker one. It demands a huge range of comic and dramatic skills, bravery, vulnerability, invention and no small measure of personal investment. Raquel and Gregory are a complete delight to
work with; they are smart, sensitive and eager to search and find the theatrical heart of this piece. This is not a play born of a cynical age. There is great innocence and generosity deeply embedded in how it was created and how it has been rehearsed. We sincerely hope you experience some of that tonight. — So many people have contributed to the evolution of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine. Immeasurable thanks go to Glenn Davidson and George Axon who defined the sense of space and sound in the original production. Many thanks also to Rick Roberts and Jenny Young for their Ernest and Ernestine. And of course Robert and Martha who playfully haunt any and all productions of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine.
s t u dio s e r i e s s p on sor
LEAH CHERNIAK, Co-Creator and Director of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine.
CREATIVE TEAM
THE ANGER IN ERNEST AND ERNESTINE
CAST
Raquel Duffy Ernestine
Gregory Prest Ernest
Produc tion
Leah Cherniak Director
Thomas Ryder Payne Sound Designer/Composer
Robert Harding Production Stage Manager
Shannon Lea Doyle Set & Costume Designer
Kelly McEvenue Alexander Coach
Ian Michael Costello Apprentice Stage Manager
Ken MacKenzie Lighting Designer
Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster Assistant Director
SOULPEPPER PRODUC T ION
Jacqueline Robertson-Cull Wigs Running, Head of Hair & Makeup Geoff Hughes Cutter Barbara Nowakowski First Hand
Emma Zulkoskey Dresser Ksenia Ivanova Scenic Painters Greg Chambers Props Builder
Michael Ahn Bill Stahl Carpenters Paul Boddum Interim Head of Scenic Paint
The video and audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited.
i l l u s t r at ion : gr ac i a l a m
BACKGROUND NOTES
T
he Anger in Ernest and Ernestine premiered in 1987 at Theatre Columbus, a company Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak founded. They’re both graduates of École Jacques LeCoq in Paris, a theatre school famed for its physically rigorous, improvisational style. Columbus was known for its way of writing scripts through collaborative improvisation. To create Anger, Ross and Cherniak teamed with actor-writer Robert Morgan. The result was this gloriously cracked romantic comedy, a perennial favourite and in continual production for the past 30 years. Our own Gregory Prest and Raquel Duffy bring their brilliance to these iconic roles, directed by co-writer, and Soulpepper Resident Artist Leah Cherniak. At first, nerdy Ernest and free-spirited Ernestine are drunk in love, opposites who find each other’s differences delightful, original, charming. When they marry and move into a small basement apartment with a fussy furnace, their love boat springs a few leaks. It turns out – does this sound familiar? – that neither of them has a realistic idea of the person they married.
We know each character’s inner thoughts because each of them establishes a separate relationship with the audience. This allows us to appreciate the increasing difference between each character’s feelings and actions, and their spouse’s interpretation of them. Part of the enduring appeal of this play is that, as wild and stylized as these characters are, their emotions – and struggles – are painfully, hilariously universal. The more they try to communicate, the less they understand each other, fuelling an anger that threatens
to spiral out of control, kicking the comedy into overdrive. Falling in love is easy, but learning to live with your beloved can be a killer. Rarely has wrestling with compromise been so funny. Don’t worry, you don’t have to compromise. You just have to laugh.
Play wright Biogr aphies Rober t Morgan is an actor, director,
producer and writer whose work has been performed around the world and garnered six Chalmers Awards. He is founding artistic director of the Children’s Peace Theatre and co-founder of Roseneath Theatre. Working with Martha and Leah has been a privilege... and probably the most fun of all. Mar t ha Ros s is an actor, writer, creator
and teacher. She co-founded Theatre Columbus (now Common Boots) with Leah Cherniak, where they co-created 28 original comedies, many of them award winners. Martha herself originated the role of Ernestine, a career highlight. She teaches acting at McMaster University, among other places. Le ah Cherniak is an actor, creator, director and teacher. Her contributions to our community include the remarkable work she did with Martha Ross over many years at Theatre Columbus, and years of teaching at National Theatre School, Ryerson University and George Brown College. She is a Resident Artist at Soulpepper and associate director of the Soulpepper Academy.
Background Notes by 2016 Soulpepper Resident Artist Paula Wing
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SOULPEPPER’S CABARET SERIES PRESENTS
Mondays With Molly February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 at 8:30pm $25 ($20 students) Molly Johnson, Canada’s queen of pop and jazz takes a break from her global touring to host an intimate cabaret series. Backed by some of Toronto’s top musical talent and featuring a stunning list of surprise guests, an evening with Molly Johnson is the cure for the Monday blues.
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Molly Johnson photo: Chris Nicholls