Shaw Festival: After the Dance Previews

Previews begin at the Shaw Festival for Lost Masterpiece After the Dance

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, June 26, 2008 … Previews began on Wednesday in the Royal George Theatre for the Shaw Festival’s production of Terence Rattigan’s rarely produced After the Dance, directed by The Shaw’s Artistic Director Emeritus Christopher Newton.

It’s 1938 and the Bright Young Things are still carrying on like it’s the Roaring Twenties. They’re that “lost generation”, the ones that missed World War I and are trying desperately to deny the looming threat of the next war. To the younger generation, their life of endless parties seems utterly frivolous. But David (Patrick Galligan) and his wife Joan (Deborah Hay) can’t stop looking back to a time and place when the bright lights shone on them. However, when an earnest young woman (Marla McLean) enters their lives, it seems to signal that the party might be ending.

Terence Rattigan (1911-1977) wrote 24 stage plays and 30 film, television and radio scripts in a career that spanned 40 years. Although his reputation suffered due to the revolution in British drama sparked by John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (1956), and due to his continued championing of tasteful well-made plays, Rattigan can now be seen as one of the leading British playwrights of the middle part of the twentieth century. After premiering in London in 1939, and another brief run in 1940, After the Dance remained in obscurity for over 50 years. Now the play, Rattigan’s second, is hailed as a lost masterpiece.

The cast of After the Dance also includes Neil Barclay as John Reid and Ken James Stewart as Peter Scott-Fowler, as well as Kawa Ada, Beryl Bain, Lisa Horner, Claire Jullien, Billy Lake, Jesse Martyn, Ali Momen, Jennifer Phipps, Micheal Querin, Jacqueline Thair and Jay Turvey.

After the Dance is designed by William Schmuck, with lighting design by Alan Brodie. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Rebecca Miller and Assistant Stage Manager Eamonn Reil.

After the Dance began preview performances Wednesday, June 25; opens Saturday, July 5; and plays in repertory until Sunday, October 5. For tickets and information, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-7429 or 905-468-2172 (local).

After the Dance is sponsored by AbitibiBowater.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.

Shaw Festival Set to Open 47th Season

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, May 21, 2008 . . . The Shaw Festival’s 47^th season officially opens tonight with J.B. Priestley’s compelling and mysterious drama An Inspector Calls at the Festival Theatre. Four other productions also open this week: Bernard Shaw’s provocative comedy Getting Married; the North American premiere of Githa Sowerby’s undiscovered gem The Stepmother; Lillian Hellman’s timeless tale of family and greed, The Little Foxes; and Leonard Bernstein’s musical adventure Wonderful Town.

The Shaw Festival’s Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, who joins The Shaw’s Board of Governors Chair Richard D. Falconer and the rest of the Company in celebrating the launch of the season, says of the week’s events: “We head into Opening week with a sense of celebration and pride. The five fine productions we’re about to present are a testament to the talent and spirit of The Shaw’s artists, both on and off the stage. I’ve been thrilled with the audience response to these shows during the preview period and thank everyone involved for their dedication and enthusiasm in bringing these stories to life on stage.” In commemoration of the achievements of The Shaw’s creative team, gala dinners attended by dignitaries from all levels of government and Canada’s artistic and business communities, and by Shaw supporters, are held throughout Niagara-on-the-Lake prior to the opening night performances.

Government of Canada officials attending will include: The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage; The Honourable Art Eggleton P.C., Senator; Mr. Stephen Brereton, Canadian Consul General – Buffalo; Mr. Robert Noble, Canadian Consul General – Detroit; Dr. Carolyn Bennett P.C., MP St. Paul’s; and Mr. John Maloney, MP Welland. Foreign dignitaries attending will include: His Excellency H.E. William Fisher, Australian High Commissioner and Mr. Nicholas Armour, British Consul General – Toronto. Provincial government officials attending will include: The Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; The Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture; Ms. Marguerite Rappolt, Deputy Minister of Culture; The Honourable Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources, MPP Etobicoke Centre; The Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation; Ms. Julia Munro, MPP North York, PC Culture Critic; Ms. Joyce Savoline, MPP Burlington; and Mr. Greg Sorbara, MPP Vaughan. Municipal government officials attending will include: Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs, Mayor of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake; Mr. Dennis Parass, Chair, Niagara Economic Development Corporation; Mr. Patrick Gedge, CEO, Niagara Economic Development Corporation; and Mr. Peter Partington, Regional Chair, Regional Municipality of Niagara.

Arts community members attending will include: Martin Bragg, Executive Producer, The Canadian Stage Company; John Brotman, Executive Director, Ontario Arts Council; Antoni Cimolino, General Director, Stratford Shakespeare Festival; Martha Durdin, Chair, Ontario Arts Council; Julia Foster, Chair, Board of Trustees, National Arts Centre; John Goddard, Executive Director, Theatre Ontario; Peter Herrndorf, President & CEO, National Arts Centre; Jack Lightstone, President, Brock University; Dan Patterson, President, Niagara College; Richard Rose, Artistic Director, Tarragon Theatre; Robert Sirman, Director, Canada Council; Janet Stubbs, Director, Ontario Arts Foundation; and Nancy Webster, President, Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.