Wake of the Bones World Premiere
Hudson Village Theatre (Hudson QC)
October 28 – November 7, 2010
The history of Montreal’s Irish finds its voice in new play by David Gow
Hudson Village Theatre to stage world premiere of Wake of the Bones in October 2010
A vital moment in the history of the Irish in Montreal will at last be properly honoured when Hudson Village Theatre stages its world premiere of an original play by David Gow in October 2010.
In 1859, an unmarked grave of 6000 Irish immigrants was found by construction workers building Montreal’s Victoria Bridge. It was a moment of pathos and tears—and the realization of the importance of memory as the tragic and vibrant history of a people lay unacknowledged beneath the grit and soil of a new land, far from where the 6000 had been born.
Forming a crucial part of the history of Montreal, and Canada itself, the descendants of Irish immigrants will enjoy this unique opportunity to see their inheritance honoured on the Hudson Village Theatre stage.
With lyricism and an ineffable Irish sensibility, and with a bow to some of the greats of Irish drama such as John Millington Synge, Montreal playwright Gow takes us on a trip of poetic memory.
Wake of the Bones is about to become part of the legendary culture of the Irish diaspora, a necessary part of Canadian and Irish history, and theatre goers will not want to miss one minute of this important piece of their very identity.
In the words of one old song
“Let’s not have a whimper
Let’s have a bloody great cry!”
Director:Andrew Johnson
Director’s Notes
Wake of the Bones is a dream come true for me that was 5 years in the making. I mentioned this project in a speech to some supporters, and David Forest took up the cause and enabled me to commission a playwright. The journey has been an adventure with some challenges along the way, but now at long last, a new play is born on our stage.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to playwright David Gow for the determination and persistence he demonstrated in making this project a reality. Thanks to Anouk Looten, for her tenacity and for being such a gifted designer, and to the very talented and versatile cast that added so much to the process.
Andrew Johnston - Director
Andrew is thrilled to be directing this new play for the Hudson Village Theatre stage. It is a project that has been close to his heart for some five years, and has been made all the more sweet by working with such a talented and generous ensemble. Other favourite directing credits include The Foursome, Storm Warning and A Flea in Her Ear. He has appeared on this stage in Sexy Laundry, Apple, Looking, Four Strong Winds, Having Hope at Home and Old Love. He has performed over 300 roles for film and television, most recently in the series Durham County and Upside Down.
David Gow – Author
David is one of the most produced playwrights in Québec and Canada's history. Gow's plays have been seen in Montréal, across Canada, the USA, and Abroad including productions in London, New York City, Berlin (3 years in rep.), Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Krakow, Manchester, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa-- among many other cities. In his mid forties, David has seen dozens of productions of his work, perhaps seventy-five to date, and has also written plays for CBC Radio (national and international broadcast). Gow's first feature film "Steel Toes", based on his hit play "Cherry Docs" has won numerous awards in Canada and the US, including Best Feature Film (Beverly Hills Film Festival) and Best Independent Feature in America (Cine Golden Eagle) and Gow's adaptation of his own material, to film, has found an audience numbering into the millions throughout the world in English and in Translation. Gow is fortunate to have seen multiple productions of all of his three most recent plays. David often attends rehearsals and is directly involved in productions far away from home and close to home. His work has seen support from The Canada Council For The Arts, and David is a member of the Dramatists Guild Of America. David feels very fortunate to have been asked by Andrew Johnston, A.D. of Hudson Village Theatre, to write a piece for the company.
Irene Arseneault – Stage Manager
Working with the HVT team is always a pleasure! This time around Irene is particularly happy to have the opportunity to collaborate with Andrew on Wake of the Bones. Past credits at Hudson Village theatre include directing Snake in the Grass, All Grown Up and Rumours, stage management of last year’s production of Quartet, as well as appearing in the role of Jill in Spring Planting. Other Hudson directing credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technical Dreamcoat and The King and I. In Montreal, Irene worked extensively with Lyric Theatre conceiving and staging their choral shows, including Berlin to Saigon, On With the Show and Broadway Beckons and directing their productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Evita, and Company at the CentaurTheatre. As an actress, Irene worked extensively in children’s theatre and was the Drama Resource Specialist at the Sacred Heart School of Montreal for 16 years. She is a graduate of Concordia’s theatre performance program and holds a Master’s degree in Directing from UQAM.
Daniel Giverin - Pa
Danielis utterly delighted to be performing in Hudson again having previously appeared in "Educating Rita" (1999); "A Night in November"(2002); "Spring Planting" (2003); and "Storm Warning"(2008). "Wake of the Bones" marks the first time he brings his musical talents to Hudson. Over the years Daniel has appeared in numerous other plays in and around Montreal: "The Beauty Queen o fLeenane", "Oliver!", "The Winter's Tale" for the Centaur Theatre; "The Tempest" and "A Night in November" at the Segal Centre, and of course his very own one-man show, based on the life and writings of the Irish poet W.B. Yeats, "The Two Trees" You may also recognize Daniel as "Simon" in the much over played IGA ad, or for his cameo performance with Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello in the blockbuster film 'The Mummy III". Recently Daniel was nominated for "Outstanding Performance by a Male" for his work in the locally produced independent film "South of the Moon". Daniel would like to dedicate his performance to the memory of his mother, Rosa Maria Doyle (1938-1985) - Ar dheis Dei a anam.
Danielle Desormeaux - Ma
Danielle is pleased to be returning for another Hudson adventure. Audiences may remember Danielle's appearances in Sylvia, Here On The Flight Path, The Affections Of May and The Anger InErnest and Ernestine. Danielle has spent much of the last 12 years working with the internationally acclaimed PlatypusTheatre performing with symphony orchestras across Canada, the U.S., and South East Asia. Some of Danielle's favourite projects include: The Comedy of Errors for Centaur/NAC, Harry Standjofski's Two/Three for Le Nouveau théâtre anglais/Imago, The Little Prince for Geordie Theatre, and for Clowns Gone Bad : Ümlout and, the soon to be remounted, MöcShplat. Hope you enjoy the show.
Emily Lamarche - Iris
Emily, of local fame, first appeared on the Hudson Village Theatre stage in the 2008 musical, All Grown Up (director Irene Arseneault). Since then, she has been singing to packed rooms as part of the very popular and accomplished band, Happenstance. This year, they made their Hudson Music Fest debut and are currently working on their much anticipated first CD. You might even have seen them performing on the train from the city to the Theatre’s doorstep! A graduate of John Abbott College’s theatre program, Emily is delighted to find herself doing what she loves best and she feels honoured to commemorate our Irish ancestors. She would like to thank her boyfriend for helping her learn her lines and for being her biggest fan.
Laura Teasdale - Molley
Laura is so happy to be back in Hudson, having been here the first year of theVillage Theatre (when it was in the tent!) and several times since. (I Oughta Be In Pictures, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, I’ll Be Back Before Midnight) Originally from Nova Scotia, she has been an actor in Montreal for some 18 years and recently moved to the Eastern Townships. Laura is also a musician, cartoon voice and playwright. She wrote Woodswalker, Honky Tonk Blue (The Night Patsy Met Hank), and Love Bites! to name a few you may have seen. Hudson is a great community and it always feels like coming home! Thanks for having me! Slainte!
Shayne Devouges - Peter
Shayne graduated from Dawson's Dome Theatre in 2008. Upon graduating, Shayne was cast to play Luke in the off Broadway musical, Canadian bilingual premiere “The Altar Boyz/Les Enfants Choeur”. Over the last 2 years he has performed in over a dozen shows in and around Montreal. Wake of the Bones is Shaynes second show with Hudson Village Theatre this season and is very excited to be performing with a wonderful cast and crew. Many thanks go out to Andrew for the opportunity, friends and family for endless support and Sarah... because she's wonderful in every way. Enjoy the Show!!!
Linda Morrison – Musical Director
Known to many as one of Canada’s finest singer songwriters, Linda Morrison is also an arranger, choir director and teacher. Having directed Montreal’s Yellow Door Choir for twelve years, Linda now teaches choral ensemble at the National Theatre School of Canada. Her arrangements are used bychoirs in Canada and the U.S.
As a performer, Linda has played venues and festivals across North America and has been featured on CBC national radio and on SesameStreet. Her musical tastes both span the globe and reflect her Quebec andCeltic roots. Her distinctive, original songs can be heard not only on her own critically-acclaimed CD, Line by Line, but on recordings by artists such as Penny Lang, Karen Young, and children’s musicians Fred Penner, and Sharon, Lois and Bram. Recently, she was awarded a Canada Council grant to write songs for her next album.
Having worked as musical director for Four Strong Winds and as singing director for The Foursome, Linda is thrilled to continue her collaboration with the Hudson Village Theatre as musical director for The Wake of the Bones
Anouk Looten - Designer
Anouk enjoys creating both sets and costumes and also teaches mask-making, fine arts and stained glass. After her design studies in Nottingham, England, she lived in Edinburgh and in Paris and designed shows in a broad range of genres and periods. Some productions include Crime and Punishment (AvignonFestival Fringe 2004), the musical La Guinguette a Rouvert ses Volets , Bryony Lavery’s Frozen and Ionesco’s Exit the King. Recent productions in and around Montreal include La Petite Ecoledu Jazz (Festival International de Jazz de Montréal) and Old Love (Hudson Village Theatre).
This is Anouk’s fourth set design for the Hudson Village Theatre and she warmly thanks Andrew for his unflappable calm and belief . Thanks also to a very talented building and painting crew and to Irene for keeping it all together.
Lise Antunes Simoes - Assistant Scenograph
Lise started her career by participating in the conception and creation of various theatre settings and shows in Paris and Montreal. Attracted by both the real and virtual world, Lise broadens her abilities by becoming an interactive scriptwriter, creating virtual worlds and games for children on the Internet. As a Freelancer, she participates actively in different projects such as game designer, writer, and a scenograph’s assistant. Lise holds a degree in Interior Design and Scenography as well as a certificate in Interactive Multimedia Scriptwriting. She is very excited to be working on this production and all the fine people at Hudson Village Theatre.
Lyne Paquette – Puppet Maker
Lyne is a founding partner and Artistic Director of Talisman Theatre. A graduate of the National Theatre School, theatre design is Lyne's second career. She continues to develop her theatre training with puppetry workshops and recently completed a three-month internship at Michael Curry Design. Since 2003 Lyne has designed for many theatre, dance, and operetta productions in Montreal. Prior to that Lyne was an Assistant Designer at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. She has designed set and costumes for Talisman productions since 2005.
Lea Durocher – Scenic Painter
Lea has been involved in theatre for the last 22 years. Most recently, Lea was the Set designer and Scenic artist for the Hudson Village Theatre’s summer production” Snake in the Grass”; Set designer and scenic artist for the Hudson Players Club production “The Mousetrap”; Hudson Village Theatre’s Christmas pantomime “Red Riding Hood”; and scenic artist for last year’s summer season production of “Quartet”. Coming up, Lea is the Stage manager and designer for this year’s 10th anniversary Christmas Pantomime here at Hudson Village Theatre, “Aladdin”. Besides all this, Lea is also the owner of Centre Décor Hudson, located at 33 Yacht Club rd. Lea is thrilled to be part of this production, and looking forward to many more.
Lighting: Joshua Lamb
Costume Design: Karen Pearce
Set Construction: Ken Brownridge
Intermission: 1 intermission of 15 minutes