Fall curtain call

>> From school shows to theatre vets there’s plenty on stage look out for

by AMY BARRATT

There are only about 15 weeks between now and Christmas, so let’s face it: no one person is going to see the 60 or more productions that open between now and then. What follows are a few thoughts, as they say in the Academy, “for your consideration.” But first:

It’s September, but they’re not letting go of summer yet out at Hudson’s Village Theatre, where Trevor Ferguson’s Beach House, Burnt Sienna, opened Wednesday. That infinitheatre co-production will try to stretch out the sunlight until Sept. 29. (450) 458-5361.

Tonight and tomorrow only, a Quebec City company presents Une place au soleil at Théâtre Calixa-Lavallée. No, it’s not a stage version of A Place in the Sun, the 1951 Montgomery Clift/Elizabeth Taylor swelterer. It’s actually a theatre piece based on testimonies of teenagers about the difficulties of growing up gay (if only poor Monty Clift could have seen it); 528-2828.

School’s in
Although I haven’t yet received the lineups for the various theatre schools in town, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye out for student productions. You have to be on your toes to catch these shows because they tend to have very short runs, but they also tend to be dirt-cheap. In the bargain, you get a sneak preview at tomorrow’s professional actors in collaboration with their teachers, often some of the best directors and designers in the country. Begin the exploration with National Theatre School, Concordia and McGill.

Little companies with odd names like Gravy Bath, Pumpkin Theatre, Soulfishing, or Renegade Productions are sure to pop up with shows as the season progresses. Ticket prices are reasonable, and shows make up for in energy what they lack in professional polish.

One such company is Persephone Productions, led by Gabrielle Soskin, a teacher at John Abbott College. Persephone is beginning its third year of producing literate, often period pieces, by women playwrights. In October they will present Kindertransport, based on the stories of thousands of Jewish children who were sent out of Germany at the beginning of World War II, to new families in Britain. October 2–12 at Calixa-Lavallée Theatre.

Unrehearsed Beauty/Le Génie des autres is the latest bilingual offering from PME productions. The Montreal-Toronto collective featuring Jacob Wren was much praised last year for its En anglais comme en français, it’s easy to criticize. Nov. 12–23 at the MAI (982-3386).

What the pros are doing
At the high end of things, Centaur kicks off its season with two Canadian plays. Vinci, by Winnipeg-based Maureen Hunter, depicts a bitter custody battle between the rich powerful father and servant-girl mother of the child who will grow up to be Leonardo (Sept. 24–Oct. 30).

That will be followed up by Impromptu on Nun’s Island, the translation of Michel Tremblay’s latest play, which premiered last season at TNM as L’État des lieux. Although I have nothing but respect, awe really, for Quebec’s pre-eminent playwright, I was not alone in my disappointment at the TNM show. Unless some rewriting has taken place, Impromptu promises to be lots of the glorious talk we’ve come to expect from Tremblay (and which Linda Gaboriau is so adept at translating) with little action and an ending that doesn’t work (Oct. 22–Dec. 1).

For those who managed to miss it despite numerous holdovers last fall, that cash cow Mambo Italiano returns to the Centaur stage Nov. 5–17 (288-3161).
Director Chris Abraham has a gift for taking plays that you thought were about ready for the museum shelf and making them seem new again. He will open the new Saidye season with his take on Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, starring Rosemary Dunsmore as Amanda (Sept. 30–Oct. 20; 739-7944).

En français
After several seasons of producing interesting shows from other countries and other cultures, Wajdi Mouawad has devoted this year exclusively to Québécois de souche creators. His title for the Quat’Sous season, Carte Blanche, could as easily be a description of the entire fall line-up, in French and English. You’ll have to look long and hard to find a non-white face onstage or backstage between now and Christmas (and I’m not sure the New Year will be any less snowy white). The first offering of the Quat’Sous season is Les Cyclones sont aussi dans les têtes, by Pascal Brullemans, directed by Eric Jean.

Some others worth mentioning: La Licorne just began its season with Carole Fréchette’s latest, Violette sur la terre, which continues to Sept 28 (523-2246). It’s a second remount for the ever-popular Le rire de la mer, a collection of sketches from Les Éternels Pigistes (Oct. 1–Nov. 9) at La Licorne. Coming up at Prospero, Théâtre de l’Utopie and groupe de la veillée present Jacques le fataliste, adapted from the Diderot novel by Cristina Iovita, who also directs (Sept 17 – Oct. 12. 526-6582). And Momentum’s latest, L’Inoublié, is at the MAI from Sept. 18–Oct. 5. :

>> Stage Listings