91亚色 thespians will showcase their work on stage and behind the scenes in some of Toronto鈥檚 hottest productions this season. Watch for two this weekend.
Phillip Silver is set, costume and lighting designer for Soulpepper Theatre鈥檚 production of The Price by Arthur Miller, currently in previews and opening tomorrow.
(BA '92) has assembled a diverse team of 91亚色 talent to bring to life a theatrical, grown-up version of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev鈥檚 Peter and the Wolf. Previews begin tomorrow and opening night is Tuesday at The Theatre Centre.
The Price
This is the second time Silver, theatre professor and former dean of 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Fine Arts, has worked on The Price. The first was听more than听40 years ago at Edmonton鈥檚 Citadel Theatre.
Set in the crowded attic of a Manhattan brownstone in the 1960s, this family drama centres on two estranged brothers arranging to sell the contents of their dead father鈥檚 house.
听听听听听听听Above: Phillip Silver's set model for The Price听
This time around, 鈥渕y life experience has made me more aware of the currents that run through a family,鈥 said Silver. 鈥淚 appreciate this work much more in my sixties than I did in my twenties.鈥
With the set and props for The Price being largely family heirlooms, including some antiques, Silver鈥檚 work as designer involved less set building and more shopping. Sourcing items to represent the lifestyle and personalities of the family and evoke their memories in the crowded attic room took him as far as Barrie, Woodstock and Cambridge 鈥 as well as to eBay.
That wasn鈥檛 the only challenge. Since Soulpepper runs several plays in repertory, the stage needs to be cleared daily, with sets stored to make room for the next show. Silver had to make less seem like more and devise clever ways to pack things away as compactly as possible. For example, a 鈥渟tack鈥 of chairs under a drop cloth is actually only one chair plus a wooden skeleton that gives the appearance of a number of chairs underneath. An array of smaller items is stacked inside that skeleton when it is moved into storage following each performance.
The Price will run to Oct. 6 at The Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto鈥檚 Distillery Historic District. For tickets, visit the 听website.
Peter and the Wolf
Above: An illustration for Theatre Rusticle's Peter and the Wolf
For Peter and the Wolf, contract faculty member (BA '90) has assembled 听actors, dancers and an eight-piece chamber orchestra to present a physically robust, poetic and musically stirring re-invention of the children鈥檚 classic as part fairy tale and part dream. It is produced by her award-winning company, Theatre Rusticle, and features a cast that includes Professor Emeritus David Smukler, Wesley Connor (MFA 鈥09) and听Matthew Romantini (BFA 鈥05), dancer Viv Moore (BFA 鈥90, MA 鈥07) and a chorus consisting of theatre students Susannah MacKay and Liam Hanebury, and Jamie Ebbs (BA 鈥11). Katy Murphy (BA 鈥11) serves as assistant director, former theatre student Renna Reddie is associate producer and Michelle Ramsay (BFA 鈥97) designed the lighting.
Peter and the Wolf continues to Sept. 11 at The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St. W. For tickets, visit 听online.