Du 22 octobre au 1er novembre 2008, 19h30

Life is a Dream (La vida es sueño)

Texte de Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Traduction de : Edwin Honig
Mise en scène d'Alison Darcy

Poetically written Life is a Dream follows Prince Segismundo, who has been imprisoned since birth in a mountain cavern because of a prediction that he would grow up to become a tyrant. But now the King is getting old, and having no other heir, decides to release the prince, giving him one day of royalty to disprove the prophecy. Faithful to how the play was originally produced in Spain, with a spare set, lavish costumes and live music; this production will highlight the play’s multiple realms, contrasting the social world of the court with the barren mountain wilderness.

Director Alison Darcy is enthusiastic about doing this play now; “It’s exciting to be tackling the issue of political succession during two major elections in North America.”  Addressing the parallels between this Spanish classic and today’s news, she continues, “By acting out of fear and grief, the King brings about the exact outcome he dreaded. Currently, we see this archetypical theme of the self-fulfilling prophecy internationally- the fear of terrorism has created the suspension of civil liberties, war and new refugee populations.” Darcy is thrilled about Calderon’s work, “I love theatre that plays with the idea of different realities, because just seeing a play to begin with is an encounter with an unreal world which is at the same time familiar.”

The talented cast is made up of Andreas Apergis as Prince Segismundo and Leni Parker as King Basilio, along with Peter Batakliev, Gemma James-Smith, Julie Tamiko Manning, Julian Casey, Zachary Fraser, Dusan Dukic and Donovan Reiter. Led by musical director David Oppenheim, musicians Paul Gareau, Leon Lo and Aaron Shragge enhance the drama with an original score. The design highlights the work of Sarah Yaffe, whose set and lights create separate realities through lush colours and levels; and Jenna Wright, bringing a high-fashion sensibility to the costumes. Melanie St-Jacques is the stage manager and Bonnie More the assistant stage manager.

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