“Smart, abusively funny and fiendishly provocative.”
LA TIMES
CLYBOURNE PARK
Canadian premiere
In this hilariously unsettling comedy – inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun – a battle over race and real estate rages across two generations in a suburban Chicago neighbourhood. With a modern twist on issues of race, class, property ownership and community, Clybourne Park offers a satirical look at demographics, history, home and heart.
After its February 2010 premiere at Playwrights Horizons in New York, followed by its January 2011 UK premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in London, Clybourne Park has appeared in numerous top ten lists and won the 2010 London Evening Standard, 2010 Critics’ Circle and 2011 Olivier awards for Best New Play, as well as the 2011 South Bank Sky Arts Theatre Award and 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The Pulitzer board described it as, “a powerful work whose memorable characters speak in witty and perceptive ways to America’s sometimes toxic struggle with race and class consciousness.”
Studio 180 is proud to present the Canadian premiere of this internationally acclaimed work, in association with Canadian Stage.
CLYBOURNE PARK is a Canadian Stage Berkeley Street Project initiative.
BY Bruce Norris
DIRECTED BY Joel Greenberg
FEATURING Audrey Dwyer, Michael Healey, Sterling Jarvis, Jeff Lillico, Mark McGrinder, Kimwun Perehinec & Maria Ricossa
SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN David Boechler
LIGHTING DESIGN Kimberly Purtell
SOUND DESIGN Lyon Smith
STAGE MANAGER Robert Harding
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Laura Baxter
PRODUCTION MANAGER Nathaniel Kennedy
HEAD OF WARDROBE Michelle Bailey
Michelle Bailey
Head of Wardrobe
Other Studio 180 productions: The Normal Heart, Our Class, Parade
Michelle lives and works in Toronto as a professional costumer for theatre and dance, primarily as Head of Wardrobe for Tarragon Theatre. Her Tarragon work includes Mimi, If We Were Birds, Forests, After Akhmatova and The Misanthrope. Select design credits include The Red Queen Effect (Dora Nomination, Seventh Stage Productions); King Lear, Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Macbeth (Driftwood Theatre); and Whale Music (Assistant Designer, Seventh Stage Productions).
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Laura Baxter
Assistant Stage Manager
For Studio 180: Debut
Other credits include The Maids, Neon Nightz (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre); The Winter’s Tale (Canadian Stage Dream in High Park); More Fine Girls (Theatre Columbus/Tarragon Theatre); A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol, Everyone, The Story, Macbeth (Caravan Farm Theatre); The New Electric Ballroom (MacKenzieRo); Jitters (Soulpepper); Happy Days, All That Fall, And Up They Flew (Theatre Columbus); Reconciliation (Cabaret Company); Breakfast (Rhubarb Festival 2010); The Silicone Diaries (Hysteria Festival 2009); Schoolhouse (Festival Players of PE County); Toronto the Good and The Real McCoy (Factory Theatre).
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David Boechler
Scenery and Costume Designer
For Studio 180: Debut
David has designed sets and costumes for most major Canadian theatres. Credits include set and costume designs for Red (Canadian Stage/Playhouse Theatre/Citadel Theatre), Julius Caesar (Stratford Festival), Side by Side by Sondheim (The Grand Theatre) and The Devil’s Disciple (Neptune). Set designs include The Wizard of Oz (Ross Petty Productions), La Traviata (Pacific Opera Victoria), Glorious! (Canadian Stage/Theatre Calgary and Belfry/Arts Club co-productions), The Red Priest (Tarragon Theatre) and Tiger of Malaya (NAC/Factory Theatre). Costume designs include Cabaret, My One and Only, South Pacific (Stratford Festival); quondam (Royal Swedish Ballet); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Theatre Calgary); Fire, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Twelfth Night (Canadian Stage); Equus (Citadel Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Soulpepper); and three seasons at ATP’s playRites Festival. Production designs: Cinderella (National Ballet of Canada/Boston Ballet/American Ballet Theatre), The Innocent Eye Test (Mirvish/MTC), Trying and Macbeth (Theatre Calgary), Rock and Roll (The Grand Theatre) and The Goat (Citadel Theatre). Eight seasons at the Shaw Festival: The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Old Ladies and Diana of Dobson’s. Awards: one Sterling Award, two Betty Mitchells and a Dora.
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Audrey Dwyer
Francine/Lena
Other Studio 180 productions: The Overwhelming
Other credits include The Tempest (Canadian Stage), Medea (Mirvish/MTC) and Black Medea (Obsidian Theatre). Film and TV credits include Da Kink in My Hair, The Ron James Show, The State Within, Man of the Year and Where the Truth Lies. Audrey has been a member of the Second City Touring Company and the Associate Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre, is a Dora-Nominated director for The Apology and recently Assistant Directed Nightwood Theatre’s The Penelopiad (by Margaret Atwood), and is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada.
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JOEL GREENBERG
Director
Other Studio 180 productions: The Normal Heart, Our Class, Parade (director and choreographer), The Overwhelming, Stuff Happens (2008/2009), Blackbird, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, The Laramie Project (2003/2004), The Passion of the Chris
Originally from Montreal, Joel moved to Toronto in 1971, where he has lived and worked since. Joel’s credits as director (D), choreographer (C ) and playwright (P) cover a wide range of styles. In addition to his work with Studio 180, credits include Ain’t Misbehavin’ (D/C – Dora Award, Outstanding Direction) for the Premiere Dance Theatre; Forbidden Broadway (D/C – Dora Award Nomination, Outstanding Direction); The Underdogs (D) and What the Butler Saw (D) for Just For Laughs, Montreal; Taking Sides (D) for Centaur Theatre; The House of Blue Leaves (D), Lend Me a Tenor (D), You Can’t Take It with You (D) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (D) for Theatre Aquarius; Second City (C – 7 productions in Toronto and Chicago); Drink the Mercury (P/D – Dora Award, Outstanding Young Audience Production) and The Nuclear Power Show (P/D – Chalmers Playwriting Award, Outstanding Young Audience Play) for Young People’s Theatre; Bells are Ringing (D/C), She Loves Me (C ) and Vanities (D) for the Grand Theatre; The Golden Land (D/C) and The Rothschilds (D/C) for Winnipeg Jewish Theatre.
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ROBERT HARDING
Stage Manager
Other Studio 180 productions: The Normal Heart, Our Class, Parade, Stuff Happens (2008/2009), Blackbird
Credits elsewhere include Side by Side by Sondheim (The Grand Theatre); “Master Harold”…and the boys (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Happy Days (Theatre Columbus); Another Home Invasion, Communion, A Beautiful View, How It Works, Past Perfect (Tarragon Theatre); Festen, Marion Bridge, A Whistle in the Dark (Company Theatre); British Invasion!, British Invasion 2: America Strikes Back! (Charlottetown Festival); Seussical (LKTYP); Carmela’s Table (Centaur Theatre); The Taming of the Shrew (ShakespeareWorks); and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Resurgence Theatre).
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Michael Healey
Russ/Dan
Other Studio 180 productions: Stuff Happens (2008/2009)
Most recent acting credits: Are You Okay (Peggy Baker Dance Projects/Necessary Angel), Radio Play (Peggy Baker Dance Projects), Them and Us (Theatre Passe Muraille), Frost/Nixon (Canadian Stage/Vancouver Playhouse), and The Pessimist and The Optimists (Tarragon Theatre). Other acting credits include The End of Civilization (Factory Theatre), Marie and Bruce (SummerWorks Festival), Ballad for a Rumrunner’s Daughter (Blyth Festival) and Kicked (Toronto Fringe). Since 1996, Michael has also had a career as a playwright. He is currently writer-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre.
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Sterling Jarvis
Albert/Kevin
Other Studio 180 productions: The Overwhelming
Other credits include Ruined (Obsidian Theatre), The Lion King and We Will Rock You (Mirvish Productions), Crowns (Canadian Stage/MTC/NAC) and Of Mice and Men (Canadian Stage/Theatre Calgary). Film and TV credits include Covert Affairs (USA Network), Life With Boys (YTV), Warehouse 13 (SyFy), Insecurity and The Border (CBC), Phase One (feature), The Bridge (CTV/CBS), The Sentinel (New Regency), The West Wing (NBC) and The Eleventh Hour (CTV). Sterling is a two-time Juno Award nominee. His voice has been heard on numerous radio voice-overs and commercial jingles.
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NATHANIEL KENNEDY
Production Manager
Other Studio 180 productions: The Normal Heart, Our Class, Parade, The Overwhelming, Stuff Happens (2008/2009), Blackbird, Offensive Shadows
Nathaniel has worked in theatre production across Canada and internationally. Most recently he has worked with Tarragon Theatre, Necessary Angel and Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People. Nathaniel is currently a Special Events Supervisor for the City of Toronto.
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Jeff Lillico
Jim/Tom/Kenneth
For Studio 180: Debut
Theatre credits include Cruel & Tender (Canadian Stage); The Glass Menagerie, Our Town (Dora Nomination), The Time of Your Life, The Fantasticks, Parfumerie, Of the Fields Lately, Salt-Water Moon, Leaving Home, Antigone, A Month in the Country, American Buffalo, The Real Thing, King Lear and others (Soulpepper); Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); The Light in the Piazza (Dora Award, Acting Up Stage); Journey’s End, Gypsy, Floyd Collins, Three Men on a Horse, The Coronation Voyage, Happy End and others (Shaw Festival); All’s Well That Ends Well, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet (Stratford Festival); All Clear, Down the Main Drag (Alberta Theatre Projects); Little Mercy’s First Murder (Tarragon Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Geva Theatre); and Somewhere in the World (Charlottetown Festival Young Company).
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MARK MCGRINDER
Karl/Steve
Other Studio 180 productions: The Normal Heart, Our Class, Parade, Stuff Happens (2008/2009), Offensive Shadows, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, The Passion of the Chris, The Laramie Project (2003/2004)
Most recently Mark appeared in The Big League (LKTYP). A veteran of five seasons with the Shaw Festival and several revues with The Second City’s National Touring Company, Mark’s other stage credits include Summer of My Amazing Luck, The Beggar’s Opera (Thousand Islands Playhouse); The Kitchen Witches, Over the River and Through the Woods (Theatre North West); No Good Reason (Red Socks Company/Young Centre); The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge (Theatre and Company); The Adventures of Joseph Andrews (Tarragon Extra Space); The Foursome (Showboat Festival); Alexander Graham Bell I Want to Have Your Love Child (Canadian Fringe Tour); The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine, Tough (Adelaide Fringe); and Wild Abandon (Waterloo Fringe). Mark is a co-founder and member of the Core Artistic Team for Studio 180 and was the Assistant Director for Blackbird.
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Kimwun Perehinec
Betsy/Lindsey
Other Studio 180 productions: Our Class, Offensive Shadows, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, The Passion of the Chris, The Laramie Project (2003/2004)
Kimwun is a co-founder and member of the Core Artistic Team for Studio 180. Other recent credits include Eldritch Theatre’s Madhouse Variations and Seventh Stage Theatre Productions’ This Is About the Push. She has performed with such companies as Roseneath Theatre, the Stratford Festival, Theatre Direct Canada and Absit Omen. She is an associate artist of the SummerWorks Festival, where she is co-editor of WORKS. (a bi-annual theatre journal) and has twice produced/curated SummerWalks, a series of walking tours that she co-created in 2009. Film and TV credits include a recurring role on the TMN series The Line, Escape, The Transit Lounge, Max and Zoe, Puppets Who Kill, Nikita and Thieves. Kimwun is a graduate of the actor training program at George Brown College.
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KIMBERLY PURTELL
Lighting Designer
Other Studio 180 productions: The Normal Heart, Our Class, Parade, The Overwhelming, Stuff Happens (2008/2009), Blackbird
Kimberly is a Toronto-based lighting designer for theatre, opera and dance. Her designs have been critically acclaimed on both national and international stages. They have been seen across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Prague, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Russia and Mongolia. She has received 12 Dora Award Nominations, winning twice, and is a recipient of the Pauline McGibbon Award. Selected design credits include The Maids and Blasted (Buddies in Bad Times), His Greatness (IART), The Little Years (Stratford), Forests (Tarragon Theatre), Svadba (Queen of Puddings), This Is What Happens Next (Necessary Angel), The Middle Place (Project Humanity/Canadian Stage/Theatre Passe Muraille), The Drowsy Chaperone (MTC/Theatre Calgary), The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Hamilton), The List (Nightwood), 20 /_20_ (Kaeja d’Dance), Machina Nuptualis (Corpus) and Tono (Beijing and Vancouver Cultural Olympiad).
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Maria Ricossa
Bev/Kathy
Other Studio 180 productions: The Arab-Iraeli Cookbook
Maria has appeared in theatres across Canada and the U.S. including four
seasons at the Stratford Festival playing roles in King Lear, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry IV, pt.1, Streetcar Named Desire and Hamlet. Other credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Sisters Rosensweig, Frankie and Johnnie in the Claire de Lune (MTC); The Heidi Chronicles (MTC & The Royal Alex); The Taming of the Shrew (Skylight Theatre); House of Blue Leaves (Theatre Aquarius); Beaux Gestes and Beautiful Deeds (Pleiades Theatre); Poor Superman (Canadian Stage); Tamara (Necessary Angel for The World Stage); The Cryptogram, Bea’s Niece, The Misanthrope (Tarragon Theatre); and Crave (Nightwood). Film and TV credits include recurring roles on Missing, Da Kink in My Hair, Degrassi and Riverdale, and roles on Flashpoint, Warehouse 13, Unnatural History as well as in the feature films The In-laws, Some Things That Stay and The Cry of the Owl.
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Lyon Smith
Sound Designer
For Studio 180: Debut
Select credits: The Cure for Everything (Contrary Company); Fernando Krapp Wrote Me This Letter (Canadian Stage); Window on Toronto, Christmas Carol (Soulpepper); Third Eye Looming (Workman Arts); Bird Brain, Dead Ahead, The Big League (YPT); Night (Human Cargo/NAC); Saving Lonesome George, Peg and the Yeti (Carousel Players); and Agokwe (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre). Lyon has received multiple Dora nominations and one award for his sound work.
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“A spiky and damningly insightful new comedy.”
NEW YORK TIMES
“Superb, elegantly written and hilarious.”
NEW YORKER
“[A] buzz-saw sharp new comedy of inadvertent bad manners.”
WASHINGTON POST
“Outrageously funny and provocative. A firecracker of a play.”
DAILY TELEGRAPH
“Richly comic and unexpectedly moving… as unsettlingly immediate as it is exhilarating.”
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“With an irascible fearlessness, [Norris] flies in the face of political correctness.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES
“The funniest play of the year.”
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
Book now! Single tickets and Canadian Stage’s 2011/12 subscriber tickets are now available.
Box Office
In person
Berkeley Street Theatre
26 Berkeley Street
, Toronto
Map
By phone
416-368-3110
For student groups, click on the
Student Bookings tab above.
Ticket Prices
Matinees
$43 • Wednesday, 1:30PM
$45 • Saturday, 2PM
Evenings
$43 • Previews: April 2,3 & 4, 8PM
$45 • Monday, 8PM (limited PWYC tickets available)
$45 • Tuesday to Thursday, 8PM
$49 • Friday & Saturday, 8PM
$22–$27 front row tickets (all performances), subject to availability.
20% Student/Senior/Equity discount on regularly priced tickets,
subject to availability.
Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) tickets are available each Monday in person at the box office, beginning at 10AM.
Ticket prices do not include HST.
Block Party, April 20
Our “Block Party” event on APRIL 20, 2012, is a fun neighbourhood-themed party in support of Studio 180.
Please come celebrate with us: your contribution will help Studio 180 continue to provide powerful experiences that examine political and social issues and invite audiences to analyze and explore with us.
Block Party tickets grant you entry to the evening’s performance of Clybourne Park, followed by a special reception with music, food, drinks, outstanding raffle prizes and a chance to meet cast members.
Ticket prices
$65 • Balcony seating
$75 • Orchestra seating
To book
Contact the box office by phone at 416-368-3110.
Studio 180 is a not-for-profit charitable organization. You will receive a tax receipt for a portion of each Block Party ticket you purchase.
Thanks to Stratus Wines, Steam Whistle Brewing and Herrera’s Fine Dining and Catering for their support of this event.
Early booking discount
Save 20% on regularly priced tickets when you book before March 28, 2012. Quote code RAISIN. This offer is valid for new ticket purchases only.
Group discounts
Discounts available for bookings of 10 tickets or more. Contact contact Bridget Norris at 416-962-1800 or outreach@studio180theatre.com.
Pre-show chats and talkback sessions
We provide several opportunities to get an insider’s point of view on our work, with pre-show chats and post-show talkbacks on select performance dates that let you interact with education and artistic staff and/or members of the cast. Click on the Resources tab above to see a schedule and view other resources for Clybourne Park.
The running time of the performance is approximately 2.25 hours, with intermission.
Student tickets are now on sale!
Weekday Matinees
Wednesday, April 4 (preview), 11, 18 & 25, 2012
1:30PM
Booking Contact
To book Wednesday matinee tickets for student groups, contact Bridget Norris at 416-962-1800 or education@studio180theatre.com.
Student Prices
$19 • Students (teachers and supervisors free)
STUDENT GROUP RATES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR EVENING AND WEEKEND MATINEE PERFORMANCES.
Education Resources
- CLYBOURNE PARK Study Guide (PDF)
- Our comprehensive Study Guide comes complete with pre- and post-show activities and discussion questions
- All groups are invited to participate in pre-performance chats with education and artistic staff one half hour before curtain on Wednesday, April 11,18 & 25 @1PM
- All groups are invited to participate in post-performance discussions with members of the cast after each Wednesday matinee
More about the performance
- The running time of the performance is approximately 2.25 hours, including intermission
- Recommended for Grades 11 and 12
- Curriculum links to Drama, English, History, Civics, Law, Geography, World Issues, Race, Gender and Social Justice Studies
WARNING: Strong language and mature subject matter including provocative humour and satire. We recommend that teachers take the opportunity to read the script prior to attending with their students. If you would like to obtain a copy of the script, have questions about the play or would like to know more about the support materials we offer to facilitate preparation and post-show discussion, please contact us.
We welcome you to read more about Studio 180’s education initiatives, in-class workshops and policies, or read and offer educator feedback.
More about the play
This hilariously unsettling comedy – the Pulitzer Prize-winning battle over race and real estate, inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun – raises questions about racism, gentrification, political correctness and the nature of community. Norris’s witty, biting script and a stellar ensemble of comedic actors attack important issues in a sophisticated satire sure to inspire dialogue long after students leave the theatre.
Talkbacks and pre-show chats
We provide several opportunities to get an insider’s point of view on our work. Join our discussions about the issues explored in and the story behind Clybourne Park.
To hear more about the play’s context, on Monday evenings and Wednesday afternoons meet Studio 180 Artistic Director and Director of Clybourne Park Joel Greenberg, or another Studio 180 team member, one half hour before curtain for a chat. Or, to get a taste of cast members’ experiences working on the piece, stay after a Wednesday matinee or Thursday evening performance for a talkback.
- Pre-show chats – Monday evenings, April 9, 16 & 23 (7:30PM)
and Wednesday matinees, April 11, 18 & 25 (1PM) - Post-show talkbacks – after Wednesday matinee and
Thursday evening performances, April 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 & 26
Reference
You can certainly enjoy Clybourne Park whether or not you are familiar with Lorraine Hansberry’s classic A Raisin in the Sun; however, you might enjoy reading the play or watching the film for an extra layer of insight.
While Clybourne Park is set in Chicago, many of the issues it addresses will sound familiar. If you’d like to access resources about urban development, including issues currently affecting our city, visit University of Toronto Cities Centre.
Check out University of Toronto Professor David Hulchanski’s work on income polarization in Toronto – a revelation of the growing disparity between rich and poor over the past 35 years: Neighbourhood Change & Building Inclusive Communities from Within.
