|
 |
Founded by Mark Cassidy and Suzanne Hersh, Threshold Theatre is known for its inventive adaptations, exciting environmental works and fresh approach to scripts. Past productions include, As I Lay Dying "tremendous...utterly compelling...a knockout show" (Edmonton Journal), White Buildings "alternately playful and intense...mesmerizing" (Now Magazine), Howl "gloriously physical...exuberantly theatrical...grand entertainment" (Globe & Mail), Forms of Devotion "a seamless wonder" (Toronto Star), and Kafka and Son "thrilling...brilliantly realized" (National Post).
CURRENT
SPRAWL
"Trace, on a city map, trajectories of partially forgotten words along the river's arteries, volatile substance of a sentient world...small whirlpools of perception widen." Marilyn Hacker
A TTC driver shows off the chandelier he has just picked up in someone's garbage to a teacher out walking her dog. A husband and wife, on their way to get a bank loan, argue about who should get in the car first. A thirteen year old girl, and her mom's friend who is watching her for the weekend, try to decide how to spend their day. So begins SPRAWL, a swirling montage of scenes beginning in mid town Toronto and fanning out to points north, south, east and west. Forty-three unique characters. Forty-four unusual scenes. SPRAWL features a kaleidoscope of offbeat, funny, sad, bewildering, Torontonians whose mini-dramas offer a glimpse into the emotional and social vicissitudes of contemporary urban life. Written and directed by Mark Cassidy A recent public reading of Sprawl took place at Ellington's Cafe on St. Clair Ave. West featuring Karl Ang, Hume Baugh, Cara Gee, Suzanne Hersh, Paul Hutcheson, Lisa Li, Ginette Mohr, John Ng, Rebecca Singh, Adriano Sobretodo Jr & Sodienye Waboso.
Other projects in development include--Swan Song of Maria: A Tragic Fairy Tale a new play by Carol Cece Anderson, National Arts Centre Playwright in Residence 2008/09.
RECENT
Threshold Theatre & Optic Heart Theatre's production of Hume Baugh's's The Girl in the Picture Tries to Hang Up the Phone was presented recently at Zoofest in Montreal. Watch for upcoming productions of this work.
Threshold Theatre and New Adventures in Sound Art presented, i dont want to be an inside me anymore, based on the autobiography of autistic author, Birger Sellin, at the Loop Centre for Lively Arts, Artscape Wychwood Barns as part of The Deep Wireless Festival. i dont want to be an inside me anymore is a theatre adaptation by Darren Copeland and Mark Cassidy of a radio play by Copeland previously broadcast in Germany. German actor Sebastian Schäfer leads the audience in a multi-dimensional investigation of Birger's eloquent and powerful attempts to overcome anxiety, confusion, restlessness and sensory overload. WORKSHOPS AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS "A threshold is a point that when crossed can bring rapid and sometimes unpredictable change." State of the World Report, World Watch Institute. As part of our mandate, we are committed to building bridges between theatre and community, and have sought out such opportunities in a range of settings. We are excited about two new community projects which we will be initiating in Toronto: the Oakwood Village Arts Festival, June 2011, and Yours & Mine: A Conference on Human Rights in the Arts. We also continue to pursue outreach and education opportunities as teachers and 'artists in the schools', believing in the importance of helping young people of all ages and backgrounds to create theatre that expresses who they are.
416.658.8146
mark[at]thresholdtheatre.ca
suzanne[at]thresholdtheatre.ca
John Ng & Lisa Li in Threshold Theatre's Sprawl