George F. Walker's And So it Goes World Premiere at Factory Theatre

Toronto, ON ’Äì Tuesday, January 12, 2010 ’Äì The World Premiere of AND SO IT GOES, written and directed by George F. Walker, continues Artistic Director Ken Gass’Äô Factory Theatre 40^th Anniversary Season in 2010. Walker has had 23 shows produced at Factory, including three revivals, but this is his first new play in a decade.  AND SO IT GOES plays January 30 ’Äì February 28, 2010 in the Mainspace Theatre.

’ÄúWalker has been a huge part of Factory’Äôs history, and his plays have resonated in a big way with audiences,’Äù says Gass, ’ÄúSo that when George called to say that he had written a new play, I pretty much leapt at the opportunity. AND SO IT GOES is quite different stylistically from the East End plays that Walker’Äôs audiences are most familiar with, but the intensely obsessed characters, troubled social landscapes and signature Walker humour are ever present.  This is very much a play for our times.’Äù

AND SO IT GOES is about Ned and Gwen, middle-class victims of the recession grappling with the fallout of their daughter’Äôs schizophrenia and Ned’Äôs downsizing. Pushed to the edge during their downwardly mobile spiral, perhaps the unorthodox therapy of a quirky literary legend may keep them from going all the way over.  Starring Martha Burns (Stratford, Shaw, NAC, Tarragon) as Gwen; Peter Donaldson (Soulpepper, Stratford) as Ned; Jenny Young (Factory, Shaw, Royal Shakespeare Co.) as Karen, their 25-year old daughter; and Jerry Franken (Factory, Tarragon) as Vonnegut. 

AND SO IT GOES’Äô actors (l-r):

Martha Burns ’óè Peter Donaldson ’óè Jerry Franken ’óè Jenny Young

The creative team assembled by Walker includes Set & Costume Designer Shawn Kerwin, Lighting Designer Rebecca Picherack and Sound Designer John Roby. The Stage Manager is Joanna Barrotta and the Apprentice Stage Manager is Heather Thompson. Assistant Director Courtney Walker will be making blog entries throughout the rehearsal process to provide behind-the-scenes comments about the creation of this show at http://factorytheatre-andsoitgoes.blogspot.com/.

George F. Walker is one of Canada's most prolific and widely-produced playwrights. He has received nine Chalmers Awards, five Dora Awards, and three Governor General’Äôs Awards. He is also the recipient of the Order of Canada. His plays have met with critical and popular success in hundreds of productions worldwide and have been translated extensively. In 1997, Suburban Motel--six plays located in the same motel room--premiered in Canada under Walker's direction at Factory Theatre. Since then, individual plays from the series have had numerous productions throughout the USA, the UK and Germany. Walker’Äôs last play was Heaven (January 2000 at Canadian Stage Company). In addition to his playwriting, Walker has written extensively for television, co-creating three major series: CBC’Äôs This is Wonderland, the Movie Network’Äôs The Line, and the recently-filmed Living in Your Car. Other screen work includes the feature film Niagara Motel, based on three of the plays from his Suburban Motel cycle, CBS's Due South and CBC’Äôs Newsroom.

AND SO IT GOES is 75 minutes long with no intermission. It previews January 30 - 31 and February 2 - 3, opens February 4 and closes February 28, 2010. Shows run Tuesday ’Äì Saturday, 8 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m. (with the exception of the Sunday, January 31, preview show at 7 p.m.) in the Factory Mainspace Theatre. 

Single tickets run $15 - $35 (discounts for previews, seniors, students or theatre artists as well as groups of ten or more) and may be purchased online at www.factorytheatre.ca 24 hours a day, or by calling (416) 504-9971 or by visiting the Factory Theatre Box Office in person Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. - 7 p.m., at 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide Street), Toronto. In addition, 3’Äìplay subscriptions, Pay-What-You-Can Sunday and a limited number of $10 RUSH tickets (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) are also available.

Factory’Äôs 2009/2010 season continues with the World Premiere of ahdri zhina mandiela’Äôs who knew grannie: a dub aria (March 13 ’Äì April 4) produced by Obsidian Theatre Company in association with Factory Theatre, and Walker’Äôs Featuring Loretta (May 1 ’Äì June 6).  Where the Blood Mixes, by Kevin Loring, winner of the 2009 Governor General’Äôs Literary Award for Drama, plays April 7 ’Äì 18, headlining Factory’Äôs annual Performance Spring/CrossCurrents Festival, April 6 ’Äì 25. See www.factorytheatre.ca.

Listings Information:

SHOW The World Premiere of And So It Goes by playwright/director George F. Walker is about Ned and Gwen, middle-class victims of the recession grappling with the fallout of their daughter’Äôs schizophrenia and Ned’Äôs downsizing. Pushed to the edge during their downwardly mobile spiral, perhaps the unorthodox therapy of a quirky literary legend may keep them from going all the way over.  Starring Martha Burns, Peter Donaldson, Jerry Franken and Jenny Young; LENGTH 75 minutes - no intermission; DATES January 30 ’Äì February 28, 2010; TIMES Tuesday ’Äì Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. (exception is Sunday, January 31, 7 p.m.); TICKET PRICES $15 previews (January 30 ’Äì 31 & February 2 ’Äì 3); $25 Tuesday ’Äì Thursday; $35 Friday ’Äì Saturday; P-W-Y-C Sunday or $25 in advance; $10 limited RUSH Tickets Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday (7 p.m. lineup and 7:50 p.m. purchase); VENUE Factory Theatre ’Äì Mainspace, 125 Bathurst Street (Adelaide Street Doors); BOX OFFICE (416) 504 ’Äì 9971; WEB PAGE www.factorytheatre.ca.