HELLAVATOR
Going’Ķdown?
’ÄúSo basically this means we have no flashlight, it’Äôs pitch black, it’Äôs 3 o’Äôclock in the morning, and we’Äôre stuck in an elevator on the 30th floor of this second-rate hotel? Life is good.’Äù
HELLAVATOR PRODUCTIONS presents a site-specific production of an insane new comedy by award-winning playwright Ned Cox. The site?’Ķ a 1930s freight elevator located in the old Warshaw’Äôs building at 3861, boul. St-Laurent.
Alain Goulem directs ’ÄòDream Team’Äô Alex Haber, Neil Napier, and Michel Perron as two tourists and a maintenance worker trapped in a broken-down elevator on the 30th floor of a has-been hotel. Will they ever get it moving again? One catch: if they do, the only way they’Äôre going is down ’Äì way, waaaaaaaay down! And is the janitor what he seems, or is that sulphur we smell?
’ÄúSo what are we supposed to do? Any ideas?’Äù
’ÄúWe could make the best of it.’Äù
’ÄúHow do you make the best of being stuck in an elevator?’Äù
’ÄúOh, a little music, a little laughter’Ķ’Äù
As for the subject matter, the play’Äôs author, Ned Cox says, ’Äúyears ago I was stuck for 11 hours in an elevator. I guess this play is my revenge upon all elevators that possess the diabolical power to mess up our lives at any moment.’Äù Cox goes on to warn audiences not to expect the normal first few minutes: ’Äúthe elevator is in total blackout ’Äì they won’Äôt even see the characters until they can get the power back on!’Äù
’ÄúWhat, were you dabbling in physics? Did you think ’ÄòI know’Ķ we’Äôre moving at long last ’Äì now’Äôs the perfect time to see if that little red button will bring us to a screaming halt AGAIN?!’Äô’Äù
HELLAVATOR was developed as part of the Playwrights Unit program at Playwrights Workshop Montreal. Cox explains: ’ÄúAlex Haber, a member of the Playwrights Unit, read the part of Wendy as I brought in draft after draft. She was so perfect for the part that I begged her to be in the cast! This is the funniest cast I’Äôve ever worked with!’Äù
’ÄúYou haven’Äôt bought me one present in our two years together!’Äô’Äù
’ÄúI gave you a Cuisinart!’Äù
’ÄúYou bought it in a garage sale!’Äù
’ÄúBecause it was a Classic Model! They last a lifetime!
The play will be performed with the actors actually trapped in an old-fashioned working service elevator. The audience of 25 will watch the action, seated in a small lobby, inches from the elevator doors. Set and lighting design is by the multi-talented Sarah Yaffe with sound design by director, Al Goulem, and costumes a company collaboration.
It is very important to note that the number of seats is extremely limited, with tickets being sold ONLY at the venue the night of the performance.
MEDIA CALL
This is an opportunity for still and TV cameras to capture a scene from the play, for radio to record sound clips as well as for interviews with the playwright/actors.
Wednesday, October 29th at 1 PM
3861, boul. St-Laurent
Please confirm your attendance with Barbara Ford
ygraine7@videotron.ca
(514) 342 ’Äì 7936
NED COX is from New Jersey and spent almost 25 years in London, UK as a writer and director, winning awards in London as well as at the Edinburgh Festival. He finally discovered Montreal, where his play Mimi on the Beach was staged in the 2005 Montreal Fringe Festival and where he now lives with his wife Johanne and their son Jeremy ’Äì one production Ned is always proud of.
ALAIN GOULEM: Alain’Äôs directing credits include shows at Centaur Theatre, Theatre Lac Brome, Geordie Productions and Hudson Village Theatre West. Alain teamed with Clowns Gone Bad theatre company and created (directed and co-wrote) the hit comedies MocShplat and Umlout. Alain also directed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged and Shakespeare’Äôs Lost Play for Repercussion Theatre’Äôs Shakespeare in the Park and the bilingual production of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine at Hudson Village Theatre West as well as the critically acclaimed Housekeeping and Homewrecking at Theatre St-Catherine. Most recently he directed Peacemaker as a part of Geordie Production’Äôs mainstage season.
ALEX HABER: Alexandria Haber is an award-winning playwright whose work has been produced in Calgary, Montreal and Winnipeg as well as in the U.S.A. As an actor she was most recently seen in the Mecca nominated ensemble piece Housekeeping and Homewrecking (which she also wrote.) Other credits of note include roles in Romeo & Juliet and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for Centaur Theatre.
NEIL NAPIER: Neil Napier was born and raised in Montreal, a member of a highly artistic family. He studied theatre at John Abbott College and has been working regularly in both film and theatre since graduating. Nominated for a Best Actor MECCA in 2002, he snagged two consecutive MECCAs for Best Ensemble in 2006 and 2007. He had roles in Condoville, The Caretaker and The Cyclops at Centaur Theatre, was as in the hugely successful Montreal Fringe production of Alex Haber’Äôs Housekeeping and Homewrecking, and more recently, played the unscrupulous judge in Mainline’Äôs production of Hedda Gabler. Later this season he can be seen in the Centaur production of With Bated Breath.
MICHEL PERRON: Michel was born in Richmond, Quebec, trained at Dawson College and now lives in Chateauguay. He has been performing for 25 years and is one of Montreal’Äôs most comprehensive actors having conquered the film, television, radio, stage (cabarets and musicals) and voice-over domains in both official languages. Michel was awarded a Masque for Best Supporting Actor in the 2007 Centaur production of Assorted Candies and the same year received an ACTRA Award for Outstanding Voice Performance for Monster Allergy.
Run: October 29 ’Äì November 16
Wed. through Sat. 9 PM
Previews: October 29 & 30
Opening Night: October 31
Closing Night: November 16
Venue:
3861, boul. St-Laurent
Tickets:
Regular Admission: $20
Concessions: $15 (And both Preview shows)
