Announcing: Orson's Shadow

ORSON' S SHADOW

by AUSTIN PENDLETON
Conceived by JUDITH AUBERJONOIS

Directed by RONA WADDINGTON
A PILOT GROUP PRODUCTION

THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE, MAINSPACE
NOVEMBER 27 - DECEMBER 12

Starring
PAUL EVES, JANET PORTER, STEVE ROSS,
CAMILLA SCOTT, GEOFF SCOVELL, CHRISTOPHER STANTON

Based on true events, Orson's Shadow is set in 1960 London, where Orson Welles, already in the declining years of his career, is directing a production of Eugˆ®ne Ionesco's Rhinoceros starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright. Olivier, fresh from his triumphant portrayal of vaudevillean Archie Rice on stage and about to reprise the role in the film adaptation of John Osborne's The Entertainer, and Plowright are in the early stages of a romantic liaison developing at the end of his tumultuous marriage to Vivien Leigh. All four, and critic Kenneth Tynan, figure in the plot, which debates the merits of stage vs. screen, the mental and emotional struggle theatrical performers endure when contemplating a leap to films, and what occurs when their movie careers are hampered by the controls thrust upon them by the studio establishment.

Orson's Shadow is a study of theatrical egos, each of the protagonists living more on the stage than in real life, each feeling betrayed and insecure, each finding hope and power through dominating the other, using bluster, candor, half-truths and downright lies to get through the rehearsal, get through the day, get to the next phase of a career. The play received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Play and won the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

Debuting at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in January 2000 Orson's Shadow was performed at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in September of that year. The off-Broadway production, directed by David Cromer, opened on March 13, 2005 at the Barrow Street Theatre, where it ran for 349 performances. Since its New York City staging, Orson's Shadow has been mounted by a number of regional theatres, including Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, California, Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland, Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri and the Gorilla Theatre in Tampa, Florida. In 2006 Orson's Shadow received a rehearsed reading at London's Old Vic Theatre.

Orson's Shadow
A PILOT GROUP PRODUCTION
Presented at
THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE, MAINSPACE, 16 Ryerson Ave. Toronto
NOVEMBER 27 - DECEMBER 12
Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30PM
PWYC Saturday Matinee at 2:00PM
TICKETS on sale by the ARTS BOX OFFICE
416.504.7529 artsboxoffice.ca
visit us at www.orsonsshadow.com