July 29, 1999

TORONTO - THEATRE VOCE'S NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE AWAKENING A SUCCESS

Theatre Voce's inaugural production of The Awakening, which ran June 8th-27th at the Tarragon Mainspace in Toronto, was received enthusiastically by critics and audiences alike.

Mira Friedlander described the piece as "rivetting," and "compelling," and said "I recommend it." Kate Taylor of the Globe and Mail wrote that "...both his script and this production are deeply affecting," and Robert Cushman of The National Post discovered that "the play turns out to be enthralling." By chance, Michael Evans, dramaturg at the Rogaland Teater in Stavanger, Norway (which produced the Awakening several years ago) was in town for opening night; he described the production as "really quite moving."

Playwright Julian Garner was delighted with the production, and enjoyed getting to know the cast and director Sue Miner during the week he spent in Toronto. Although The Awakening has been produced all over Europe, his schedule has often prevented him from seeing it. He was especially happy to be on hand for more personal reasons, as he explained, saying "it's an honour to have one's work chosen as the inaugural show for a new company.

Theatre Voce would like to thank all of the sponsors and donors, both corporate and private, who helped make this production possible.

All inquiries may be directed to Joel Hechter at (416) 962-4337.