Canadian Stage is welcoming Jennifer Tarver as she directs the Canadian premiere of innovative Scottish playwright David Greig’s compelling piece The cosmonaut’s last message to the woman he once loved in the former Soviet Union. Featuring a talented cast of stage veterans (Tom Barnett, Raoul Bhaneja, Fiona Byrne, David Jansen, Tony Nappo and Sarah Wilson).
“We are thrilled to share this remarkably poignant production,” says Matthew Jocelyn, Artistic & General Director of Canadian Stage. “This is the first of David Greig’s plays to be presented on a major stage in this country, just as it is director Jennifer Tarver’s Canadian Stage debut. Greig’s characters will truly resonate with audiences in this digital age, as their stories explore our desperate need for human connection and the challenges and loneliness we face in attempting communication – all things we inevitably deal with in our lives.”
In 1991, a Russian cosmonaut was stranded in the Mir Space Station for almost 300 days, a victim of the collapsing Soviet State. David Greig uses this piece of little-known history as a springboard to tell the stories of a group of strangers, lovers and families. The cosmonaut’s last message… follows the intertwined lives of two forgotten cosmonauts who are orbiting the planet, a Scottish couple confronting their failed marriage, a young pole dancer searching for love, a French scientist obsessed with UFOs, a pregnant policewoman and a Norwegian businessman as they try, in their own way, to communicate.
“I am so excited to be working on such an intriguing script with such a vivacious cast,” says director Jennifer Tarver. “This play is full of duality – from the staging of the interwoven stories, to the actors who play multiple characters, to the messages being sent across the cosmos – not necessarily received by the people they were intended for!”
Technology, physical proximity and language all illuminate this examination of the frailties of love, the nature of loneliness and our universal desire for connection. At once clever, funny and unexpectedly moving, the play showcases forty distinct scenes spread over fifteen different locations.
The cast have been working closely with designer Julie Fox and dialect designer Eric Armstrong to create distinct locations and authentic voices. In addition to training with aerial flying effects, cast members have rehearsed speaking in a series of accents and dialects (including Scottish, Russian and Norwegian) to represent each character. Rehearsals have been augmented by a website featuring audio files, one-on-one coaching sessions and a variety of physical exercises.
The production runs from April 16 to May 14, 2011 at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front Street East, Toronto). Tickets from $22 to $99 are available in person, by phone 416.368.3110, or online at canadianstage.com. There will be pre-show talks on Friday April 22, 29 and May 6, 13. Take advantages of this talks as they’re always very informative.