Theatre Pick: The Valley

By News Division in Artvox · November 13, 2013 · No comments

Tarragon Theatre has announced the presentation of the Toronto premiere of award-winning Canadian playwright Joan MacLeod‘s newest play, The Valley, directed by the theatre’s Artistic Director, Richard Rose. An expertly woven tale of healing, strangers collide in this moving and subtle work that opens November 13 and runs to December 15 (previews from November 6) in Tarragon’s Mainspace. Tickets range from $21-$53 (inclusive of HST) and are available by calling the box office at 416.531.1827 or by visiting www.tarragontheatre.com.

One of Canada’s most impressive playwrights, MacLeod brings her clear and driven signature style to this potent play that explores the unexpected shared lives of strangers. A difficult first few months at university brings the troubled 18-year-old Connor back home to live with his mother, Sharon. The aftermath of his arrest by Constable Dan on Vancouver’s SkyTrain illuminates the young man’s painful mental state as well as the officer’s fraught home life where his wife Janie is struggling after the birth of their first child. The Valley deftly reaches behind the headlines to the core of complicated and complex issues surrounding mental illness, parenting and law enforcement.

Director Richard Rose has assembled an outstanding cast and artistic team to tell this thought-provoking story. Susan Coyne is Sharon, the mother of Connor, portrayed by Colin Mercer. Ian Lake is Constable Dan and Michelle Monteith is his wife, Janie. Rose’s long-time collaborators Charoltte Dean and Graeme Thomson return to Tarragon as the costume and set designer respectively. The sound designer is Todd Charlton and the stage manager is Marie Fewer.

MacLeod on writing the play: “I thought about how my perception of the police changed and didn’t change throughout the years – and how much policing has changed in my lifetime. These days on the downtown eastside in Vancouver over half the police calls are related to issues around mental illness. As I began to write I was interested in examining that in particular and in the concept of protectionŠIn the end this play resides on the same turf as most of my work – that is looking at an issue through the lens of family – or in the case of The Valley two families – and trying to figure out what makes them, and all of us, connected.”

Photos by Cylla von Tiedemann. Click to enlarge and fill your screen