November 6 - 25, 2018
A 2018 Tony-nominated play
Written
by Lucy Kirkwood
Directed
by Eda Holmes
With
Geordie Johnson, Laurie Paton and Fiona Reid
Centaur Theatre and Canadian Stage Co-production
Quebec Premier
The Children, written by a
British playwright Lucy Kirkwood, earned two Tony Award nominations: the Best
Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award. It also won the Writer’s
Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Play in January 2018. It made its debut in November 2016 at the Royal Court (London, UK).
A year later, it opened on Broadway, at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Last month,
October 2018, it enjoyed a successful ran at Canadian Stage, the Performing Arts Theatre in Toronto. Now, it is enjoying the Quebec premieres at Montréal’s Centaur
Theatre.
The play examines the forefront
issues we now all face as a collective humanity – the safety of our energy
sources, the toxic and nauseous pollution of our living environment, and the
sense of responsibility, or the lack of it, as how to remedy the consequences
of our mistakes.
Following a nuclear
disaster in the plant where they used to work, two British nuclear engineers, a
husband and wife, live just outside of the exclusion zone, near a seaside, where
they moved after the accident. At their retirement age, when they should have
enjoyed their lives after having contributed their long careers to the society,
they are now facing not only the re-examination of their relationship but also consequences
of their mistakes, both personal and professional. This is triggered by an
unexpected visit of a former colleague whom they have not seen in 38 years. What
at first appear as a simple reminiscing, escalates into an existential and
moral dilemma with inevitable, grave and irreversible consequences to all three
characters.
I highly recommend this
play. It has an intricate plot where the real meaning revealed only at the end.
The play raises important issues that could affect all of us, and suggest we
are all responsible for our actions within our society. Though at first it appears
to be light-hearted, it is in reality quite multifaceted. In addition, the
actors’ performance is excellent.
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Set & Costume Designer Eo Sharp
Lighting Designer Bonnie Beecher
Sound Designer John Gzowski Assistant Director Christine Horne
Assistant Sound Designer Maddie Bautista
Stage Manager Maria Popoff
Apprentice Stage Manager Meghan Froebelius
Click on images to enlarge them.
Hover your mouse over images for description and credits.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Sunday Chat-Up:
Sunday November 11, 2018
at 12:30pm in the Gallery.
Join Gazette
Editor-in-Chief, Lucinda Chodan, in conversation with Colleen Thorpe, Director
of Sustainability Consulting at Equiterre. Together they will discuss possible
solutions that can be done individually and collectively, to improve the fate
of the planet.
Free public event with refreshments provided by
Bonaparte Restaurant.
Post-Show Talkbacks:
Thursday November 15 and
Sunday November 18.
Audience members are
invited to stay after the performances for a Q&A with select members of the
cast.
Saturday Salon:
Saturday November 24 after
the matinée performance, at 3:30pm in the Gallery.
Join Eda Holmes, Centaur’s Artistic and Executive Director and also The Children Director, for an informal conversation about The
Children, Season 50, and what is coming up at Centaur.
