WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg Department of Theatre and Film’s 2010-11 season continues February 1–5 with the powerful and visually stunning The Ghost Sonata by August Strindberg, part of MTC’s annual play festival, StrindbergFest. The play is directed by Hope McIntyre and performed by a special studies class (as well as guest performer Kevin Anderson), with technical support from the Department’s production students.
The Ghost Sonata, written by August Strindberg in 1907, is a chamber play exploring early forms of expressionism. The play examines what society usually wants to avoid, including death, psychological suicide and the misery caused by human relationships. It is a bleak yet absurdly humorous look at society. Strindberg creates a world in which ghosts walk in broad daylight, a beautiful woman is transformed into a mummy and lives in a closet, and the household cook sucks all the nourishment out of the food like a vampire.
“With the current popularity of vampires in film and television, it is interesting to tackle a play written at the turn of the last century with a whole different view of vampirism,” says McIntyre. “The Ghost Sonata is the play where Strindberg was truly able to explore both his social and spiritual concerns. As he brings to the stage the living dead – those who walk through life like zombies feeding off one another’s pain, guilt and shame – he forces us to question the lives we are living.”
StrindbergFest 2011 is MTC’s 11th annual festival honouring a master playwright and Strindberg is certainly a challenging writer due to his stylistic explorations throughout his writing career. The Ghost Sonata is a prime example of how he played with metaphor and symbolism anticipating later expressionistic and absurdist styles. The play is an excellent challenge for students and UWinnipeg’s production focuses on a non-naturalistic interpretation highlighting the spiritual ideas in the play through staging and design.
Set design and costume design is by Jamie Plummer and the lighting design is by Kim Griffin.
Performances run:
Tues, Feb 1 – 8:00 pm
Wed, Feb 2 – 8:00 pm
Thurs, Feb 3 – 8:00 pm
Fri, Feb 4 – 8:00 pm
Sat, Feb 5 – 2:00 pm (matinee)
Sat, Feb 5 – 7:00 pm
Location: Canwest Centre for Theatre and Film, 400 Colony Street (enter off Balmoral).
Regular tickets are $10; student/senior/matinee tickets are $6 (pickup and payment is at the door, cash or StrindbergPass only). To reserve tickets, please call our 24-hour Reservation and Information Line at 204.786.9152 or visit UWinnipeg’s Department of Theatre and Film’s website at: http://theatre.uwinnipeg.ca.
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Patty Hawkins
Department of Theatre and Film
The University of Winnipeg
T: 204.786.9955
Hope McIntyre
Department of Theatre and Film
The University of Winnipeg
T: 204.786.9955
