Angels and Heroes were invited to Labrador to participate in a school creative arts festival. Have these people seen any of their work? Well, in true form, A&H created a show complete with morals and death! How could they not with Little Red Riding as their inspiration!?
Also, in true form, the troupe discovered that there are still a few angels left in the city of Halifax. With two actors dropping out, and only two weeks before they were set to depart on their adventure, A&H were rescued. Once again, two very generous and talented young actors, Matthew Walker and Anna MacLean, rose to the occassion. When asked how she felt about working on the project with such pressures and time constraints, MacLean revealed, "I'll do in a pinch!". Walker backed her up by adding, "Yeah. She will. And I'm a pro. I'll figure it out!" And we are happy to report that they did!
Director, Wilcox, was pleased to send them off in good shape to wow the local students of Happy Valley-Goosebay, if not just to get them out of his hair for 10 days. Rehearsing 4 shows in two weeks was not on his list of things to do.
September, 2004
Angels and Heroes Announces Third-Season Opener
Angels and Heroes will open their third season with BASH, a trio of
one-act plays by one of America's most controversial contemporary writers, Neil Labute. The writer/director of such films as In the Company of Men, Your Friends & Neighbors and Nurse Betty, Labute is known for his dark humour and frighteningly authentic characters.
BASH gives an in-depth look at everyday people who are coping with everyday evil. In the 2004 Angels and Heroes production, helmed by director Richie Wilcox, Iphigenia in orem features Allen Bergeron as a businessman who needs to get something off his chest. His confession reveals a chilling crime that you will never forget. In a gaggle of saints, David Patrick Flemming and Kristin Bell play a young couple who recount an anniversary weekend they spent in New York.? The double standard we give to acts of violence are scattered throughout their humourous storytelling. Medea redux, starring Emberly Doherty, gives a modern take on the Greek tragedy in which a relationship?between a?junior high school teacher and his student proves deadly.
Performances run from October 12-17 at The Crib, 2103 Gottingen St. All shows at 8:00. Tickets are $10 (PWYC performance Tuesday, October 12).
March, 2004
Bill Wood: Angel or Hero?
After running into early casting problems, Cowboys #2 is finally in the final stages of the rehearsal period, with Bill Wood playing the role of Stu. "It was a rough road at the beginning," says director Tara Patriquin about the one-act, which is to follow Action in a Sam Shepard double-header. "We weren't sure if we were going to be able to pull it out. Luckily, Bill stepped in and saved the day." Wood, who has an extensive background in improv and sketch comedy, was the perfect candidate for the abbreviated rehearsal process. "Bill is very professional," says Amy Jones, assistant director. "He and Peter [Horne] have great chemistry on stage, and have worked very hard to make this show a success." You can catch Cowboys #2 at the Khyber Turret Room starting March 17, along with Action, starring Michelle Crow, Heather Davis, Shawn Duggan and Richie Wilcox.
January, 2004
Canadian Idol's Richie Wilcox returns to Angels and Heroes to direct contemporary British play
After a whirlwind fall, Canadian Idol finalist and Angels and Heroes co-founder Richie Wilcox returns to direct Philip Ridley's The Pitchfork Disney in the Khyber Turret Room. "It's fairly dark," Wilcox says about the British playwright's 1993 comedy, "but ultimately very moving." Performing is Angels and Heroes co-founder Tara Patriquin, alumnus Kyle Cameron, Shawn Duggan, and Amy Jones, and Matthew Nette in his first A&H production. "It's always great to work with Richie," says Patriquin. "He has a real vision for theatre in Halifax, and he's a wonderful director. He really brings out the best in his cast." Cameron agrees. "I feel so comfortable working with Richie. He's almost like family." You can catch The Pitchfork Disney at the Khyber Turret Room, starting on January 28, 2004.
November, 2003
Angels and Heroes to mount new Irish play in partnership with SMU
This spring, Angels and Heroes, along with SMU, will present a new Irish play to coincide with an international Irish Studies conference. "We've narrowed it down to three plays, one of which has never before been performed in Canada," says company spokesperson Heather Davis, who will also be directing the production. "We're obviously very excited about this opportunity." Davis goes on to say that this will be the largest scale Angels and Heroes production to date. "We're working with a much bigger budget," she says, "so we can take on some bigger challenges." The show will run at the end of May; Davis says the details will be posted on the website as soon as they are available.
October, 2003
Guest Director Tyler Foley invited to open Angels and Heroes' second season!
Angels and Heroes' second season will open the first week of November with an innovative and stylish production of Cocteau's Les Parents Terribles, directed by recent Dalhousie Theatre Department grad, Tyler Foley. This is not the first time Tyler has worked with Angels and Heroes; his critically acclaimed play Care, directed by Richie Wilcox, was Angels and Heroes' first production as a company, at the 2002 Atlantic Fringe Festival. "With the recent success of Richie on Canadian Idol, we had to postpone his production, which was supposed to open the season," says company spokesperson Heather Davis. "We were lucky that Tyler was available. He really is a genius." Co-founder Tara Patriquin agrees. "I was so excited to find out we were working with Tyler," she said in a telephone interview from her downtown Halifax home. "I've always admired his work."
Fans of Angels and Heroes will be happy to know that they will be back in the Khyber's Turret Room for this show. Although concept and design are being kept tightly under wraps by the enigmatic director, it promises to be an exciting show. Les Parents Terribles opens Friday, November 7, with a preview Wednesday, November 5. Shows are at 8:00 pm in the Turret Room of the Khyber.
