The Segal Centre for Performing Arts is eager to welcome back audiences to its live theatre performances. On September 1, it unveiled the shows for the 2022-2023 season. Four productions will run from October 23 to June 18.
Artistic and Executive Director Lisa Rubin says that the shows are fresh, daring, sizzling, and feature all the biggest names of today and tomorrow. “This season is the perfect excuse to press pause on your binge-watch to reconnect with other people and share in the magic of live theatre,” she added.
Theatre for adults
Parents, it’s time to plan that date night you’ve been talking about forever, or gather your friends for an evening of theatrical fun. Fans who love to laugh can take in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors by Piaf/Dietrich director Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen. Magic, special effects, and five actors combine “classic horror fiction with all-out silliness and satire.” It runs from October 23 to November 13, 2022 in the Sylvan Adams Theatre.
In 2023, three perennial audience favourites return for an encore. The play English by Sanaz Toossi is an emotional and thoughtful piece that resonates with bilingual people. Taking place in an Iranian English classroom, it explores how language affects identity. Prayer for the French Republic, the winner of three 2022 Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Play, is a multigenerational dramedy that explores how antisemitism affects a family across five generations, leaving them to question where they belong. And closing the season is a Fringe Festival favourite making its mainstage debut. Josephine: A Musical Cabaret is by Tymisha Harris, Michael Marinaccio, and Tod Kimbro. Harris stars in this one-woman musical that retells the life of iconic singer/actress/activist/spy Josephine Baker through cabaret, theatre, burlesque, and dance.
A special production for families
Geordie Theatre, Kidoons, and WYRD Productions will present the world premiere of Frankenstein. Adapted from the novel by Mary Shelley, this new work is created by Craig Francis, Rick Miller and Paul Van Dyck in association with The 20K Collective and the Segal Centre.
A twist on the well-known classic, Frankenstein blends comic book design and playful theatrical techniques. This new family-friendly spin on the literary classic, Frankenstein confronts modern issues of climate change, artificial intelligence, and our relationship to technology… monsters of our own making. When a young graphic novelist named Mary discovers the journal of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, she’s drawn into his uncanny story of secret experiments to conquer death. She discovers that we all need to face our own fears… before they face us. It will be presented in the Segal Studio from October 19 to 30, 2022.
Rubin says the Segal enjoyed welcoming families and kids to the theatre with SuperDogs: The Musical. “Who better to partner with than Montreal’s preeminent theatre for young audiences, Geordie Theatre,” she said. “We hope you bring your Halloween costumes to the show!”
Beyond the stage
Registration is open for another year of after-school courses for aspiring performers aged 2-11. Though space is limited and some classes are already full, there are also Ped Day programs, performing arts camps (Spring Break and Summer Camp), workshops, and a variety of special events. segalcentre.org/en/after-school-programs
Individual tickets go on sale September 9, 2022.
Segal Centre Box Office
5170 ch. de la Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montreal, H3W 1M7
514-739-7944
segalcentre.org
