Rosie Awori – LJI Reporter
Even though their 39th season has been dampened by the dreaded coronavirus, Geordie theatre is getting ready for their 40th season dubbed When the Stars Come Together. This season Geordie is looking to honor the stories of young people who inspire and challenge the world every day.
Each year Geordie develops two new works from emerging and established playwrights and produces two plays; one for elementary schools and one for high schools and CEGEPS. Together, they have become the highly anticipated annual 2Play Tour!
But in light of the unusual times, Geordie has added a new offering and will for the first time be having livestreamed plays. They do this with the intention of “Keeping the impact of theatre alive in schools even when audiences cannot physically be there.”
This will also ensure that all young theater lovers are given access to the arts regardless of their circumstances and also keeping both actors and audience’s safety first. By doing this Geordie hopes to reach an even wider audience than they did before.
The plays that will be kicking off the season are Little Mighty Superhero by the talented Marie Barlizo (Lucky, Centaur Wildside), directed by recent META (Montreal English Theatre Award) recipient Liz Valdez (Encore, Tableau D’Hôte Theatre). Accompanied by Celestial Bodies by Jacob Margaret Archer, a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, whose work has been performed all over western Canada. Geordie’s Artistic Director Mike Payette directs this piece for high schools.
As an added dimension to this year’s presentations the theatre company recently opened the doors to Espace Geordie a fully equipped performance space located little Italy, which they say will enhance their presentations.
In a statement, Geordie says they have been “working hard in the past few months with a Health and Safety Officer to establish protocols that allow for safe rehearsals and performances.”
Also in addition to contributing to the artistic development of their team, the new a high-tech studio will be available for use to others in the arts community.
This season’s 2play will be streaming from September 2020 all the way to April 2021. More information can be found on their website www.geordie.ca
