Congratulations to Jennifer Overton for her Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress nomination for Cecelia in Fall in Paris.

To Mary-Colin Chisholm for Outstanding Direction and Stephen Osler for Outstanding Set Design for Lauchie, Liza and Rory, which was also nominated for Outstanding Production.

Two members of Eastern Front Theatre’s Playwrights Unit also received nominations:  Anthony Black for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in Invisible Atom, and Michael McPhee for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in Fat Pig and Outstanding New Play for Logan and I.

Congratulations to all the nominees and bravo to all the great theatre seen in Nova Scotia in 2011.

Nineteen talented playwrights submitted proposals as part of the application process.  Applicants were vetted by the Playwrights Unit Coordinator Michael McPhee and Artistic Producer Scott Burke.

“We were delighted to receive so many excellent proposals from writers of various backgrounds and experience,” said McPhee, “it made the selection process extremely difficult.”

The members of the inaugural Playwrights Unit are:

Anthony Black, Artistic Co-Director of 2b Theatre, Thom Fitzgerald, noted filmmaker and Artistic Director of Plutonium Playhouse, Doug MacAulay who performed at Ship’s Company Theatre last season and is newly relocated to Halifax, Jenny Munday, Artistic Director of Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre, emerging playwright Bethany Lake, Kim Parkhill of DaPoPo Theatre, and Annie Valentina, Producer with The Doppler Effect.  McPhee and Burke are also participants in the Playwrights Unit.

The Playwrights Unit had its first meetings January 15 and 16 where all of the plays in progress were read and received peer-to-peer feedback.

“We’re off to a great start,” said Burke, “It’s gratifying to see such a variety of content and writing styles, and Eastern Front welcomes the opportunity to provide a supportive forum for Nova Scotian playwrights.”

The Eastern Front Theatre Playwrights Unit is designed to support playwrights on an ongoing basis as they develop individual projects. The Unit meets monthly and provides an environment where writers feel comfortable sharing their work and where the solitary nature of writing may be mitigated by communal gatherings.

3 Nova Scotians named to Order of Canada

By ELISSA BARNARD Arts Reporter, Chronicle Herald (below is a segment of the article)
Fri, Dec 31, 2010

Caplan, a Pittsburgh native and now a Canadian citizen, is one of three Nova Scotians named Thursday to the Order of Canada.

Also recognized were Dartmouth director, actor and playwright Mary Vingoe, named an officer, and Halifax genealogist Terrence Punch, named a member.

Being made an officer of the Order of Canada “kind of took my breath away,” said Vingoe.

“I feel just amazed and very humbled, and it’s great that artists are recognized. It’s a way of respecting the arts, and I’m happy about that.”

Vingoe is a Dalhousie University theatre school graduate who co-founded Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre before co-founding Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro in 1984 and Eastern Front Theatre in Dartmouth in 1993.

Always passionate about “theatre bringing the country together,” Vingoe was founding artistic director of the Magnetic North national theatre festival from 2002 to 2007 and now teaches drama at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B.

“I was part of a generation that was fiercely set on making our own theatre. We wanted to make Nova Scotian theatre and Canadian theatre because at that time there wasn’t a lot on our stages. That’s changed dramatically in the last 20 years.”

(Coincidentally, Vingoe directed the world premiere of Wendy Lill’s adaptation of Sheldon Currie’s novel The Glace Bay Miner’s Museum, published by Breton Books.)

By Kate Watson, Nov 18,2010

You might think that in romantic comedy, three’s a crowd. But Scott Burke’s fantastique Fall in Paris works beautifully with three characters, perhaps because Paris itself is so lovingly realized that it becomes a kind of fourth character. The gist of the story is that a bitter, battered divorcee (played with heart and humour by Jennifer Overton) crosses paths on a Paris tour with a young couple (the perfectly cast Kate Lavender and Matthew Gorman) who are on the brink of a break-up. Not surprisingly, Paris works its magic on all involved, but the path to the happy ending is strewn with clever dialogue and weaves through the sights and sounds of the City of Light. The in-the-round staging is clever and effective, and the projections are simply stunning. Ne le manqué pas!

Who wouldn’t love a trip to the City of Lights?

But Fall in Paris is a delightful diversion if you aren’t flying across the pond.

The world premiere of Eastern Front Theatre’s new romantic comedy is as enchanting as its setting.

Written and directed by Eastern Front artistic producer Scott Burke, it is the story of Cecilia, whose 38-year marriage has end­ed in divorce and who is sent to Paris by her daughters. She finds herself on the hot couples tour when her seniors tour is can­celled.

There she meets Claire and Darren, a young couple on the verge of breaking up over Dar­ren’s one-night stand. The trip is Darren’s first big assignment for Chatelaine magazine and he convinces Claire, an art history major, to come, even though she wants nothing to do with him.

He pleads with her that it’s an opportunity to see the works of art she’s only read about. Darren is hoping he’ll be able to make it up to her on the romantic trip.

Though it is the story of three people on their own journeys, their paths are inextricably linked.

Jennifer Overton as the wound­ed, bitter, struggling Cecilia, Matthew Gorman as penitent Darren and Kate Lavender as Claire, mad as hell and deter­mined not to forgive, are all excel­lently cast, multi-dimensional figures who make the audience truly care about their fates.

Burke excels at creating dia­logue that makes the three charac­ters as real as your best friends in the absorbing 90-minute produc­tion.

Overton, in particular, pulls at the heartstrings. Blindsided by her husband’s affair with his secretary, a cliché that adds extra hurt, she can’t, as her daughters wish her to, stop thinking about herself as one half of a couple.

She also can’t stop talking about the unseen Gordon to oth­ers and rails at Gordon as if he were there. But despite her drink­ing, her caustic remarks and behaviour bordering on and occa­sionally crossing the line into rudeness, we care for her and wish her well, thanks to Overton gently revealing the person be­hind the pain.

Also angry is Claire, who is torn between her love for Darren and her inability to forgive him. Lav­ender does a great job portraying the kind and intelligent young art lover swept up in the joy of seeing Paris for the first time, which softens her emotions but not enough to allow Darren into her heart again.

She’s also determined not to allow Cecilia to settle into her own funk, pushing her to join the duo on their Parisian explorations to the protestations of Darren, who keeps yelling “Don’t engage” with a humorous look of panic on his face.

Darren is, as he tells us, lost. He knows he’s done wrong but doesn’t know how to make it right. He, too, is caught up in the thrill of a first visit to Paris but can’t put his emotions into words, feeling lost at his job as well as in his relationship.

Gorman, a Nova Scotia native now living in Toronto, makes Darren so adorably charming, so intensely likeable, we want Claire to forgive him. His battle scenes with Cecilia are wonders of comic timing, while their serious con­versations provide depth and insight into relationships.

The simple set, designed by Dustin Harvey, is exquisitely well suited to the play and its space in the Bus Stop Theatre at 2203 Gottingen St. in Halifax. The action is presented in the round, while in the centre of the room is a giant, gilt-edged picture frame, broken in half to allow entrances and exits by the actors.

On the walls are two gilt-edged frames on which scenes of Hali­fax, Paris and even the Mona Lisa herself are projected, instantly transporting the audience into the centre of the action. Part of the fun is seeing images of familiar sites like l’Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and Montmartre and guessing where the protagonists are going before they get there.

The music, arranged and per­formed by Matthew Amyotte, effectively sets the scene and the mood.

“Fall in Paris”, a new comedy written/directed by the unfairly talented Scott Burke, stars Matthew Gorman and Kate Lavender as a young Canadian couple on an awkwardly romantic European vacation booked before they broke up. Trying to make the best of things, they tour the sights and read aloud from their guidebooks, offering relatable and amusing commentary. The production relies heavily on two large projection screens to recreate Paris, since The Bus Stop’s small, severe performance space is so intimate it verges on claustrophobic. Set limitations do serve to highlight Burke’s incisive writing, which is capable of delivering a perfect throat punch with just a few words. Jennifer Overton as Cecilia, a freshly divorced fifty-something solo traveler, is beautifully regal and deliciously sharp. “Stop analyzing, stop ruminating for one second,” she berates herself when confounded by modern art at Centre Pompidou. “Just be here.” A less accomplished actress could have become shrill but Overton’s tartness is expertly wrought, eliciting pathos instead of aversion. Her cabaret rendition of ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’ is the most heartbreaking moment in the entire 90 minutes. One wants to watch a whole play of nothing but her. Despite its congested traffic and cultural snobbery, Paris wins the characters over, as the play does the audience. Lively pacing deserves its very own round of applause.

City of light, city of romance, Paris is the world’s number one tourist destination. A vacation can be a time to contemplate life’s big decisions.  Such is the case for Claire and Darren, troubled lovebirds who must overcome a major relationship deal breaker.  So too for Cecelia who is about to finalize her divorce. 

Join all three as they’re thrown together on the Hot Hot Couples tour of the French Capital.  You’ll experience the top tourist attractions of Paris through the eyes of this hilarious trio in search of love and adventure and maybe even the meaning of life.  Fall in Paris promises an intimate and innovative theatrical journey straight to the heart…via the funny-bone.

“In Fall in Paris, we examine aspects of romance that are often ignored.  Romance is always painted as something fresh and new, without baggage—like the spring.” said Artistic Producer Scott Burke, “In the fall, we start from a different place.  When we don’t have a clean slate, the complexities of romance become increasingly three dimensional.  We find instances where love looks like hate and vice versa.  We begin to see how the saddest moments in life are sometimes the funniest; the most painful; the most hopeful.”

What it isn’t: Eastern Front Theatre’s Playwrights Unit is designed to support playwrights as they develop individual projects. It is not a commissioning or development enterprise for plays to be produced by Eastern Front Theatre. Apart from a request to have Eastern Front’s support recognized whenever one of the works from a Unit playwright is produced or published, Eastern Front Theatre makes no claim on any of the works. In the event a play is identified as appropriate for production by Eastern Front Theatre, separate negotiations would be undertaken.

How it works: Six writers will be selected based on an application process. They will form the inaugural core group of writers. The unit will meet once every month at a venue provided by EFT (or agreed upon by the group) and share progress on their current projects.

Playwrights are required to bring a minimum of three new pages of writing to each meeting. The new material will be read aloud followed by constructive criticism from the other members of the unit. If a writer wishes to have a complete draft read and considered, additional meetings may be set up, or a regular meeting might focus on the work of one playwright.

What is provided: In addition to providing a venue for the meetings, EFT will also provide printing and photocopying for meeting materials. We will also provide support and advice on grant writing, technical matters, marketing, etc. EFT is interested in seeing the plays generated by the unit succeed, so we will be happy to provide assistance as requested, subject to our means.

What is expected of the writers: First and foremost, playwrights are expected to show up on a regular basis and to write. Playwrights will be expected to be supportive of the other writers around the table and supportive of the unit as a whole. The aim of the unit is to provide a secure, supportive environment where writers feel comfortable sharing their work, and where the solitary nature of writing may be mitigated by communal gatherings.

As indicated above, publication or production of a work which receives support from the unit should include a credit in the publication or theatre program stating: [Title of Play] was developed in part with the assistance of the Eastern Front Theatre Playwrights Unit.

We invite Nova Scotian playwrights of various experience levels who wish to be considered for the Eastern Front Theatre Playwrights Unit to submit a proposal to the Unit Coordinator.

Proposals should include:

Two copies of:

• A brief resume or bio
• A one page outline of the project you plan to work on over the course of the next 12 months
• A sample of up to 10 pages of the script in progress (if possible, not required)

Please mail to:
Michael McPhee
Coordinator
EFT Playwrights Unit
P.O. Box 11
Dartmouth, NS
B2Y 3Y2

Submissions will be accepted by mail only and must be received or postmarked by November 1, 2010.

Download Playwrights Unit Information in PDF Format

Halifax, NS – Eastern Front Theatre is pleased to announce the establishment of a new Playwrights Unit; a professional support network for Nova Scotian playwrights.

The Eastern Front Theatre Playwrights Unit is designed to support playwrights on an ongoing basis as they develop individual projects.

Six writers will be selected to form the inaugural Unit. The Unit will meet monthly and provide an environment where writers feel comfortable sharing their work and where the solitary nature of writing may be mitigated by communal gatherings.

Eastern Front Theatre invites Nova Scotian Playwrights who wish to be considered for the Playwrights Unit to submit an application to the Playwrights Unit Coordinator, Michael McPhee. For further information, please visit www.easternfronttheatre.com.

Applications should include:

Two copies of:

• A brief resume or bio
• A one page outline of the project you plan to work on over the next twelve months
• A sample of up to ten pages of the script in progress

Applications will be accepted by mail only and must be received or postmarked by November 1, 2010.

Please mail to:

Michael McPhee
Coordinator
EFT Playwrights Unit
P.O. Box 11
Dartmouth, NS
B2Y 3Y2

Download Playwrights Unit Press Release in PDF Format

For Release: September 22, 2010

Eastern Front Theatre Announces 2010-2011 Season

Plays with Perspective

Halifax, NS – Artistic Producer Scott Burke announced today Eastern Front Theatre’s Playbill for the company’s 18^th Season and the return of the SuperNova Theatre Festival, Atlantic Canada’s national professional theatre festival.

“Eastern Front Theatre enjoyed a very successful transition season in 2009-2010,” said Burke, “I’m delighted to report our move to venues on the Halifax peninsula proved popular with our traditional audience and attracted a slew of newcomers.  We want to thank our patrons and supporters for making the journey with us.”

The 2010-2011 season of Plays with Perspective include a comedy that takes the audience on a virtual tour of Paris, and a retrospective look at seminal events in the Iraq war.  In Fall in Paris three vacationers experience fundamental changes to their points of view as they travel the rocky road of romance.  Palace of the End is based on real life American, British, and Iraqi citizens whose lives were irrevocably altered by an international conflict.

Fall in Paris

The season begins with the World Premiere of Fall in Paris, a romantic comedy written and directed by Scott Burke. The production previews November 14, opens November 16 and runs until November 28 at the Bus Stop Theatre.

City of light, city of romance, Paris is the world’s number one tourist destination. A vacation can be a time to contemplate life’s big decisions.  Such is the case for Claire and Darren, troubled lovebirds who must overcome a major relationship deal breaker.  So too for Cecelia who is about to finalize her divorce.

Join all three as they’re thrown together on the Hot Hot Couples tour of the French Capital.  You’ll experience the top tourist attractions of Paris through the eyes of this hilarious trio in search of love and adventure and maybe even the meaning of life.  Fall in Paris promises an intimate and innovative theatrical journey straight to the heart…via the funny-bone.

Fall in Paris features a superb ensemble cast of Nova Scotian acting talent including Jennifer Overton (God’s Middle Name, Sylvia, Trailer Park Boys, Titanic and most recently Whirligig); Kate Lavender (Vimy, The Leisure Society, How I learned to Drive, Growing Op, Faith, Fraud & Minimum Wage); and Matt Gorman (Rum and Vodka, Hana’s Suitcase, The Drawer Boy).

Scott Burke’s previous plays include The Parrsboro Boxing Club, winner of the 2005 Merritt Award for Outstanding Play, Chairmaker the Musical, and most recently for Eastern Front Theatre, Canada’s Songbird – A Musical Tribute to Anne Murray, and Singalong Jubilee – The East Coast Sound Celebration.

The Artistic Team for Fall in Paris consists of Director Scott Burke, Set and Projection Designer Dustin Harvey, Costume Designer Veronica MacIsaac, Lighting Designer Louisa Adamson, Sound Designer Nathan Pilon, and Assistant Director is Christopher Fowler.

Palace of the End

Eastern Front takes a dramatic turn in the New Year with the multi-award winning Palace of the End, by Judith Thompson, starring R.H. Thomson.  The show previews March 27, opens March 29, and runs until April 10 at the Bus Stop Theatre.

Palace of the End was nominated for a Governor General’s Award, is the winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, and the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award.

Three searing monologues make up Palace of the End: a shockingly funny portrayal of the soldier who took the fall for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal; the dying reflections of the weapons inspector who blew the whistle on government justifications for the invasion of Iraq; a tea party with a mother and political leader who suffered unfathomable loss at the hands of Saddam Hussein. Palace of the End will unsettle you with its startling beauty.

One of Canada’s most respected playwrights, Judith Thompson is the author of The Crackwalker, White Biting Dog, I Am Yours, Lion in the Streets, Sled, Perfect Pie, and Palace of the End. She has written two feature films Lost and Delirious and Perfect Pie as well as television movies and radio drama. Her work has enjoyed great success internationally.  Ms. Thompson is the recipient of two Governor General’s Literary Awards, and is an Officer in the Order of Canada. In 2007, she was awarded the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.

SuperNova Theatre Festival

The 18^th Annual SuperNova Theatre Festival returns to the Neptune Studio Theatre May 18 to 29, 2011.  For twelve days Atlantic Canada’s national professional theatre festival will once again feature an eclectic line-up of innovative theatre, comedy, music and special events.  The SuperNova Theatre Festival brings the best and brightest touring productions from across the country to take centre stage alongside equally thrilling home-grown fare.  The complete playbill for SuperNova 2011 will be announced in March 2011.

Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now

Eastern Front Theatre offers a Subscription Package that makes live theatre an irresistible bargain.  Subscriptions are on sale now at a 25% discount off the single ticket prices.  Two play Subscriptions are $45 and include: 1 ticket to Fall in Paris, 1 Ticket to Palace of the End, and feature a choice of performance dates, no hassle exchange privileges, taxes included and no service fees!  To purchase subscriptions and single tickets please visit us here or call 902-463-7529.

Now in its 18^th season, Eastern Front Theatre is a Halifax based theatre company that commissions, develops, produces, presents and tours plays that explore and celebrate the human condition in relation to our place in the world.  We champion the work of Canadian artists and especially those from Atlantic Canada.  Eastern Front Theatre strives to stimulate, entertain, and challenge our audience with theatre that is provocative, innovative, and of the highest standard.

O’Regan’s Automotive Group is Eastern Front Theatre’s 2010-2011 Season Sponsor.  The SuperNova Theatre Festival is sponsored by The Craig Foundation and Office Interiors. Other Festival sponsors include Esso Imperial Oil Foundation, Theatre Nova Scotia, Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre and Super 8 Hotels.  Seaside 105.9 FM is our Media Sponsor. Eastern Front Theatre is generously funded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage and the Halifax Regional Municipality.