2019/2020 Season
Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes
Peter Fechter: 59 Minutes was performed at the Luella Massey Studio Theatre From November 28-30, 2019.
Play by Jordan Tanahill Directed by Büke Erkoç Starring Stephanie Zeit as Peter Fechter
Ahlam Hassan - Dramaturge
Grace Marshall - Stage Manager
Jacob Kay - Lighting & Sound Designer
Reena Cabanilla - Costume Designer
Büke Erkoç - Set Designer
Ashley Bonettte-Kim - Assistant Stage Manager
Ece Dogan - Poster Designer
1962, East Berlin. A teenage boy lies in the Death Strip with a fatal bullet wound to the pelvis after an attempt to escape to the West. For 59 minutes, his body remains where it fell – in full view of Western onlookers and Eastern guards. As he dies, Peter’s hearing intensifies and the voices of the people he loves come back to him in his final hour.
Inspired by the death of the real Peter Fechter, one of the first people killed while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall, Tannahill’s play is an ode to risk and love in the face of oppression.
Northrop Frye Has an Existential Crisis in McDonald’s
Northrop Frye Has an Existential Crisis in McDonald’s was one of the Follies’s two entries into the 2020 UofT Drama Festival at Hart House Theatre. It was performed on February 7th, 2020, and Isobel McDonald was awarded an Acting Award of Merit for her performance as Northrop Frye by adjucator Aaron Jan.
Written by Katherine Burke Directed by Victoria Watson Sepejak
Isobel McDonald: Northrop Frye
Molly Dunn: Bertolt Brecht
Bennett Steinberg: Jerzy Growtowski
Helen Ho: Stage Manager
Jen Dufton: Costumes
Nicole Eun-ju Bell: Lighting Design
Northrop Frye is stuck. Haunted by questions of his legacy, bothered by irritating dramatists, and inexplicably drawn to a metaphysical McDonalds, he tries to find a way to make peace with his work and move forward… whatever that means…
The Madness of the Square
The world premiere production of The Madness of the Square was performed in the University College’s Junior Common Room on March 13th, 2020. Its run was cut short and its location changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Written by Marjorie Chan
Directed by Abby Esteireiro
Sun-Yi - Alice Cheng
Ding-Ding - Shian Grace
Shen - Hazel Kang
Wong - Kevin Lee
Catherine - Victoria Ngai
Fan-Ying - Tammy Yu
Lighting Designer - Lauren Lacey
Sound Designer - Alison Starkey
Sound Operator - Hannah Spracklin
Videographer & Video Designer - Hannah Spracklin
Projection Designer - Abby Esteireiro
Costume Designer - Flora Fushii-McIntosh
Hair & Make-up Designer - Bailey Irene Midori Hoy
Set/Props Designer - Brad Gira
Dramaturgical Consultant - Paris Molokwu
Associate Director - William Dao
Intimacy Director - Cecily Smith
Poster Design - Abby Esteireiro
“For a long time, this feeling is happening in our young people, in everyone. When the feeling is so strong it’s hard to ignore. So when you feel this way, when you feel that there is no hope, and it is not right-- what else can you do? Should I do nothing?”
Follow five university students and a young BBC reporter as they pursue love, friendship, belonging, freedom, and Kentucky Fried Chicken during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests.
A Portrait of Two Men
A staged reading of A Portrait of Two Men was performed in the University College’s Junior Common Room on December 6, 2019, with proceeds going to the ArQuives.
Written and Directed by Chloë Flowers and Victoria McIntyre
Tom Thomson: Sanjay Pavone
Dr. John McRuer: Robert Bazzocchi
James McRuer: Josh Palmer
Edythe Bullock: Jennifer Dufton
Winnifred Trainor: Joëlle Mason
Robert Bennett: Gil Hamel
Joseph/Ritchie/McRuer’s Father: Mitchell Jaramillo
Fiddler/McRuer’s Mother: Emelia Findlay
Piano Player: Phoebe Jenner
Famous Canadian artist Tom Thomson’s life is well documented. People have analyzed his work, his relationships, his mysterious death -- but there is an important part of Tom’s story that has never been told. With recently uncovered family secrets has come intriguing insights into who Thomson really was, and what parts of his journey were left behind by history. Through the eyes of his close friend, James McRuer, we hear the lost tale of Tom and John. Set in the early 1900s, it is an exploration of the power of art, how identity is shaped by sexuality, and what it means to be a friend.
The Boy Who Cried
The Boy Who Cried was one of the Follies’s two entries into the 2020 UofT Drama Festival at Hart House Theatre. It was performed on February 6th, 2020. Adjucator Aaron Jan awarded the following awards to the production: to stage manager Beka Morrison, The Janet Bassey Award for Excellent in Stage Management; to director William Dao, the Robert Gill Award for Best Direction; to playwright Brad Gira, the Robertson Davies Playwrighting Award; and to the UC Follies, the President’s Award for Best Production.
Written by Brad Gira Directed by William Dao
Soren - Margaret Rose
Harper - Frosina Pejcinovska
Dr. Kelsey Winslow - Eileanor O’Halloran
Sarah - Stephanie Zeit
Hudson - Ethan Curnett
Landon - Enzo Campa
Adrian - Sascha Houpt
Greyson - Taranjot Bamrah
Archery Expert - Prithvi Kahlon
Constable Virginia Cross - Ahlam Hassan
Guard - Jennifer Dufton
Jayce’s Mom - Erin Whyland
Jenna - Olivia Regimbal
Reece - Isaac Pilozo
Tom - Manoosh Tavakoli
Brent - Liam Donovan
Adi - Grace Faria
Rose - Isabella Fusco
Jake - Eashan Sharma
Natalie - Jennifer Wu
Miles - Dante Camarda
Molly - Sabrina Weinstein
Bullseye - Anton Patsi
Stage Manager - Beka Morrison Lighting Designer - Abby Palmer
Sound Designer - Matt Lalonde
Costume and Props Designer - Abby Esteireiro
Assistant Stage Manager - Avery Delorme, Oriana DiNucci
Soren is a singer and camp counselor who gets along with everyone—kids, coworkers, and adults—especially her favorite camper, a boy named Jayce. One day, Jayce hates Soren. Then everyone else starts to hate Soren too. Soren searches to find out what is wrong with Jayce, and what is wrong with herself.