JOCASTA - new play reading in Toronto

[Brian Quirt]

For Immediate Release: April 28 - May 13, 1999.       Please add to your
Listings / Announcements


NIGHTSWIMMING
presents
a  reading  of

JOCASTA by Ned Dickens

Nightswimming presents a reading of Ned Dickens' JOCASTA, featuring a huge
and stellar cast,
with Alison Sealy-Smith as Jocasta, Nigel Shawn Williams as her son Oedipus,
Philip Akin as her husband Laius and a chorus of 14 actors including R.H.
Thomson,
Julian Richings, Earl Pastko, Tracey Ferencz and Alex Fallis.

Nightswimming is dedicated to commissioning and developing new plays.
JOCASTA, a prequel to Ned's play OEDIPUS (Dora Award for Outstanding Production
in 1994's Die in Debt production set under the Gardiner Expressway),
was commissioned in 1997.

JOCASTA tells the story of Oedipus' mother, from her wedding to Laius,
through the birth and exile of Oedipus, to his triumphant return twenty years
later and her marriage to the man she will soon find out to be ... her son.
Ned Dickens' new version uses dynamic verse and a large chorus to retell a
vital myth.

JOCASTA features Alison Sealy-Smith as Jocasta, Philip Akin, Bruce Beaton,
Christine Brubaker, Mark Christmann, Alex Fallis, Tracey Ferencz,
D. Garnet Harding, Marie-Josée Lefebvre, Keira Loughran, Earl Pastko,
Julian Richings,
R.H. Thomson, Ker Wells, Jean Yoon and Nigel Shawn Williams as Oedipus.


NIGHTSWIMMING is a developmental theatre company, directed by Brian Quirt and
produced by Naomi Campbell. Its projects include:

        *  THE WHIRLPOOL, Quirt's adaptation of the Jane Urquhart novel,
will premiere
                at the Tarragon Theatre in March 2000;

        *  AN ACRE OF TIME, a Nightswimming commission by Jason Sherman
will
                 premiere at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa
in May 2000;

        *  Quirt's THE DEATH OF GENERAL WOLFE premiered at Theatre Passe
Muraille earlier this year;

        *  A new play commissioned from Judith Thompson;

        *  and the upcoming musical work-in-progress LAKE NORA ARMS by
Michael Redhill,
                 with music by Jane Miller, which will receive a reading on
June 3.


One Night Only:

*  JOCASTA by Ned Dickens  *  Thursday May 13, 1999  *  8pm

*  Equity Showcase Theatre  *  651 Dufferin Street at Dundas  * TORONTO

*  PWYC admission

For media information: Brian Quirt, <bquirt at interlog.com>.