James Reaney's _The Easter Egg_

[Kathy Chung]

Two more performances of James Reaney's _The Easter Egg_

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Graduate Centre for Study of Drama presents:

THE EASTER EGG
by
James Reaney


The Graduate Centre for Study of Drama (U of T) presents award winning
playwright James Reaney's absurdist comedy The Easter Egg, directed by
David Eden, at the Robert Gill Theatre September 5th to 8th.

Social-climber Bethel Henry's dinner party is starting in just two hours
and her house is in an uproar.  Her stepson Kenneth, traumatized by his
father's suicide fifteen years earlier, is starting to recover his wits
and won't stay hidden away in the attic any longer.  Her stepdaughter
Polly has quit librarian school to announce her engagement, unless Bethel
can stop it.  And it looks as though Bethel's bootlegging mother might
leave her shack in the woods and crash the party.  What will Bethel do?
Reaney puts a gothic spin on the social aspirations of a group of misfits
in a small university town.

Best known for his masterful trilogy The Donnellys, James Reaney's work
has been performed on stages across Canada as well as Britain and the US.
Among his most famous plays are The Killdeer, Listen to the Wind, and
Colours in the Dark (commissioned by the Stratford Festival for the
Canadian Centennial Year).  Reaney is the recipient of three
Governor-General's awards, a Chalmers' award, and is a member of the Order
of Canada.  Largely neglected in recent years, Reaney's work is long
overdue for a revival and re-examination.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of The Easter Egg.  The first
production, by Alumnae Theatre in November of 1962, generated great
critical controversy; a high-profile production was seen at the National
Arts Centre in 1970 starring Amelia Hall and the Stratford Festival
company.  This will be the first Toronto production of the play in over
thirty years.

The design team includes sound by Dario Del Degan, sets by Claudia Kada,
costumes by Aleksandra Podbereski, and lighting by Alexandra Prichard.



The Easter Egg
Robert Gill Theatre
214 College Street
September 5 to 7 at 8pm, September 8 at 2pm
Tickets:  $12/$10 Students and Seniors
416-978-7986

Media contact:  Resh Budhu   416-978-7986