Productions
HELLO
Theatre Terrific Presents the Life of Arthur Miller’s Unknown Child.
Local artists team up to share the perception of life through the eyes of a child with Down syndrome.
Often forgotten are individuals with disabilities, which was the case in 1966, when acclaimed playwright Arthur Miller and his last wife, Inge Morath, bore a son with Down syndrome, named “Daniel”. Theatre Terrific is proud to yet again, be a pioneer in Western Canada, as they share Daniel’s story through the talents of artists with differences.
Arthur Miller was no stranger to the limelight. His critically acclaimed plays “The Crucible” and “Death of a Salesman” made him a public figure, coupled with his high profile marriage to Marilyn Monroe. In addition to his accomplishments, the renowned playwright also achieved the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a reputation for social activism. Arthur Miller’s personal and public life was celebrated both locally and abroad, yet at his death in 2005 very few knew about Daniel Miller, his son who was diagnosed with Down syndrome shortly after his birth in 1962.
Among friends and family members of Miller and his wife, Inge Morath, few ever knew or heard of Daniel. Soon after his birth, Daniel was erased from public record, cut out of his family’s life and sent to an overcrowded, understaffed institution akin to bedlam. Having been hidden away for nearly forty years, the public would only hear of Daniel when it was mentioned that a fourth child was included in Arthur’s will only six weeks prior to his death.
HELLO is the third work in the trilogy of Daniel’s true story, which sheds light and brings attention to the emotions and perceptions of individuals who live with disabilities. As told from Daniel’s point of view, the play depicts how Daniel would view his birth and his family’s life if he were never a part of it.
“How did Daniel view the world? Did he ever learn to read and write? What did he think happened at family birthday parties?”
Being Animal
During the longest West Coast drought in recorded history, an inclusive cast and crew gathered together to explore our place in the natural world. We did it with joy, honesty, humour and the gift of difference.
Inspired by author David Abrams, we journeyed into a conver-sation with nature. Abrams observes, “Humans are tuned for relationship. The eyes, the skin, the tongue, ears and nostril – all are gates where our body receives the nourishment of other-ness.” What would happen if we fully embraced otherness in ourselves, in our communities, and in nature?
Being Animal is one approach to that conversation. How would yours begin?
CAST:
Alex Edwards
Lianne Crowe
Tyson Aubin
Robin Holmes
Jonah Killoran
Katrina Costello
Willow Eady
Edna Rendaje
Jacynthe Geshke
Shannon Emerawa
Claire Brown
Angelo Moroni
CREATIVE TEAM:
Co-Directors: Susanna Uchatius & James Coomber
Costume Coordinator: Sabrina Evertt
Sound Design & Composition: James Coomber
Musicians: Angelo Moroni & James Coomber
Stage Manager: Miranda Sandberg
Producer & Production Manager: Lois Dawson
Puppet Artist: Tim Gosley (Merlin’s Sun Inc)
Mask Artist: Gina Bastone
Builder: Bill Beauregaurde
Puppeteers: Susanna Uchatius, Miranda Sandberg, & Bill Beauregaurde
Roy & Janet
WHAT IS ROY & JANET ALL ABOUT?*
We looked at Romeo and Juliet and decided that what really mattered to us in that famous play were the two distinct families that did not want Romeo and Juliet to get together. We felt that this story really was about tribalism,the us and them, the assumptions and fears that separate people who may have outward differences, beliefs, clothes. So...our cast and crew of all cultures, abilities and genders decided to build a musical work that dances, sings, and tells a humorous quirky fierce story of two very different tribes. How they see each other, how different they are, how Roy from one tribe & Janet from another...discover each other and how the Tribes react. We decided that the place to present this work and it's surprising conclusion was in a public space that is a crossroads of diversity! The Woodwards Heritage Atrium; where tourists, office workers, homeless, artists, street vendors, parents, children, sales people, students and every conceivable label of society pass each other every day. What better place to ask the questions: "What keeps us apart and what can bring us together?"
“Take all men as your brothers; all women as your sisters; and all children as your sons and daughters.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
