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At Artword Theatre
mainspace, 75 Portland Street
March 15 to April 6, 2003
The Pleiades Theatre (in
collaboration with Théâtre français de
Toronto) presents
Heart of a Dog
adapted by
Toronto writer, Anne Nenarokoff-Van Burek
from the 1923 Russian novel by Mikhail
Bulgakov
DIRECTED BY
Jean-Stéphane Roy
CAST
Martin Albert, Eric Goulem, Patricia Marceau,
Rafal Sokolowski as the dog Sharik, and William Webster
SET DESIGN Rudy Braun
LIGHTING DESIGN Glenn Davidson
MUSIC COMPOSED BY Keith Thomas
Previews March 15, 16, 18 at
8 pm: $12;
Opening Wednesday March 19 at 8 pm
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays at 8 pm: $25;
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm: $30;
Sundays at 2:30 pm: pay-what-you-can
Heart of a Dog runs
about 100 minutes with no intermission
A joint production with
Théâtre français de Toronto, Coeur
de Chien runs in French February 19 to March 8, 2003
at the Berkeley Street Theatre.
To reserve call the St.
Lawrence Centre Ticket Line
416-366-7723 or book at StL online:
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Heart of a Dog
adapted by Toronto writer, Anne Nenarokoff-Van Burek
from the 1923 Russian novel by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Pleiades Theatre presents a uniquely Canadian experiment
with Heart of a Dog: a Russian novel adapted
for the stage into French and English by a Canadian writer
of Russian-French origin, to be performed in both official
languages. Following its French-language run (February 21 -
March 8), Heart of a Dog will open in English
on March 19 at Artword Theatre and will run until April 6.
A renowned Moscow surgeon
attempts the ultimate experiment in social engineering: he
transplants the pituitary gland and sexual organs of a man
into the body of a stray dog in the hopes of creating a
responsible citizen and a dignified human being. The more
the Doctor urges his creation to be civilized and to behave
well, the less success he encounters. This "new man" is
increasingly drawn to the worst elements of society and soon
discovers that he can even achieve power by championing his
lowly origins. This story, by the greatest Russian novelist
of the 20th century, was immediately suppressed by Stalin
and only published in the Soviet Union in 1987.
Heart of a Dog stars Stratford veteran
Martin Albert, Eric Goulem (The Danish
Play), Patricia Marceau (ChekhovShorts),
Rafal Sokolowski (Montreal Young Company) as the dog
Sharik, and William Webster (Stratford,
Soulpepper).
Heart of a Dog is directed by
Jean-Stéphane Roy, a brilliant young Montreal
director who is establishing a fine reputation in both
languages all across Canada. Design is by Rudy Braun,
original music by one of Canada's most accomplished
theatrical composers, Keith Thomas and lighting is by
the award-winning Glenn Davidson.
The author, Anne Nenarokoff, is a poet and playwright
who wrote the highly acclaimed adaptation of Dostoevski's
White Nights, performed in Toronto in 2000 before
touring to Montreal and Ottawa.
HEART of a DOG by Anne Nenarokoff, is adapted
from the novel of the same title by Mikhaïl Bulgakov.
Bulgakov¹s reputation as a writer has continued to grow
since his death in 1940 and he is now considered to be the
greatest Russian playwright and novelist of the 20th
century. This wickedly comic fable, written in 1925 but
suppressed in Russia until 1987, is about a Moscow surgeon
who "revitalizes" the aging but powerful members of society
by giving them transplants of the pituitary glands and
sexual organs of the young. The Professor, in his
Revolutionary wish to scientifically improve human nature,
decides to go one further with a daring experiment; he
performs this operation on a stray mutt in the hopes of
making him into a good citizen, filled with potential and
grateful for the chance to improve himself. How valiant the
efforts, to transform a low-life into a noble creature! Not
only does Heart of a Dog question the wisdom
of such an undertaking, it reminds us that while we strive
to make this ideal succeed, we need to beware of the
terrible enemy lurking within: the rise of the power-hungry
and the mediocre.
Media contact: Josee
Duranleau, Duranleau Publicity, 416-652-7672
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