LEROY STREET THEATRE & DESIDERATA PRESENTS:
HEDDA GABLER
WRITTEN BY: HENRIK IBSEN
DIRECTED BY: HARRISON THOMAS
AUGUST 2014
The Store Front Theatre,
955 Bloor Street West
Synopsis:
The bored and beautiful Hedda returns from her honeymoon to discover her old flame, and husband's academic rival, returned to the town of their youth. But she finds him fundamentally changed by his new muse, and in possession of a manuscript that may become his masterwork.
In Ibsen's timeless tale of love, manipulation and death, we are confronted with the monsters that lie beneath the veneer of civilization. As we move towards the plays final act, we are forced to ask: are any of us as civil as we appear?
Meet the cast!
Back row from left:
Carmine Lucarelli as JUDGE BRACK
Lynne Griffin as MISS TESMAN
Lea Diskin as BERTA
Front row from left:
Cameron Sedgwick as GEORGE TESMAN
Lauren Horejda as HEDDA GABLER
John Chou as EILERT LOVBORG
Anne van Leeuwen as THEA ELVSTED
DESIDERATA
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Formed by co-artistic directors Lauren Horejda and Harrison Thomas, Desiderata is a new company devoted to the exploration of the European classical canon and contemporary work on classical themes. Translating as "desired things", Desiderata focuses on works that examine the destructive power of human appetites, and our inevitable pursuit thereof. Holding a mirror to the consuming impulses of our time, they show these works for the timely, timeless and harshly true testaments that they are.
CAST
LAUREN HOREJDA (Hedda Gabler/Co-Producer)
Originally from Moose Jaw, Sask. Lauren trained initially at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon resulting in a BFA with honors in Drama. She then moved to London, UK and began a myriad of backpacking adventures throughout the globe while also working in London. She extended her training at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and extensively at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, working afterwards until the visas’ were exhausted.
Selected projects include: Portia(Merchant of Venice) Cheshire Cat(Absolute Alice), Elizabeth Bennet(Pride and Prejudice), Viola(Twelfth Night), Medea(Medea Redux), Tannis(Semi Monde), Mary(Memory of Water), Lady Chiltern(An Ideal Husband), and Helen(BBC Radio).
Lauren would like to thank Harry, as always, for the love and the trust.
CAM SEDGWICK (George Tesman)
Born in Toronto Cam began acting classes when he was eight and started performing in community theatre plays by the age of twelve. He continued his training at Concordia University in Montreal where he received a BFA with distinction in Theatre Performance. Upon completing his degree he appeared as Detective Tupolski in LifeLong Production's The Pillowman (2012) and as Guildenstern in Persephone Theatre's Hamlet before returning to Toronto. Recent Toronto credits include Detective Sergeant Trotter in The Mousetrap at the Lower Ossington Theatre(2013), Gerry in BEAR's Fringe production of The Retirement Plan (2013), Benvolio in The Deliverance of Juliet and her Romeo with Leroy Street Theatre (2014), Brittanus/Ghost in Beyond the Mountain's Fringe production of Bard Fiction and as Jerry in Orphaned Egret/100% Theatre's production of <<Noir>>. He is elated to get any opportunity to work with his adopted theatre family, Leroy Street Theatre.
ANNE VAN LEEUWEN (Thea Elvsted/Co-Producer)
Anne received her Bachelor of Drama from Bishop’s University, and in 2012, successfully navigated a year of training with New York’s prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School. Some favourite roles include Sarah Goodwin in Time Stands Still, Connie Dayton in Come Blow Your Horn (OLT), Ann Deever in All My Sons (OLT), Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Beach House Theatre); May in Fool For Love (High Horse Theatre Productions); Constance Ledbelly in Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (BU) Viola in Twelfth Night (BU).
Carmine Lucarelli (Judge Brack)
Thrilled to be part of the cast of Hedda, Carmine has spent the better part of 13 years performing, improvising and teaching. When not making up his own words he interprets those of others as an actor, most recently in Julius Caesar and Working the Engels. Carmine writes his bio in the third person.
John Chou (Eilert Lovborg)
Selected Theatre: Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Easy Street Productions), Acaste in The Misanthrope (Guild Festival Theatre), Michael in tick...tick...BOOM! (Half-Pint Theatre), Benny in RENT (Fallen Rock Productions), Oscar in The Wild Party (ObraLinda Productions), Tsering in Kwatz!: The Tibetan Project, Buster in The Fan Tan King (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre).
Selected Film/TV: Death in The Gate (Alpaca vs Llama), Guy in Which Way Is Happiness? (Sunday Afternoon Productions), Po in Urban Legends (NextFilm), Jon in Uncle Morty’s Dub Shack (ImaginAsian TV).
About: John attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, in New York. He was a member of Theatre 20’s first Emerging Artists Ensemble in 2012-2013, mentored by Juan Chioran. John would like to thank Stefne, Zyz, and their families for all their love and support.
Lea Diskin (Berta)
Lea Diskin, shower singer and closet actor, is excited to make her debut as Berta in this production of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. Selected performances include Eponine in Les Miserable, Little Red in Into the Woods, Louisa in The Sound of Music, and Helen in Paris Bound. After training with Boston's Berklee School of Music she found her home in Toronto and has been enjoying life in the beaches ever since. Offstage she can be found reading teen-fiction, doing side by side crosswords, and puddle-jumping in her cowboy boots. Her love and thanks to her family, given and found.
Lynne Griffin (Miss Tesman)
Lynne has been recently seen locally in Vinegar Tom as part of the Playwrights Project, The Seagull with The Chekhov Collective at the Berkeley St. Theatre Upstairs and The Beauty Queen of Leenane at The Red Sandcastle. At the Toronto Fringe: Pornstar and Brother Andre’s Heart, and at Summerworks: Aftershock. Her recent directing credits are Alice in Wonderland at Dancemakers, and directing her husband Sean Sullivan in the award winning production of Baby Redboots’ Revenge. For the 2014 Toronto Fringe she was associate producer on the critically acclaimed Potosi. She has spent seasons at both the Shaw and Stratford Festivals as well as many major theatres across Canada and the US. On television she has numerous credits including the series’ Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, Happy Town, Riverdale, Wind at my Back, Lost Girl, Call Me Fitz, Warehouse 13,
Murdoch Mysteries, Remedy and playing ‘Mrs. Santa’ in two Santa Baby movies for ABC-TV. Her films include the cult hits, Strange Brew, Black Christmas and Curtains, (which is being released on DVD for the first time, July 29th). Upcoming: Circle Mirror Transformation at The Storefront and Harper Regan at Canadian Stage.
CREW
MELISSA WRIGHT (Co-Producer)
Melissa Wright is a Toronto based theatre stage & production manager and a proud graduate of Bishop's University. Past credits include: Time Stands Still (Leroy Street Theatre), Lady Julie (Apuka Theatre), Saving Fats (Alex McCooeye/Jesse Griffiths; The Playwright Project 2013), The Unsatisfactory Supper (Black Tea Theatre; The Tennessee Project 2012), La Duchesse de Langeais (Apuka Theatre; Fringe Festival 2011).
HARRISON THOMAS (Director/Co-Producer)
Harrison is an Actor/Director hailing originally from Stratford, On. He has been working both professionally and independently since he was 13, when he appeared in the Stratford Festival production of Edward II. Since then, he has sought to perform and create work that utilizes and challenges the traditional sense of classical theatre. For the present, he would like to thank the whole cast and crew of this show for their talent,work and bravery in an immense undertaking. Also, he would like to thank his ever supportive family, and his wonderful partner, Lauren, whose hard work and sage advice are stamped all over this script. Enjoy the show!
Recent Credits:Upcoming: Hedda Gabler (Director-Desiderata Collective) Shrew (Assistant Director/Curtis/Widow-Red1 Theatre Collective) The Last of Romeo and Juliette (Assistant Director, TalkisFree Theatre), Julius Caesar (Octavius- Unit 102), The Merchant of Venice (Director- The Edge Productions), Absolut Alice (Mad Hatter- Toronto Fringe Festival).
CHRIS BRETECHER (Co-Producer)
Chris Bretecher is an Art Director and Set-designer based in Toronto. Chris graduated with a Masters in Architecture from Carleton University in Ottawa, and transitioned from architecture to production design while living in San Francisco, and is pleased to be relocated back in Canada. He is also a founding member of the Whisky & Time design team, which collaborates on designs in all areas and scales.
ASHLEIGH KASABOSKI (Co-Producer)
Her recent credits include, Frankenstein (Echo Productions), Clockwork Orange (Echo Productions), The Mouse Trap (The LOT), As You Like it (Bard in the Botanics), The Fragmented Life of Dorothy Lawrence (RCS), Measure for Measure (RCS), King Lear (Shakespeare's Globe), The Penelopiad (RAPA), The Rocky Horror Show (RAPA), Juliet and her Romeo (Leroy Street).