Soulpepper has announced the plays and concerts that will make up its 2018 summer season.
The company will start the season in July with the Canadian premiere of Orlando, Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel. The story of a person who travels through time, crossing continents and genders, will be directed by Katrina Darychuk.
Also in July, the company is bringing back one of its most popular concert series. The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience, music directed by Mike Ross, celebrates the words and music of one of Canada’s most beloved artists.
Next up, Mike Ross is also music directing The 27 Club, another concert series featuring songs by the many musicians who died at the age of 27, including Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Jimi Hendrix.
In August, the company will stage Mark Crawford’s comedy Bed and Breakfast. Two actors play an assortment of characters in the play, about a same-sex couple who move out of Toronto to run a B&B in a picturesque small town. Ann-Marie Kerr will direct.
Later in the month comes the world premiere of Sisters by Rosamund Small, an adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novella Bunner Sisters, which will be directed by Peter Pasyk. Set at the turn of the century, Sisters tests the relationship between siblings when their life is disrupted by handsome clockmaker.
The summer season closes out in September with the return of another popular concert. A Moveable Feast: Paris in the ’20s celebrates artists like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, and Josephine Baker.
Soulpepper Summer Season Details
Orlando
Based on a Virginia Woolf novel, adapted by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Katrina Darychuk / July 6 – 29
How many lifetimes does it take to find love? Destined to never age, Orlando’s fantastical journey crosses continents, centuries, and genders to find true happiness in this new adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s timeless masterpiece by one of today’s most celebrated playwrights.
The Secret Chord: A Leonard Cohen Experience
Music Directed by Mike Ross / July 7 – 29
One of Soulpepper’s most popular productions returns celebrating the legacy of Leonard Cohen. An extraordinary line-up of Toronto musicians brings his timeless words and music to life in a way you’ve never heard them before.
The 27 Club
Music Directed by Mike Ross / July 14 – 28
From Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain to Amy Winehouse—the list of great musicians who have tragically left us at the young age of 27 is staggering—and unsettling. Mike Ross leads a group of artists to explore their music, stories and legacies.
Bed and Breakfast
Written by Mark Crawford, directed by Ann-Marie Kerr / August 11 to September 2
When Brett inherits the family home, he and Drew move out of fast-paced Toronto to set up a B&B in a picturesque tourist town. But will these big city boys face friction in their new community? With dozens of hilarious characters, all portrayed by two actors, Bed and Breakfast is a heartwarming comedy about “being out” in small town Ontario, family skeletons in the closet, and finding a place to call home.
Sisters
By Rosamund Small, based on an Edith Wharton novella, directed by Peter Pasyk / August 23 – September 16
It’s the turn of the century and Anne and Eveline have created a little corner for themselves in New York. When a handsome clockmaker comes to call, the powerful bonds of sisterhood are put to the test. Inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winner Edith Wharton’s pioneering novella, Sisters shows us hidden heroism in everyday life.
A Moveable Feast: Paris in the ’20s
Music Directed by Mike Ross / September 14 to 23
Soulpepper’s sold-out concert returns. You’re invited to post-war Paris, the global capital of art, music, literature, and Baccanalia! Artists like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, and Josephine Baker shaped a new era of modernity, and set the stage for the Lost Generations of musicians who followed.
Subscriber tickets will be available as of March 27, and single tickets go on sale May 1.
Visit Soulpepper’s website or call the Young Centre Box Office at 416.866.8666 for more details
An earlier version of this piece misspelled playwright Mark Crawford’s name, and erroneously called Soulpepper’s production of Bed and Breakfast a premiere. In fact, it has been produced before. Intermission regrets the errors.
