SEGAL CENTRE 2014-2015 SEASON DREAMS BIG
Highlights of new season include two World Premiere Musical Adaptations of iconic Montreal stories;
Broadway legend Alan Menken; the directorial debut of filmmaker Jacob Tierney, and an original creation
in co-production with Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre.With vibrant and diverse guest theatre, music, dance and more.
Montreal, March 27th, 2014 - Lisa Rubin, Artistic and Executive Director, and Paul Flicker, Artistic Producer, today
announced the Segal Centre for Performing Arts’ 2014-2015 Theatre Season, an ambitious seven-play offering
brimming with incredible talent that will dazzle with new takes on beloved stories and premiere musicals.
“Our 47th Season really responds to what our audiences have come to expect from us: rich and entertaining new
interpretations of classic stories, and, as always, the best talent from Montreal and beyond. We are thrilled that
world-class artists Alan Menken, René Richard Cyr, Jacob Tierney, and Damien Atkins have trusted our audiences
to be the first to respond to their works--works that we trust will surprise you, and make your imagination soar,”
says Lisa Rubin.
The Coming of Age Comedy That Defined a Generation
The 2014-2015 Season will open with Terry Johnson’s sizzling stage adaptation of The Graduate, directed by Andrew
Shaver (Sherlock Holmes), starring Luke Humphrey as Benjamin Braddock, and Shaw Festival favourite Brigitte
Robinson as Mrs. Robinson. This fresh spin on a 60s classic will also feature live music by Juno Award-winning folk
artist Matthew Barber, composer of the cult favourite Montreal musical Haunted Hillbilly.
The story that forever changed Quebec’s theatrical landscape: now a brand-new musical!
The Segal Centre has teamed up with Copa de Oro Productions to present the World English Premiere of Belles
Soeurs: The Musical in October 2014. Preeminent theatre-maker René Richard Cyr (Book, Lyrics, Direction) and
Quebec rock star Daniel Bélanger (music) join forces with award-winning Canadian writers Neil Bartram and Brian
Hill to adapt this enormous 2010 francophone musical hit for English audiences.
Michel Tremblay’s iconic 1968 tragicomedy takes on a whole new dimension in this outrageously fun musical
celebration featuring a stellar all-female cast from Montreal and Toronto. Lili Connor, Élise Cormier, Lisa Horner,
Geneviève Leclerc, Anik Marten, Geneviève St. Louis, Stephanie McNamara, Marcia Tratt,Astrid Van Wieren,
Paula Wolfson, and Jocelyne Zucco have been cast as the heartbreaking and hilarious women ofBelles Soeurs:
The Musical.
The classic pop hits of the 1950s in Pitch Perfect Harmony
After presenting Ain’t Misbehavin’ and The Mahalia Jackson Musical to sold-out houses, Copa de Oro will be remounting
the popular Off-Broadway musical revue Forever Plaid as part of the Segal’s 2014-2015 Season. This
deliciously goofy musical romp featuring the classic pop hits of the 1950s is sure to capture the hearts of musical
theatre lovers of all ages.
A Playwright becomes obsessed, provoked, populated
Keeping in its tradition of fostering national collaborations, the Segal Centre is proud to partner with Toronto’s
Crow’s Theatre for the creation of a new one-man show written and performed by award-winning actor Damien
Atkins (past Segal credits include Mozart in Amadeus and the Emcee in Cabaret). We Are Not Alone, co-directed by
Crow’s Artistic Director Chris Abraham and Christian Barry (2b Theatre), follows a playwright’s obsessive search
for the truth behind UFO phenomena.
A Brilliant filmmaker meets brilliant dialogue: Tierney takes on Stoppard
Award-winning Montreal filmmaker Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky, Good Neighbours) will turn to the stage to direct
Tom Stoppard’s Tony Award-winning play Travesties, which recounts an achingly funny meeting of the minds
between James Joyce, Vladimir Lenin and Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara in 1917 Switzerland. In resonance with the
100th Anniversary of World War I, the play uses wit and humor to examine the role and importance of the artist and
the thinker during a time of conflict.
Montreal meets Broadway
The 2014-2015 English Season will close with a bang with the world premiere of The Apprenticeship of Duddy
Kravitz: The Musical, with music by Alan Menken, eight-time Academy Award-winning composer of Disney hits
Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, which just premiered on Broadway. This new musical adaptation
of Mordecai Richler’s landmark novel combines the extraordinary talents of David Spencer (book & lyrics) and
director Austin Pendleton. An American film, television and stage actor and director, Pendleton has been seen in A
Beautiful Mind, My Cousin Vinny and the HBO television series Oz and is currently an ensemble member of Chicago’s
Steppenwolf Theatre.
Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre brings back a classic Yiddish drama and honours its founder
For its 2014-2015 Season, the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre (DWYT) will revisit their critically-acclaimed Yiddish
production The Dybbuk, directed by Bryna Wasserman and Rachelle Glait. Written by S. Ansky, this seminal gothic
tale of Jewish theatre celebrates its 100 years in 2014.
The I ♥ Yiddish Series continues to celebrate Yiddish Language and culture year-round with a diverse lineup of play
readings, sing-a-longs and film screenings leading up to the DWYT’s main stage production. A Gala marking the
10th anniversary of the passing of the theatre’s founder, Dora Wasserman, CM, CQ, is planned for May 14, 2015.
Guest Theatre & Dance
Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) and Youtheatre will once again make the Segal Studio their home for the 2014-
2015 Season. BTW will present the Montreal premiere of Donna-Michelle St. Bernard’s Gas Girlsand Youtheatre will
bring Simon & The Egg and Oxymorons to young audiences. Other guest productions includeQuintette pour cordes
sensibles, a new French creation by emerging playwright Sophie Gemme, which earned its spot by bringing home
the Segal Centre’s Most Promising Ensemble Prize at the 2013 Montreal Fringe Festival, andBunny Bunny: Gilda
Radner - A Sort of Love Story, a new solo show presented by Red Body Productions about writer Alan Zweibel’s
friendship with SNL Star Gilda Radner.
A proud contributor to the development and vitality of contemporary dance, the Segal continues to partner with Les
Maisons de la Culture CDN/NDG and the City of Montreal for the Conseil des Arts de Montréal en Tournée. Next
season, dance lovers will have the chance to see works by Daniel Léveillé Danse, Sinha Danseand Nyata Nyata
Danse free of charge.
Happy Birthday Oliver Jones!
The best of jazz and beyond is on offer with the Power Jazz Series. On September 11, 2014 to the day, Montreal Jazz
legend Oliver Jones celebrates on the day of his 80th birthday and launches the 7th year of the series in the company
of Ranee Lee and special guests. Lee will also give jazz fans something to sing about later in the season when she
portrays legendary songstress Billie Holiday in a special presentation of White Gardenia: The Billie Holiday Musical,
written and directed by Roger Peace.
The Joe Sullivan Big Band featuring Lorne Lofsky and Kirk MacDonald, percussionist Aldo Mazza, and the
incomparable Doxas Brothers with Lorne Lofsky and Kieran Overs and the Altsys Jazz Orchestra (30th Anniversary
Concert) make up the rest of this always inspiring music series.
World Theatre Day
The Segal Centre is proud to launch its 2014-2015 Season on World Theatre Day. Created in 1961 by UNESCO, World
Theatre Day is celebrated annually on March 27th by theatre communities around the globe. The impetus behind World
Theatre Day is to honour and further the goal of UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute (ITI) to celebrate the power of
theatre as an indispensable bridge-builder for mutual international understanding and peace as well as to promote
and protect cultural diversity and identity in communities throughout the world. As a member of the Professional
Association of Canadian Theatres, we celebrate this worldwide event from a uniquely Canadian perspective.
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