Alberta Theatre Projects 2022-23 season features 3 world premieres, including The Jungle Book
Alberta Theatre Projects unveiled its upcoming season Tuesday, revealing a lineup that features three world premieres and a pair of Calgary premieres, including an adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III unlike any other.
The season marks the first curated by incoming artistic and executive director Rohit Chokhani, who was appointed to the position in October 2021.
Chokhani is also the driving force behind ATP's family-friendly holiday world premiere presentation, a contemporary adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, which opens for previews Nov. 29.
Chokhani adapted the script and directs as well, in a production he says "will offer audiences an escape into the jungles of India with this vibrant reimagining of the legend of the boy raised by wild animals. When a confrontation with a dangerous tiger isolates Mowgli, he is forced to confront the truth: is he a man-cub or a human? Caught between two worlds, with the support of his friends, Mowgli must search for his sense of self in a quest to discover where he truly belongs."
The season opens for previews Oct. 18 with a second world premiere, Anna Chatterton's Cowgirl Up, co-created with Meg Braem and Christine Brubaker. It's a western Canadian fantasy about three cowgirl goddesses who "decide to use their considerable supernatural powers to give rise to a cowgirl revolution."
The third world premiere, The F Word, co-created by Keshia Cheesman and Bianca Miranda, is a deep dive into society's attitudes towards fatness, and how challenging it is to live with the deeply ingrained shame, blame and fear associated with fatness. It starts previews February 9, 2023.
Anosh Irani's Bombay Black, which opens for previews March 7, is set in present day India, and tells the story of a blind man's visit to an exotic dancer. It will also be directed by Chokhani.
The final show of the season, which opens for previews Apr. 18, is Teenage Dick, playwright Mike Lew's take on Richard III. It's set in a contemporary high school, where Richard is bullied because of his disability and is determined to extract revenge through a student council election.
“This season is a balancing of energies,” said Chokhani, in a release. “There is the energy of finally being able to share shows put on hold during the pandemic, mixed with the reveal of new Canadian works and an international sensation. It represents the energy of who we are as a company today, and the kind of programming you can expect from ATP moving forward.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into a 'grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.