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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.