Full circle: Calgary's Paul Gross to be part of Alberta Theatre Projects 50th anniversary season
Paul Gross is coming home to help Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP) celebrate its 50th anniversary onstage at the Martha Cohen Theatre.
The Calgary theatre company, which has staged over 100 world premiere productions by Canadian playwrights announced its 50th anniversary lineup Thursday.
The opening production will be Irish playwright Conor MacPherson’s The Seafarer (Oct. 15 - Nov. 10), a dark comedy starring Gross, the star of films such as Men With Brooms, Passchendale, and the TV series Due South.
Gross recently returned to the stage at Stratford, where he played King Lear last summer.
When asked how he feels about returning to the stage in Calgary, he wrote, in an email, “Hang on. This production is in Calgary? This is even better than I thought (and I really should learn how to read a contract.)"
As far as coming home goes, Gross said it brings his entire life full circle -- not just his acting life.
“This will definitely be a full circle moment back to where I started,” he said. “Because a very long time ago, I was born there in the Calgary General Hospital.”
The 50th anniversary season will also bring home Rebecca Northan (creator and star of the global hit comedy Blind Date), who will direct the holiday return of Charlotte’s Web (Nov. 26 – Dec. 29), one of the most beloved productions ever produced at ATP. Featuring Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider, Charlotte’s Web tells a story of enduring loyalty and the power of friendship.
A different exploration of a similar theme will come from King James (Feb. 25 – March 16), which explores 12 years in the lives of two Cleveland friends with the backdrop of Cleveland living legend Lebron James coming and going and coming back to help deliver an NBA championship for the hometown Cavaliers. Written by Rajiv Joseph, the author of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, King James will be directed by ATP’s artistic director Haysam Kadri.
Haysam Kadri has been named as the artistic director for the Alberta Theatre Projects. (File/Tim Nguyen)
The final production will be Liars at a Funeral (April 22 – May 11), Sophia Fabilli’s comedy about a grandmother who fakes her own death in order to get her dysfunctional family together in one room.
It’s the first full season programmed by Kadri, who left the Stratford Festival in 2006 to return home to Calgary, where he has acted and directed in some of the city’s most memorable productions of the last 20 years, in addition to spending 11 years as the artistic director of The Shakespeare Company.
It’s not only a full-circle moment for Gross, but also for Kadri and ATP.
“Programming the 50th season at ATP carries special significance and responsibility,” Kadri said. “It represents a celebration of the organization's history, achievements, and contributions to the country. It's a great opportunity to reflect on the journey that has led to this milestone and to honour the artists, staff, and audiences who have been part of the ATP’s legacy.”
“As a Calgary-based theatre company with a rich history spanning 50 years," he added, "ATP's commitment to showcasing contemporary stories and nurturing local talent underscores its significance as a cultural institution within Alberta and across Canada.”
It also turns out Kadri and Gross have an old theatre connection.
“My first professional gig was working with Paul Gross in Hamlet at Stratford," Kadri said, "and he brought an immense talent, passion, and dedication to the stage, that left a huge impression on me and set a standard to aspire to in my own journey as a theatre artist.”
For more information about ATP's 50th anniversary season, go here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III will return to public duties on Tuesday when he visits a cancer treatment charity, beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Anne Hathaway reveals she's now five years sober
Anne Hathaway first shared she lost interest in drinking after a bad hangover in 2018. She’s now five years sober.