Vancouver Playhouse News

Playhouse to workshop newly-commissioned play



March 9, 2007 – Vancouver, B.C. (For immediate release) – The
Playhouse Theatre Company through the Spirit of B.C. Opportunities
Program has commissioned playwright/performers Daniel Arnold and Medina
Hahn of DualMinds to write a new full-length play, with the working
title Nights, which will premiere in summer 2007 and be available for touring in 2008.



Story Synopsis:

Since 9/11 the U.S. invasion of Iraq,
ensuing terrorist threats, increased fear, increased surveillance and
invasions of civil liberties have changed the world. A young woman
coping with violent sleep disorders believes the young man living above
her is spying on her via hidden cameras. But is she correct, or only paranoid? Through
the microcosm of this relationship, the authors will explore the
universally current topics of fear, privacy and mistrust. What kind of
world is created when one is constantly living in fear? Is it possible to ever truly be safe? And is it justified to invade someone’s privacy in the name of their safety?



As
part of the development process, a full draft of the play is currently
undergoing an intense week-long workshop with Director Ron Jenkins,
designers and a technician at the Playhouse Production Centre between
March 5 through 11. This phase of the process will culminate in an
invitation-only workshop performance to receive audience feedback. The
writers will then spend the month of May incorporating the feedback
into a full production draft of the script.



Says
DualMinds’ Medina Hahn, “The development plan we’ve devised is ideal
not just for writing a script but creating a tourable production, and
we feel supremely confident and relaxed in our relationship with Glynis
and the Playhouse. The work will come about in a
very collaborative way, with dramaturge, director and designers
involved at every major step. We couldn’t be happier.”



Her
writing partner Daniel Arnold says, “With this commission by the
Playhouse, and Glynis’ intense interest in developing a touring
production, we can put our schooling and past three years of mentorship
into creating our own work – and that feels great.”





Says
Playhouse Theatre Company Artistic Director, Glynis Leyshon, “The
Playhouse is particularly pleased to support the work of these two
talented young writers. Nights is an intriguing piece
and this workshop cycle led by award-winning director Ron Jenkins
promises to take the play to an exciting new level.”



DualMinds toured their previous production, Tuesday and Sundays, across Canada and internationally for the past six years, garnering numerous awards and accolades including Top Ten Play of the Year (Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver). They adapted the play for broadcast on CBC and BBC Radio and this year it will be published for a second time (Dramatic Publishing, USA). Production rights have been sold all over the world, and the script has been optioned for a feature film (Slate Films, London UK).



The Playhouse Theatre Company, Western Canada’s
largest theatre company dedicated exclusively to producing works of the
contemporary repertoire, was founded in 1962 with a mandate to provide
the finest possible drama to audiences in Vancouver and the Lower
Mainland of British Columbia. For more information, visit
www.vancouverplayhouse.com



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