armstrong's war study guide - canadian rep...
TRANSCRIPT
Toronto Premiere
Canadian Rep Theatre presents
by Colleen Murphy
directed by Ken Gass
set design Marian Wihak lighting design Rebecca Picherack costume design Jung-Hye Kim
original music & sound design Wayne Kelso stage management ???
Armstrong’s War involves a chance encounter between a plucky 12-year-old girl, a Pathfinder, wheelchair-bound as a result of an accident, and a 21-year old soldier in an Ottawa Rehab Hospital following a tour of duty in Afghanistan. From shared readings of Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, what evolves is an unlikely friendship, as well as an emotional battleground over the value of a life.
“a thought-provoking theatrical gem” What’sOn, London (UK)
Nov 11 - Dec 6, 2015
The Citadel, 304 Parliament StTickets online: www.canadianrep.caPhone: 416.504.7529
featuring Alex McCulloch and Paolo Santalucia
2
Presents
ARMSTRONG’S WAR
By Colleen Murphy
CREATIVE TEAM –
Director – Ken Gass Producer – Andre du Toit
Set Designer – Marian Wihak Light ing Designer – Rebecca Picherack
Costume Designer – Jung-Hye Kim Original Music & Sound Design – Wayne Kelso
Movement Consultant – Laurence Lemieux
CAST –
Halley Armstrong – Alex McCulloch
Corporal Michael Armstrong – Paolo Santalucia
3TABLE OF CONTENTS
AboutCanadianRepTheatre 4
NotesfromtheDirector,KenGass 5
Abouttheplaywright&productionhistory 6
Synopsis 7
Historical&SocialContext 8
Pre-ShowClassroomActivities 11
Post-ShowClassroomActivities 13
AdditionalDiscussionQuestions 15
CreativeTeam 16
References 18
4ABOUT CANADIAN REP THEATRE
CanadianRepTheatrewas founded in1983byKenGass.Thecompanyoperatedoutofa
churchspaceonAvenueRd(sincedestroyedbyarson)andtherepresentedthefirstRobert
LePageworkoutsideofQuebec,Circulations.WealsoproducedLeRail;HerschelHardin’sEskerMikeandhisWife,Agiluk,HrantAlianak’s LuckyStrike, JohnPalmer’sADayat theBeach; Ken Gass’ Claudius; and Amazon Dream with a multi-racial cast of 17. In 1996,
Canadian Rep co-produced, with Passe Muraille, a new production of Lucky Strike. ThenGassreturnedtotheFactoryandCanadianRepwasput‘onice’forseveralyears.
Since2013,Gasshasbeencommittedtore-launchingandre-buildingCanadianRepTheatre.
In January, 2014, Canadian Rep launched its first real season with the English language
premiere of Pacamambo by Wajdi Mouawad. Subsequently, Canadian Rep Theatre
produced theworldpremiereof JudithThompson’sWatchingGloryDie inMay2014.The
productionstarredJudithThompson(herfirsttimeonstagein30years)andreceivedthree
Dora nominations including Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Set, and Outstanding
Set/LightingProjections.CanadianRepTheatrealsoco-producedwithMirvishProductions
the Canadian premiere of George F. Walker’s Dead Metaphor, playing at the 450-seatPanasonicTheatreinTorontoforthreeweekstostronghousesandpositivereviews.
Canadian Rep’s exciting 2015 season began with the critically-acclaimed How Do I LoveThee?by FlorenceGibsonMacDonald in January/February. The production also received
five Dora nominations, for Outstanding New Script; Outstanding Direction; Outstanding
Female Performance; Outstanding Sets and Outstanding Costumes. The 2015 season
continueswithColleenMurphy’sArmstrong’sWar inNovember/December andGeorge F.
Walker’sincrediblysuccessfulNothingSacredinwinterof2016.
REVIEWS OF PAST PRODUCTIONS OF ARMSTRONG’S WAR
“…astudyofthefinelinebetweentruthandfictionandacelebrationofthecatharticpower
of written words to heal psychological wounds…a rewarding experience.” –Steven Bates,
ThePublicReviews
“fast-paced, detail-rich writing…Armstrong’s War portrays the very human, decidedly
unglamorousconsequencesofwar.”–BruceCinnamon,VueWeekly
“tight,well-constructedandfocused…asmallbutpowerfulplaythatpacksaconsiderable
emotionalwallop.”–EdmontonSun
“athought-provokingtheatricalgem.”–WhatsOnStage,LondonUK
5NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR, KEN GASS
WhyIchoseArmstrong’sWar:
• Armstrong’s War is an important play by an writer
and artist; play that is a part of the major
This is also a play incurrentand
one that can wide community
particularlywithyoung
• Armstrong’s War brings emotionally complex,
old girl, bound a result of a
and soldier, from physical injuries in an Ottawa
Halley, the girl, isa (GirlGuide)
a community by to hospital Michael’s real
lie,of the
• ColleenMurphy isaplaywright have greatly formany
2007 winning, The Man,
her carefully and
ultimately to reveala complexand gripping social reality forcefully
impactingonthe lives.
• Thereare many likethiscould take,butColleen
Murphy five and honing the and the
journey is full of twists and unlikely
unravel in their
•
•
6ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: COLLEEN MURPHY
Colleen Murphy was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec,
and grew up in Northern Ontario. She is an award-
winning playwright, librettist, and filmmaker based in
Toronto.Colleen’splayTheDecemberMan(L’hommededécembre) won the 2007 Governor General’s LiteraryAward for Drama, the CAA/Carol Bolt Award, and the
Enbridge Playwrights Award. Other plays include
BeatingHeartCadaver(nominatedfora1999Governor
General’sLiteraryAwardforDrama),ThePiper,DowninAdorationFalling, andAllOtherDestinationsAreCancelled. Shewonawards in theCBCLiteraryCompetition for theradiodramasFire-EngineRedandPumpkinEaters.ColleeniscurrentlytheLeePlaywright-in-ResidenceattheUniversityofAlberta.She
hasservedasPlaywrightinResidenceforFinboroughTheatreinLondon,UK,Factory
Theatre, Necessary Angel Theatre in Toronto, and continues to serve as Guest
PlaywrightattheCitadelTheatreinEdmonton.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Armstrong’s War was staged in a workshopproduction, presented by Flying Bear
Productions and ABG Productions in
association with Neil McPherson, at
Finborough Theatre in London, UK, from
August 11 to 27, 2013. The world premiere
was produced by the Arts Club Theatre in
Vancouver, fromOctober 17 toNovember 9,
2013.IthasalsobeenperformedinEdmonton
andWinnipeg.
MatreyaScarrwenerandMikByskov inthe2013
worldpremiere ofArmstrong’sWarat Arts ClubTheatre,Vancouver.PhotobyDavidCooper.
7SYNOPSIS
Armstrong’sWarisset intherehabilitationwingofahospitalinOttawa,Ontario,inthespringof2007.Itinvolvestwocharactersandtakesplaceinahospitalroomover
thecourseofsixweeks.HalleyArmstrongisanenergetic12-year-oldinawheelchair,
whowantstoearnherPathfinderscommunityservicebadgebyreadingtosomeone
in a hospital. The patient she chooses is Afghan war veteran Corporal Michael
Armstrong,becausetheyhavethesame lastname. At first,MichaelgreetsHalley’s
positiveenergyandoptimismwithscorn.Hetellsherhedoesnotwhattobereadto
andangrilytellsHalleytogoaway.
Halleyreturnsthefollowingweek,determinedtoearnhercommunityservicebadge.
ShedecidesthatmaybeabookaboutwarwouldbemoreappealingtoMichael,and
bringsinTheRedBadgeofCourage,anovelaboutasoldierintheAmericanCivilWar.
Michaelcanidentifywiththesoldierinthenovelashedescribesboththeexcitement
andfearofwar.HeasksHalleyifhecankeepthebooktoreadonhisown.Halleyis
encouragedbyMichael’s interest in thebook,and shareswithhim thestoryof the
skiingaccidentthatputherinawheelchair.
Thenextweek,Michaeladmits toHalley thathealready finishedTheRedBadgeofCourage.Michael suggests that they read their favourite parts aloud, andMichael
knows the book so well that Halley thinks he has actually read it several times.
Michael’s connection to the story helps him open up about his own experience
fightinginAfghanistan.
EvaFooteasHalleyandJamieCavanaghasMichaelintheTheatre
NetworkproductioninEdmonton,April2015.
8
WhenHalley arrives the followingweek,Michael surprises herwith a story he has
writtenthathecalls“Armstrong’sWar”.Halleyreadsthestoryaloud;itisabouttwo
“friends” Aidan and Danny who pledged each other that, if either was so badly
woundedtheywouldn’tbeableto liveanormallife,theotherwouldkillhimrather
than allowing him to go on living in such a terrible state. In the story, Danny is
woundedverybadly,andAidancarriesouthispromise.ThestorymakesHalleyvery
upset,andshetellsMichaelthatAidanshouldnothavekilledDannyeventhoughthe
twofriendshadapact.Halleyissoangrythatsheleavesthehospital.
MichaelisverysurprisedwhenHalleyreturnsthenextweek.Shehaswrittenherown
versionof“Armstrong’sWar”inwhichAidandoesnotkillDanny,andDannygoeson
to leadanormal andhappy lifedespitehis injuries.Michael gets angrywithHalley
and tells her that her version of the story is not realistic, but he respects Halley’s
optimism.MichaelandHalleynowtrusteachotherenoughtorevealdeepersecrets
about themselves. Halley tells Michael the real story of her accident, andMichael
admits that “Armstrong’s War” is really about him and his friend Robbie. He tells
Halley what really happened when Robbie was wounded. Michael gets ready to
return to his normal life and Halley teaches him the Armstrong family motto, “I
remainunvanquished.”
HISTORICAL & SOCIAL CONTEXT
Pathfinders
ThePathfindersareforgirlsaged12-14andarepartoftheGirlGuidesofCanada.Girl
Guides can trace their roots back to 1909, when a group of girls in England were
angry that they weren’t allowed to join the
BoyScouts, so they formedtheirowngroup.
The Girl Guides have been active in Canada
since 1910. Pathfinders emphasize
community building and outdoor activities,
andfocusonself-esteembuilding,leadership,
teamwork, and caring for the environment.
They earn badges for completing various
activities, such as community service like
Halleyintheplay.
9WarinAfghanistanHALLEY: CanIaskyouaquestion?MICHAEL: What?HALLEY: Arewegoingtowinthe
war?MICHAEL: Noone’sgonnawin.HALLEY: Whynot?MICHAEL: Lotofreasons…
Following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City on
September 11th, 2001, The United States launched invasions of both Iraq and
Afghanistan, the beginning ofwhat became known as the “war on terror”. Canada
decideditwouldcontributetothewarinAfghanistantofightterroristgroupssuchas
Al Qaeda, who were being fostered by the corrupt Taliban government. Once the
Taliban fell, Al Qaeda left Afghanistan, and Canadian forces remained to try and
rebuildAfghanistanasademocraticandsecurecountry.
Atthispoint,manypeoplethoughtthatCanada’sinvolvementinthewarwouldcome
to an end. However, the war continued longer than predicted. The Taliban
governmenthadbeensupportedbythemajorityPashtunethnicgroupandhadbeen
financed and supplied by factions within Pakistan. Once the government was
defeated,thosewhohadsupporteditwerefilledwithresentmentatthelossoftheir
political power. The United States and its allies created a mostly non-Pashtun
governingregime,whichsawlittlesupportfromthePashtun-dominatedareasofthe
country,particularly in thesouthernregionaroundKandahar,Afghanistan’ssecond-
largestcity.Asaresult,theTalibanreorganizedintoaguerrillainsurgencythatwaged
awar against the Afghan government and the forces supporting it. Thismade the
effortstofightagainsttheinsurgentsverydifficult;asMichaelsaysintheplay,“you
can’tdefeataninsurgency,bestyoucandoismarginalizeit.”
10
By the mid-2000s, the Canadian Armed Forces had suffered more casualties than
expected inawar thatclaimedtensof thousandsofAfghanlives.As timewenton,
theCanadianpopulationsupportedthewarlessandless.Itbecameincreasinglyclear
thattherewouldbenoclear“victory”overtheTaliban.In2014,Canadawithdrewits
final soldiers from Afghanistan. Canada’s 12-year involvement in the war in
Afghanistan resulted in the deathsof 158 soldiers and thewounding ofmore than
2,000 others, andAfghanistan still has a long and complicated road to becoming a
peacefulanddemocraticnation.
SoldiersReturningfromWar
Thereareavarietyofsocialandpsychologicalissuesthata
personwhohasbeeninanarmedconflictmustdealwith,
themostwellknownbeingPost-TraumaticStressDisorder
(PTSD). Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness
involvingexposure to traumasuchasdeath, the threatof
death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Something is
traumatic when it is very frightening, overwhelming and
causes a lot of distress. Trauma is often unexpected, and
manypeoplesaythattheyfeltpowerlesstostoporchange
the event. Traumatic events may include crimes, natural
disasters,accidents,warorconflict,orotherthreatstolife.
PTSDamongwarveteranshasbeenknowntoexistatleastsincethetimesofancient
Greeceandhasbeen calledbymanydifferentnames. In theAmericanCivilWar, it
wasreferredtoas"soldier'sheart;"intheFirstWorldWar,itwascalled"shellshock"
andintheSecondWorldWar,itwasknownas"warneurosis."PTDSaffectseveryone
differently. Sufferers may experience nightmares, flashbacks, and distressing
memoriessurroundingthetraumaticevent.Theymayattempttocutthemselvesoff
frommemoriesoftheeventandwithdrawfromfriendsandfamily,whichcanleadto
feelingsofdepressionandisolation.Theymaysufferfromangryoutbursts,problems
withconcentration,andinsomnia.
PlaywrightColleenMurphyhasstatedthatMichaeldoesnotsufferfromPTSDinthe
play,buttheguilthefeelsforwhathappenedtoRobbieisobviouslyaffectinghimon
adeeppsychologicallevel.Inrecentyears,psychologistshavebeguntoidentifywhat
theycallmoral injury: theguilt that affects veteransoverbothkilling someone ina
combat situation, and surviving while others have not survived. What separates
moral injury from PTSD is a sense of violating one’s own basic moral values and
transgressingagainstwhatisright.
Mark Quartley as Michael.
Finborough Theatre, London,
11TheRedBadgeofCourageThe Red Badge of Courage is a novel by American writer
StephenCrane,firstpublishedin1895whenCranewas24.The
storytakesplaceduringtheAmericanCivilWarandfocuseson
ayoungprivateintheUnionArmynamedHenryFleming.Henry
has a romantic image of what he thinks war will be like and
dreamsofheroismandglory.However,whenheisconfronted
withtheenemy,Henryfleesintothewoods.Heisimmediately
ashamed and wishes that he had received a wound in battle
(the “red badge of courage” referred to in the title). He
eventually returns to his regiment and proves himself to be a
worthy and brave soldier. Although Stephen Crane wrote the
novelwithout anyexperience inwar, the novelwas praised as being very realistic.
ThenovelremainsamajorAmericantextandcontinuestobereadwidelyinboththe
UnitedStatesandbeyond.
PRE-SHOW CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: War in Afghanistan (Geography, History,Civics)FindinformationonCanada’sparticipationinthewarin
Afghanistan. Break into groups and give each group a
specifictopictoresearch:
• Afghanistan before the war (political climate,
socialandeconomicconditions,etc.)
• AtimelineofthewarandCanada’sinvolvement
• TheTaliban
• EstablishingdemocracyinAfghanistanandthefirstelection
• Canada’s role inbuilding infrastructure (schools,hospitals, cleanwater, food,
etc.)
• ReactionstoCanada’sinvolvementinthewarfrompeopleathome
Each group can present their findings to the rest of the class in a 5-minute
presentation. Based on their findings, each group should decide whether or not
Canadashouldhavebeeninvolvedinthewar,andwhyorwhynot.
ActivityTime:70
minutes
40minutes:research
andpresentation
planning
30minutes:group
presentations
12Activity2:TraumaandPTSD(Health,English)Divide intogroups.Haveeachgroupresearchoneofmany
possibleproblemsthataffectwarveterans,suchas:
• Post-traumaticstressdisorder(PTSD)
• Drugandalcoholabuse
• DepressionandAnxiety
• Work,relationship,andfamilychallenges
TheVeteransCanadaarticle“Post-traumaticstressdisorder
(PTSD)andwar-relatedstress”isagreatplacetostart,and
canbefoundhere:http://www.veterans.gc.ca/pdf/mental-
health/ptsd_warstress_e.pdf
Eachgroupcancompileareportthatincludesbothprimaryandsecondarysources.
Primarysources:Peopleuseoriginal,first-handaccountsasbuildingblockstocreatestoriesfrom the past. These accounts are called primary sources, because they are the first
evidenceofsomethinghappening,orbeingthoughtorsaid.
Primary sources are created at the time of an event, or very soon after something has
happened.Thesesourcesareoften rareorone-of-a-kind.However, someprimarysources
canalsoexistinmanycopies,iftheywerepopularandwidelyavailableatthetimethatthey
werecreated.
Someexamplesofprimarysourcesarediaries, letters, photographs,video footage, sound
recordings,interviewsandpublishedfirst-handaccountsorstories,andmaps.
Secondary sources: Second-hand, published accounts are called secondary sources. Theyarecalledsecondarysourcesbecausetheyarecreatedafterprimarysourcesandtheyoften
use or talk about primary sources. Secondary sources can give additional opinions
(sometimes calledbias) on apast eventor on aprimary source. Secondary sourcesoften
havemanycopies,foundinlibraries,schoolsorhomes.
Secondary sources include history textbooks, biographies, published stories, movies of
historicalevents,worksofart,andmusicrecordings.
ActivityTime:60minutes
30minutes:research
30minutes:synthesisand
reportcompilation
13POST-SHOW CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Activity3:TheRedBadgeofCourage(English)“He sprang from the bunk and began to pacenervously to and fro, “Good Lord, what’s th’ matterwithme?"hesaidaloud.Hefeltthat inthiscrisishislawsoflifewereuseless.”--TheRedBadgeofCourage,StephenCraneHavestudentsreadallorpartofStephenCrane’sTheRedBadgeofCourage(thefulltextisavailableonlineat http://www.gutenberg.org/files/73/73-h/73-
h.htm).
DiscussionQuestions:
Comparethenovel toArmstrong’sWar.Whatsimilaritiescanyoufindbetweenthe
playandthestory?
Whatcomparisonscanbedrawnbetween thecharacterofMichael in theplayand
HenryFleminginthenovel?
WhydoyouthinkMichaelissointerestedinthisnovel?
Synthesis:
Write a story or poem about a
traumatic event (it can be real or
imagined).
Have several students share their
creative works. Discuss how you think
creative outlets, such aswriting a real
event as fiction, can be helpful in the
healingprocess.
ActivityTime:60minutes
20minutes:discussion
20minutes:creative
writing
20minutes:additional
discussion
14Activity4:Debate(English)
Havethestudentsformtwoteamstodebatethefollowingquestion:
DidMichaeldotherightthingwhenhewentbackonhiswordtoRobbie?Wasthepactbetweensoldiersmorallyrightorwrong?
Proposition:Michael did the right thingwhen hewent back on hisword. The pact
betweensoldierswasmorallywrong.
Opposition:Michaeldidnotdotherightthingwhenhewentbackonhisword.The
pactbetweensoldierswasmorallyright.
Youmayalsochoosetohavestudentsactasapanel
ofjudges.
20minutes:preparationofarguments
5minutes:Firstspeaker,Proposition
5minutes:Firstspeaker,Opposition
5minutes:Secondspeaker,Proposition
5minutes:Secondspeaker,Opposition
5minutes:preparationofrebuttals
5minutesRebuttalspeaker,proposition
5minutes:Rebuttalspeaker,Opposition
Afterthedebate,discusswhatworkedanddidn’twork.Youmayormaynotwantto
declarea“winner”basedonthestrengthofargumentsandtheeffectivenessoftheir
delivery.
ActivityTime:60minutes
20minutes:argument
preparation
20minutes:argument
presentation
10minutes:rebuttal
presentation
10minutes:discussion
15Activity5:SceneCreation(Drama)In Armstrong’s War, the action takes place during sixweekly visits that Halley makes to Michael’s hospital
room. What do you think happens to each of the
characters inthetimebetweeneachvisit?Howdoesthe
passageoftimebetweenscenes informtheactionofthe
play?
• ImaginethatMichaelandHalley’sfirstmeetinghas
just happened. With a partner, write a scene in
which either Michael or Halley is describing their
encounter to someone else (a friend at school, a
doctor,aparent,etc.).Howwouldyoudescribethe
othercharacter?Howdiditmakeyoufeel?Howwouldanoutsidelistenerreact?
• Shareyoursceneswith theclass asa staged reading.Whatare thesimilaritiesand
differences between all the scenes involving Michael? How about the scenes
involvingHalley?
ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Howdoestheplay’stitlecontainmultiplemeanings?
• Readingaloud isaprominentpartof theplay.How is readingalouddifferent from
solitaryreading?Whataretheprosandconsofboth?Whichdoyoupreferandwhy?
• Thisplayhastwocharacters,which isalsoknownasa“two-hander”.Whatare the
benefitsandchallengesofaplaywithonlytwoactors?Asadirector,howwouldyour
approachtotheplaydifferfromonewithalargecast?
• CompareandcontrastthewaysinwhichHalleyandMichaelcopewiththetraumasin
theirslives.Whydoyouthinktheyrespondindifferentways?
• WhatdoyouthinkwillhappentoMichaelandHalleyafter theactionoftheplay is
over? Inwhatwayshaveeachof the characterschanged throughout thecourseof
theplay? Inwhatwayshavetheyremainedthesame?WhydoyouthinkMichael is
sofixedongoingbacktoAfghanistan,despitehistraumaticexperiencethere?
• Both Halley and Michael have faced personal tests in their lives, in the form of
Halley’s accident andMichael’s experience in Afghanistan.What is a personal test
youhavefaced?Didsucceedingorfailingatthistestaffectwhatyou learnedabout
yourself,helpyougrow,ormakeyoufeelwiser?
ActivityTime:75minutes
30minutes:scene
creationandrehearsal
30minutes:staged
readingpresentations
15minutes:class
discussion
16ARMSTRONG’S WAR CREATIVE TEAM
PaoloSantalucia,CorporalMichaelArmstrongPaulo Santalucia is an actor born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.His
credits include The Dybbuk, Idiot's Delight, Of Human Bondage,GreatExpectations, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The RoyalComedians,TheCrucible,Dirt(Soulpepper)RomeoandJuliet(HartHouseTheatre)TwelfthNight (CanopyTheatre)DogSeesGod,TheSelkieWife,Mr.Marmalade (FlyByNightTheatre)AfterJuliet(YPT). HewonaDoraAward for Outstanding Ensemble for his work in Rosencrantz andGuildensternAreDead.
AlexMcCulloch,HalleyArmstrongAlexMcCulloch iscurrentlygraduating fromtheperformancestreamat
the Drama Centre, where she has already proved herself an
extraordinary young talent, co-starring in Hedwig and the Angry Inch,
andinJudithThompson’sPerfectPie.Armstrong’sWarwillbeherfirstfull-fledgedprofessionalrole.
KenGass,DirectorKenGassisthefoundingartisticdirectorofCanadianRepTheatreand
Factory Theatre (1970-79; 1996-2012). He has directed numerous
notable productions including The Rez Sisters (2011); Belle (CapitalCritics’ Award for Best Direction); The Leisure Society (Dora Mavor
Moore Award for Outstanding Direction); Apple by Vern Thiessen(2006);TheTigerofMalayabyHiroKanagawa(2003);AShortHistoryof Night by John Mighton (1999); fareWel by Ian Ross (1999) and
severalacclaimedrevivalsofplaysbyGeorgeF.WalkerincludingBetterLiving,EscapeFromHappiness, BeyondMozambique,and Tough!.Gasswas the2010winnerof thePremier’s
Award for Excellence in theArts. Other awards includeTheGeorge LuscombeAward for
theatrementoring,TorontoTheatreCritics’AwardforcontributiontoTorontoTheatre,The
TorontoArtsAward,andTheDoraSilverTicketAwardforlifetimeachievement.
AndréduToit,ProducerIn addition to Canadian Rep Theatre, where he has been producer
since2008,AndréistheArtisticProducerofTheLabCabFestivaland
the Artistic Director of Rooftop Creations. Other producing credits
includethe2011DorawinningTomasso’sParty;FactoryWIREDfestival
2012 at Factory Theatre; Tough! (Magnetic North Theatre Festival);
Roaul Julia’sRomero (Summerworks);FromMint Condition to Badly Used (Fringe FestivalPatron’s Pick); and fourtyseven (Tecumseth Massive). He is also a multiple Dora Award
winning lighting designer (The Double, BakeliteMasterpiece, TakeMe Back to Jefferson),ProductionManager,TechnicalDirector,andPlaywright.
17WayneKelso,Composer&SoundDesignerWayne Kelso has spent the last thirty years performing, composing and
producing.Asacomposer,Waynehaswrittenscoresfornumerousplaysfor
bothCBCandlivetheatre.HisscoreforFactoryTheatre'sproductionofTheLeisure Society was nominated for a Dora award in 2005. He composed
musicandcreatedsoundfortherecentproductionsofPacamamboandHowDoILoveeThee?atCanadianRepTheatre.Healsocomposedoriginalmusic
andcreatedthesounddesignforClaudiusandAmazonDreambyKenGass(Canadian Rep Theatre); Apple by Vern Thiessen; and Better Living and
EscapeFromHappinessbyGeorgeF.Walker,alldirectedbyKenGass.
RebeccaPicherack,LightingDesigner
Rebeccahasdesignedlightingfornumerousaward-winningproductionsover
thepast15yearsattheatressuchasFactoryTheatre,BlythFestival,Buddies
inBadTimes,DNA,YoungPeople’sTheatre,MammalianDivingReflex,GCTC,
MTC, Mirvish Productions, Nightwood, Tarragon, Theatre Passe Muraille,
TheatreSmithGilmourandVolcano.Shehasbeennominated16timesand
received two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for her work in theatre. For
CanadianRepTheatre,RebeccadesignedlightingforPacamambo,aswellasfortheproductionofDeadMetaphoratthePanasonic.
Jung-HyeKim,CostumeDesignerAswellasdesigningcostumesforPacamamboforCanadianRep,Jung-Hye’sset and costume design credits include The Third Floor (Thousand IslandsPlayhouse), Passion Play (Outside the March, Convergence Theatre and
SheepNoWoolProduction),TheBiographer(TangoCo),Boblo(KitchenbandProduction and The Theatre Centre), Hiding Words (Eventual Ashes), TheGreatMountain(RedSkyPerformancewithYPT),PubOpera(TapestryNewOpera),After Akmatova, IfWeWere Birds (Tarragon Theatre),TheMiddlePlace (Project Humanity/Canadian Stage), The Big League (YPT),
Montparnasse (Theatre Passe Muraille/Groundwater Theatre); Minotaur(YPT)andDrivingMissDaisy(ThousandIslandsPlayhouse).
MarianWihak,SetDesignerMarian is a Toronto based multi-disciplinary artist working in film,
television, theatre and visual art. Her work has been the recipient of
numerous awards and nominations, including aDora nomination for TheLeisureSocietyandtwoGeminiAwardsforBestProductionDesignforthe
televisionmoviesPitPony,andSeptemberSongs: theMusicofKurtWeill,co-designedwithMichael Levine.Marian has collaboratedwith KenGass
on numerous projects over the years - Pacamambo, Bethune Imagined,Apple,Leisure Society, AmazonDream andClaudius, in additionto working on a wide range of film projects including Gordon
Pinsent’s Heyday, Agnieska Holland’s Julie Walking Home, and Rhombus Media’s
Mulroney:theOpera.
18REFERENCES
Bates,Stephen.“Armstrong’sWar–FinboroughTheatre,London”.ThePublicReviews,August152013,http://www.thepublicreviews.com/armstrongs-war-finborough-theatre-london/
Buri,George.“Armstrong’sWarStudyGuide”.RoyalManitobaTheatreCentre,September2014.
CanadianMentalHealthAssociation,“Post-traumaticstressdisorder”.
http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/
Cinnamon,Bruce.“ReVue:Armstrong’sWarisaPowerfulBattlefield”.VueWeekly,April2015,http://www.vueweekly.com/revue-armstrongs-war-is-a-powerful-battlefield/
ColleenMurphybiography,http://www.citadeltheatre.com/robbins-academy/play-development-
forum-5-participants/
ColleenMurphybiography,https://www.playwrightsguild.ca/playwright/colleen-murphy
Commisso,Christina.“Timeline:Involvedsince2001,CanadawrapsupitsmissioninAfghanistan”.
CTVNews,March112014,http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/timeline-involved-since-2001-canada-
wraps-up-its-mission-in-afghanistan-1.1724890
Eamon,Michael.“DefiningPrimaryandSecondarySources”.LibraryandArchivesCanada,https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/education/008-3010-e.html
GirlGuidesofCanada,www.girlguides.ca
GlobeDebate.“WhatCanadaDid-anddidnot-achieveinAfghanistan”.GlobeandMail,March14
2014,http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/now-that-our-war-in-afghanistan-
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