The Magic of Malfi - Recently Updated Pages

The Magic of Malfi Home

JordanMorris — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 10:17:26 CDT

In February of 2011, a group of amateur artists led by celebrated theatre scholar
Bernard Hopkins, performed an original adaptation of "The Duchess of Malfi", by John Webster.
It opened to preview audiences on February 16 and to the public on February18,
closing after its 9 scheduled performances on February 26.

There were over 75 vertical supports and over 2,000 screws in our epic-sized set. There was over twenty thousand dollars in costumes assembled on stage every night.
Several of the worlds best consultants on voice, movement and mask helped train our young cast to perform at the level required for this very challenging script.
Our Director, Mr. Bernard Hopkins a celebrated theatre scholar, former Artistic Director of London's Grand Theatre, and Trainer/Educator for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
created a completely new and unique interpretation of one of the greatest scripts ever written.

This website is now a record of every step of it's development from early production meetings and auditions, right through to opening night.

Currently the documentary film that was shot parallel to this production is about to begin a final round of follow-up interviews,
then officially enter post-production and require considerable time to be completed. Even now, over 300 hours of footage exists.

If you are familiar with the production - if you came and saw a performance or are aware of any facet of the project - and would like to share your thoughts, please contact us at
thesighthound@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone who participated, supported and/or attended the run of this very special production!
Cheers to you all!

PHOTOS!

PRODUCTION PHOTO ALBUM

PHOTOS!
And lots of them!
Producer / Designer Jordan Morris invites you to visit his Malfi Project
FaceBook photo album.
Click here!

PRODUCTION

PHOTO BREAK: "Witnesses to a tragedy"

The otherworldly Elementals observe The Duchess' tragic story unfold.

Photo by Rob Cousins

PRODUCTION

PHOTO BREAK: "THE YOUNG LOVERS"

At the heart of this timeless tragedy is a wonderful love story.

Jeannette Denomme (Klaver) as The Duchess
Adam J. Langton as Antonio

Photo by Rob Cousins

PRODUCTION

PHOTO BREAK: "BOSOLA"

The very talented Mr. Chris Kevill as Bosola.

Jeannette Denomme is in the background.

Photo by Rob Cousins

PRODUCTION

IT'S MOVING DAY!

After months of working from our "secret lair" inside the Royal Bank Building at 383 Richmond Street (Thank you Farhi Holdings!), The Place Theatre on Dundas is about to become our home and final destination. Tomorrow we officially start moving in and setting up shop.

The next few days will be a flurry of activity as we hang lights, set up sound, and build the gargantuan set that we will present to you in just a few weeks.

Get excited! The opening day of February 18 is almost upon us!

PRODUCTION

PHOTO BREAK: "Just Another Day at The Office"

It may be "just another day at the office" for our lead designer and prop fabricator Jordan Morris, but not everyone would have 8 "dangerous Inmate" masks and a couple of severed hands lying about.

MONDAY, JAN. 31.11

SPOTLIGHT: JOHN IGLESIAS / "PRATO"

When a performer had to leave our cast due to unfortunate circumstances, John Iglesias stepped in and took on the role at a moments notice.

John has been working with our Producer / Designer Jordan quite a bit in recent years and both are now looking towards film projects together, but for now, they've teamed up once again to bring the local theatre community something special. John Iglesias is now our "Prato".

Read John's bio here:

Read an interview with John here:

SATURDAY, JAN.29.11

DIRECTOR'S NOTE!

As a special preview of your experience as a member of our audience, here's some words from our director, Bernard Hopkins that will be presented in the pages of our program:

Read our directors note by clicking here:

SATURDAY, JAN.22.11

SIX THOUSAND AND COUNTING!

We are very proud of our little website and how it has attracted over six thousand visitors since we first built it only a few months ago! Thank you to everyone who is following us on this incredible adventure. There is a ton of work going on behind the scenes right now and we are all very eager to share our hard work with you! Stay tuned! There is much more news to come!

Cheers!

Jordan Morris
Producer
The Duchess of Malfi directed by Bernard Hopkins

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19.11

SPOTLIGHT: STEVE STOCKWELL / "NERO"

We asked Steve about what he would like the general public to understand about why live theatre is so special:

"If the elements of good theatre are present, the flow of energy (from the performers on stage out to the audience) should leave both parties spellbound. Once you experience this connection, from either position, you will return."

Read Steve's bio here:

Read more of Steve's thoughts in her Malfi Journal page here:

PRODUCTION

THE ELEMENTAL GALLERY

After a month of frustrating experimentation, our designer, Jordan Morris has discovered what these mysterious characters known as "The Elementals" look like.

Where precision and calculation failed, passion and intuition succeeded in producing an emotional, soulful and disturbing collection of faces that will observe the story of
The Duchess of Malfi

See the entire gallery by clicking here:

TUESDAY, JAN. 15.11

INTRODUCING: CAROLINE DOLNY GUERIN

Our production is fortunate enough to have secured a formidable Assistant Director in the form of the lady pictured to the left.

Caroline Dolny Guerin is a "Diamond".
We've experienced a number of unique challenges since we began this journey many months ago, and Caroline has been there to help steer us back on track every time.
She has considerable experience in theatre both on stage and behind the scenes, and has worked with our Director before!
It's no surprise that we are running smoothly.

Our thanks to her for all the work done and yet to come!

Read Caroline's bio here:

PRODUCTION

PHOTO BREAK: "IT'S A PAPER WORLD"

Our lead designer and Producer, Jordan Morris knocks out another of many paper mask prototypes as he tries to perfect the final design of the Elemental characters "face".

He's also been having fun creating paper and cardboard stand-in props for the cast to use during rehearsal as we slowly collect and create all the final stage props.

What would we do without paper and glue and tape?

TUESDAY, JAN. 15.11

SPOTLIGHT: DEBORAH MITCHELL / "CARIOLA"

We asked Deborah about what she would like the general public to know about what goes on behind the scenes:

"Somehow I think it is important to convey that the actors, artistic staff and crew are all just regular people from various walks of life, who share a passion for theatre and come together to cook up something extraordinary that takes them beyond their everyday lives. Sometimes when I'm watching a production and I think about this, I tear up. The power of human beings to create is extraordinary."

Read Deborah's bio here:

Read more of Deborah's thoughts in her Malfi Journal page here:

FRIDAY, JAN. 14.11

UPDATE: BACK ON TRACK!

After losing several rehearsal nights to inclement weather, we went on the offensive, scheduling an in intense week of rehearsing every night to get the show on it's feet-and it worked.

Tonight we finish up our exhausting week with the production's first run-through.
It's not going to be perfect of course, but it's an important milestone in the evolution of the show and everyone is looking forward to getting it done and behind us. There's a certain kind of security (and frustration perhaps as well) felt after the first run and in just being able to finally see the entire show work as a whole. Should be exciting!

CASTING CALL!

YOUNG MALE PERFORMER WANTED ASAP!

We are currently on the hunt for a young male actor. We think the child would be in the neighborhood of 7 years of age, but appearing younger would be beneficial. This is a NON SPEAKING role. There is simple blocking involved and the young performer is most often led around the stage in the hand of another actor. There will be a scene where he will need to rush across the stage and embrace a male actor who is playing his father. And in another scene, he will be required to "play dead"
The parent or parents will need to be comfortable with being available to chaperon or having us one assign one in their place. He will always be in the stead of an adult.
We would not need the actor on set until a couple weeks before we open and that would all be worked out when we are approached by an interested party.

Contact Jordan Morris @ thesighthound@gmail.com ASAP for more information and to set up an interview with our Director.

PRODUCTION

PHOTO BREAK: "MASK OF A MADMAN"

Our lead designer and Producer, Jordan Morris tries on the prototype mask to be worn by our productions "madmen": Asylum inmates let loose upon the Duchess by her unhinged brother in an attempt to drive her mad.

Pretty creepy, yes?

TUESDAY, JAN. 11.11

SPOTLIGHT: JEANNETTE KLAVER / "THE DUCHESS"

We asked Jeannette why she thought we cast him in this coveted role and what she feels she could bring to the production overall:

"I once heard a teacher say, "Acting is like pouring your guts out on stage for everyone to see." I think this play really embodies that quality, but goes deeper and darker. I feel that what is needed is an open minded approach to explore all the dark, uncomfortable human emotions, hopefully with love and understanding and without judgment. It is my commitment to face this process with all humility in the face of my fears that makes me an excellent choice to represent the duchess."

Read Jeannette's bio here:

Read more of Jeannette's thoughts in her Malfi Journal page here:

REHEARSAL

PHOTO BREAK: "THE BEAT VISITS OUR SPACE"

Beat Magazine reporter Dean Hall observes a rehearsal
before writing a piece for the February issue.

in the background is (left to right)
Simon Goodwin (The Cardinal)
Jeannette Klaver (The Duchess)
Cristian Kawa (Duke Ferdinand)

MONDAY, JAN. 10.11

SPOTLIGHT: SIMON GOODWIN / "THE CARDINAL"

We asked Simon why he thought we cast him in the role of The Cardinal and what he could bring to the production overall:

"I think that with age acting gets easier and easier – after living for some time, you have a wide range of real experience to draw from and I believe these qualities will translate into a believable and engaging performance.. "

Read Simon's bio here:

Read more of Simon's thoughts in his Malfi Journal page here:

*SPECIAL NOTE*

THANK YOU FARHI HOLDINGS!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

We are very excited to announce that London real estate developer FARHI HOLDINGS has joined forces with The London Community Players in support of The Malfi Project and very generously given us access to a rehearsal space in one of their buildings. Anyone who has ever been involved in local theatre knows how difficult it is to secure a safe, dedicated space to work in and we could not be more thankful to them and their commitment to our community!

*SPECIAL NOTE*

THE NEW PALACE THEATRE WEBSITE IS UP!

Our venue has a new website! Please drop in and have a look around.

This production is, of course, part of the 2010-2011 London Community Players (LCP) season. The LCP will be credited as our Executive Producer for the stage production and will therefore also be responsible for providing us with our venue, The Palace Theatre!

The all new PALACE THEATRE website can be found here:

Read all about The LONDON COMMUNITY PLAYERS on their own website found here

NOTE: Check out the ARCHIVED NEWS SECTION to read all the articles that were posted in previous months.

A lot has happened already!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

Important Notice:
This is a Non-Union and Volunteer Work project. Anyone planning on participating will be required to sign a waiver / release form which you can read in it's entirety here:
click here
.

It's a Theatre Production!

It's a Documentary Film!

What's this all about anyway?

Click Here
to visit an article summarizing this project and our goals
.

OUR CAST

click here
to read all about the 16 exciting actors who will perform The Duchess of Malfi in February 2011

.

Click here
to read about
THE CHARACTERS
.

Click here
to follow the ongoing
Production Design Process:

Costumes

Set

Props
.

PHOTOS!
And lots of them!
Producer / Designer Jordan Morris invites you to visit his Malfi Project
FaceBook photoalbum.
Click here!
.

THE SCRIPT

click here
to read about this delicious and controversial masterpiece.

True Story?:
Born Giorvanna d'Aragon, she was married in 1490 at the age of 12 and widowed at age 19 as Duchess of Amalfi (Not Malfi as in our script)
click here
to read the story

Master Calendar

JordanMorris — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:33:26 CST

NOTICE!
NEW FORMAT
The green text state what scenes are to be worked on.
The orange text will state who will be required. (*This may change)
There are no more clickable links.
In most cases everyone will be called every night, for the entire night.
Please contact us if there are any questions.

2011

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
						1 m
2 1st Quarter 1.1 - 1.7 (*Stanton Optional) OFFICIAL 'OFF BOOK' DATE	3 No Kawa	4 2nd Quarter 1.8 - 1.15 (*All- Elementals can arrive at 8:30)	5	6 3rd Quarter 2.1 - 2.11 (*All except Stanton, Goodwin and Abbott)	7	8
9 4th Quarter 2.12 - 2.17 (ALL except Mitchell) Cristian Kawa's Birthday! JOHN LABATT EVENT	10 1st Quarter 1.1 - 1.7 (*Stanton Optional)	11 2nd Quarter 1.8 - 1.15 (*All- Elementals can arrive at 8:30)	12 3rd Quarter 2.1 - 2.11 (*All except Stanton, Goodwin and Abbott)	13 4th Quarter 2.12 - 2.17 (*ALL except Mitchell)	14 1st Full Run (*ALL) JOHN LABATT EVENT	15
16	17 1ST ACT (ALL)	18 Jeannette Klaver's Birthday! JOHN LABATT EVENT	19 Michael Rooyakkers Birthday! JOHN LABATT EVENT	20 2ND ACT (*ALL) JOHN LABATT EVENT	21 JOHN LABATT EVENT	22
23 5:30 Cardinal 7:00 Elementals NOTE SPECIAL START TIME of 5:30PM	24	25 TBA (*ALL stay available please) No Iglesias No Nahmabin	26 No Stanton	27 TBA (*ALL stay available please) No Stanton No Goodwin No Nahmabin No Iglesias JOHN LABATT EVENT	28 No Stanton JOHN LABATT EVENT	29 No Stanton
30 TBA (*ALL) No Stanton (Day) No Iglesias	31 NEW DATES to ACCOMMODATE BRICK AWARDS TWO REHEARSALS MOVED *What was here and tomorrow have each moved forward one day. m

2011

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat
		1 NEW DATE to ACCOMMODATE BRICK AWARDS IN THE PALACE SPACE 7-9PM Onstage Voice Class (*ALL) 9-10PM Madmen Only No Iglesias	2 NEW DATE to ACCOMMODATE BRICK AWARDS 1st Quarter 1.1 - 1.7 (*ALL) No Stanton No Iglesias	3 2nd Quarter 1.8 - 1.15 (*All- Elementals can arrive at 8:30) No Iglesias	4 POTENTIAL DATE FOR EXTRA REHEARSAL? No Iglesias	5 No Mitchell No Iglesias m mm
6 3rd Quarter 2.1 - 2.11 (*All except Stanton, Goodwin and Abbott)	7 1ST ACT	8 2ND ACT	9 7-11PM TECH (*ALL) No Stanton No Iglesias	10 TBD (*ALL) No Iglesias	11 TBD (*ALL) No Iglesias	12 NIGHT OFF No Iglesias
13 6-10PM DRESS WITH STOPS (*ALL)	14 6-10PM FINAL DRESS (*ALL)	15 7-10PM TOUCH-UPS AND CURTAIN CALL (*ALL)	16 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL COMMUNITY PREVIEW	17 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL GUEST PREVIEW	18 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL OPENING NIGHT	19 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL m
20 MATINEE PERFORMANCE 1PM CALL	21 Dark	22 Dark	23 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL	24 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL	25 PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL	26 FINAL PERFORMANCE 7PM CALL After Party Cameras
27	28 m

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

______________________________

During the month of
JANUARY

The production had started to feel the effects of having several nights of rehearsal canceled due to inclement weather.

During the week of the 9th, we assembled every night of the week and made a serious push to catch back up. It was exhausting, but we were successful and ended the week with our first rough run in solid shape.

We are now back on track and in a comfortable enough position to revert back into our regular schedule.

Full Cast and Crew

JordanMorris — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:50:02 CST

The London Community Players
present
John Webster's

THE DUCHESS OF MALFI

Directed and Adapted by : Bernard Hopkins
Assistant Director: Caroline Dolny Guerin
Producer and Designer: Jordan Morris and Sighthound Productions
Associate Producers: The London Community Players and The Palace Theatre
Stage Management: Joe Recchia

Cast

Production Staff

Production and Set Design / Properties Coordinator: Jordan Morris
Technical Director / Set Construction: Mark Piggot
Scenic Artist: Rob Cousins

Lighting Design / Lighting Operator
Stephen Mitchell

Sound Design / Sound Operator
Scott Shpak

Original Music Composed by:
Scott Shpak

Costume Design
Morgan Van Holst

Costumiers:
Morgan Van Holst
Stephanie Hodgert
Nadine Hodgert
Jodi Wallis

Hair Design
Marina Shepard

Production Assistants

Sandy Ferriera
Emily Fuhrman
Chris Nowakowski
Kaila Jarmain
Stephanie Hodgert
Nadine Hodgert

Production Consultants

Sara Topham - Stratford and Broadway Actor
(movement and mask)

Janine Pearson - Head of Voice, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival
(voice)

David Latham - Neutral Mask Consultant, Stratford Shakespeare Festival
(mask)

Rodel Manoy
(set design)

Anthony Veilleux
(special effects)

Visual Communication / Promotion

General Promotion: The London Community Players Staff

Graphic Designer/ Online Editor: Jordan Morris

Logo Typography/ Poster art: Rob Cousins

Still Photography:
Chris Nowakowski
Jordan Morris

Program by: Anne Cuthbert

Documentary Film Credits

"The Dark Magic of Malfi"

Director: Jordan Morris
Producers: John Iglesias, Sighthound V.C.

Camera Operators

Heath Lambert
Chris Nowakowski
Kaila Jarmain
John Iglesias
Jordan Morris

Corporate Sponsors

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

Special Thanks to:

Antoni Cimolino
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Ian White
David Long
Barry Tepperman
Faith Coates
Maryse Leitch
Colleen Colwell
Jim Chapman
Michael and Margo Morris
Stephanie Hodgert
Morgan and Mike Van Holst
Nadine Hodgert
Auke and Audry Van Holst
The Arroyas Family
Archie's Seafood Restaurants

And many more thanks to everyone for their continuing support of this very special project.

We appreciate it!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

_____________________________

John Iglesias Journal

JordanMorris — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:25:11 CST

So... not so much a journal for John's sake. He has been a busy guy as of late and was never actually supposed to be in our cast for Malfi (he was asked to step in for someone who could not continue) so he won't have a chance to participate in the question and answer format everyone else has. For now, here's an old interview with John from 2009 as he and Producer/Director Jordan Morris began to ramp u their production of "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feb. 18 2009

Last night I had the opportunity to sit with John Iglesias and learn a little more about our fearless leader. As he skipped up to the door on my bachelor pad, John was singing a tune and in good spirits. He should be. He's recently made a major career shift, he's got a great team pulling together what will undoubtedly be a very special show and...well winter, is just about over. We didn't have a chance to talk about his girlfriend, "Shrambot" (Or that crazy name!), his many tattoos, or his passion for doing dangerous stuff on a motorcycle, but we did learn all about the colourful past of "Johnny Church" and just what he's got in store for 2009. Get comfy. Grab a snack... and get to know London's newest Producer/Actor: John Iglesias.

by Eldon Velour

EV: John Iglesias: How are you?
JI : Good. How are you?
EV: Good. Good. So... we're going to talk about you... and how you got here, and why you decided to take on theatre, and acting, and most recently film acting specifically. But... to get going...we're going to step into the "wayback machine" here (duck you're head)-
JI : (Laughs)
EV:- and ask you... where were you born?
JI : I was born in... Regina, Saskatchewan.
EV: Really!?
JI : Yes.
EV: I did not know that.

JI : (Chuckling) Yeah. Yeah, I was born in Regina, Saskatchewan.
EV: And how long did you live there?
JI : Uhhhm... I lived there until I was in grade... three.
EV: All right... and from th-
JI : -and from there, my dad ended up getting laid off?
EV: Right.
JI : So... he went to California to get a job.
EV: So, what does he do that he could just up and move across the border like that?
JI : He's an engineer. Basically, what my dad is doing is he'll go into a plant, see where they are losing money, if they are losing money, try to save it, and if he can't, he'll try to open up the same plant in...Mexico.
EV: Ha! Right. Which has gotten to be very popular lately.
JI : Right.
EV: Okay. So you move from there to Cali. What part of Cali?
JI : Yes. Um. San Pedro.
EV: San Pedro.
JI : And the only thing I remember about California is the "whoops" and the streets, and that at some point, a Nun took my He-Man action figure.
EV: Damn.
JI : You know the one with the chest-
EV: Battle Armour He-Man.
JI : -yeah! But fortunately she didn't know I was carrying my Skeletor too.
EV: Battle Armour Skeletor?
JI : Yes! (Laughs)
EV: Close call. And this was no doubt a formative moment. Watch out for Nuns.
(Both laugh)
EV: So... how long were you in Cali?
JI : A year.
EV: Okay. So not a lot of memories there.
JI : No. And right after that we moved to... Nevada.
EV: So you were mobile as a kid.
JI : Yeah. It was Nevada after that. Actually. It was pretty crazy.
EV: What city in Nevada?
JI : I don't remember.
(Both laugh)
JI : Honestly, I don't remember. All I remember is there is a picture of me by a big statue of an... uh... ape. That's all I remember.
EV: I will have to look that up on Wikipedia. I'm intrigued. To see where the hell you were. And how long were you there in Nevada?
JI : A year.
EV: Another year. Uh... seems to be that your dad might have been getting fired from all these jobs.
(Both laugh)
EV: I'm just saying. OK. So were are at about grade six-ish, now?
JI : Yeah.
EV: And then, where did you go?
JI : Michigan.
EV: Michigan.
JI : Yes.
EV: Which became the final destination of your family.
JI : Yes. But...we lived there for another year, and then my dad didn't like what was going on in the states, he kind of saw the assimilation (of culture) and he didn't like that, so he sent us to Sarnia (Ontario).
EV: Sarnia?!
JI : Yes.
EV: -which, as we found out recently in another interview, is where Caitlin Murphy spent a lot of time. Must be something in the water. OK. So... how old were you then?
JI : That was grade six.
EV: Grade six.
JI : Grade six, grade seven.
EV: Right. And then so...in Sarnia-
JI : Yeah. And then my parents both worked in the states and they would just come home, back and forth because they had a place in Michigan too.
EV: Ah...Okay.
JI : Yup.
EV: I see, and how long were you in Sarnia?
JI : Oh. Uh... all the way until... O.A.C. Saint Pats. (Saint Patrick's High School, Sarnia)
EV; Nice. So... what age?
JI : Eighteen.
EV: So... what brought you here (to London?). Was it right from Sarnia to here?
JI : Sarnia right to here, yeah. And what brought me here was Rollerblading. 'Cuz all through high school that's what I'd done.
EV: An influence from California?
JI : No. No. A movie. called "Airborne." Colin (Marcoux) and I - my best friend now that I live with - we watched this movie and saw people doing stunts on Rollerblades, and thought it was really neat. So all through high school - actually two years of high school - we shared the same pair of Rollerblades.
(Both laugh)
JI : It's funny. I would run, and he would skate one day, and the next day we would switch and we would alternate. And we'd push each other to do crazier stuff.
EV: And from what I understand, you got... uh, semi-famous at it-
JI : -Yeah!
EV:-and appeared in a couple of magazines?
JI : Yeah. Magazines... I had my own pro t-shirt that was sold here in Canada, I had my own little wheels - my signature wheels from Iron Cow - and we travelled all over Canada doing that. And I rode for Team Rollerblade for most of my high school years too.
EV: Wow. So, drop some names of the cities you hit on tour.
JI : Oh...Toronto, Montreal mostly but... Ottawa...a stint in Vancouver, and a bunch of little stops all through Ontario, as small as Leamington.
EV: Cool. So... it's what? It's a basic "Dog and Pony Show"? You guys show up, wearing your colours and you do stunts, you sign autographs, "Stay In School" that kind of thing?
JI : Autographs, yeah. For real. I mean, we signed autographs when we were doing shows, but it was weird when I got recognized outside of skating. I remember, I was in Sears buying jeans with my dad and some kid tugged on my shirt and asked me for an autograph-
EV: And you charged him six bucks.
JI : (Laughs) Yeah. No. It was very cool. He was holding a magazine I was in.
EV: Cool. Johnny Church breaking in "the fame game".
JI : (Laughs) Yeah, yeah.
EV: And, Canada being one of the whitest countries in the world, it would've been easy to pick you out of a crowd back in the day.
JI : True.
EV: Super cool. So... you're a semi-professional stunt roller, high school years, ninteenish, what happens next?
JI : My dad made me choose school.
EV: Right.
JI : -instead of doing that. He just said "You know, you won't be able to do that forever, you're bones are gonna break, you've gotta have something to fall back on". So-
EV: "Get a skill" says the parents.
JI : Yup. and I dropped my sponsors when I was in first year college at Fanshawe for Landscape Design.
EV: Landscape Design?
JI : Yeah. Didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I loved... I could understand the basic elements of composition and design from my blading days. We would jump off of and roll over all of that stuff and I would dream about places that Colin and I could skate on right? I thought about what I would like to skate on, and ended up having some good instincts for design.
EV: Right. So, you were trained in this? Again, what school?
JI : Fanshawe
EV: Fanbelt. Funshawe. Fanshawe College. Certified? Licenced to kill? What kind of paper do you have?
JI : (Proudly) I have... a diploma. In Landscape Design.
EV: And did you work in that field, professionally?
JI : Yes I did! I did, actually. During my last year at school I made a fake - I went to the Toronto Congress Centre - I think? A trade show to try to find a job; so I made a little fake badge and business cards and just showed up and pretended to be a vendor.
(They laugh)
JI : Which was very funny. And... uh, this guy from the States - I still remember his name - his name was John Cullins - he called me out on it. He thought it was funny too. He was from the States, Michigan as well, and he told me that if I was really serious, that I could give him a call the next Monday. So I did, and he ended up giving me a job.
EV: Lesson for the kids at home. Lying and cheating works too.
(They laugh)
JI : So I ended up living in the states for two years. when I was done at school.
EV: OK. So... cool. After your two year stint working as a pro Landscape Designer in Michigan - what year was this?
JI : Uh...well... what year was 911?
EV: Two thousand and one. Yes.
JI : Two Thousand and One for sure because that's what ended it. I ended up having to leave the states after all that. They kicked me out. They deported me back into Canada.
EV: So you come back to Canada. Thwarted by "Terrorists"-
JI : Right.
EV: Can't find any work as a Landscaper?
JI : No. I just... I liked it, but I kind of - I mean I actually won some awards in the states for my designs, which was cool - last summer I actually went back and visiting my parents, went back and took my motorcycle through a few of the sites I worked on and... they actually look really good.
EV: Who would have handed you this kind of award?
JI : I wasn't handed anything, because I got kicked out. I was living in Canada. I had no place to live. I was forced out really fast. My parents had to go and close up the condo I was living in and since my parents had the second place in Sarnia - I moved into my sisters closet and got a job there working at West 49 and I was driving back and forth between London and Sarnia because I also had a job here working at The Gap. I lived in my sisters closet for about two months.
EV: I know that story. Literally. The closet was your apartment.
JI : And the next step was me getting a job at Honda.
EV: So... how do you make that bridge? I've talked to Jordan (Morris) about this too. Everybody wants to know. How the hell do you just wake up one morning and decide that you want to sell cars for a living?
JI : The Fast and the Furious.
EV: Ah!
JI : Yes. I had a little suped-up civic coupe with a body kit, and a header and an intake and exhaust and I was trying to get as close to that as I could. I loved Hondas.
EV: Yeah even I owned a 600 for a while. So... you think... why not go and hang out where all the Hondas hang out, which at that point was the new crown jewel in the Honda dealership network: London Honda. So you get started there, selling cars... and the next big turning point for you is when you meet that big, gangly freak of ours, Jordan Morris.
JI : (Laughs) That's right.
EV: Now if I have this right, he used to work there, but left before you came on-
JI : Right.
EV: -but his sister Morgan was still working-
JI : Right. Morgan was the catalyst.
EV: Jordan burns out, leaves the industry, goes up to... Stratford for a bit, then comes back to town, directionless and sad-
(Both laugh)
EV: -and ends up getting adopted by the local theatre community. He does it for a bit, wins a Brick, and then he decides that he wants to do his own show.
JI : Yeah.
EV: Morgan knows about it. She knows that you are curious about this whole acting thing and says "hey, my brother is putting on a show, why don't you audition for it" and-
JI : And I didn't want to!
EV: (Laughs) Yeah!
JI : I was terrified. I didn't want to.
EV: So what was the turning point? What made you do it?
JI : Um... I thought. I always wanted to try it. I always said that... I wouldn't let fear stop me from trying anything, so if I fall on my face, so what? At least I'll say that I tried.
EV: I'm welling up here...
JI : (laughing) I still remember my monologue. It was a Kevin Spacey bit from "American Beauty". I learned it by playing the scene over and over on my DVD player. I remember meeting him and Kaila (Jarmain) and I remember going on after Dan Costello.
EV: Dan Costello. Deaf in one ear, blind in one eye. I hear that didn't work so well during the run.
JI : Oh! Oh, man. But he was a great guy. Really nice. He's still working with LCP. Great Guy. Didn't he play Laurier in something recently?
EV: That sounds like a narcotic-fuelled dream to me.
(They laugh)
JI : I just remember how nervous I was. My cheeks were shaking and I felt like I was on fire.
EV: And apparently that was what they were looking for. They liked you, and... they give you a part. Supporting roles.
JI : Yeah. Originally it was just one small part, but as the cast shook out, I ended up taking on two more parts as well. All supporting.
EV: Including the patron / rapist part.
JI : He was so much fun. So much fun.
EV: This is the controversial, radical, experimental and not necessarily successful run of Kiki's Room which really was a wild show. Too, too much for him on his first time out, made himself incredibly ill... uh... we'll talk to Jordan about that one... soon. And although a lot of that show didn't work, some of it did and it was pretty exciting.
JI : Yes.
EV: You do your first show, and you walk away from that experience... feeling what?
JI : It was like heroin. (They laugh) It was like "Chasing the Dragon" and I just wanted to keep chasing that feeling. But, after that I didn't do any more for a while. I didn't want to do it again, because I wasn't sure where I was going and whether or not it was just a phase for me. The car biz is crazy. It takes all of your time and it was hard to decide: was this love or just a short-term lust for me?
EV: Acting.
JI : Yeah. So I just let it sit and stew for about... two years.
EV: And what was the next show that you did after that?
JI : The next show was with Kelly MacDonald at the-
EV: -London One Act Festival
JI :-right. In 2006.
EV: And that was... "Mercury In RetroGrade?"
JI : Yes. Mercury in Retrograde.
EV: And at this point, Jordan, hard-up for cash, had returned to London Honda and you two, working together, now start talking about whatever you both are working on. You guys jam.
JI : Right. I had the script in hand in the showroom and he's listening and giving me notes and that was cool.
EV: It works out, you do the show and you win your first theatre accolade. You get-
JI : Yeah. Laurel Smith from Toronto, she gave me the "Most Promising" award, which was very cool.
EV: Nice.
JI : Yeah. That was important. Afterwards, she kind of took me aside and said "You like doing this. It makes you happy. I can see that. You should keep doing it."
EV: And you did. So...after "Retrograde" what did you do?
JI : Well...I still wasn't convinced that... what I could do with this stuff. I didn't do anything for a while again. It took Jordan calling me and saying that "Glengarry" needed a guy.
EV: Yes. I know this story too. There was a part cast that had what he felt was a player in it that was way, way too young for the part. From what I understand, he wasn't happy and shook that part free for you and got you in that.
JI : Yeah. I guess so. I mean I found out about the whole story after I was in it, but yeah. He made it happen.
EV: Typical. Not his show, but he was "Jorda-forming" that one too.
(They laugh)
EV: This is the production of "Glengarry Glen Ross" that - what year was this?
JI : Two thousand seven.
EV: Right. Great show. A bit of a rocky production behind the scenes, but wow! Awesome show. This was where Morris had pericarditis? The whole swelling heart thing, crippling pain, painkillers?
JI : Yeah! That was nuts. But he was really good in that.
EV: He was playing a jerk. He can get there easy.
(Thay laugh)
JI : Snap.
EV: He'll have his interview soon enough. Anyway, yeah. All-star cast and just the best thing in a while. Look it up folks. It's on theatre in London and the Brick site I think. And it won an award?
JI : Best Production.
EV: Right. And again, a supporting role for you, but you meet new people, you learn some new tricks by some really good people-
JI : Scott Holden, JPQ (Justin Quesnelle), Mike Wilmot, Travis Bailie, Jordan,
EV: Yeah a strong show all around. So... what happens next?
JI : I did "Soldier's Dream" after that. Because... Jonah-
EV: Riiiight.
JI : -His next production
EV: We are talking about Jonah Allison of Column 13 Productions out of Toronto. He was... ah, coming into London every once in a while guerrilla-style and putting on a show. And they were strong shows. Soldiers Dream was next and... you were quite good in that. Strangely you were cast as a German student.
JI : Who was gay.
EV: A gay, German student with a thick German accent. Even now ...you are the first name that comes to mind.
(They laugh)
JI : I remember him calling me and asking "do you want it" and I said "uh... you know I'm brown, right?"
(They laugh)
JI : Asian-ish. A bit? And he started laughing and he said "You know what, it's part of a dream sequence. We can get away with it. If you want to take it on, it's yours". And I said "Lets do it."
EV: Sure! Why not? It's a dream sequence... and... you pulled it off. that really was a nice piece of work from you, I must say. So... you finish that up and meet new people again...
JI : Yeah. I met Martha Zimmerman who is amazing, and Janette Klaver, I got to work with Jeff Culbert which was super-cool, Ray Bowen-
EV: Bowen, who is now in Toronto doing TV and film regularly. Again: some pretty solid actors in that thing with you. Palor too, right?
JI : Yup. Mike Paylor, who is great.
EV: So up next was the smash runaway hit blockbuster, "A Midsummer Nights Dream" for Passionfool. Their first big production for late two thousand and seven. And they blow the lid off The Arts Project with that. You're in that, Morris again, his partner, the adorable
Kaila Jarmain was in that-
JI : -She owned that show!
EV: True. She gave Puck a really cool spin in that thing.
JI : A million people were in that. Martha again, her partner Rod Kieth, Vanessa Quesnelle, Eva Blahut, Meg Cheno (Chenosky)-
EV: Right, Meaghan Chenosky who you worked with in Kiki's room.
JI : Yeah.
EV: Yeah. She's six kinds of awesome.
JI : Yeah.
EV: And that was an atom bomb of popularity. Everyone loved it, very well-embraced production. Shakespeare will do that, and it was in the right hands. What did you think about getting your head around the dialogue? That crazy "Shakespearean" English?
JI : To this day I don't know what I was saying.
(They laugh)
EV: Not an uncommon response. I know Jordan doesn't like that stuff at all and won't do it again. But that's Anthony Hopkins opinion too, so you guys are in good company. So...after that where are you? Where does that put you?
JI : Well, through that I was travelling to Toronto-
EV: Right. You at this point, decide that you want to try your hand at acting for film. And you impress a guy in T.O that is a really renowned acting coach-
JI : Glenn Bang.
EV: -who then lets you into his pretty exclusive classes.
JI : He's the Simon Cowell of acting coaches.
EV: Hard to impress.
JI : This guy is not out to make friends.
EV: That's the story. He's the real deal. He's got a rap sheet a mile long. He's seen everything. He's done everything. But you get in with this guy and you study for how long?
JI : It was... a little over a year I guess.
EV: And you were driving to Toronto - and getting there early every time I hear - how often?
JI : Oh, geez... uh... I was still working full time, and I was doing shows, so I was on the road a lot.
EV: Yeah, and I think it was that crazy dedication that got you in with Bang. And what is in part making you a pretty formidable Producer. Props. And... all that is going well, but you stop taking the classes. I know you talk about eventually going back, but... why stop going?
JI : Well, there was this thing that Glenn said in class where he slammed actors who leave their hometowns and vow to go to... like New York or L.A. and "make it big" and he said that if you can't make it in your own hometown, then nothing special was going to happen in the big cities either. He sorta made it sound like you were turning your back on the community that got you started, if you leave. It's just cheating. And that stuck with me. I mean, I think that eventually I'll have to go, because there isn't enough paying work in London-
EV: -Or ANY paying work really.
JI : Right. But it really stuck with me and I'd like to go further here first.
EV: Cool. So, you leave Glenn's tutelage on good terms and come back to London determined to... establish yourself. To make some waves here and... what's the next show?
JI : I did another "One Act" with Kelly. I told him... after the first one I said "Thank you for letting me do what I wanted to do" and I told him that no matter how busy I got, if he did another show, I'd for sure be in it. You know, as a thank you.
EV: We should point out that Kelly is a... sightless man. He's blind. He's writing scripts and Producing and Directing? through... surrogates is that right?
JI : More writing and producing. He's there, but he gets someone else to direct.
EV: OK. And the second show with Kelly was what?
JI : "Column Bound"
EV: And that was in... two thousand eight, and again, doors open, you earn another accolade for your performance in that show and and this time you win the Theatre Ontario Scholarship.
JI : Yup.
EV: What is that? What did you get?
JI : I got... to go to Brock University for a whole week - all expenses paid - and participate in workshops and classes and all kinds of cool stuff.
EV: Seven days. An immersive program for an exclusive group. Pretty cool experience, really.
JI : It was awesome.
EV: You come out of that completely stoked, and you think... what?
JI : Yeah, I just thought. You know what? I'm not waiting for roles to audition for. No more supporting stuff. I'm just going to do my own show.
EV: Shazam! "I'm not getting the kinds of roles I'm looking for, roles with some real teeth". so you decide... to become a producer. And with your connections in business that you carefully cultivated for several years at Honda and your experience in sales, you start putting stuff together.
JI : Yeah man.
EV: Iglesia Productions is born, and you start looking around for a project and you decide on what show?
JI : "Closer" by Patrick Marber.
EV: Why?
JI : I watched the movie a million times, loved it, loved the f'd up relationships, related to it, loved the music, and when I realized that it had been a stage script first, I was all over it.
EV: This thing is a favorite four-hander all over the world, It's won awards everywhere, it's good stuff. So... You secure the production rights, and you set out to put together a team of people to help get it done. Who do you go after?
JI : I didn't want to do anything without Jordan.
EV: You idiot.
(They laugh)
JI : Yeah. It was cool that he was on board right away. Because if I had him, then I figured I could get anyone else.
EV: I think you've been misinformed about that guy.
(they laugh)
EV: So you assign yourself the role of Dan, you give Jordan the role of Larry and then... you actually hold auditions?
JI : Yeah. We auditioned and we saw... a lot of talent.
EV: Yeah. There's a bunch hiding around this town isn't there?
JI : a LOT of talent.
EV: And eventually, for the two female roles you decide on...
JI : Kate Harter to play Anna-
EV: Who was, at that point, kind of an unknown quantity in town. I know she had done some work previously, but not for a while and she came in, read, tore the roof off and you landed her right there... and... then for the young Alice character made famous by Natalie Portman in the movie, you decide on...
JI : Miriam Cummings.
EV: She's adorable. And I thought she was really strong it that.
JI : I love them both.
EV: and of course, you are in the thing, so you need a director.
JI : Yeah. Originally I'd been talking with Justin (Quesnelle: Co-Artistic Director of Passionfool ) about doing it. We met and we spoke about it for a bit and Anthony Veilleux was in the mix as A.D. (Assistant Director) and makeup because the Alice character has that ugly scar that we wanted to make real... and he was all over it. He got really stoked about it so... uh, Justin finally said that Anthony had a lot more invested in it and that if I liked the idea, which of course, I did, that Anthony should run with it.
EV: Anthony is a world-class talent and a great guy. I hope we get to interview him soon. So... good stuff all around. But things didn't go exactly as planned. With two weeks to go before opening night... or so... Jordan was in the middle of a run in the LCP production of "Inherit The Wind" performing as the Reverend Brown, when... uh... something really ugly happens to the guy: There is a dog attack, his face gets torn up and... other really tragic events occurred and he... he can't do it. He bows out of Inherit the Wind - I mean he can't talk, he's a mess... can't get over losing his own dog - it's bad. He sends out a message to you and to Anthony and it says... you need a new Larry.
JI : Yeah. That was really bad. Really bad. I wasn't sure what to do, but we all talked and looked around at... not only who could do it, but who would be willing to step in with only two weeks to go and... be willing to work that hard for us.
EV: And you decide to bring in?
JI : Jeff Werkmeister.
EV: It was a great choice. I remember seeing Jordan there on opening night, really uncomfortable, I know that... attack... really messed him up, but he was really... uh... happy with the show and with what Jeff did. He talks about watching it. Jeff was great, and he saved the day.
JI : I owe him a ton. He's my hero.
EV: And, in the end, the show does really well. It's an absolute performance standout of the season because so many people came out. Your sales background emerges, you pre-sell a ton of tickets, over five hundred... almost sell out the run, and you actually turn people away some nights. And this is of course, at The McManus studio. Not counting the LCP juggernaut that has it's own space and does incredibly well, most independent companies are pulling in crowds of thirty, fifty maybe and you go and pack in over a hundred and up to a hundred and fifty people a night. Nobody had seen anything quite like it.
JI : It was pretty cool.
EV: And as is the case every January, The Brickenden Awards come around and guess who wins the Ballyhoo Award for two thousand eight?
JI : Yes.
EV: That's one of the more obtuse awards handed out, but in a nutshell it's all about making a splash with your show. The promotion of it, creating a stir. it's like the "carnival barker award", and you won it hands down. The show was all the buzz, and a ton of new faces came out to see it.
JI : That was really the best part. We tried so hard to reach new people. Everybody goes after the same... somebody said that... was it Jordan?
EV: -Then it's a lie.
JI : (laughing) -that the core of the London independent theatre scene is about 800 people. And... that represents the number of people who keep coming out. And everybody sort of fights over that small group of people for every show.
EV: Yeah. I've heard him talk about that. And that the greater London Ontario area is 450,000 strong.
JI : So why don't all of these other people come out? Most often, I think, it's because they don't know what's going on. They have no connection to the community, and we tried to change that.
EV: I'd say it worked pretty good.
JI : Yeah.
EV: And what I love is how many eyebrows you raised around town because... the other companies can't figure out how you did it.
JI : It's not a secret. You sell. That line... from "Glengarry". A - B - C. Always - be - closing (the deal).
EV: Right. Awesome. So... 2009. Bigger? Better? More! yeah?
JI : Yeah. Absolutely. Big plans, man. Big. This time, we want every aspect of the show to impress like the Ballyhoo stuff did. We worked really hard on Closer. We did the best we could. I'm really proud of it and really thankful for how much work went into it, but I want to do better, you know? I'm still learning. And I want to keep learning more about what works and what doesn't so I can do better, and my shows do better and that we can earn a reputation for consistent, outstanding work. So this time, we want to bring in a bigger team, with some more experience, and put on a show that will not be forgotten. Ever. (Laughs)
EV: I know that for a long time you talked about starting from absolute scratch and having something original written for you and you talked with Caitlin Murphy about that.
JI : Caitlin Murphy is awesome. I would love that, but she's extremely busy this year and it seemed that we just wouldn't have the time for her to do her best work and then our team to do their best work in only one season. I mean, we're starting for the fall show now, nine months out.
EV: Exactly. But you are still talking with her and I hope that something comes of that. We love the Caitlin Murphy. But in the end, you choose a published script called...
JI : "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot".
EV: By Stephen Adly Guirgis. A relatively new script. So... why did you go with that one?
JI : Well, to be fair it was brought to me by somebody else. They had played around with the idea of producing it, but that didn't work out. And... while that person kicked it around, I read it, and freaked out. Then, that production stalled and... that person just said, "Why don't you do it?" So I did. I got the rights immediately.
EV: Which was a good move because as we've found out since, several companies had it on their short list. It's an awesome piece.
JI : Yeah. And it's a really good fit for us. It's really modern and it's got this really cool urban-style dialogue that I can relate to and my friends can relate to and... with us trying to target new people again, I think that young people will really dig it because it's got so much cool attitude, and more mature people will really find the subject matter and how it's treated really... uh, riveting too. I'm hoping it will bring everybody together to enjoy it because it's just that good.
EV: And you, Jordan and Kaila have quietly been putting together quite a dream team of talent to perform this thing. It's a really impressive group.
JI : Totally. This is... this is like the eighty-eight, eighty-nine Detroit Pistons. Everybody is the best at what they do, and everybody is the kind of team player that makes everybody else stronger and better. I can't wait to show London what we have coming together. It's crazy. It's crazy.
EV: And... what do you want to accomplish with this one?
JI : Jordan and I want this to be a different experience for everybody. The cast, the crew, the audience. We're going to do some really cool stuff with the marketing-
EV: Morris is good with that stuff.
JI : -really good and fun and he's...look he's obviously trying to promote us. This show. And what we want to do is sell it out. We've got a lot of work to do, but he's also really determined to promote the community as a whole as well. The idea is... and we've talked about this a lot, is that if we do really well, then everybody wins, because if a ton of new people come out and dig our show then they are going to be added to the 800, and then every other company in town can maybe get them to come out occasionally too. Together - and with Kai too - Kaila is going to be key - we are going to carve out as much of that 450,000 as we can. And we're gonna try to make theatre a more popular choice for a night out again. By the time fall rolls around, we want everybody in London to know about what we are up to and just give us a chance to entertain them. Because we can do that.
EV: It's pretty damn exciting I must say. I don't know of anything being done quite like this before.
JI : That's the idea, man.
EV: And the film stuff?
JI : Right. I ended up getting an agent through "Closer" because Brenda: my teacher from Brock brought this guy down, from Toronto, through the snow just to meet me, and she introduced me to Serge, my agent and that ball's rolling now too.
EV: And from what I understand, this guy is connected and was involved with or had a hand in the casting of "Gran Torino": Clint Eastwoods new movie?
JI : Yeah.
EV: And through him, you've landed an interesting gig working for... The National Film Board of Canada?
JI : Right. Yeah. It's a series of public readings of scripts that have won awards in Canada.
EV: Wow. And the one you will be reading from is...
JI : "The Watcher" by Tabitha Baumander.
EV: Good for you John. It sounds like it's all coming together.
JI : Yeah. It feels that way. It's good.
EV: Well, thanks for the chat. Next time you can tell me what the hell those tats (tattoos) mean.
JI : (Laughs) Nope.
EV: OK. Fun stupid question attack! If you had to "Take out" (Make go away) a current high-profile celebrity, who would it be?
JI : Uh....oh, Orlando Bloom.
EV: Oh, I'm on that bus. Those fake tattoos for his new movie are driving me nuts.
JI : I mean he dumps Kate Bosworth? What?
EV: He's an idiot.
JI : Totally.
OK. Our hope is that we can help illustrate just what actors go through to create real, honest and arresting performances on stage, night after night.

John Iglesias

JordanMorris — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:17:38 CST

Date of Birth: June 28, 1978

Trivia: Formerly a renowned and corporately sponsored Rollerblade athlete, who was featured in magazines and touring events.

Awards: (Producer) Brickenden Ballyhoo Award (2008), Theatre Ontario Scholarship (London One Act Festival 2008), Most Promising Actor (London One Act Festival 2006) , English Gardens Landscaping Design Award (2001)

Quote: "Lahat ng ginawa mo matagumpay"

Mini Bio: Born in Regina, Saskatchewan. At the age of three, his father, seeking work, moved the family to California. After only one year they moved to Nevada, and then finally to Michigan, where his parents currently reside. He had been working as a landscape designer in the U.S. at the time of the September 11 attacks and was then deported back into Canada. Falling back on his interest in "Hot Rod Hondas" and looking for a fresh start, John started selling cars at the London Honda dealership and there met Jordan Morris who cast John in his first stage role in 2003. These days John is busy building on his successful first stage production as Producer in 2008 (Closer) and also an acting career in film and TV.

Why we chose John: Our Producer likes his work. :)

	Under construction	Under construction	DESIGN CONCEPTS Under Construction
Read about his character	Read his Malfi journal	John behind the scenes!	Read about his costume(s)

Recent Credits

Credit	Role	Production	Company	Month / Year
Actor	Prato	The Duchess of Malfi	LCP	Feb / 2011
Actor	????	No Traveler	Out of Sight	Feb / 2011
Producer / Actor	Satan	The Last Days of Judas Iscariot	Iglesia	Sep / 2009
Production / Actor	Producer / Dan	Closer	Iglesia	November / 2008
Actor	Hitman	Column Bound (LOAF)	Out of Sight	2008
Actor	Tom Snout	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Passionfool	Fall / 2007
Actor	Student	Soldier's Dream	Column 13	Fall / 2007
Actor	Unknown	Curse of the Burymore's (Ep. 6?)	Theatre Nemesis	Summer / 2007
Actor	Bailen	Glengarry Glen Ross	Column 13	Fall / 2006
Actor	Richard	Mercury in Retrograde (LOAF)	Out of Sight	Summer / 2006
Actor	Agent / Patron / Transient	Kiki's Room	Pink Fish	Fall / 2003

Director's Note

JordanMorris — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:38:39 CST

The following will appear in the pages of the program during the run of our show starting February 18, 2011 at The Palace Theatre in London, Ontario.

In the movie ʻShakespeare In Loveʼ, John Webster is depicted as a pre-teen nasty who plays with rats and is a sneak and a snitch. Itʼs a clever device and more than a little amusing. Indeed, critics throughout the ages have had very disagreeable things to say about him and his work. I think they do not see him, read him or perform him without comparison to William Shakespeare.

In my mind this is rather unfair as Shakespeareʼs verse seems to me to be organic and Websterʼs more manufactured and more external. By that I mean that Shakespeareʼs roots are firmly planted in Warwickshire where his youth was spent. When described in his text, a wood outside of Athens is clearly inspired by Warwickshire, A winterʼs night in Denmark clearly Warwickshire too. And as his Motherʼs maiden name was Arden, you see where 'As You Like Itʼs Forest of Arden comes from. Even his aunt, Sister Isabella lived her life in a convent just miles from his home and it is not hard to see where Sister Isabella of Vienna has at least her beginnings.

Websterʼs early youth was in the fleshpots of the Metropolis (which Shakespeare in his manhood enjoyed to the full) and his verse is full of the images of decay, and things rotten and putrid. These images are the centre of his imagination and he uses them in verse that has the feeling similar to describing a fruit past itʼs prime that begins to bleed as maggots devour it. Webster is to theatre as Caravaggio is to painting.
And for the grotesquery he is accused of, consider Shakespeareʼs Titus in which Lavinia has her hands and her tongue cut out so she cannot reveal the names of her rapists. In that same work the character Tamara is forced to eat the flesh of her sons baked in a pie. This seems to me to make the horror happenings in The Duchess Of Malfi rather tame by comparison, or is Malfi sometimes labeled as "the darkest play ever written" simply because it deals with incest? Certainly an abhorrent subject for most ages, but not for the ancients. I mean look to the mythology of Osiris and Isis -brother and sister. When Osiris was murdered Isis re-assembled the parts of his body and not finding his (private parts) fashioned them from wood and impregnated herself. Incest wasn't considered abhorrent by the late nineteenth century poets of England either, or the German Richard Wagner. Sieglinde and Seigmund are still celebrated in opera houses all over the world. Indeed in May of this year there will be in a cinema near you a live broadcast of that opera by the Metropolitan at Silver City and at Westmount.

Believe me William Shakespeare is my God and I have been lucky enough to play one of his plays every year in my fifty years of life in the Theatre --- and I know he would not want to stand in John Websterʼs light.

And speaking of Warwickshire...after the play Go to The Shire on Talbot for a drink. Who knows who you might meet? Bilbo Baggins perhaps, or even Shakespeare himself!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

The Elemental Gallery

JordanMorris — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:33:46 CST

Azzurro	Arancia	Giallo	Indaco

Nero	Prato	Rosso	Viola

* The masks were each created from a sheet of white posterboard. The only tool employed was a hot glue gun *

"The faster I worked the better they turned out. I tend to obsess with details and the further I sank into the tiniest details, the worse my attempts got. I originally tried to cut and carve the paper and make every line "perfect". It was frustrating. They took an enormous amount of time to complete and I hated them. The first bunch of attempts looked like lifeless mannequin heads. In the end, tearing and folding as fast as I could in a relatively violent fashion produced the best results. I couldn't over-think anything it and the subsequent ragged, uneven details give them much more soul and emotional resonance. They look as though they have history."

Jordan Morris
Producer / Designer

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings is a proud sponsor of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

The Director

JordanMorris — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:52:10 CST

Mr. Bernard Hopkins

Bernard Hopkins retired two years ago and began living permanently at his home in London, Ontario wherein he discovered the vigour and diversity of Londonʼs alternative theatre community. When the London Community Players (L.C.P.) asked him to direct a play he jumped at it. He was given the opportunity to choose whichever script he wished and chose a personal favorite of his; Websters' controversial "The Duchess of Malfi". He then introduced himself to Jordan Morris and asked him to hop on board and Morris agreed on the condition that he was free to film the whole process of the production being put together. Morris then put his team of artisans to work and the journey began. To-night you see the result of their efforts brought to life not only by the actors you see on stage but by the myriad of people behind the scene all of whom have formed an affectionate sharing family. Hopkins thanks every one of them wholeheartedly. He also thanks all his Stratford friends for their time and help.

*excerpt from production run program

Bernard Hopkins is an accomplished 'man of the theatre' regarded by many as a highly valued guide and teacher of stage arts.

Mr. Hopkins served as Artistic Director of London Ontario's Grand Theatre (1980-1983),
A Professor at Bishop's University and participated in Festival Lennoxville while there,
Head of Drama at the Banff Centre (1984-1987).
He enjoyed twenty-two seasons with the Stratford Festival:
Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (three times),
Head of the Young Company (1989-1992), plus a broad array of work there as both Director and Actor.

Most recently, Mr. Hopkins taught the works of Congreve, Wilde, Coward, Orton, Shakespeare and Webster
at Stratford’s Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Training. It was there that he originally composed the adaptation of
The Duchess of Malfi that we will use as our catalyst.

Selected Stratford acting performances:

"Ganzalo" in The Tempest, "Sir Oliver Martext"/"Hymen" in As You Like It, "Cauchon" in The Lark, "Mardian"/"Clown" in Antony and Cleopatra, "Euelpides" in The Birds, "Pandarus" in Troilus and Cressida, "Etienne" in A Fitting Confusion, "Van Swieten" in Amadeus, "Tweedledum" in Alice Through The Looking Glass, "Bardolph" in The Merry Wives of Windsor, "Porter" and "Doctor" in MacBeth, "Ragueneau" in Cyrano de Bergerac, "Uncle Jocko"/"Goldstone" in Gypsy, "Messenger" in Bacchae, "Purgon" in The Imaginary Invalid, "Friar Laurence" in Romeo and Juliet, "Pedant" in The Taming of the Shrew, "Priest" in Oedipus Rex, "Canterbury" and "Ghost of Henry VI" in Richard III, "Chapuys" in A Man for All Seasons, "Cleomenes"/"Servant" in The Winter’s Tale, "Jake Latta" in The Night of the Iguana, "Dull" in Love’s Labour’s Lost, "Pompey" in Measure for Measure, "Mr. Vik" in An Enemy of the People, "Filippo" in The Rules of the Game, "Chebutykin" in Three Sisters, "Launce" in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, "1st Priest" in Murder in The Cathedral, "Parolles" in All’s Well that Ends Well, "Snug" in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, "Petulant" in The Way of the World, "Launcelot Gobbo" in The Merchant of Venice, "Speed" in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, "Dromio of Syacuse" in The Comedy of Errors.

Notable Leading roles as an actor:

"Doctor" in Woman in Mind (the Grand Theatre), "Napoleon" in Exile, "Truman Capote" in Sting Like A Butterfly, "Davies" in The Caretaker, "Lady Bracknell" in The Importance of Being Earnest, "Wichita" in the world premiere of The Phoenix Lottery, "Lord Robert Cecil" in the world premiere of Elizabeth Rex, "Tennessee Williams' in Are You My Angel?, "Inspector" in Dial M for Murder, "Oscar Wilde" in The Trials of Oscar Wilde, "Truscott" in Loot and Tonight At 8:30.

A selection of productions as Director:

Royal Hunt of the Sun (National Arts Centre), The Bacchae, Arms and the Man, She Loves Me, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Twelfth Night (Stratford), Ghosts (Court Theatre Chicago), The Beggar’s Opera, The Misanthrope, Sweeney Todd, Antigone, Gypsy, The Dresser, A Doll’s House, Harvey (Playhouse Theatre, Vancouver), The Merchant of Venice, Noises Off, The Private Life of the Master Race, Thieves Carnival and It’s a Wonderful Life.

Mr. Hopkins has taught and/or been Guest Director at Carnegie-Mellon University (Pittsburgh), Chapel Hill University (North Carolina), the University of Iowa, Florida State University, the National Theatre School of Canada, Ryerson Theatre School, the University of Tampa, the Glasgow Academy of Drama, George Brown College, Dalhousie University, Bishop’s University, the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta.

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

photo by David Cooper

Joshua Carroll Journal

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:46:49 CST

Josh, state why you think we chose you for your role:
I have a strong movement background and I was available on short notice to fill a roll that needed filling... and I'm awesome!!

Articulate why YOU think you are a good choice and tell us what you feel you can bring to the role both in terms of your skills/training and also your "personal touch":
I think I'm a good choice for the roll because I that I can bring something natural to the many faces of what Elementals are required to do. When I was in school the most exciting part of the triple threat program for me was Shakespeare Study. I hope that my enthusiasm and excitement to return to the stage in this genre will translate into something worth watching as well.

Tell us why critics might think you were a poor casting choice for the role:
The critics can pound salt.... (if you want a real answer I guess you can say that I haven't been on stage in over 4 years and I might be too rusty) But that would be malarkey!

What are you most looking forward to about playing this role?:
I have to say that I've enjoyed getting into the script after not reading or performing (Classical) text in over 7 years. The opportunity to put my own stamp on things as the choreographer has been a joy flexing my artistic muscles as well.

What do you feel will be your greatest challenge in playing this role? Developing individual characters that are full and have mulit-dimensions, then switching back and forth between them will be a big challenge especially when we can’t hide behind delivering text. The Elementals will need to be great listeners.

What do YOU think would be an interesting aspect of a theatre production to feature in the film? Knowing the public is largely ignorant of how these shows come together, what do you think would be the most valuable information/experience we could share with a viewer?
Interesting… defining the roles of the support staff and how important they are would be interesting… The producer, stage manager, assistant director. These important jobs are not exactly defined in the public eye. I think there is a lot to learn about how important they are.

What do you want the public to know/understand about theatre.
Theatre is NOT TV. We can hear you talking to your friend… and we can see you sleeping in the front row. Don’t do that!

If you could guarantee that our auditorium audiences would leave changed by the experience of watching our production, what would you want that change to be?
I just hope that if there is someone on the edge of being a theatre supporter or not we can give them a reason to be excited and to continue to support the arts and enjoy local talent. This city is blessed with fantastic local talent!

Joshua Carroll

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:30:02 CST

Date of Birth: October 25, 1978

Trivia: I sold a $64,000 diamond once. And never owned a car until this year!

Training: RANDOLPH ACADEMY FOR THE ARTS-Post secondary triple threat program ’00-‘01

Quote: "To achieve balance your soul must be grounded" or "Pizza!?"

Mini Bio: Born in London, Ontario. The youngest in a prototypical Canadian hockey family I've been the black sheep from a very young age. Sturdy, hard working people is a good way to describe my family. I chose a different route in life deciding to go into the arts after high school. I was able to translate my athleticism from football and basketball to dance and with the right help became a quick study booking professional dance jobs after only one year of classical training.

Why we chose Joshua: Producer Jordan Morris had tried to work with Josh a year ago on an unrelated project but their schedules didn't match and when a role became available well into this production, Josh got the call to step in. His background and experience in dance and specifically teaching dance became a perfect addition and Josh was immediately appointed the "Dance Captain" for the nightmarish "Madman's Dance" sequence of the show. In the end his late arrival was exactly what we needed. Our thanks to Josh!

		Under construction	DESIGN CONCEPTS
Read about his character	Read his Malfi journal	Joshua behind the scenes!	Read about his costume(s)

Recent Credits

Credit	Role	Production	Company	Month / Year
Actor / Choreographer	Giallo	The Duchess of Malfi	London Community Players	Feb / 2011
Dancer	Grand Pas De Deux Prince	The Nutcracker		2010
Dancer	Production Cast	Various	Princess Cruise Lines	2004-2007
Dancer	Main Stage Dancer	Celebrity Fundraiser	Bell Mobility	2006
Actor / Dancer	Tommy Djilas	The Music Man	Etobicoke Musical Productions	2005
Dancer	Featured Dancer	Contemporary resort show-Jamaica	Pulse Entertainment	2003
Dancer	Featured Dancer	SARS P.S.A. - Toronto	Nobel Jones	2003
Dancer	Review Cast	Various	Royal Caribbean Cruiselines	2002
Dancer/Choreo.	Dancer	Irie Music Festival - Toronto	IMF	2002
Dancer/Choreo.	Dancer	Celebrity Fundraiser	Special Olympics	2001
Dancer	Dancer	Opening Gala / Full Monty - Toronto	Virgin Atlantic Airlines	2001
Dancer	Dancer	New Years Bash TV Special	YTV	2001
Actor / Dancer	Various	System Crash	YTV	2001

About This Project

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:01:57 CST

(left to right) John Iglesias, Bernard Hopkins and Jordan Morris

Thank you for visiting "The Magic of Malfi".

This is a website dedicated to recording all of the considerable efforts that will be made to bring our production of John Webster's

"The Duchess of Malfi" to the Palace Theatre stage in February of 2011.

As of this writing it is summer in the year 2010. We have just entered pre-production for our show, but it won't actually play to audiences until early 2011. A little crazy for an amateur company you say? Unusual, sure. But not crazy. If you return to these pages, you'll be able to watch us put it all together, slowly and carefully, one tiny piece at a a time. You'll understand why we feel so responsible to catalogue every detail and share the work of our artists with as many people as possible - and why we need so much time.

One of the more unusual elements of this project in particular will be our choice to assemble two teams and create
two completely different but complimentary productions simultaneously. Two parallel efforts, each unique and exciting, and both designed to push us beyond anything we've attempted before.

The first team will focus on our stage production of "The Duchess of Malfi" of course. That in itself will be very exciting. It will be presented inside the freshly renovated Palace Theatre, home stage for the London Community Players here in London, Ontario, Canada and it will be executive produced by their organization. It will be produced by Jordan Morris' company Sighthound and Directed by none other than Bernard Hopkins, a celebrated theatre maven with a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion for theatre arts. His choice of script is both exciting and intimidating. It's a script rarely produced and it's full of difficult, beautiful and controversial material. We hope that watching us bring our interpretation into the world will compel you to come, buy a ticket and experience the final product first hand.

The second team has a very special task: We are excited to announce that we have formed a partnership with Iglesia Film Productions to create a Documentary tentatively called "The Dark Magic of Malfi". Our plan is to capture as much of the people and process of designing, fabricating and rehearsing this show as is possible. We'll be exploring other aspects of theatre life, the community here in London, Ontario and some of the more interesting/unusual/challenging and odd aspects of living an artists life as it pertains to regional theatre and the theatre arts in general.

Sound interesting? We hope so!

Have a look around and feel free to leave your thoughts at the bottom of any page, or send an email to

thesighthound@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

The Characters

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:59:56 CST

click on the names to visit each character's dedicated profile page

click on the names to visit each character's dedicated profile page

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

The Setting

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:59:27 CST

under construction

According to the Arab traveller Ibn Hawqal, writing in 977, during the great reign of Manso I, described Amalfi as:

“

. . . la più prospera città di Longobardia, la più nobile, la più illustre per le sue condizioni, la più agiata ed opulenta. Il territorio di Amalfi confina con quello di Napoli; la quale è bella città, ma meno importante di Amalfi.

. . . the most prosperous Lombard city, the most noble, the most illustrious for its conditions, the most wealthy and opulent. The territory of Amalfi borders that of Naples; a beautiful city, but less important than Amalfi.

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

The Script

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:59:05 CST

by John Webster
Adapted by Bernard Hopkins

This draft was created for the February 2011 production of The Duchess of Malfi presented at the Palace Theatre in London, Ontario. The cast was comprised of 16 amateur status performers secured after open auditions in July-August of 2010.

The roles were distributed as follows:

Bernard Hopkins, Director; Caroline Dolny Guerin, Assistant Director; Jordan Morris, Producer and Designer;
The London Community Players, Executive Producers.

The script has now been broken into distinct scenes. Each of these scenes have also been titled. At the top of each scene, additional setting and timing information has been added. Within each scene, each line of dialogue has been numbered exactly as it is in the printed scripts that our team will be using.
General stage directions are in BLUE. Entrances are in GREEN. Exits are in RED

Act	1	Title and Link	Act	2	Title and link

Scene	1	Delio's Homecoming	Scene	1	No Man's Land
	2	The Spy in Place and The Duchess Warned		2	Bosola's Diguise
	3	The Woman Who Woos		3	Ravens and Screech Owls
	4	Man's Deformity		4	The Revenge Begins
	5	The Picnic		5	Another Means To Madness
	6	The Panic		6	The Madness Commences
	7	Bosola's Suspicion		7	The Duchess' Nightmare
	8	Julia Arrives		8	The Tombmaker
	9	The Brothers		9	Ferdinand's Reward
	10	The Duchess at Home		10	The Cords of Life
	11	Superstitions		11	The Echo
	12	Bedtime Sport		12	The Cardinal Takes Control
	13	The Twins Confront		13	Julia's Diversion
	14	Antonio Leaves		14	Julia's Demise
	15	Bosola's Trickery		15	The Beginning of Armegeddon
				16	Bosola's Mistake
				17	Armageddon Arrives

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

_____________________

*This is not how the script appeared when it was originally published.

This is an adaptation and a unique vision of the play by Mr. Bernard Hopkins.

The final working script for our production will be a further modification of an adaptation Mr. Hopkins created while teaching at Stratford's Conservatory. With very few minor exceptions the text is the work of the author, John Webster. Most of the alterations come in the form of simple cuts designed to cut down the running time and streamline the complex and often criticized sub-plots , but some reassignment of dialogue (to different characters) occurs and there is also the addition of text from other works by Mr. Webster and a few alterations by Mr. Hopkins himself.

The Stratford conservatory version is available for reading and printing through links posted below. There are two links to an online document host called .DocStock. Using the 'window link' will allow you to change the size and manipulate the windows dimensions as you wish. Using the 'text link' will take you directly to the host where you can read it in a full page configuration. In both cases, you can print off the script in it's entirety.

We are also leaving room here on the website for production notes to appear in the column on this side of each page. My hope is that we can detail the vision of this production and all motivating factors there -at least in simple terms- for your entertainment and education. After all, we are talking about the work of a master of his craft and I could not be more excited to share it with you here. Enjoy!

Jordan Morris
Play Producer / Film Director

LINK TO DOWNLOADABLE SCRIPT

NOTE:
The above downloadable version has not yet been updated. Once Mr. Hopkins' revisions are complete, we will repost the entire adaptation in a similar format.

The Assistant Director

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:58:29 CST

Caroline Dolny Guerin

As a member of the original Resident Acting Company at The Grand Theatre under Artistic
Director Heinar Pillar, Caroline had the privilege of working over this period with many
directors in a wide range of stage roles. Subsequent work on the Grand main stage
included productions during the tenures of Artistic Directors Bernard Hopkins, Larry Lillo,
Martha Henry, Kelly Handerek, and Susan Ferley. Most recently seen on the Grand main
stage in “Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” and “Macbeth”, and
last season on the McManus stage as Mrs. Erlynne (Brickenden award nomination) in
Theatre Soup’s production of “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, directed by Bernard Hopkins.
Long fascinated by “The Duchess of Malfi”, my thanks go to both Bernard and Jordan for
the opportunity to be part of this team “on the other side of the table”, and to the entire
company for the joy of realizing with them the unique vision of this project.

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

The Writer

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:56:47 CST

Webster, John
(ca. 1580? - before 1634)
Spouse - Sara Peniall
Webster was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.

Life

The dates of John Webster are conjectural, with most scholars designating 1580 as the probable date of his birth. In his dedication to Monuments of Honour (1624), the mayoral pageant he wrote for the city of London, Webster said he was "born fee" of the Merchant Taylors Company, an indication that his father was a freeman of that guild, probably a London merchant. Webster may have been admitted to the Middle Temple in 1958. There are also records of a John Webster amoung the actors of Robert Browne's group in 1596, and it is possible that Webster was an actor before becoming a dramatist. In 1602 an entry in Philip Henslowe's diary names Webster and other dramatists as receiving payment for writing Caesar's Fall (or The Two Shapes) a lost play, and Lady Jane, published in 1607 as Sir Thomas Wyatt. He also wrote an elegy on the death of Prince Henry, the elder son of King James I, published in 1613.
Although a John Webster's burial is recorded n March 13, 1638, at St. James's Church, Clerkenwell, he is referred to in the past tense in Heywood's The Hierarchy of Blessed Angels, which was written in 1634; he may have died in the London plague of 1625.

Work

Though most of Webster's plays were written in collaboration with other members of Henslowe's group, he created two of the most outstanding Jacobean tragedies. Notable for their fine poetry and strong presentation of situation, The White Devil (1609/12) and The Duchess of Malfi (1613/14) are both based on historical events in Renaissance Italy: The White Devil deals with the adulterous relationship of Vittoria Accoramboni (Corombona in the play) and the Duke of Bracciano (Brachiano); and The Duchess of Malfi derives from the twenty-third tale in William Painter's Palace of Pleasure (1566-1667), which chronicles the secret marriage of the widowed Duchess of Amalfi with her steward Antonio Bologna. Realistic characterization and powerful scenes distinguish both plays; both are more profound and more fully realized than the revenge tragedies of Webster's contemporaries Kyd and Tourneur. The usual ingredients of the "tragedy of blood" -murky night scenes, killings on stage, poisonings, and madness are prominent in Webster's works, but they are sometimes put to subtle use. Webster employed an irregular verse pattern that often approximates to natural speech rhythms.
Webster's other dramas, most of them collaborations, fall far short of the level achieved in The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi. The Devil's Law Case (1610?), loosely termed a tragicomedy, is a complex, weakly constructed, and uneven work with a surprise ending; Appius and Virginia (1624/34?), a tragedy based on Roman history, is written with almost classical severity. Although Heywood's hand is evident in places, the play contains elements that do not appear in the two major tragedies. Webster's other collaborators include Thomas Dekker, with whom he wrote the comedies Westward Ho! (1604) and Northward Ho! (1605), Middleton, Massinger, Ford and Rowley.

Plays

*Unless otherwise noted, the plays were first performed in London.

1. (With William Rowley). The Thracian Wonder
Comical History.
Published 1661.
Produced ca. 1600
*Webster's part in this play is questionable.

2. (With Thomas Dekker). Sir Thomas Wyatt
History. Originally written as Lady Jane.
Published 1607.
Produced Worcester's Men 1602.
*Henry Chettle, Thomas Heywood, and Wentworth Smith have been suggested as possible collaborators.

3. (With Dekker) Westward Ho!
Comedy in 5 acts.
Published 1607 (original Stationers' Register entry of Mar. 2, 1605, by H. Rockett cancelled)
Produced Children of Paul's, 1604

4. (With Dekker) Northward Ho!
Comedy in 5 acts.
Published 1607 (Stationer's Register, Aug. 6, 1607)
Produced Children of Paul's, 1605

5. The Devil's Law Case, or When Women Go to Law the Devil id Full of Business
Tragicomedy in 5 acts
Published 1623
Produced The Queen's Men, 1610?

6. The White Devil
Tragedy in 5 acts
Published 1612
Produced The Queen's Men, 1609/12

7. The Duchess of Malfi
Tragedy in 5 acts
Published 1623
Produced Blackfriar's Theatre and Globe Theatre (King's Men), 1613/14

8. (With Thomas Middleton) Anything for a Quiet Life
Comedy in 5 acts
Published 1662
Produced ca. 1621
* Webster's collaboration with this play is questionable

9. Moments of Honour
Lord Mayor's Pageant
Published 1624
Produced 1624

10. (With Rowley and Thomas Haywood?) A Care for a Cuckold
Comedy in 5 acts
Published 1661
Produced 1624/25

11. (With Philip Massinger and John Ford) The Fair maid of The Inn
Tragicomedy in 5 acts
Published 1647, as by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher
Produced 1625/26 (licensed jan 22, 1625/26 as by Fletcher)
* Rowley and Ben Johnson have also been named as possible collaborators; Webster's contribution is only conjectural.

12. (With Heywood?) Appius and Virginia
Tragedy in 5 acts
Published 1654 (Stationer's Register, may 13, 1654)
Produced 1624/34? (probably 1625/27)
* Although the title page and Stationer's Register entry give total credit to Webster, scholars are convinced that the text as we have it was a collaborative effort.

from the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama: An International Reference Work in 5 Volumes
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies; 2nd Revised edition edition (January 1984)

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

The Play

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:56:33 CST

A QUOTE

"The Duchess of Malfi" was published in 1623, but the date of writing may have been as early as 1611. In any case, it portrays with a terrible vividness one side of the court life of the Italian Renaissance; and its picture of the fierce quest of pleasure, the recklessness of crime, and the worldliness of the great princes of the Church finds only too ready corroboration in the annals of the time.

"Webster`s tragedies come toward the close of the great series of tragedies of blood and revenge, in which "The Spanish Tragedy" and "Hamlet" are landmarks, but before decadence can fairly be said to have set in. He, indeed, loads his scene with horrors almost past the point which modern taste can bear; but the intensity of his dramatic situations, and his superb power of flashing in a single line a light into the recesses of the human heart at the crises of supreme emotion, redeems him from mere sensationalism, and places his best things in the first rank of dramatic writing"

classicauthors.net

Read the Wikipedia entry on the script and it's history here:

Three of the Greatest Poets in History comment on Webster and his masterpiece:

Algernon Charles Swinburne (London, April 5, 1837 - London, April 10, 1909) was an English poet, controversial in his own day. He invented the roundel form, wrote some novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. From 1903 to 1909 he was constantly nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
"Except in Aeschylus, in Dante and in Shakespeare, I at least know not where to seek for passages which in sheer force of tragic and noble horror may be set against the subtlest, the deepest, the sublimest passages of Webster. Other gifts he had as great as themselves, as precious and necessary to the poet: but on this side, he is incomparable and unique."

Thomas Stearns Eliot (September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965) was arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century.The poem that made his name, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock—started in 1910 and published in Chicago in 1915—is regarded as a masterpiece of the modernist movement. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948.

"Though Webster is not among the greatest and though he represents an artistic decline inevitable after the greatness of Shakespeare, I do not wish to leave you with the suspicion that his work also shows a moral decadence. In a world without meaning there can be horror, but not tragedy. Webster's drama is tragic and belongs in a world in which right and wrong, the soul and its destiny, are still the most important things."

Sir William Empson (27 September 1906 – 15 April 1984) was an English literary critic and poet. He was widely influential for his practice of closely reading literary works, fundamental to the New Critics. Jonathan Bate has said that the three greatest English Literary critics of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries are Johnson, Hazlitt and Empson, "not least because they are the funniest".

"Modern critics often claim that the Duchess admits, shortly before she dies, that she was wrong to marry Antonio, or at least the imagery there, having so much Hell about it, makes her remarks amount to that. Such critics would also claim to be defending the high old moral tradition, now all but lost; whereas any ordinary citizen could tell they are being quaintly low minded. A number of people in the seventeenth century actually did meet death with saintly impertinence toward the tyrant who killed them, thanking him for the gift of martyrdom, which had done them all the good in the world 'Minds innocent and quiet take that for an hermitage'. If anything could have knocked them off their perch, poor creatures, it would have been to have a modern neo-Christian come up and say how pleased he was to find them licking the boots of the tyrant at last, as it made a very edifying picture."

Sounds rather delicious doesn't it?

Prepare to feast in February of 2011!

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

Archived News

JordanMorris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:55:44 CST

Here's a look back at everything that happened, in the order it happened!

Just click on the month to visit a new page where all the articles posted that month have been archived. Enjoy!

active	active	active	active	active
active	active

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings and Collins Formal Wear
are proud sponsors of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

November 2010 News

JordanMorris — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:13:01 CST

TUESDAY, Nov.30.10

SPOTLIGHT: JESSE NAHMABIN / "ROSSO"

We asked Jesse why he thought we cast him in the role of Rosso and what he could bring to the production overall:

"I really have no idea, maybe because I was decent a reading the lines and spoke clearly? :)
I am very eager to learn so I will take direction and criticism positively and work with it. I know my skills are limited and that gives me all the more reason to absorb all that is offered in this project."

Read Jesse's bio here:

Read more of Jesse's thoughts in his Malfi Journal page here:

FRIDAY, NOV.24.10

PHOTO BREAK: "ONE BIG HAPPY (PRODUCTION) FAMILY"

Our team about to read through a scene before blocking it:

(left to right)
Scott Shpak - Sound and Music (just out of frame)
Deborah Mitchell (Cariola)
Bernard Hopkins (Director)
Janine Pearson (Voice Coach)
Chris Kevill (Bosola)
Kaila Jarmain (Stage Manager)
Stephanie Hodgert (Assistant Stage Manager)
Jeannette Klaver (The Duchess)
Caroline Dolny Guerin (Assistant Director)

FRIDAY, NOV.24.10

READY?, 'SET'?... NO. (or) THE STORY OF THE WHITE SET

Having just taped out the entire set design in our rehearsal space, our director took one look and declared it unusable. With only 48 hours to produce a suitable replacement set design, our team was up against the wall. But... as is often the case, necessity was the mother of invention, and we created something that not only works, but that our director is actually having some fun with.

And wow does the show move fast now!

Check out the entire gallery by clicking here

FRIDAY, NOV.24.10

PHOTO BREAK: "THE TWINS CONFRONT"

The Duchess is 'visited' by her dangerous brother, the Duke Ferdinand:

(left to right)
Jeannette Klaver (The Duchess)
Cristian Kawa (Duke Ferdinand)

FRIDAY, NOV.24.10

SHOESTRING MAGIC 2: MORE POSTER TINKERING

So... attempt #2 at creating the typography for a poster design without the use of
computer-generated graphics.

The results are getting better and I think we are near the point where I can start assembling the elements I like to create a basic layout.

Check out the entire gallery by clicking here UPDATE!

FRIDAY, NOV.24.10

PHOTO BREAK: "AT THE HELM"

The core of our production staff inside the FARHI HOLDINGS rehearsal space:

(left to right)
Bernard Hopkins (Director)
Kaila Jarmain (Production Assistant)
Caroline Dolny Guerin (Assistant Director)

FRIDAY, NOV.19.10

SHOESTRING MAGIC WITH JORDAN: POSTER DESIGN

Need to create a cool poster graphic without any Photoshop skills? (ME TOO!)

The image on the left is an early poster art test.

It's not a photo-shopped rendering.

It's not a computer graphic of any kind.

It's a mildly filtered photograph of cut paper.

Read about how I did it right here:

FRIDAY, NOV.19.10

PHOTO BREAK: "BANISHED ANCONA"

Three of our cast members rehearsing a scene from the top of act two:

(left to right)
Adam J. Langton (Antonio)
Jeannette Klaver (The Duchess)
Deborah Mitchell (Cariola)

FRIDAY, NOV.19.10

THE 2010-2011 LCP / PALACE THEATRE SEASON CONTINUES!

MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTIONS' FOLLIES

opens tonight and runs until November 28!

Looking for musical entertainment for a lovely night out? Then please consider the current production of James Goldman's 'Follies' featuring music and lyrics by none other than Stephen Sondheim!

It's considered one of the best works by one of the most celebrated American composers and lyricists of our lifetime!

"On the eve of its destruction, the once glorious Weissman Theatre is filled with the ghosts of its past as showgirls reunite to glamorize the old days and relive bygone memories of promise and splendour."

Click here to read the entire synopsis and history of this treasured show on the Wikipedia page:

Then visit the Palace Theatre website to order your tickets! (click here)

Join the FaceBook group and leave your comments after the show to help spread the word!

MONDAY, NOV.15.10

PHOTO ALBUM LINK

Our Producer Jordan Morris invites you to look at an album of photos from this production on his FaceBook page:

Left:
Jeannette Klaver and John Iglesias rehearse using black paper masks.

You can view the album by clicking here:

MONDAY, NOV.15.10

OUR PRODUCER / PRODUCTION DESIGNER JORDAN MORRIS
REFLECTS ON THE DESIGN PROCESS SO FAR

What do I want to say? I'm not sure. We've just overcome a major hurtle (several actually) in the last week and it seems like this would be a good point in the journey to sit back and reflect on what we've just gone through and where we are now headed because of it.

I've often said that theatre (at least amateur / community / regional theatre) is the art of turning the mundane into magic. I don't mean that quite literally, but it's no secret that I have actually used garbage, discarded materials and even cardboard boxes to make sets, props and costumes. Many of us at this level have. Obviously we have access to some of the greatest scripts ever written, and the script is the most important ingredient, but the greatest script isn't a guarantee either. Sometimes it's a kiss of death if you aren't up to it. And this script in particular (The Duchess of Malfi) can be a killer.

Read the entire article by clicking this link

MONDAY, NOV.15.10

SPOTLIGHT: CHRIS KEVILL / "BOSOLA"

We asked Chris why he thought we cast him in the role of Bosola and what he could bring to the production overall:
"I have some training in "classical" text (for lack of a better term)- does that mean I'll bring something of worth to this role? I suppose that will be for others to decide. Looking at the cast list, clearly there was a need for someone NOT young and beautiful. :)"

Read Chris's bio here:

Read more of Chris's thoughts in his Malfi Journal page here:

MONDAY, NOV.15.10

THE MANY VISIONS OF MALFI: STRATFORD 1971

Studying another interpretation of this incredible script often helps me get a better understanding of the
material. For me it's a matter of being reasonably well educated and gaining some perspective by exploring other peoples thoughts on the subject. This type of classic, Shakespearean-era text is not my forte and although our director is an absolute theatre maven with an exciting vision of what we are going to present to you all in February, I can use as much exposure to this type of work as possible.

This script has a reputation for being especially tough. And the original which was published by John Webster in 1613 would run for about three and a half hours if presented in it's entirety.
This is one of many reasons why our director, Bernard Hopkins has created an original interpretation just for this production. But it's not easy. Trimming an hour an a half isn't as simple as making crude cuts and leaving pages out. Every cut affects some other detail or character in some way. Its difficult to keep a smooth, logical and compelling story in tact. You'll see in February that our director has succeeded, but many other attempts fail miserably either because they simply don't understand what the author's words mean, or their cuts become too compromising to the central narrative and audiences can't make sense of the action. There's a good reason few companies attempt this script. It really is tough and we are very lucky to have Mr. Hopkins work with us to present this rare opportunity for London audiences.

In 1971, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival presented "Malfi" for the first of only two times in their history. This interpretation was considered quite a success and recently a member of the LCP very graciously provided me with a copy of the program from that year.

Inside, the promoters make some very interesting observations and the Malfi article features amazing quotes by some of the most famous authors in history all commenting on Webster's dark masterpiece.
I've scanned several pages and created this gallery so that you can read it as well. I find it really fascinating and hope you do too.

Producer / Designer Jordan Morris

SATURDAY, Nov.06.10

PRODUCTION DESIGN: THE FACE OF AN ELEMENTAL

The concept of the Elementals has arguably been the most abstract and thus difficult of any we will be employing in this production. The characters known as The Elementals are entirely the work of our Director, Bernard Hopkins and they were conceived (our words-not his) to balance the considerable cuts made from Webster's original text. (3.5 hours) In very simple terms, only the eight principal characters have been preserved from the original script and every other supporting or incidental character will now be portrayed by these choral lycanthropes who shift from mere observers of the story, to active participants -by stepping into and back out of- various scenes as 'everyone else'.

It's been difficult to clearly envision these creatures and just what they look like. The process has been frustrating and exciting in equal parts. Recently, a production meeting between director Bernard Hopkins, production designer Jordan Morris and sound designer/composer Scott Shpak gave birth to new ideas and a new perspective on these elusive characters. With new details and goals to pursue from our director, work now begins on the latest design attempt.

The latest updates on the Elemental costume concepts can be found here:

SATURDAY, Nov.06.10

SPOTLIGHT: MARGOT STOTHERS / "VIOLA"

We asked Margot what she wants the public to know/understand about theatre?

"If you give into the moment, theatre is a more all-consuming experience than TV or film. It's unmediated by the camera or after-the-fact edits. The audience has more freedom, time, and space to see and sense directly. The performers deal with chance and randomness with every breath."

Margot Stothers

Read Margot's bio here:

Read more of Margot's thoughts in her Malfi Journal page here:

THURSDAY, NOV.04.10

SEND IN THE MASKS!: MASKWORK WITH JORDAN MORRIS

As you may know by now, half of our cast will be performing in masks. They need to cover up any hint of themselves to successfully transform into the 'non-human, observers of this story' we are referring to as The Elementals. Because the concept has not yet been fully fleshed out and final masks will likely be a couple of months away, we needed to provide our 8 Elemental actors with masks to rehearse in.

With Halloween just past, finding a simple, full faced mask for cheap couldn't have been easier, right? Wrong. They may have been stacked up in the clearance bins all over town, but Jordan did not want the cast to use cheap plastic, built on an assembly line junk. He wanted to give them something much more special and soulful that they could eventually care for like it was a new part of themselves.

So he built 8 custom paper masks. Check out the gallery and story here:

TUESDAY, NOV.02.10

SET AND SPACE CHECK: IT FITS!

On Tuesday our Producer/Designer Jordan Morris and Mark Piggott the master fabricator responsible for building the Last Days of Judas Iscariot set for Jordan last fall visited the Palace Theatre with Rodel Manoy's design diagrams. They spent some time taping out the set on the very stage where we will be building it this February. Why? because it really stinks to build something that won't fit. And it's especially challenging to discover that kind of problem when there is very little time to do anything about it. The good news is that it fits just fine, the sightlines (the audiences ability to see every square inch of the performance space) all looked good and we may even have a little room to fit in a few actors to boot! :)

MONDAY, NOV.01.10

INTRODUCING KAILA JARMAIN: STAGE MANAGER

We are very pleased to announce that Kaila Jarmain had accepted our invitation to join the production team of The Malfi Project and act as our Stage Manager for the duration.

She brings with her a decade of experience in local theatre as SM, AD and actor and also has most recently made the transition to film, which will be a great asset to out Documentary efforts as well.

Recently, Kaila went to India and produced a short film called "Televisnu" which is currently making it's way around the world on the festival circuit. She also Associate Produced (and appeared on screen in a cameo) a TV pilot called "Dear Harvard" which won the New York Television Festival and helped launch the career of the Director and also the Writer of that project. She's the real deal! Welcome aboard Kaila! (*pronounced K-EYE-la)

UPDATE: Due to unfortunate circumstances, Kaila has left our production and will no longer be our Stage Manager.

A Satisfied Tenant is Our Greatest Asset!

* Farhi Holdings is a proud sponsor of
the London Community Players production of The Duchess of Malfi

Our stage production is
Executive Produced
by the
London Community Players
and will run at their home venue,
The Palace Theatre
in February 2011
.

Steve Stockwell

JordanMorris — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:37:33 CST

Date of Birth: December 16, 1985

Trivia: Somewhere around 30,000 Ontarian Students have attended a play Steve wrote and directed.

Awards: 2004 Rosemary MacKay Humanitarian Award

Quote: "Evolution is the solution to the doomed human condition."

Mini Bio: Steve was bred, born and raised in Ontario and truth be told he has seldom left. Possessing a passion for religion, mythos, sorcery and superstition there is rarely a dull day in the land of Steve. Steve works as a cook and has for the majority of his working life (which he thinks is appropriate because he learned the craft from his mother, whose ‘maiden’ name is Cook). Steve began acting at a young age and in his teenage years began writing and directing. Steve has also explored other avenues of live performance
including musical theatre, choirs, dance, motivational speaking and even drag. In 2002 Steve and a close friend launched Brick Foundations Theatre Troupe (Dedicated to education and awareness through live theatre). Since then the troupe has performed original scripts for several community events in London Ontario.

Why we chose Steve: Steve was new to us but his enthusiasm, honesty, positive attitude and vast experience on stage was obviously going to be an asset to the show. Since coming on board, and despite a rather grueling professional schedule, Steve has been keen, attentive and displays a real confidence when he's performing a scene. What more could was ask for, really?

		Under construction	DESIGN CONCEPTS
Read about his character	Read his Malfi journal	Steve behind the scenes!	Read about his costume

Recent Credits

Credit	Role	Production	Company	Month / Year
Actor	Nero	The Duchess of Malfi	London Community Players	Feb / 2011
Actor	David Wexler	Tribes	Robin Israel Production	2010
Production	Live Sound Crew	The Mysterious Traveler	Out of Sight Productions	2010
Production	Director	The Gibson Murder Case	Out of Sight Productions	2010
Actor	Herbert	Back for Christmas	Out of Sight Productions	2009
Actor	John	Dark of The Moon	London Community Players	2009
Actor	Steve	Brothers and Bullies	Brick Foundations Theatre	2009
Production	Director	Titania	Brick Foundations Theatre	2009
Actor	Buddy	Tyler Glight and The Bully	Brick Foundations Theatre	2009
Actor	Dt. Summers	Monster Movie	Notorious Troupe	2009