Events
Matchstick Theatre and LunaSea Theatre present a workshop reading of
POST ALICE
by Taylor Marie Graham
Poster Design by Jessie Walker
Matchstick Theatre and LunaSea Theatre are co-producing a workshop reading of Post Alice, a play by Taylor Marie Graham.
Post Alice premiered in 2021 as part of Here for Now Theatre’s summer season in Stratford, ON. The play follows four women who weave a mystery from their past–the disappearance of Mistie Murray, a young woman from Goderich, Ontario–into an evening of secrets, stories, and song. . Inspired by four characters from iconic Alice Munro stories, Post Alice is a stunning contemporary play which asks the question: what really happened to Mistie Murray? And what happens to all our missing girls?
In the wake of Munro’s death in 2024, her daughter Andrea Skinner came forward to reveal that the celebrated writer had been complicit in covering up Skinner’s abuse by Munro’s second husband. The news sent shockwaves through the literary world and made us reconsider our programming of Graham’s play. After careful consideration, Matchstick and LunaSea teamed up with playwright Taylor Marie Graham to revisit her work in light of Skinner’s revelations. Graham, through conversations with and input from Skinner, weaves this vital new context into the play with grace and intention. To our knowledge, it is the first time in professional Canadian theatre history that a published play has been rewritten and staged in light of essential, contextual revelations.
LunaSea and Matchstick are excited to present a workshop reading of this new version of Post Alice in Point Pleasant Park, September 23rd, 24th and 25th.
We would like to acknowledge the support of Arts Nova Scotia and Halifax Regional Municipality for this workshop reading.
Playwright - Taylor Marie Graham
Direction - Kathleen Dorian
Cultural Consultation - Lisa Nasson
Stage Management - Chelsea Dickie
Choreography & Movement - Sarah Prosper
Lighting Design - Alison Crosby
Scenic Design - Brenda Duran
Costume Design - Kaelen MacDonald
The Team
About Taylor Marie Graham
Taylor Marie Graham is a Waterloo Arts Award-winning playwright, a Dora-nominated librettist, and an Assistant Professor at Bishop’s University. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and a PhD in English and theatre studies from the University of Guelph. You can find Taylor’s articles in Canadian Theatre Review, Intermission Magazine, Routledge’s Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, The Conversation, Theatre Research in Canada, Guernica Editions, as well as Canadian Literature. Critics describe her plays and operas as “arresting and funny” (Slotkin), “uncommonly cool” (Mooney on Theatre), “charmingly twisted” (Toronto Star), “powerful, and courageous,” (OnStage), “meaningful for all ages” (Intermission), “darkly evocative” (Istvan Reviews), “psychological, theological, and ornithological” (Our Theatre Voice), “as moving as it is scary” (My Entertainment World), and “profound, beautifully crafted” (StageDoor). In 2024, her play anthology Cottage Radio & Other Plays was published by Talonbooks and Human Voices Wake Us was published by Rosegarden Press.
Learn more about Taylor at https://taylormariegraham.com/
Featuring:
Wenlock - Lily Falk
Belle - Leah Pritchard
Onora - Lara Lewis
Edie - Ailsa Galbreath
Post Alice will take place outdoors in Point Pleasant Park near the Prince of Wales tower.
The workshop reading runs for approximately 75 minutes with no intermission. Performances start at 6:00 PM.
Tickets are Pay What You Can, with proceeds going towards the future full production of the show.
Venue Accessibility
Our production of Post Alice takes place in the clearing beside Prince of Wales tower, which is along a gravel path just off of the main entrance road into upper Point Pleasant Park. Attendees in power chairs and wheelchairs can access the area, and we will also have access to Shakespeare by the Sea’s golf carts for additional transport help if needed.
Please reach out to us at matchsticktheatre@gmail.com if you have questions, want more info about the path into the park, or would like to pre-arrange for a golf cart ride!
Content Notices
Post Alice examines themes of sexual abuse, as well as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Workshop Reading of New Play :
For The Love of My Sister
By Cora Cole
For The Love of My Sister is a new play by emerging playwright Cora Cole based on the book of the same name by Lynn Gallant Blackburn.
This play tells the true and tragic story of Paula Gallant and her sisters’ steadfast pursuit of truth and justice in the wake of her murder.
This presentation is a work in progress reading not a finished product. You are the play’s first audience.
This play includes discussion and depiction of violence against women.
LunaSea Theatre bring new work Am I Ovary-acting? to Maryworks this May
Am I Ovary-Acting? is a work by LunaSea Theatre about reproductive justice that examines commonly held beliefs about health and medical care for those with ovaries/uteruses/vaginas. Through comedy, storytelling, rage and disbelief we explore reproductive health and justice through relevant objects. At Mayworks, our focus will be the history, uses and misuses of the speculum. This 50 minute show is part ted-talk, part conversation, part storytelling. When it comes to health and reproductive justice the political and social landscape right now is rife with misinformation, disinformation and half-truths. We are here to press against that tide with nuanced conversation and evidence-based information in a fun, curious, theatrical way.
May 10, 7-8pm
$10 in advance and $15 at the door
LunaSings:
A HOLIDAY EVENT
LunaSea Theatre's annual fundraising event.
Join us for an evening of songs, sing-alongs and holiday cheer! Featuring a wonderful line up choral and solo acts! Hosted by LunaSea’s Co-Artistic Directors Ailsa Galbreath and Kathleen Dorian. Musically directed by Catarina Ciccone! Come out for a festive, family-friendly night and kick off your holiday season with us!
Event includes a silent auction where you can find an array of great gifts and goodies! And bring some cash to grab a snack at our bake sale table!
General Admission $30
Arts/Under waged/Student $25
Child $15
Group rates available for groups of 8 or more. Email us for details.
If the ticket price is a barrier to admission, consider helping us set up and strike the event - we are always looking for volunteers! You can email us at lunaseatheatrecompany@gmail.com
Accessibility note - the venue is wheelchair accessible with accessible washrooms. There is a ramp leading to the door. For more details visit: Sanctuary Arts Centre Accessibility Notes
LunaSings
At the Sanctuary Arts Centre in Dartmouth
December 2nd, 2024
A HOLIDAY EVENT
Kick off your holiday season with us!
Sanctuary Arts Centre: 100 Ochterloney street
Monday December 2, 7:30 PM
Doors open at 6:45 PM
Accessibility note - the venue is wheelchair accessible with accessible washrooms. There is a ramp leading to the door. For more details visit: Sanctuary Arts Centre Accessibility Notes
Carols in the Cathedral
December 11th, 2023
It's that time of year again! That's right! You are invited to join us for LunaSea Theatre's annual holiday fundraising event - Carols in the Cathedral!
Join us for an evening of songs, sing-alongs and holiday cheer! Featuring a wonderful line up choral and solo acts! Hosted by LunaSea’s Co-Artistic Producers Ailsa Galbreath and Kathleen Dorian. Musically directed by Garry Williams! Come out for a festive, family-friendly night and kick off your holiday season with us!
There will also be a silent auction and bake sale! So bring some cash!
At All Saints Cathedral
1330 Cathedral Lane, Halifax
December 11, 2023 7:30 pm
Doors open at 6:45.
In the event of a snow storm, the snow date for the event is December 14th.
SoloFest is an exciting new festival presented by LunaSea Theatre. Comprised of 4 unique and compelling solo shows at different stages of development by talented local theatre makers. The pieces are 60 minutes or less and double billed.
LunaSea Theatre is a feminist theatre company dedicated to centring the voices of underrepresented genders.
Come out on October 13-16 to the Bus Stop Theatre to catch some great solo works!
SHOW DETAILS
Bill A:
Thursday October 13th 7 30 PM
Saturday October 15th 7 30 PM
Sunday October 16th 2 00 PM
Wild Things by Ryan Wilcox (they/them)
Sam, who is on their way to perform at a drag story time at their smalltown library, had a slushy thrown at them by a homophobic parent. ‘Wild Things’ begins with Sam taking refuge in a closet which transports them into a memory-scape that has them questioning their gender, Queerness, and if being Queer is worth it. The audience is witness to the triumphs, trials, and tribulations of being Genderqueer and the complications of young, Queer love.”
How to be FEARLESS! (With Roxy Roberts) by Ali Joy Richardson (she/her)
How to be FEARLESS! (with Roxy Roberts) is a darkly comedic, high-energy solo show about a motivational speaker/self-defense coach on the day her armor cracks. Part stand-up comedy, part confession, part unorthodox TED talk, this is the story of a woman fighting to control her life in the face of fear. ROXY is a razor-sharp reckoning with victim-blaming dressed up in a power blazer and sneakers. When Roxy's PowerPoint crashes and her past rears its head, her mask slips to reveal a woman who abandoned her own magic in order to survive. In 52 raucous minutes (including some very user-friendly audience interaction), Roxy takes us from laughter through darkness and into hope.
Bill B:
Friday October 14th 7 30 PM
Saturday October 15th 2 00 PM
Sunday October 16th 7 30 PM
Nungu Bacha - Naked Child by Moneesha (Misha) Bakshi (she/they)
Nungu Bacha is a solo piece focusing on the relationships of clothing, culture, womanhood, and bodily autonomy. Throughout this piece, I explore what clothing and nudity mean to me, and how my feelings about my body are shaped by the cultures I grew up in, and the cultures that found me.
This piece explores through movement, word, and even striptease, what clothing means, for western audiences, south asian communities, for women, and for those who might not identify as women anymore. This piece also explored gender roles in a rapidly changing social landscape, and intergenerational gender trauma across cultural migration.
Nungu Bacha is a love letter to my body, both its raw skin with all it's visible and hidden scars, and the clothing I choose to put on it, and even the clothing I don't choose to put on it.
When You Leave Please Say Nice Things About Me by Stevey Hunter (they/them)
When You Leave Please Say Nice Things About Me is an autobiographical solo comedy show written and performed by Stevey Hunter. The show is a blend of story telling, stand up, and original songs, that explore Stevey’s relationship to gender, queerness, and the need to be liked.
Poster designs by Colleen MacIsaac
October 13-16, 2022
AT THE BUS STOP THEATRE