Praxis Theatre

Tear The Curtain! You take yourself apart in my name

Tear The Curtain has undergone some minor rewrites. (Dawn Petten & Jonathan Young)

by Michael Wheeler

After one week of intense tech, Tear The Curtain! will open to a sold out Bluma Appel Theatre tonight.

Like lead character Alex Braithewaite, the show has been taken apart and put back together again to find the best way to Tear The Curtain! This new version of the show has a number of small differences that separate it from the 2010 Vancouver one at The Arts Club. Tiny re-writes and re-edits means it is tighter, cleaner and has a more straightforward narrative without sacrificing any of the layers of medium that also contribute to the story.

Laura Mennell as Mila Brook

Tech-wise, the show has gone from projecting two 4500 lumens projections on top of each other, to one massive 10000 lumens projector to fire video from. Beyond the benefit of one projector being less nerve-wracking from a technical standpoint, it also means the colour and richness of the projected image is more consistent throughout the surface area (and there are several) that it projects on.

It’s been an intense process with flys to be timed, new lighting cues to be built, new wireless mic levels to be set and managed, new timing for entrances and exits and as well as a cast member with food poisoning, a dress rehearsal for an audience of educators and a preview that was the first ever Sunday matinee at Canadian Stage that I can ever remember.

Goodbye Monday night shows that never got a decent house, hello busy Sunday afternoon theatre on Front St.

Jonathan Young as Alex Braithwaite

It’s worth bringing this up with The City of Toronto set to receive a report this fall about what to do with the 3 theatres it runs – including the Bluma Appel.  Let it be noted that access for not-for-profit groups to large venues, just like this one, is essential to allow shows like this to be created by non-millionaires.

Anyhow, this is a quick run people: 2 weeks! That’s it and it will be gone. Click here to figure out how and when to come see the film noir film/theatre hybrid Kim Collier and The Electric Company invented for the Cultural Olympiad in 2010 and has been taken apart and re-assembled for Toronto in 2012.

Click here to read more posts about Tear The Curtain!

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