http://www.playbill.com/news/article/112927.html

Toronto's Tarragon Flavors Fall With Readings of New Plays Nov. 27-Dec. 3
By Kenneth Jones
19 Nov 2007

Tarragon Theatre, the Toronto company devoted to contemporary works, will
offer a handful of readings of new plays by members of its 2007 Playwrights Unit
Nov. 27-Dec. 3.

The annual program is free and open to the public. All readings begin at 8
PM, with the exception of the Dec. 2 reading, which begins at 2:30 PM. Readings
are in the Near Studio.

The schedule features works-in-progress by 2007 units members Salvatore
Antonio, Kate Hewlett, Edwige Jean-Pierre, John Lazarus, Joseph Jomo Pierre, Erin
Shields and Jonathan Garfinkel, a member of the 2006 unit.

Each reading is directed by Richard Rose, artistic director of Tarragon
Theatre.

For more information, call (416) 531-1827 or visit at
www.tarragontheatre.com.

The schedule includes:

Nov. 27, 8 PM: A New Nation by Erin Shields, with Gordon Bolan, Monica
Dottor, Gregory Prest, Martha Ross. "A stranger arrives at a farmyard aflame with
flu-infected chickens and is welcomed into the home of a desperate family. He
draws them from despair to hope, isolation to desire, and reawakens them to the
possibility of happiness. But when the flu takes a turn for the worse, faith
and doubt become dangerous bedfellows."

Nov. 28, 8 PM: The Swearing Jar by KATE HEWLETT, with Tim Campbell, Deborah
Grover, Christopher Stanton, Carly Street. "Carey and Simon are the perfect
couple. With romance, laughter and a baby on the way, their marriage seems
destined to last forever. But when Carey throws a concert to celebrate Simon's 40th
birthday, she is forced to confront the past, and come to terms with the
greatest lie her husband ever told."

Nov. 29, 8 PM: Shakespeare's Nigga by Joseph Jomo Pierre, with Peter N.
Bailey, David Collins, John Gilbert, Lisa Norton, Andre Sills. "What would happen
if two of Shakespeare's black characters had to co-exist within the same play?
We find ourselves on a plantation owned by Shakespeare, with Aaron and Othello
cast in the roles of slaves. Against this violent backdrop, both men grapple
with their sense of self and place. Did Shakespeare have himself a negrow and
a nigga?"

Nov. 30, 8 PM: My Next Guest by John Lazarus, with Kate Lynch and Jim Mezon.
"Like many casual friends, and some occasional lovers, David and Elsie get
together every couple of years, catch up on their lives, gossip, quarrel, make
up, and sometimes wind up in bed. However, as David is a novelist and Elsie an
arts reporter, their turbulent relationship plays out openly in public — even
as Elsie's career soars and David's hits the skids."

Dec. 1, 8 PM: The House of Many Tongues by Jonathan Garfinkel, with Hrant
Alianak, Maev Beaty, David Fox, Janick Hebert, Daniel Karasik, Julian Richings.
"A house in Jerusalem, 2003, is home to Israeli General Shimon, and his
adolescent son Alex, who's busy trying to bring peace to the Middle East through
improved sexual techniques. When Palestinian writer Abu Dalo returns to the house
he left 40 years ago, pursued by his long-lost daughter, we realize somehow
these four people are going to have to live together — if they don't kill each
other first."

Dec. 2, 2:30 PM: Saint Bitch by Edwige Jean-Pierre, with Edwige Jean-Pierre.
"Haunted by her past, Lillian Holt is a bitter old woman who resides at Shady
Lane Manor — and she's making the life of her nurse, Sandrine Vincent, a
living hell. As her life slowly comes to an end, Lillian realizes that she needs
Sandrine's forgiveness to find peace. Sandrine, a devout Catholic, will have to
put into practice what has been preached to her all her life."

Dec. 3, 8 PM: The Coronation of Medusa Regina by Salvatore Antonio, with Paul
Dunn, Michelle Giroux, Diana Leblanc. "It is closing night of Medusa, a new
opera written especially for the legendary soprano, Regina Duran. As the
audience of a thousand applaud during the final curtain call, the spotlight remains
empty: Regina Duran is nowhere to be found. Beneath the stage, in an abandoned
part of the Metropolitan Opera's ancient basement, Regina hides and awaits
her moment of reckoning."

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