A welcome from the Artistic Director:
It was not all that long ago that the idea of a theatre company founded by emerging artists for emerging artists was little more than a thought. It was a thought born of a desire to innovate the classics of the theatrical tradition and to invent the next generation of work in that tradition. It was a thought that we could train each other, through practical experience, and develop a community of artists who were willing to be daring and creative.
Now in our second season, Standard Deviation Theatre is quickly becoming this thought realized. Our past productions of new and adapted work have challenged and provoked our audiences to reconsider how classic stories can affect them, as well as to consider for the first time what new and inspiring works are coming out of the woodwork.
This season we are offering a three-pronged window into the world of philosophy through three of its primary branches. Our production of Hamlet deals with the ontology of performance, and whether one can truly separate “acting” and “being”. In Picasso at the Lapin Agile (by the incredibly talented Steve Martin) we examine the world of epistemology – what it means to possess and create knowledge, and what can art and science offer to the collective wisdom of society. Finally, in its first-ever English-language translation, Argentinean playwright Griselda Gambaro’s La Persistencia delves into the heart of societal ethics when society is destroyed. These three shows show us the best and worst of our potential as a society, and each one of them opens a potent topic for discussion
I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished so far, and it is my sincere hope that this season we can push the envelope even further, and deliver to both our artists and our audiences an experience that will leave them inspired.
Enjoy our season, and I hope to see you all there!
Reid Vanier, Artistic Director
