The (POST) MISTRESS

A ONE-OF-A-KIND MUSICAL

The (Post) Mistress

August 16 – September 14
Firehall Theatre

“I’ll feel the words and their perfume enter my heart and swirl around inside its walls.”

 

 

 

By Tomson Highway
Produced in association with Ship’s Company Theatre, Parrsbaro, Nova Scotia

  • In this delightful new one-woman musical, the cheeky small-town postmistress Marie-Louise has the uncanny ability to see the lives and stories behind each sealed letter that she touches. Marie-Louise knows all the gossip of her community, and she shares the town’s secrets with the audience through twelve charming and funny songs.

    The piece was written by world-renowned Aboriginal playwright Tomson Highway, who in 2001 was named by MacLean’s magazine as one of the 100 most important people in Canadian history.

    “Irving gave an astonishing performance in this one-woman, 10-song cycle that drew shouts of bravo and standing ovations as she became the colourful French-Canadian Marie-Louise running a village post office.”
    – Halifax Chronicle Herald, Top 11 of 2011

     

    “There are plenty of surprises that will make you glad you got to know this one-of-a-kind character.”
    – TheCoast.ca, Halifax

     

    “Highway’s portrayal of the small town French-Canadian woman was priceless. The story takes a beautiful left turn to end the play – a surprise none of us had expected.”
    – Lake Superior News

  • Firehall Theatre Logo

    Playing at the Firehall Theatre from August 16 to September 14, 2013

    Evening Performances: Tuesday through Sunday 8:00PM
    Matinees: Friday, Saturday 2:30PM
    Running Time:
 2 hours 10 minutes (with intermission)

  • Cast

    Marie-Louise Faucon: Martha Irving

    Creative Team

    Direction: Andrew Lamb
    Set Design: Andrew Murray
    Costume Design: Krista Levy
    Lighting Design: Paul A. Del Motte
    Music Direction: Holly Arsenault
    Bassoon and Saxophone: Katie Legere
    Stage Management: Ingrid Risk
    Associate Lighting Design: Ingrid Risk
    Apprentice Stage Manager: Kyle Beres

    Martha IrvingMARTHA IRVING (Marie-Louise Faucon)
    For the Playhouse: Debut.  Elsewhere:  La Cage aux Folles, No Great Mischief, Blithe Spirit, Beauty and the Beast, Diary of Anne Frank (Neptune); Glace Bay Miners’ Museum (NAC/ Neptune); Estate, Top Girls, To Capture Light, The Monument (LunaSea).  Film: Roaming; Faith, Fraud, and Minimum Wage; Just Buried. Television: Call Me Fitz, Trudeau, October 1970, Black Harbour, Pit Pony.  Upcoming: Ghosts (LunaSea).  Other: Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Associate of LunaSea Theatre in Halifax.  Director of Anne and Gilbert in PEI. Nominated for a Merritt Award eleven times and awarded the Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Theatre in 2011.

    Andrew LambANDREW LAMB (Director)
    For the Playhouse: Debut. Elsewhere: In this World (Roseneath/Tarragon); The (Post) Mistress (Neptune/Ship’s Company); With Love and a Major Organ (Next Stage/Toronto Fringe); Driving Miss Daisy (Stirling Festival Theatre); My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding (Mirvish/Fringe Festival 2009); In Darfur (SummerWorks); After Juliet (Young Peoples Theatre).  Upcoming: La Maleta – The Suitcase (Roseneath). Other: Andrew is the Artistic Director of Roseneath Theatre for Young Audiences and spent five seasons as the Director of Education at Tarragon Theatre.  A graduate of Concordia University, Andrew trained as a director with Mike Alfreds at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England.

    Andrew MurrayANDREW MURRAY (Set Designer)
    For the Playhouse: Debut. Elsewhere: Set & Costume Design: Theatre Antigonish.  Artist in Residence: Neptune Theatre. Four seasons Stratford Festival.  As Designer: Nutcracker (Halifax). Other: Andrew spent one year at Mount Allison University studying fine art. He has designed for newsrooms and for musical specials for artists such as Anne Murray and Rita MacNeil. He was honored with a Gemini Award nomination for Comedy Now in 2000. Andrew currently resides in his hometown of Antigonish, designing interiors, and exteriors for homes and businesses and paints large murals and smaller canvasses. Andrew also recently opened the AMSA, the Andrew Murray School of Art, where he teaches children art design and the love of the arts and life!

    Krista LevyKRISTA LEVY (Costume Designer)
    For the Playhouse: Debut.  Other: A three time nominee for a Merritt Award in Costume Design, Krista is delighted to be part of bringing the charming Marie Louise Faucon to the Playhouse. Enjoy.

    Paul A. Del MottePAUL A. DEL MOTTE (Lighting Designer)
    For the Playhouse: Debut Elsewhere:  The (Post) Mistress, Fishing for Frank (Ship’s Company); Vigil, Fire, Harvest, For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, Flying on Her Own, The Maritime Way of Life, Tourist Trap, Quit (Live Bait Theatre); Closer, Charlotte’s Web, Pirates of Penzance, Guys and Dolls, Godspell (Neptune Theatre).  Other:  I’m glad to be lighting a show in Gananoque where I spent many a summer boating in the Islands. I am currently the Production Manager for the Drama Studies Program at Mount Allison University in Sackville New Brunswick.

    Holly ArsenaultHOLLY ARSENAULT (Music Director)
    For the Playhouse: Debut. Elsewhere: Shakin’ The Foundations (Buddies in Bad Times); When All the Slaves are Free, Waiting For The Parade, Rock and Roll (GCTC); Crossroads (SHEBA, Centaur Theatre); Ferry Tales, The (Post) Mistress (Ship’s Company Theatre). Upcoming: A Sophomore Album of Jazz Originals. Other: Mondo thanks, Thousand Islands Playhouse, for the chance to revisit Tomson Highway’s exquisite music! Visit itunes.com/hollyarsenault!

    Ingrid RiskINGRID RISK (Stage Manager, Associate Lighting Designer)
    For the Playhouse: Debut. Elsewhere: As Ever (Mulgrave Road Theatre); Eighteen (Eastern Front/Neptune); I, Animal (Kazan Co-op); Bingo! (Mulgrave Road Theatre/Neptune); The Debacle (Zuppa Theatre Co.); Communion (Kazan Co-Op/National Arts Centre); Lauchie, Liza and Rory (Frankie/MRT/National Arts Centre), The (Post) Mistress, Out The Meadow (Ship’s Company Theatre). Other: Ingrid splits her time as a stage manager and lighting designer and has received a 2013 Theatre Nova Scotia Merritt Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (I, Animal) and a 2012 Merritt Award for Outstanding Technician.

    Kyle BeresKYLE BERES (Apprentice Assistant Stage Manager)
    For the Playhouse: As Apprentice Stage Manager: Third Floor, The Clockmaker, Drowning Girls. As Head Technician: Bright Bold Stories Elsewhere: As Stage Manager: Vigil (Theatre Kingston); Dust (Queen’s University Drama Department).  As Technician: Blue/Orange, The Grandkid (Theatre Kingston).  Other: Kyle is thrilled to be a part of this fabulous production.  She would like to say a special thank you to her family and friends for all that they have taught her and for the never ending support and encouragement. Enjoy the show!

  • Photos

    Photography by Jay Kopinski
    The (Post) Mistress  003sm  The (Post) Mistress  009sm  The (Post) Mistress  011sm
    The (Post) Mistress  012sm  The (Post) Mistress  013sm  The (Post) Mistress  018 sm
    Martha Irving in The (Post) Mistress, 2013.

    Video

    Audience Reactions to “The (Post) Mistress”

    Ashlie’s Inside Story

  • Reviews

    “Irving gives an energetic and engaging performance, using the intimate venue to connect with the audience with eye contact and a confessionary smile”
    -Days Out Ontario

    “The mixture of rhythms and language that created a most exciting effect”
    -Alina Ruprecht, Capital Critics Circle

    “Her singing… is terrific.”
    -Greg Burliuk, Kingston Whig Standard

    “Martha Irving who plays Marie-Louise is a wonderful singer and has good comic timing.”
    -Connie Meng, North Country Public radio

    Tomson Highway’s “The (Post) Mistress” a Stellar Experience
    -Lorraine Payette, blogger

    Articles

    Musical tells story of cheeky small-town postmistress
    -Kingston This Week

    The (Post) Mistress Delivers Great Stories with Humour and Heart
    -Lorraine Payette, Blogger

    Video

    Eastern Ontario Network previews The (Post) Mistress
    -Eastern Ontario Network

    Press From Previous Runs

    “so endearing, so funny, and ultimately so heartbreaking”
    -The Chronicle Herald, February 2013

    Musical Delivers Love Letters
    – The Chronicle Herald, February 2013

    Off The Leash TV- Review

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