The third world premiere and fifth new Canadian work of the Arts Club’s current season, Me and You plays at the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre from April 12 to May 6.
From childhood until old age, Liz (Patti Allan) and Lou (Lois Anderson) are sisters who go through life mostly as friends, but sometimes as foes. Liz is a steady-minded biologist while Lou is a free-spirited painter, and their personalities clash over everything from hair dye to cheating partners to rebellious children. Their stories come alive across the decades through the acclaimed mask work of Melody Anderson in a comedy that gives a unique face to sisterhood.
After 35 years working as a theatre designer specializing in masks, Anderson shifted her creative focus to playwriting in 2012. Mask-making credits for the Arts Club include Don Quixote, The Number 14, Flying Blind, The Visit, Alice, Arsenic and Old Lace, Blowin’ on Bowen, and Hamlet. Previous writing credits include the international hit comedy The Number 14 (co-creator) and The Emperor’s New Threads (co-written with Peter Anderson). Anderson is the recipient of six Jessie awards and five nominations for both design and collective creation.
“Throughout my career as a mask maker, I’ve often mused about the possibility of seeing a character age through an entire lifetime on stage,” says Anderson. “Since a sibling relationship spans a lifetime, I thought, ‘Why not write a series of vignettes about two sisters?’ Each vignette is a snapshot of them at a particular age as they grow old together—a togetherness of rivalry, tenderness, and humour. Nobody gets you—or gets to you—like a sister.”
Helming this production is director Mindy Parfitt. Parfitt says, “Each actor uses 10 different masks during the play to mark the passing of time. We’ve created a space that holds the memories of these two characters—a space they can live within, engage with, and be surprised by.”
Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre
April 12–May 6, 2018
Tue–Thu at 7:30 PM, Fri & Sat at 8 PM, Wed at 1:30 PM, and Sat & Sun at 2 PM
Tickets from $29 at www.artsclub.com or the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644