Upintheair Theatre Guide to Mourning PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 11, 2011

Vancouver, BC – Two vibrant, young Vancouver companies are proud to announce their first collaboration, staging the Vancouver Premiere of acclaimed Canadian playwright Eugene Stickland’s award-winning play A Guide to Mourning. Upintheair Theatre and Genus Theatre have both successfully grown during the difficult years of the Vancouver Theatre scene by producing works which connect to and engage with diverse audiences. A Guide to Mourning has been performed to acclaim throughout much of Canada and we are pleased to bring this distinguished script to Vancouver.

A father's death reunites Deirdre (Brenda Matthews) with her three adult children. The eldest, Rex (Daniel Martin), is homeless. Lewis (Frano Marsic) is the fussy middle child with an unhealthy attachment to expensive running shoes and their sister, Sandra (Kelly Sheridan), shuns emotion for designer dresses. Together they attempt to plan their father's final passage with what one would hope to be a sense of tender urgency and intimacy. But in a play that is at once unsettling and hysterical, both bleak and hopeful, the family is so consumed with serving their own needs first that the actual funeral seems doomed from the start.

Formed in 1999, Upintheair Theatre is a populist theatre company that creates, presents, and produces theatrical events exploring the possibilities of collaboration, story, and inspiration. Having long produced and curated the celebrated Walking Fish Festival, last year they spearheaded the successful introduction of the Neanderthal Arts Festival to the summer season. Their most recent shows include the critically acclaimed Wagabondi Ho! and Borborygmi at Bridge Mix.

Since 2003, Genus Theatre Company has been presenting original, groundbreaking productions that have incorporated both live theatre and integrated film/media elements. The company has developed a reputation for producing carefully constructed works that are both accessible and provocative. Their recent work includes successful productions of The Physicists and the original play The 4H Club at the first Neanderthal Arts Festival.

Eugene Stickland is an award-winning playwright, originally from Regina, Saskatchewan who now resides in Calgary, Alberta. He earned an MFA in playwriting from York University, and was appointed playwright in residence at Calgary’s St. Mary’s University College. A Guide to Mourning first debuted in 1998 and received the Betty Mitchell award for best new play.

A Guide to Mourning, a 90 minute show, premieres at Performance Works on Granville Island this June 8th. Tickets are $18 ($14 for students) and may be purchased at the door or in advance at www.brownpapertickets.ca, or by calling 1-800-838-3066.

Performance Works – 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver.
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.ca

Tues. June 7, 8:00 PM Preview
Wed. June 8, 8:00 PM Opening
Thurs. June 9, 8:00 PM
Fri. June 10, 8:00 PM
Sat. June 11, 8:00 PM
Sun. June 12, 2:00 PM Matinee

Media Inquiries
Daniel Martin
T: 604-715-7580
E: daniel@upintheairtheatre.com