Benjamin won’t swim at school. His mum thinks he’s on drugs or has body issues. But Benjamin has found God, and mixed-gender swimming lessons offend him. But that’s not where his newfound fervour ends. His conflicts only grow as his devotion deepens, causing issues at school, and at home with his family. The Canadian premiere, MARTYR asks questions about the limits of faith in a secular society.
MARTYR first premiered at the Schaubühne in Berlin in 2012 and was then produced in Russia and France. The English translation premiered at the Unicorn (2015), the UK’s leading theatre for young audiences, despite the fact that the play featured both nudity and significant bloodshed. It was produced in Chicago at Steep Theatre Company for the U.S. Premiere in 2015. This provocative play by one of Germany’s most prominent playwrights, Marius von Mayenburg (translated by Maja Zade), questions the nature of community, and weighs the human systems of family and education against the pull and promise of faith.
MARTYR is an ARC Production, directed by Co-Artistic Producer Rob Kempson, running from from January 13 to 29, 2023 in the Aki Studio Theatre at Daniel’s Spectrum, 585 Dundas St E in Toronto.
A vivid portrait of puberty and zealotry. – The Guardian
CAST
Aviva Armour-Ostroff*
Deborah Drakeford*
Charlotte Dennis
Ryan Hollyman*
Richard Lee
Adriano Reis
André Sills*
Nabil Traboulsi*
CREATIVE TEAM
Rob Kempson* – Director
Makambe K Simamba* – Assistant Director
Tamara Vuckovic* – Stage Manager
Hannah MacMillan – Assistant Stage Manager
Julia Dickson – Producer
Patrick Lynn – Production Manager
Jackie Chau* – Set & Costume Designer
Michelle Ramsay – Lighting Designer
James Dallas Smith – Sound Designer
* ARC Resident Artists
Katie Saunoris | katiesaunoris@gmail.com |