Title 66 Productions Presents THE HISTORY OF THE DEVIL, 2/29-3/4

The Devil dreams of returning to heaven and to God's side. Title 66 Productions invites Montreal to attend the trial of the Devil, presented at Théâtre Rouge in the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal from February 29th to March 4th. If he can prove that humanity is indeed culpable for many of his alleged crimes, he may return to paradise forever. From the creative mind of Clive Barker, master engineer of fantasy and horror, The History of the Devil tells the satiric tale of the Devil's trial at the hands of the human race, with whom he's shared the world for millennia.

Playwright Clive Barker invites the audience to travel through time and memory. Using specially created masks, behold 34 unique characters who all share one commonality: they are all born from the human desire to reach paradise. The world Barker paints resonates with vulnerability, liveliness and honesty, much like the characters that inhabit it. Whether it be angels falling from heaven in a 1212 BC Russian winter, a decaying prison cell holding accused witches in Lucerne, or a boxing match in England with stakes high enough to make a man out of a machine, the settings and characters reach out from history to tell the Devil's story. A makeshift court is assembled at Lake Turkana, Africa: if he can prove that he is innocent, he shall return to heaven for eternity; if he is found guilty, he shall remain an outcast on earth. Each testimony seamlessly transports the story to that time period and reveals the Devil wearing a different skin, until, by the end, he sheds them all. In a theatrical eruption of darkness, philosophy, and humor, The History of the Devil, alternatively titled, Scenes from a Pretended Life, exposes Lucifer as a fallen angel so like ourselves. Does he deserve paradise? Do any of us?

Clive Barker describes his style of playwriting as "High art and low, intellect and spectacle, pretension and fun." It is director Jeremy Michael Segal's intention to honor this vision. Little could be accomplished, however, without the support, dedication and passion of the company as a whole. Title 66 Productions believes in collective inspiration, with rehearsals set up as a collaborative process in which trust amongst the cast is always nurtured. The show is a huge undertaking for such a young theatre company; it spans thousands of years and has 34 characters to be played by a cast of eight. Additionally, the actors are being exposed to new territories of artistic expression and are meeting the challenge with vigor. Title 66 Productions was born out of a desire to share an artistic vision with the world, and it is with this passion and motivation that they are bringing to Montreal their second production, The History of the Devil.

Their stage productions, however, are only part of the puzzle. Besides their desire to inspire, Title 66 Productions is striving to make theatre new again. Recently, they have been seen taking art to the streets and raising awareness of theatre. The following is a message sent to all supporters of the company:

"We here at Title 66 think it's a shame that the most commonly used word to describe a theatrical presentation is a 'play.' The word itself evokes a lack of expertise and a lack of dedication. The independent theatre community of Montreal puts many hours and much work, creativity and energy into its productions."

"Our challenge to you: Don't call it a play."

"Call it a show. Call it art. Call it performance. Call it an experience. Call it a theatrical presentation. Call it transformative. Call it revolutionary. Call it edgy. Exciting. New. Boundary-breaking. Call it a collaborative, multidisciplinary, culturally enriching experience. Call it the truth. Inspiring. Call it Theatre!"

The cast includes Delphine DiTecco, James Harrington, Lily MacLean, Kyle McIlhone, Liana Montoro, Arielle Palik, Logan Williams and Lucas Chartier-Dessert as the Devil. Set and costume design by Logan Williams, costumes made by Genia DeMarco, masks created by Danielle Fagen and Joshua Cape with guidance from John Leberg, lighting design by Alexander Smith.

Title 66 Productions' goal is to provide a cutting-edge experience in a theatre setting, bringing forth new ideas of acting, art and performance. Inspired by playwrights and artists such as Chekhov, Brecht, Beckett, Dali, Bob Wilson and the DaDa movement, the company looks to fuse acting at its purest base with an innovative design concept all the while exploring new forms and expressions. They aim to create a one-of-a-kind experience and explore new realms of art, performance and drama. Whether it's new or old, red or blue, Russian or American, they're ready to experiment, create, inspire, and move art in an exciting direction. Original company members consist of graduates of the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program. Their first production, (as Working Title Productions) was company head Logan Williams' adaptation, chekhov's children, this past July.

The History of the Devil runs from Feb. 29 - Mar. 4 at Théâtre Rouge in the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Montréal, 4750 Henri-Julien (parking lot opens half an hour before the show, $5) Wednesday to Saturday at 8:00 pm. There are matinees on Thurs. Mar. 1 at 12:30pm, Sat. Mar. 3 at 12:30pm and Sun., Mar. 4 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Le Conservatoire Box Office in person (no service charges), by calling 514-873-4031 ext: 313,
or at www.Admission.com. 

For more information, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/title66 or email info@title66.com. To see the trailer click here. To watch rehearsal footage click here.

Jeremy Michael Segal - Director Jeremy is a recent graduate of the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program, where he received the Beryl and Willy Moser Award. Since graduation, he has played the roles of Gabriel Oak in Persephone Productions' Far From the Madding Crowd, and Kostya in Title 66's own chekhov's children. He is an actor under Reisler Talent. Passionate and with an eye to success, he has been featured in the Canadian Jewish News, NDG Free Press, The Montrealer, and The Mirror.

Logan Williams - Set and Costume Designer & Actor, Jesus, Lilith, Judge Felix Popper Logan is a graduate of the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program. Besides acting in and designing for The History of the Devil, he is also co-directing Teesri Duniya's A State of Denial at the McCord Museum, and is a design apprentice at Black Theatre Workshop. This past summer, Logan adapted Chekhov's The Seagull into chekhov's children, which he directed as Title 66's first production.

Lucas Chartier-Dessert - The Devil Lucas is an actor under Reisler Talent and is a recent graduate of the Professional Theatre Program at Dawson College. Soon after graduating, he acquired a role in Persephone Productions' Far From the Madding Crowd, and he played Trigorin in chekhov's children. After The History of the Devil, he will be preparing to perform in Persephone Productions' upcoming To Be and Tableau D'Hôte's Elizabeth Rex at The Segal Centre for Performing Arts.

Delphine DiTecco - Woman, Verrier, Ulla Shim, Alette, Procell, Isobel Nider Delphine is also a recent graduate of the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program. Since, she has been seen in Title 66's chekhov's children and in The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Rialto. She has also acquired a role in Brill at the Rialto.

Lily MacLean - Nancy Kyle, Milo Milo, Madeleine, Sonneillon, Mrs. Mendoza Since graduating from Dawon's Professional Theatre Program, she played the roles of Fanny Robin in Persephone's Far From the Madding Crowd and Nina in chekhov's children. Also, she was in the Rialto's 2012 production of A Christmas Carol and looks forward to workshopping a play that she wrote called Echoes on the Bridge.

Kyle Mcilhone - Sam Kyle, Callimachus, 2nd Actor, Daniel Mendoza, Georg Keipenhauer, Judge Felix Popper Kyle has been involved in many shows since graduating from The Dawson College Professional Theatre Program, where he received The Brian Cloutte Memorial Bursary 2011. Recent credits include Soldier, Pennyways, and Matthew Moon in Persephone's Far From the Madding Crowd, Septimus Morgenstern in Playwright Hero's The Vindictive Vice President, and Gary in Third Eye Ensemble's The Exonerated.

Liana Montoro Liana received The Brian Cloutte Memorial Bursary 2010 from Dawsons' Professional Theatre Program. Recent credits include Desdemona in Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company's Othello and Aemilius in that same company's Titus Andronicus.

Arielle Palik - Jane Beck, Pia Shim, Polyxene, Duke of York Arielle is beginning rehearsals for her third production of Wandering Stars at The Segal Centre, playing the role of Magda. She was the recipient of The Valerie Marino Award from Dawon's Professional Theatre Program. She is an actor under Reisler Talent.

James Harrington - Belial, Nicholas Vidal, Dante, Macready, Jack Easter, Judge Felix Popper James Harrington graduated from the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program. He has been acting for film from a young age and has recently acquired a role in Wandering Stars at The Segal Centre for Performing Arts.

Alexander Smith - Lighting Designer Since graduating from the Dawson College Professional Theatre Program, Alex has been lighting designer for many shows, including: Persephone's Far From the Madding Crowd, Third Eye Ensemble's The Exonerated, In Your Face Entertainment's The Wild Party, Playwright Hero's The Vindictive Vice President, and Title 66's chekhov's children. He is a design apprentice at Black Theatre Workshop, where he designed the lighting for Mulatto Nation. He is currently the technical director of Turtle Island Theatre Company.

Genia DeMarco - Assistant Costume Designer Genia graduated from the John Abbot Design Program. Since, she has designed for Montreal Shakespeare Theatre Company's Titus Andronicus, and Persephone's Far From the Madding Crowd.

Danielle Fagen - Mask Builder Danielle is an Art History and Film Studies undergraduate student at Concordia University who is actively persuing a career in Theatre Scenography and building. She has participated in properties building workshops in Stratford and attended the 2011 Prague Quadrennials of Performance Design and Space. She is currently the scenographer and builder for the congruent production of Play by Samuel Beckett paired with Rhinocerus by Eugene Ionesco, produced by the Liberal Arts College Theatre Society of Concordia University.

Joshua Cape - Mask Builder Joshua Cape is a grade 11 secondary student at Selwyn House School. Josh is a top student and prefect, loves to create all types of art and study art history. He is very interested in properties and set building in theatre. He has done a spectacular job building the masks alongside Danielle in his first properties building experience.

John Leberg - Mask Mentor John has spent more than two decades as a designer and prop builder for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as well as other major theatres. He has worked on hundreds of shows and is an experienced instructor at Stratford, where he inspires students to invest in their own creativity.

Beata Groves - Stage Manager Beata is very interested in theatre and has embraced this opportunity to be a stage manager. She was the Director's Assistant for Title 66's chekhov's children and is an actor in a very populer rendition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in Ottawa.

 

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