Persephone – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

“[T]he Greek myth of a young girl’s abduction to the underworld is told from a feminist perspective.”Print

Excerpt from press release:
Pencil Kit Productions is premiering brand new play Persephone as part of the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival. Collectively created by thirteen interdisciplinary artists, the Greek myth of a young girl’s abduction to the underworld is told from a feminist perspective. A story of resilience, sexual awakening and coming of age, Persephone deals with issues that are (in light of recent events) especially relevant to Toronto today: the nature of consent and the confusing road to recovery.

“My body belongs to the world and not myself alone,” Persephone reflects when her fate is determined by outside forces and her personal experience becomes everybody’s business. How does a girl become a woman and find her empowerment in the face of a mother and a husband who both seek possession of her? Persephone mixes witty repartee with heightened poetic text to explore all the nuances of these questions. It balances the fantastic and mythological with the more brutal truths of a female experience.
Persephone is bold, physical and visually striking, signature to the work of 22-year-old Director Claren Grosz (winner of My Entertainment World’s Outstanding Direction in Small Theatre 2015). It features an ensemble of nine and stars award winning international performer Christopher Sawchyn as Hades, four-season Stratford actress Jacklyn Francis as Demeter, and emerging actress Sydney Herauf as Persephone. It is produced by Pencil Kit Productions, an emerging theatre collective dedicated to generating brave, evocative new works that both challenge and delight.

 

Showtimes:

July 1st at 4:45 PM
July 2nd at 11:00 PM
July 4th at 6:15 PM
July 5th at 7:45 PM
July 7th at 12:15 PM
July 8th at 11:00 PM
July 9th at 12:00 PM

Venue: 
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo by : Jeff Parazo. Graphic Design: Rachel Bielak. Photo Features: Christopher Sawchyn, Keshia Palm.