As part of the Finborough Theatre’s celebrations of Canada’s 150th birthday, Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill, “the hottest name in Canadian theatre”, will debut his play, Late Company, at the Finborough Theatre, for a strictly limited season from 25 April – 20 May 2017, with press nights on 27 April/28 April.
One year after a terrible tragedy; 2 sets of parents, one dead son, one living son. Who is to blame?
A suburban dinner party for closure after 17 year-old Joel commits suicide. The guests; his heartbroken mother and father, his so-called tormentor Curtis, and his parents.
Far from finding the peace they seek, the dinner strips bare their good intentions to reveal layers of parental, sexual, and political hypocrisy.
Written with sensitivity and humour, Late Company explores restorative justice, cyber bullying, and the ever-changing complexities of parenthood in the 21st century.
The full cast for Late Company are: Todd Boyce (Michael), David Leopold (Curtis), Alex Lowe (Bill), Lucy Robinson (Debora) and Lisa Stevenson (Tamara).
Jordan Tannahill (writer) is a Canadian playwright and filmmaker and has been described as “the future of Canadian theatre” by NOW Magazine. His work has been presented in theatres, festivals, and galleries across Canada and internationally.
Jordan’s plays have been honoured with various prizes including the 2014 Governor Generals Award for Drama for his book Age of Minority: Three Solo Plays, the 2014 John Hirsch Prize for directing, and Dora Awards for ‘Outstanding New Play’ for rihannaboi95 in 2013 and Concord Floral in 2015. Concord Floral also received the 2015 Carol Bolt Award and was shortlisted for the 2016 Governor General’s Award for Drama. In 2016 Botticelli in the Fire & Sunday in Sodom won the Toronto Theatre Critics Award for ‘Best New Play’ and it’s production at Canadian Stage received the Dora Award for ‘Outstanding Production’.
Jordan is currently working on new projects with the National Theatre (UK), the National Film Board of Canada, and the Stratford Festival.
“An extremely captivating and enormously enjoyable show”
Set in and around the high rise building sites of Dubai, Carmen Nasr’s thought provoking work explores the contrast between the glittering, almost hedonistic lifestyle of those inhabiting the emirate and the stark reality endured by those building it.
The play explores the plight of the underpaid and poorly treated workforce, mainly migrants from India hoping to create a better life for their families back home. Alongside these workers are the ex-pats, living the dream and making huge amounts of cash by selling the luxury lifestyle to others.
Between these two opposite sides comes Clara (Miztli Rose Neville), a feisty young journalist and former close friend of Jamie (Nicholas Banks) one of the marketing team or a ‘Creative Digital PR Specialist’ as he calls himself. Under the guise of being a shopping correspondent covering an exhibition, she seeks to uncover the truth behind the alarming amount of workplace ‘accidents’ and deaths; a path that will lead her to betray her friend and expose herself to danger.
The design of the show (Bex Kemp) is incredibly simple yet remarkably effective. Who’d haev thought a few two feet square perspex boxes could be so adaptable? Subtle lighting (Robbie Butler) and a skillful use of sound (Jack Burton) alongside a few basic props take us effortlessly between scenes, whether we’re atop a skyscraper with the workers or out enjoying the indulgence of a boozy bar scene.
The two featured workers are portrayed well by Adi Chugh (as Amar) and Varun Sharma (as Tanveer), allowing the audience to feel their pain from the loves and lives they’ve left behind. It’s fair to say that the whole cast were believable and put on a deft performance; Nicholas Banks giving a particularly strong and perceptive portrayal of Jamie.
The show itself is very believable. It’s a situation which everyone knows goes on, but it’s more convenient and lucrative to brush it under the carpet.
This is a well researched piece and extremely engaging to watch. A credit to the writer and director (Georgie Staight) and the cast. Definitely in need of a longer run.
