The Search Party Presents ‘The Father’ Nov. 20-30 at Vancity Culture Lab

The Search Party Presents its Inaugural Production and Western Canadian Premiere of

The Father

A Tragic Comedy 

Written by Florian Zeller and translated by Christopher Hampton 

Newly formed theatre company The Search Party presents its debut production, The Father, from Wednesday, November 20 to Saturday, November 30, 2019 at the Vancity Culture Lab at The Cultch.

Founded by Mindy Parfitt, The Search Party exists to bring emotionally powerful and aesthetically rigorous productions to Vancouver stages. The Father is a multi-award-winning play written by one of the most exciting playwrights of our time, Florian Zeller. This production marks the Western Canadian premiere of Zeller’s work.

“I was fortunate to see Florian Zeller’s work in London,” says Parfitt. “I was so taken by the writing, I knew I wanted to direct one of his pieces. They pose the perfect challenge – how to clearly depict reality, when reality is unreliable. The Father is an exquisitely written play that allows the audience to experience the disorienting nature of dementia.”

The Father is a deeply moving and unsentimental portrayal of the realities of living with dementia. Winner of the 2014 Moliére Award (France’s most prestigious theatre prize) for best new play, The Father took Paris, London and New York by storm, garnering a plethora of awards and accolades along the way. It is a deeply moving, fearless, and humanizing portrayal of a man in mental decline whose daughter desperately tries to care for him as he fights to maintain his autonomy and identity.

With performances by some of Vancouver’s leading theatre artists including Kevin McNulty, Jillian Fargey, Steven Lobo, Agnes Tong, Emma Slipp and Kayvon Khoshkam, The Father is not to be missed. 

“Over one million people in Canada are directly or indirectly affected by dementia,” adds Parfitt. “Its sufferers are increasingly silenced, not only by the illness, but also by societies dismissal of their individuality and voice. The idea of forgetting who you are, what you love, your closest friends and family is unfathomable. How can we begin to understand this kind of devastation? This isolation? Predominantly, the conversation surrounding dementia is focused on treatment and institutionalization. The Father reframes the conversation to focus on the experience of the illness.”

November 20-30, 2019 | Vancity Culture Lab | 1895 Venables Street

Opening Night:  November 21 at 8:00pm

Preview:  November 20, 8:00pm (PWYD)

Performance Times:  November 20-23, 26-30 at 8:00pm

Matinees:  November 24 & 30 at 2:00pm

Tickets:  From $25 online at tickets.thecultch.com or by phone at 604.251.1363

Post Show Talkback:  November 24

Credits for The Father:

Written by:  Florian Zeller

Translated by: Christopher Hampton

Produced by:  The Search Party

Directed by:  Mindy Parfitt

Performances by:  Kevin McNulty, Jillian Fargey, Steven Lobo, Agnes Tong, Emma Slipp, and Kayvon Khoshkam

Set Design by:  Amir Ofek

Costume Design by:  Jessica Oostergo

Lighting Design by:  Itai Erdal

Sound Compositions by:  Owen Belton

The Search Party is committed to a strong cohesion between text and design. For more information, please visit the following platforms:

Website: www.tsitr.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesearchpartyyvr (#thefatheryvr; #thesearchpartyyvr)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesearchpartyyvr (#thefatheryvr; #thesearchpartyyvr)

 

Media release and image provided by Teresa Trovato, Teresa Trovato PR

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