CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS PROGRAM
Tuesday, June , pm Wednesday, June , pm Bigger Th an Jesus Th urday, June , pm Friday, June , pm Created by Rick Miller and Daniel Brooks Saturday, June , pm & pm Performed by Rick Miller* Zellerbach Playhouse Directed by Daniel Brooks WYRD Productions with Necessary Angel Th eatre Company Designed by Beth Kates* and Ben Chaisson present *appearing courtesy of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association Bigger Th an Jesus
CAST All roles performed by Rick Miller.
Production/Stage Manager, Designer Beth Kates Video Design Ben Chaisson & Beth Kates Sound Design & Video/Sound Operator Ben Chaisson Technical Director Ben Chaisson Graphic Design Craig Francis Design Special Multimedia & Web www.EnTechneVision.com www.BiggerTh anJ.com
Artist Managment Robert Friedman Presents th Avenue Th is performance is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the members of the San Francisco, California Cal Performances Producers Circle and Friends of Cal Performances. www.rfpresents.com
Cal Performances thanks our Centennial Season Sponsor, Wells Fargo. THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION.
14 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 15 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Necessary Angel Th eatre Company, in association Rick Miller (co-author, performer) trained in tour); Assistant Lighting Designer for Geomerty Ben Chaisson (technical director, designer) has with the Factory Th eatre (Toronto) and WYRD Montreal as an architect, actor, musician and of Miracles (Robert Lepage/Ex Machina), Uncle worked for WYRD Productions since , and Productions, produced the world premiere of playwright, and has performed in three languages Vanya (Soulpepper) and Hunger Striking (Th eatre has designed the sound and video for Into the Ring Bigger Th an Jesus at the Factory Th eatre in on four continents. As artistic director of WYRD Passe Muraille); Lighting Designer for Spurt of and Bigger Th an Jesus. His sound, video and set November . Bigger Th an Jesus was originally Productions, an internationally acclaimed Blood and Miinigoowezewin (Banff Arts Festival), designs for Bigger Th an Jesus (with wife Beth Kates) developed by the Manitoba Th eatre Centre, in as- company devoted to multidisciplinary theatre, Anaconda (Tangent Montreal), the Dora Award- were nominated for two Dora Awards, as sociation with WYRD Productions, in April . he has created and performed shows such as winning Music for Contortionist (Tarragon/Shaw well as two Betty Awards. Previously, Ben was the Necessary Angel and WYRD Productions contin- Art?, Slightly Bent, Into the Ring (co-created Festival) and numerous works by award-winning Head of Audio at the Premiere Dance Th eatre ued its development with workshops throughout with Dawson Nichols) and the worldwide hit choreographer Learie McNicols. In addition to in Toronto and the Head of Audio and Sound the fall of , culminating in workshop produc- MacHomer. Th e two latest WYRD Productions also designing Slightly Bent, MacHomer and Into Design at Montreal’s Centaur Th eatre. During his tions at Th eatre Passe Muraille (Toronto), One are co-creations with director Daniel Brooks and the Ring for WYRD Productions, Beth tours with three years there, he created original sound designs Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo (Cal- Necessary Angel Th eatre Company: Bigger Th an the productions and has been WYRD’s resident for over productions, including the Masque gary) and Catalyst Th eatre (Edmonton). Jesus and the upcoming HardSell. Bigger Th an Jesus Designer and Stage Manager since . Her nominated Wit, and the Dora Award-winning is now in its third year of international touring, work on Bigger Th an Jesus earned her (along with For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again. A graduate Incorporated in January of , WYRD and is being performed in English, German and hubby Ben Chaisson) two Dora Award of Dalhousie University, Ben also trained at the Productions has been involved in the development Italian (a French production is in the works, as is nominations and the Dora Award for Banff Centre for the Arts, where he was the audio of new theatre since . Founded by Rick Miller a feature fi lm). Rick is also a frequent collaborator Outstanding Lighting Design. She is currently engineer for the world premiere opera Zurich . as a company devoted to multidisciplinary artistic with director Robert Lepage, having worked on working with Ben, Daniel and Rick on the new He is currently creating a number of his own new creation, it has since evolved into one of Canada’s such plays as La Géométrie des Miracles, Zulu production Hard Sell, along with taking many works, and is busy making noise and images for leading international exporters of culture. Blending Time (co-created with Peter Gabriel), on the fi lm photos in lovely cities around the world. the latest Brooks/Miller creation Hard Sell. theatre and comedy, art and entertainment, music Possible Worlds, and on the new play Lipsynch, and multimedia, WYRD has produced the award- which will premiere in February . He lives in winning shows MacHomer, Art?, Slightly Bent, Me, Toronto with his wife Stephanie Baptist and their Myself & MacHomer, Into the Ring (with Dawson daughter, Vivian. Nichols) and Bigger Th an Jesus (with Daniel Brooks). In the – season, WYRD Director, writer, actor, and producer, Daniel began touring a new th anniversary version of Brooks (co-author, director) has won accolades and MacHomer and gave the United States, European awards for such productions as Here Lies Henry, and German-language premieres of Bigger Th an Th e Noam Chomsky Lectures, House, Insomnia and Jesus. In –, Bigger Th an Jesus will premiere Faust. Among the awards he has won or been in French and Italian, with a feature fi lm version nominated for are the Dora Mavor Moore Award, also in the works. Finally, work will continue on the Chalmers Award, the Edinburgh Fringe First the much-anticipated HardSell, a new WYRD and Award and the Governor General’s Literary Award Necessary Angel collaboration from the creative for Drama. He is the recipient of the inaugural team of Rick Miller and Daniel Brooks. Contact Elinor & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Th eatre. He WYRD Productions at () - and www. co-founded the Augusta Company, helped build wyrdproductions.com. da da kamera as an International touring company, was an Associate Artist at Buddies in Bad Times, Based in Toronto, Necessary Angel Th eatre was an artist in residence at the Tarragon Th eatre Company has been an infl uential and original and has an on going association with Soulpepper presence in Canadian Th eatre for more than Th eatre. His work has toured across the country years. Outstanding productions developed at and around the world. Daniel was appointed Necessary Angel have won numerous local and the Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Th eatre national awards. Th e Company is committed to Company in January . the long-term development of new and original works. In , Daniel Brooks, one of Canada’s Beth Kates (production/stage manager, designer) most innovative theatre artists, assumed leadership has worked as a Lighting Designer and Stage of the Company from its founding artistic director. Manager in rock and roll, dance, theatre and Visit Necessary Angel at www.necessaryangel.com. opera across Canada, the United States, New Necessary Angel Th eatre Company is supported Zealand and Australia. Her career highlights by BMO Financial Group. include Stage Manger for Evita (New Zealand
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