2 actors
12 characters
Freedom 85!a comedy by Debra Hale

SOLD-OUT in Toronto
an AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD in New York.

NEXT PRODUCTION....
Theatre Orangeville
Feb 18 to March 7, 2010
info at: http://www.theatreorangeville.ca/

Highlights of NEW YORK Reviews

"Every element of the production, from the script, to the performances, to the direction and sound design, is impressive." "...dazzling the audience with their range and timing." NY Examiner, Lucy Di Rosa

"Hale's chameleon-like script matches the versatility of the actresses" "...razor wit sticking out from all sides" New Theatre Corps, Amanda Halkiotis

"made more enjoyable still by reason of all 12 characters being brought to life by two actresses." Robert Weinstein, nytheatre.com

Highlights of TORONTO Reviews

“Highly Recommended” TORONTO STAR

“on the risqué side of quaint” EYE WEEKLY

“nothing short of superb” BLOG TO

NEW YORK REVIEWS

NY ENTERTAINMENT EXAMINER, reviewed by Lucy Di Rosa

“Freedom 85”, a clever, entertaining, and touching one-act play that is part of the Frigid New York 2009 Festival, ends its New York run tomorrow (Sunday, Mar.8). Every element of the production, from the script, to the performances, to the direction and sound design, is impressive. The two actors, Debra Hale (who also wrote the piece) and Andrea Risk, are talented and energetic; they make an exciting team as they successfully take on the challenge of playing 12 distinctive characters of varying ages, ethnicities, and of both genders, without ever changing costumes or even leaving the stage.

The play introduces us to the feisty but fragile Sybil, an 85-year-old English immigrant who lives in the small town of Riverdale, in eastern Canada. Having just broken out of the retirement home that she refers to as “the morgue”, she befriends the wayward Kate, a younger woman who is trying to make a fresh start after a long struggle with personal demons in faraway Vancouver. Sybil, unaware of Kate’s troubled history, asks the younger woman to be her personal assistant, and complications arise as Sybil’s son, Duff, gets involved, and Kate slips back into her destructive pattern.

A comedy with poignant moments, the play takes us on a journey through Sybil’s past and present. Hale and Risk quickly create and re-create various settings and time periods with simplicity and specificity, dazzling the audience with their range and timing. I attended this afternoon’s performance and was pleased to see that the audience shared my enthusiasm as they gave the women a standing ovation, an occurrence that is rather rare off-off Broadway.

New Theatre Corps, reviewed by Amanda Halkiotis,

Debra Hale’s play Freedom 85! may be a condensed two-woman show, but multiple characters and slice-of-life storylines transcend this short, modest piece into an evening of thought-provoking and quality theater. Andrea Risk joins Ms. Hale onstage and throughout the night they switch in and out of different gender identities, ages, and ethnicities with ease and swiftness. Playing a sassy Jamaican diner owner trying to push the daily special of curried goat one minute and a shy recovering alcoholic new in town and looking for a fresh start the next, Hale gives an excellent performance with equal parts overflowing attitude and restrained vulnerability. As for Risk, first introduced as an aging British mother who refuses to move into an assisted living facility, she then almost instantaneously morphs into the concerned son who wants what’s best for his mother but can’t articulate the sentiment due to his gruff exterior. Matching the character versatility of the actresses, or perhaps because of it, Hale’s script has its own chameleon-like qualities, spanning geographical and historical distances. Director Kim Blackwell uses well-timed changes in music and lighting to make these shifts, but also maintains the theme of minimalism by limiting her use of any loud sound effects or bright flashes. This approach keeps the actors at the center of it all, letting them do all the work. It also keeps the pace moving and covers a lot of ground as it relates to plot while never allowing the audience to get too comfortable with one scene or character. Short, intermittent flashbacks, for example, keep too much backstory from clogging up the dialogue while also helping bring to light present-day motives or behavior. An elderly woman’s fear of living alone suddenly makes sense when you see her years earlier in WWII England, shielding herself from air raid bombs and sirens while also trying to keep her little sister safe. Even the less dramatic aspects of the script have an overwhelming sense of sincerity. Common enough incidents like the torture of starting a new waitressing job during a breakfast rush or drinking too much at a wedding where you don’t know anybody ring distinct and isolated onstage, evoking visceral gut reactions of sympathy and concern from the audience. With razor wit sticking out from all sides bound by a central theme of friendship, this play portrays the true landscape of a small-town diner and the stories behind its colorful regulars from all walks of life.

“Highly Recommended” TORONTO STAR
“on the risqué side of quaint” EYE WEEKLY
“nothing short of superb” BLOG TO

SOLD-OUT in Toronto---an AUDIENCE CHOICE in New York.

Toronto Reviews

TORONTO STAR, Bruce DeMara, Headline: Ladies Who Can Act

Rating: Highly Recommended
Talk about minimalist theatre that works. No lights, no curtains. Just two actors who enter and start playing a multiplicity of characters – female and male – in costumes better suited for spring cleaning. Yet somehow, Andrea Risk and Debra Hale draw us into a touching, compelling story about aging and loss that propels us back and forth from the present to wartime Britain; it's funny, sad, quirky and sweet all at once.

EYE REVIEW, Chris Bilton: THE BEST OF THE FRINGE LIST
Editorial Rating: 4 STARS
Andrea Risk and Debra Hale master the nuances of old men, British war brides, Jamaican restauranteurs and an odd-coupled octogenarian nursing home escapee and her alcoholic homecare assistant in this two-woman show. Such believability is only accentuated by the couple’s unbelievable execution of the clever blocking and fast-paced script that sweeps them through their many roles….benefits from many chuckle-worthy quips on the risqué side of quaint and at least a few genuinely touching dramatic turns.

Blog TO, Tatiana Kachira
Rating: two thumbs up + a standing ovation
"...one of the best shows Fringe 2008 has to offer. The play is about an 85-year-old who is trying to escape "the morgue" (as she "affectionately" calls her retirement home), and a younger woman, glad to take on the job of the old lady's "personal assistance". As it turns out, though, it is not clear which of the two needs the other's assistance more. The acting by Andrea Risk and Debra Hale is nothing short of superb. Each actress plays about half a dozen of instantly recognizable characters seemingly effortlessly. The play has just the right mix of dramatic moments, tragic moments, bittersweet moments, and, of course, lots of comedic moments.

Show History: Debuted at the 2008 Toronto Fringe. It was originally work-shopped by Thousand Islands Playhouse’s associate director Kathryn MacKay. The Toronto Fringe debut was directed by Kim Blackwell and Stage Managed by Alexis Chubb. Debra Hale’s two other plays have both had critical acclaim. I Won’t Tell A Soul (Gryphon Theatre; Port Hope Festival) review headline “Tell Everyone—play is really good” Cobourg Daily Star and “It’s worth telling your friends about.” Barrie Advance. Soul had 3 other productions, one of which was a divisional winner at ACT-CO. Heads Will Roll, first played at Fringe Nord. Press quote: “I was bowled over by the high quality…to date, theirs’ is the finest…Strong! Strong! Strong!” Sudbury Star.

KIM BLACKWELL BIO

Kim Blackwell, Director
Kim has been directing professionally for 17 years including eight seasons with 4th Line Theatre. She has directed 23 productions and 12 development workshops of new Canadian plays. Selected 4th Line credits include: artistic and producing associate since 2001; directing: Schoolhouse, The Art of Silent Killing, That Summer, Crow Hill, The Cavan Blazers, Attrition, and Gimme That Primetime Religion. Other select directing credits: Getting Lucky (Rhubarb!, 2005), Unlucky (Summerworks, 2003), The Ugly Man, Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), Poor Super Man, Unidentified Human Remains…, House, The Lover, Killer’s Head, Seduced (Black Well Theatre); Once A Flame, Fire in the Stable, The Shadow of Genius (Heritage Pavilion). Upcoming Kim will be directing the world premiere of Alex Poch-Goldin’s The Right Road to Pontypool (Summer 2009) Kim also runs Blackwell Communications. Her clients include Nightwood Theatre, Dancemakers, Tapestry, Contrary Company, Birdland Theatre, Adeona Productions, Theatre Direct and Stage Centre Productions.

DEBRA HALE BIO

Debra Hale, Writer, Actor: DEBRA HALE’S extensive theatre career includes the two-actor shows SEXY LAUNDRY (1000 Islands Playhouse) and Norm Foster’s STORM WARNING (Lighthouse, Theatre In Port and in Toronto’s Walmer Centre). She also starred in the comedies SOMETHING DRASTIC (Tarragon Extra Space) and leapt into the role of Constance Ledbelly in GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA, GOODMORNING JULIET (Magnus Theatre). On the serious side—the title role in Shaw’s ANNAJANSKA’S (Factory Studio) and spicy Ginger Reed in Lanford Wilson’s BOOK OF DAYS (Toronto). There are many other theatre credits around Ontario and Toronto. TV/film includes a recurring role on CBC’s WIND AT MY BACK, dozens of commercials and several independent films. She’s also a performance storyteller and her playwriting includes 2 produced plays; the thriller I WON’T TELL A SOUL (5 different theatres) and the comedy HEADS WILL ROLL (two festivals).

ANDREA RISK BIO

Andrea Risk, Actor. Andrea is a Toronto actress looking forward to spending time in NYC. She particularly looks forward to the challenge of playing multiple characters in Debra’s wonderful show. Interestingly, the first time Andrea and Debra worked together (oh so long ago!) was in the multi-charactered The Dining Room by A. R. Gurney, Jr. in which each actor performed up to nine roles apiece. Everything comes full circle! Some of Andrea’s favourite stage credits include Mary in the Canadian premiere of Caught in the Net and Jacqueline in Don’t Dress for Dinner (both at Victoria Playhouse Petrolia); Lucienne in A Flea in Her Ear (Drayton Festival); Maria in Lend Me a Tenor (King’s Wharf Theatre); Judith in Boeing Boeing (St. Jacob’s Schoolhouse Theatre); Lucky in Waiting for Godot (Toronto Studio Players) and over 500 performances as Barbara DeMarco in seven separate productions of Shear Madness. Most recently she performed at Stage West with the fabulous Peter Scolari and in Love Among the Lentils with First Stages in Port Hope.