The Canadian Premiere of Andrew Bovell’s Astounding Family Drama THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
For Immediate Release
Contact: John Karastamatis, Sue Toth, Randy Alldread – Mirvish Productions
Tickets on sale Saturday October 1
Starring Tom McCamus & Seana McKenna
David Mirvish and The Company Theatre, one of Toronto’s most acclaimed independent theatre companies, present the Canadian premiere of the acclaimed Australian family drama, Things I Know to be True, written by Andrew Bovell and directed by Philip Riccio.
The production will play February 1 to February 19, 2023 at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge Street, the second show in the 2022-23 Off-Mirvish season. Tickets for Things I Know to be True go on sale Saturday October 1
Things I Know to be True stars Tom McCamus, Seana McKenna, Alanna Bale, Christine Horne, Daniel Maslany, and Merlin Simard. The production features set design by Shannon Lea Doyle, lighting design by Nick Blais, costume design by Ming Wong, and sound design by Deanna Choi. The stage manager is Michael Sinclair.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Premiered in 2016 in Adelaide, Australia, produced by the State Theatre Company and the U.K.-based physical theatre company Frantic Assembly, the play was the eagerly awaited new work by one of Australia’s premiere playwrights and screenwriters. Andrew Bovell, whose past works include the international hits Speaking in Tongues and When the Rain Stops Falling, wanted to create something differently. He suggested he work with Geordie Brookman, the arstic director of the State Theatre Company, and a group of actors to workshop a play suggested solely by a book of photos by Gregory Crewdson, who is famous for his cinematic and eery images of the decay of small-town America.
From that starting point, and from a diverse collection of other source materials that were discovered during the show’s workshop creation period, Bovell fashioned a play about a family attempting to come to terms and find contentment in a world that is constantly changing, in ways both surprising and expected.
Things I Know to be True played to both popular and critical acclaim in Australia and then on an extensive UK tour.
“A thing of beauty. Exquisitely observed. An absolute gem.” - Daily Telegraph
“An intricate, inventive, study of family life. Genuinely beautiful.” - Evening Standard
“A deeply moving piece of theatre about family, parenting, identity and love.” - Limelight Magazine
“It is a rare thing for a suburban family drama to resonate quite as acutely and uncomfortably as Things I Know to Be True” - Radio Times
THE STORY
A poignant family drama with universal resonance, Things I Know to be True is the story of a year in the life of the Prices, a seemingly typical modern suburban family. Bob (Tom McCamus) works on the assembling line at a car factory and Fran (Seana McKenna) is a registered nurse. They have struggled to raise four children — Rosie (Alanna Bale), Pip (Christine Horne), Ben (Daniel Maslany) and Mia (Merlin Simard). Now in their sixties, with their children grown and independent, the couple looks forward to their retirement years.
But a parent’s job is never finished, and as the seasons change, Bob and Fran find themselves guiding and supporting their children as they each face life-altering changes that shake the foundation of the once stable family home. Some of the forces that change this family’s life are out of its control, such as new technology and the advancement of a encroaching global economy. Some are very personal.
With insight and humanity, Bovell has tapped into the poetry, beauty, and tragedy of everyday life to create a deeply moving play that will resonate with anyone who has ever been part of a family.
Ultimately, Things I Know to be True is a about familial love in many of its forms — at times comforting and supportive, at others suffocating and destructive.
ABOUT THE COMPANY THEATRE
Founded in 2005, The Company Theatre has produced some of Toronto’s most memorable productions over the last fifteen years. Working with Canada’s leading artists and showcasing some of the world’s outstanding and innovative new plays, The Company Theatre’s productions have included the Canadian premieres of Bruce Norris’s Domesticated, Annie Baker’s John, and, most recently, the multiple Dora Award-winning production of Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, starring Kim Coates. In 2012, The Company Theatre produced an acclaimed production of Andrew Bovell’s first international hit, Speaking in Tongues, at the Berkeley Street Theatre.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Philip Riccio
(He/him); Philip is a Dora and Toronto Theatre Critics Award winning actor, director and producer. He is the founding Artistic Director of The Company Theatre where he has directed Through The Leaves, Speaking in Tongues and Domesticated and performed in A Whistle in the Dark, Festen, The Test, The Seagull, John and Jerusalem. He has also worked at theatres across Canada including The Stratford Festival, Soulpepper Theatre, Centaur Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, Belfry Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Crow’s Theatre and Canadian Stage. Philip is also the creator and publisher of Intermission Magazine - www.intermissionmagazine.ca.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Andrew Bovell
Andrew Bovell is an Australian writer with a significant body of work across theatre, film and television. His most recent work for the stage was the co-authored play Anthem, which premiered at the 2019 Melbourne Festival with following seasons at the 2020 Sydney and Perth Festivals. Other recent plays include Things I Know to be True, When the Rain Stops Falling and The Secret River. Earlier works include Holy Day, Who’s Afraid of the Working Class, Speaking in Tongues, After Dinner and Ship of Fools. His screen credits include Lantana, Blessed, Head On, A Most Wanted Man an adaptation of the John Le Carre’ novel, Edge of Darkness and Strictly Ballroom. His six-part TV adaptation of Things I Know to be True has recently been announced by Amazon Studios and will star Nicole Kidman, who is also Executive Producing for Blossom Films. Andrew has served as a screenwriting consultant and mentor in Australia and Europe and has delivered numerous master classes on screenwriting and playwriting both in Australia and abroad. Andrew was awarded the Patrick White Fellowship by the Sydney Theatre Company in 2017 and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Flinders University in 2018.
ABOUT THE CAST
Tom McCamus Bob
(he/him): Tom has performed in theatres in Toronto and across Canada. He has been a leading player at the Shaw and Stratford Festivals for the past 40 years, where he has played roles ranging from Peter Pan to MacHeath and Richard the Third to George the Third and is currently playing King Lear for Soulpepper’s Queen Goneril and King Lear productions. Tom has been active in the film and television world appearing in such films as The Sweet Hereafter, Long Day’s Journey into Night and Room. He won the 1993 Genie award for Best Performance in a Leading Role for his work in I Love a Man in Uniform and is the recipient of an ACTRA award for his portrayal of Walter Gretzky in CBC’s The Walter Gretzky Story. Tom lives on a farm in Warkworth with his wife Chick Reid and their three dogs.
Seana McKenna Fran
(she/her): Born in Toronto, Seana is delighted to return to the city to make her debut with The Company Theatre. Most recently she performed in her 29th season at the Stratford Festival and directed Spit for Here and Now Theatre. Her Toronto credits include Yaga (Tarragon Theatre); Lear (Groundling Theatre); The Year of Magical Thinking (Tarragon/Belfry/NAC); Medea (RMTC/Mirvish); Doubt, Lucy, Boy Gets Girl, Benefactors (Canadian Stage); and The Three Sisters (BanffMasterclass/Equity Showcase). She has received three Dora Awards (acting: Saint Joan, Theatre Plus Toronto; Orpheus Descending, RCTC/Mirvish. Directing: Valley Song (New Globe); a Jessie Award (Wit, Vancouver Playhouse/CanStage); a Calgary Critics Award (as Shylock for The Shakespeare Company); a Genie Award (The Hanging Garden); a Diamond Jubilee Medal; a Doctor of Sacred Letters from Trinity College, U of T and an Honorary MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. In 2019, she was invested into the Order of Canada.
Alanna Bale Rosie
(she/her): Alanna made the move to Toronto to attend Toronto Metropolitan University... and hasn't left since! She graduated from the Performance Program and found her place within various theatre companies, but soon after, decided to make the switch to film and television. She is beyond thrilled to be back on stage. Some credits include; Kicking Blood (New Real Films), Cardinal (CTV), Sort Of (HBO Max/ CTV), Killjoys (SyFy/ Space Network), Enhanced (JP Action Films), Transplant (CTV), The Marijuana Conspiracy (Pot Luck Films), Coroner (CBC), and Nurses (NBC).
Christine Horne Pip
(she/her): Christine’s stage credits include Light (Tarragon) Prince Hamlet, Iceland (Why Not Theatre), Portia’s Julius Caesar (Shakespeare in the Ruff), Asking For It (Crow’s/Nightwood), Tom At The Farm (Buddies), The Seagull (Crow’s), Belleville (Company Theatre), Vimy, Farther West (Soulpepper), Between the Sheets (Nightwood), The Great Gatsby (The Grand), Andromache (Necessary Angel), Romeo and Juliet (Canadian Stage), The Turn of the Screw (DVxT), and Miss Julie: Sheh’mah (KICK Theatre). She was part of the Langham Director’s Workshop in 2021 at Stratford where she co-adapted and assistant directed Romeo and Juliet. Christine has also worked extensively in film and television and is currently filming Fellow Travelers for Showtime. She has received a Dora Award, a Canadian Screen Award, and the Birks Diamond Tribute to Women in Film. She is a member of the Collective Artistic Leadership of Shakespeare in the Ruff. Christine is currently in rehearsal for Three Sisters with The Howland Company.
Daniel Maslany Ben
(he/him): Daniel has performed in theatres across Canada with Alberta Theatre Projects, Caravan Farm Theatre, and 2b Theatre. His solo show O.C.Dean premiered at Globe Theatre in Saskatchewan in 2013, and then toured to Uno Fest in B.C. in 2014. He starred in the Canadian premiere of Stupid F*cking Bird by Aaron Posner in 2017. Daniel was a regular on the sci-fi drama series Impulse for YouTube Originals and starred on CBC’s offbeat comedy series Four in the Morning. He is a series regular on CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries and will appear in the upcoming CBC limited series Essex County. His short film credits include: The Mohel, Ingredients, and I Am In The World As Free And Slender As A Deer On A Plain. Daniel was chosen as one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Rising Stars in Canada for their TIFF edition in 2018.
Merlin Simard Mia
(she/they/iel/elle): Merlin is a performer, playwright, dramaturge, and filmmaker originally from Tiohtiá:ke (Montréal) now based in Tkarón:to (Toronto). Her practice focuses on themes of access, gender euphoria, technology, and multilingual performance. As a performer, Merlin has worked with Stratford, Factory Theatre, Crow's Theatre, Outside The March, Buddies In Bad Times, and many other theatre companies across Turtle Island. She has also acted on Grand Army (Netflix) and This Life (CBC). They co-founded and co-run, bigT, a theatre collective seeking to uplift intersectional trans voices. She is developing several projects spanning across theatre and VR with the support of Theatre Passe Muraille (Fear of Men), Théâtre Français de Toronto (Zaddy Issues), and Nightwood Theatre (a free britney), amongst others. @hussy4hussy
