A Company of Fools is Ottawa’s longest running independent professional Shakespeare company:our mandate is to produce innovative,entertaining and accessible shows based on the works of William Shakespeare.

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Antony and Cleopatra (July 4 –Aug. 20,2011)

Antony and Cleopatra

(July 4 –Aug. 20,2011,7 PM Showtime)

Torchlight Shakespeare

 

Antony and Cleopatra is hands-down Shakespeare’s funniest tragedy. It’s hard to believe the Fools have never tackled this dramatic duo before. After all,the famous lovers are as worthy of mockery as any Hollywood couple (Clantony? Antopatra? TMZ is still working on the nickname). Cleo is queen of the divas. One minute she’s the embodiment of style and grace,the next minute she’s the most petulant of spoiled brats. Tony is the Roman Empire’s answer to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. He neglects his wife and his state for the love of a seductress from way down south. As Tony dallies in Egypt with his celebrity paramour,the Roman Empire is coming apart at the seams. Conspiracies,double-crosses and back-stabbing abound in the power vacuum left behind in his absence. Finally,forced to choose between love and duty,Antony flip-flops between being a heroic leader and a hen-pecked lapdog faster than a pancake cook at IHOP. Cleo tries to stand by her man,but can’t keep herself from pulling his strings. From full-on sea battles to a botched “noble end” that is literally gut-wrenching,Antony and Cleopatra is tragedy on hyperbolic steroids. In the hands of a Company of Fools,all that over-wrought mayhem translates into pure comedy gold. It’s so OTT you’ll LOL when A+C are DEAD.

Performances begin each evening at 7:00 p.m. Admission is:“pass-the-hat-pay-what-you-can”with a suggested minimum donation of $10.

Directed by David Whiteley.

Starring:

Show Dates:

(Click the coloured link to see the location map )

SUNDAYMONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAY
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STRATHCONA PARKANTONY VINCENTALEXANDER GROVEMcDONALDSCENTRAL PARK
SANDY HILLMANOR PARKSTITTSVILLECORNERSTHE GLEBE
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No ShowSTRATHCONA PARKBRITANNIA PARKGLABAR PARKWATSON’S MILLPUSHMAN PARKRICHELIEU PARK
SANDY HILLTROLLEY STATIONCARLINGWOODMANOTICKSOUTH KEYSVANIER
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No ShowSTRATHCONA PARKCLARE GARDENSLA GRANGE B+BWESTON PARK
WINDSOR PARK
SANDY HILLWESTBOROWAKEFIELD
ALTA VISTA 

* Food Drive Heron Food Cupboard

OLD OTTAWA SOUTH
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No ShowSTRATHCONA PARKHIAWATHA PARKCENTREPOINTE PARKHINTONBURG PARK
SANDY HILLORLEANSNEPEANHINTONBURG
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No ShowSTRATHCONA PARKBLACKBURN PARKCLAUDETTE CAINBRIARGREEN PARKWALTER BAKER PARKSWING BRIDGE PARK
SANDY HILLBLACKBURN HAMLETRIVERSIDE SOUTHNEPEANKANATABURRITT’S RAPIDS
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No ShowSTRATHCONA PARKCORONATION PARKMOONEY’S BAYSTONECREST PARKPRIMROSE PARK
SANDY HILLRIVERVIEW  PARKRIVERSIDEBARRHAVENLE BRETON
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No ShowSTRATHCONA PARKCECIL MORRISONLYNWOOD PARKHERB GARDENANDREW HAYDONSTANLEY PARK
SANDY HILLEASTWAY GARDENSBELLS CORNERSALMONTENEPEANNEW EDINBURGH
 

David Whiteley

David Whiteley- Director

David is delighted to be directing for the Fools,after acting with them in Shakespeare under the Stars,The Merchant of Venus,and last summer’s  A Midsummer Night’s Dream. David acts,directs,makes music and writes for many local professional theatre companies including the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival,Odyssey Theatre,  Seven Thirty Productions and Third Wall Theatre,where he directed  The Brothers Menaechmus and his own critically acclaimed translation of The Misanthrope.  David’s translation/adaptations of Tartuffe,What Goes Around…and A Flea in Her Ear were all nominated for Rideau Awards,as was A Leave of Absinthe which he directed.
Last February,  David Launched Plosive Productions,directing The Importance of Being Ernest at The Gladstone. He is thrilled that Plosive and Seven Thirty will give new life to The Gladstone as a rental venue,with a Seven Thirty/ Plosive season of The 39 Steps,  Speed-the-Plow,  Dr. Fell,and  The Shadow.

 

Stewart Matthews

Stewart Matthews

 

Stewart Matthews-  Caesar,  Mardian,  Soothsayer

Stewart graduated from Wolverhampton University,England,in 1998 with a BA honours in theatre and philosophy. In 1998 Stewart co-founded Screwed and Clued Theatre Company,a physical theatre collective,Director,writer,performer credits include Shooting Up Shakespeare,Trench,Grimm Tales:A guide to modern manhood,Fitch &Cabbage,EN-GER-LAND!,Pinocchio,Tales from Another England and Zombies… a love story all performed on the Canadian Fringe circuit. He has also performed with both the Birmingham Royal Ballet (Les Noces1994) and the Vienna Festival Ballet (Sleeping Beauty 1995). In Canada,Stewart has played Eddy in Third Wall Theatre’s Greek,Icarus in Enigma Productions play of the same name written by himself for the G.C.T.C Late-Night Series,Man in Enigma Productions’ 52 Pick-Up and multiple roles for Third Wall Theatre including being the General Manager. Stewart is a qualified Reiki Master.

 

Cari Leslie

Cari Leslie- Antony and Cleopatra 2011

Cari Leslie- Iras,  Pompei,  Enobarbus
Cari Leslie is an actor and improviser from Ottawa.  She has worked with the Fools in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare’s Danish Play,earning her a Prix Rideau Award nomination for Emerging Artist last year.   A founding member of Crush Improv,  she has performed at improv festivals in Ottawa Toronto,Montreal and Vancouver,most recently appearing at this year’s Ottawa Fringe Festival in Spotlight On…

Cari has also travelled the world as the host of A World of Wonders onTVOKids,which was nominated for Best Children’s or Youth NonFiction Program or Series at the 2010 Geminis.

 

Catriona Leger

 

Catriona Leger –Cleopatra

Catriona is delighted to be appearing for the first time on the Torchlight Shakespeare stage and in such a monumental role. She directed the company’s 2004 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is always happy to work with the family that is a Company of Fools.  Her fifteen years in theatre have taken her across Canada and abroad but she feels most at home in Ottawa.  A recipient of the JBC Watkins Award from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Sidney J. Risk Award for Directing,Catriona is a graduate of Ecole Philippe Gaulier and holds a BFA in Acting and MFA in Directing from UBC.

Many Thanks to Neil Freeman.

 
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