I WALKED THE LINE
BY ALLAN MORGAN
A Bread & Roses Production, sponsored by the Other Guys Theatre, presented by Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre, part of the chinook series
A play about unions, treachery,
solidaritY, porta potties, baked goods, and hope.
Vancouver-based professional actor Allan Morgan hit a dry spell and did what most actors do in that situation: he got another job. I Walked the Line is an autobiographical solo show encapsulating Morgan’s shift from unemployed actor to real-life suburban union hall mailroom clerk, after taking a position in the mailroom of a union headquarters building. He enjoyed the experience and his colleagues, embracing his new role with the same enthusiasm and dedication that he had applied to his life in theatre productions. But suddenly, he and his colleagues were locked out by the union management. This is Allan’s personal story of being locked out by a union, of the strike, and of his experiences in keeping spirits up while soles, and souls, are fraying.
VENUE
The Backstage Theatre
10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB
RUNNING TIME
70 minutes
PERFORMANCE DATES
Friday, February 14th @ 7:00pm
Saturday, February 15th @ 7:00pm
Sunday, February 16th @ 4:00pm (**Relaxed Performance)
MEET THE TEAM
Allan is very pleased to be back on the stage where he has been at home for more than thirty years. Some highlights include appearing in London, GB, Adelaide Australia, Wellington NZ and San Francisco all with The Overcoat. He appeared for several seasons at Bard on the Beach, notably in The Tempest as Prospero, as well as King John, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. He has toured across Canada with the Electric Company in Studies in Motion. He has appeared at The Belfry, notably in The Drawer Boy, Dirty Blonde, and I Am My Own Wife for which he received the Victoria Critic's Award for best performance. Other favourites include Red, Thinking of Yu, and Abraham Lincoln Goes to the Theatre for ATP in Calgary.
ALLAN MORGAN**,
Playwright and Performer
Tobin is a regular Other Guy, co-creating shows such as Good Timber, Moodyville Tales, and Flotsam and Jetsam. He's currently writing music for Slug Run, a new musical about slugs (yes!) with Ross Desprez. He's created sound designs and original compositions for various shows at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria. Tobin is an opera composer, and wrote Pauline with Margaret Atwood for City Opera Vancouver, which premiered in 2014. His opera Fallujah premiered with Long Beach Opera in California, and New York City Opera, in New York City, in 2016. His opera Rattenbury premiered with the Other Guys and Pacific Opera Victoria in 2017. Tobin is the Social Media Manager for the online coastal science magazine, Hakai Magazine, which is sort of like an office mail clerk gig, but digital. He's currently finishing his MFA in creative writing at UBC.
TOBIN STOKES, Sound Design
Ross Desprez is a theatre artist, teacher and the founding Artistic Director of the Other Guys Theatre Company. With the Other Guys he has written, directed, performed or been the lead collaborator on numerous original musical productions including: Sex: the Musical, The Ballad of Jim Payne, Moodyville Tales, Good Timber and The lncompleat Folksinger. He has directed, written, composed music or performed in productions for the Belfry Theatre, The Manitoba Theatre Centre, Rainbow Stage, Theatre SKAM, The Arts Club Theatre, Theatre One and Theatre Royal Barkerville. Fringe creations include The Ballad of Phil Ochs, Sex the Musical and Carmanah Man. Ross has also directed over 20 productions for Vancouver Island University where he is an instructor of acting and directing.
ROSS DESPREZ , Director
Sandy is thrilled to be the production coordinator for I Walked the Line. Her career has spanned over 30 years and every province in the country. From her early days in the dance world (Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Judith Marcuse Dance Company, Universal Ballet of Seoul, Korea) through a stretch of freelance work (Theatre Passe Muraille, Muskoka Festival, Stratford Festival) to many years with Pacific Opera Victoria, she has enjoyed a diverse and exciting career in stage management and production. After twelve years based on Gabriela Island, Sandy is happy to be freelancing once again, working with friends, old and new, and to make Victoria her home again.
SANDY CUMBERLAND Production Coordinator
Margaret Handford is an artist and designer who works in theatre and film. She has worked in Vancouver as crew on corporate events, worked on Vancouver Island as a designer for not-for-profit organizations, and designed for events held in Banff and in Orlando. She painted over fifteen productions at the Chemainus Theatre Festival, had scenic painting work sent to Hawaii, and helped build props sent to Prague. Margaret has worked in the Art Departments of two films, a TV show, and an Apple web series. The majority of her current work is on Vancouver Island working with local theatre companies and university theatre departments. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre from the University of Victoria and a Post-Degree Diploma in Business Studies from Vancouver Island University. Margaret is excited to work on Allan Morgan's I Walked the Line. Many, many thanks to everyone in the production.
MARGARET HANDFORD,
Set & Costume Design
R. ROBINSON WILSON Lighting Designer
Bio and photo coming soon
** “The participation of this Artist is arranged by permission of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (CAEA) under the provisions of the Dance, Opera, Theatre Policy (DOT).”
REVIEWS…
“Whatever your political stance on unions and strikes, ‘I Walked the Line’ reminds us that revenge can sometimes best be served as a clever piece of political theatre.”
“Allan Morgan does a great job capturing all the emotions you can feel on a picket line. I found myself laughing and crying as he played out his story. This play shares an important message, whether you’re a union activist or anyone working for a living, and you get to see the triumph of spirit and the overcoming of adversity unfold before your eyes.”
Part of the Chinook Series
#2HOTWEEKS
FIND CHINOOK …
ONLINE chinookseries.ca
ON TWITTER @ChinookSeries
ON INSTAGRAM @ChinookSeries
ON FACEBOOK Chinook Series