Beowulf in Afghanistan to make world premiere at GCTC
iPhoto caption: Beowulf in Afghanistan graphic courtesy of GCTC.
As part of its 50th anniversary season, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) will program the world premiere of Laurie Fyffe’s Beowulf in Afghanistan, in a production directed by Company of Fools artistic director Kate Smith.
The play follows a Canadian soldier who is injured while deployed in Afghanistan. While unconscious, he falls into a mythical world reminiscent of the epic poem Beowulf, with one of his former professors as his guide.
“Laurie grounds the experience of Canadians at war abroad in a tale of myth, resulting in a timeless and urgent investigation into the stories we tell about heroes, monsters and ourselves,” said GCTC artistic director Sarah Kitz in an interview. “The writing is exquisite, the questions are critical, and the production is full of theatrical magic.”
“It has been an honour watching [Fyffe] develop this piece over the past few years, and to witness its evolution from storytelling piece to playscript,” said Smith. “Theatre is the most collaborative art form, and guiding the artistic team in interpreting Laurie’s rich text has posed exciting questions about visual storytelling.”
The play was developed as part of GCTC’s Tributary Project, a community development initiative that supports local theatre ideas in Ottawa with the end goal of a mainstage production at GCTC.
Beowulf in Afghanistan runs from November 12 – 24 at GCTC. Tickets are available here.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's senior editor and an award-winning arts journalist with bylines including the New York Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CBC Arts, and Maclean's. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
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