The Tao of the World

February 11 - 13, 2022

University Theatre, University of Calgary (230 University Court NW, Calgary)

 

In-Person Performances (university community only): $22 (adults) /$17 (students/seniors)

Friday, February 11 & Saturday February 12 - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 13 -  2 p.m.

Live Stream: $10 (per household)

Saturday, February 12 - 7:30 p.m.
*Please note that the cut off time to purchase tickets for the live stream is Friday, February 11 at 1 p.m.

Digital Stream: $10 (per household)

Monday, February 14 - 7:30 p.m.
*Please note that the cut off time to purchase tickets for the live stream is Monday, February 14 at 1 p.m.
**The link for this recording will remain accessible until Friday Feb. 18 at 4pm.

I wrote most of this adaptation in June 2021, a time of great optimism. I had just received my second vaccination shot and the general feeling was that better days were just ahead. It didn't seem imprudent to be writing a play set in a post-pandemic world that would premiere in February 2022.

Then the Omicron variant showed just how presumptuous I had been. This fifth wave would require us to rehearse and perform while masked—an unfortunate circumstance for anyone directing a play where the idiot playwright has written an unusually large amount of kissing and drinking.
 

After much deliberation, I decided not to rewrite the script to acknowledge our current situation. This means that you will see masked performers proclaiming how glorious it is to walk around unmasked. I'm hoping that rather than finding this confusing you will accept this convention of the clear mask for what it is: a hopeful yearning for better times.

*****

Writing a new script is never a solitary endeavour; I've been blessed with incredible support during the creation of this play. Thank you to my agent, Colin Rivers of Marquis Literary. Thanks to my wonderful writers group comprising Carmen Aguirre, Elaine Avila, Leanna Brodie, Lucia Frangione, Meghan Gardiner, and Shawn Macdonald.

Thanks to all the participants of a July 2021 script workshop: dramaturge Jenna Rodgers, apprentice dramaturge Kodie Rolian, and actors Kathleen Ballangan, Christine Brubaker, Nicco Garcia, Jeff Ho, Maggie Kwong, Curt McKinstry, Amy On, Angad Singh, Agnes Tong, and Raugi Yu.

Thanks to the University of Calgary and, in particular, to Christine Brubaker, my supervising professor on this production; to Clem Martini, who advised me during the creation of this script; and to April Viczko, Andrew North, and Bruce Barton.

Thanks to the entire company of The Tao of the World—our talented cast, designers, technicians, crew, and stage management team. It's been a pleasure discovering this play with you.

Finally, my profound thanks to Leanna Brodie, my partner in all things.

- Jovanni Sy, Director

The Tao of the World

by Jovanni Sy

 

With

ELEANOR Stephanie Alexandre

LADY HELENA Kathleen Ballangan

THE UNSEEN Sunny Bao

OLGA Amber Billingsley

THE UNSEEN Alison Bloxham

THE UNSEEN Keith Boniol

TREVOR Christian Daly

THE UNSEEN Camryn Hathaway

LUCINDA Sofia Huarte Aguilar

EDWARD Van Huynh

THE UNSEEN Doriane Irakoze

THE UNSEEN Joti Janda

THE UNSEEN Joyce Kabengele

ARABELLA Maggie Kwong

FANGIRL Kailey Leong

MILLICENT Amy On

JACKSON Noah Richardson

DEVAN Angad Singh

KAMILA Joseri Villarta

WILSON Sebastien Wong

THE UNSEEN Aaron Zhu

 

Creative Team

DIRECTOR Jovanni Sy 

DRAMATURG Jenna Rodgers

CHOREOGRAPHER Amber Billingsley

SET DESIGNER Scott Reid  

COSTUME DESIGNER Bonnie Garland

LIGHTING DESIGNER Jared Raschke

SOUND DESIGNER Nirad Menon  

MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS Cathy Nosaty

MUSICAL DIRECTOR / ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Joseph McManus

SCENIC PAINTER Cassie Holmes

MANDARIN TRANSLATION Fangzheng (Nick) Wang

STAGE MANAGER Eden Middleton

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER – COSTUMES Emily Candy  

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER – PROPS Bailey Williamson

ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER Cassie Holmes

LIGHTING AND SOUND BOARD OPERATOR Jason Schwarz

MICROPHONES AND MIXING Patrick Marchand

DIRECTING SUPERVISOR Christine Brubaker

DESIGN SUPERVISOR April Viczko

VOICE & DIALECT COACH Jane MacFarlane

 

BACKSTAGE CREW Matthew Lane, Sabrena Shah Baigzada, Allison Weninger

DRESSERS Scarlett Hutchison, Mitchell Kirby, Andres Munoz, Quinn Smith

 

MAKEUP* Tia Choi, Heather Christmas, Taylor Foden, Alyssa Niedzielski

HAIR*  Maya Rothstein

*Courtesy of MC College

 

PAINT CREW Kathleen Ballangan, Stephanie Bessala, Katriona Dunn, Matthew Lane, Kyla Lomocso, Claude McCaffery, Nirad Menon, Eden Middleton, Christopher Mosimann, Sabrena Shah Baigzada, Rachael Stade, Enobong Ukpong, Allison Weninger

 

COSTUMES CREW Connor Anderson, Shannon Dagg, Erin Mackey

PROPERTIES CREW Sunny Bao, Abby Robbins, Allison Weninger

CAMERA CREW Gabriela Barrera Dominguez, Christopher Mosimann

 

Graphic Design

Egg Press Co.

 

Special Thanks

MC College, Jessica Reddon, Director, Calgary Campus

MC College, Heather Christmas, Esthetics Instructor

Theatre Calgary

Nancy Janzig, Interim Costume Supervisor

Allison Weninger and Jordyn Moss – Stage Management rehearsal replacements

Alex Bohn – sound and camera setup and streaming assistance

 

School of Creative and Performing Arts

DIRECTOR Bruce Barton

DANCE DIVISION LEAD Marie France Forcier

DRAMA DIVISION LEAD Christine Brubaker

MUSIC DIVISION LEAD Rod Squance

PERFORMANCE AND ARTIST COORDINATOR Kathy Race

COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING ADVISOR Satoko (Tokie) Brideaux

DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS MANAGER Mary Lou Mendyk

ACADEMIC PROGRAM SPECIALIST Constantina Caldis Roberts

RECEPTIONIST AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Elizabeth Violo

 

University Theatre Services

VENUE & CLIENT RELATIONS MANAGER David Fraser

VENUE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR Abir Bachir

FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER Lizzy Evashkevich

BOOKING ADMINISTRATOR

LIGHTING TECHNICIAN Jason Schwarz

AUDIO TECHNICIAN Alex Bohn

STAGE TECHNICIAN Patrick Marchand

 

Drama Technical Staff

PRODUCTION MANAGER Andrew North

TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR Trevor McDonald

SCENIC CARPENTER Scott Freeman

COSTUME SUPERVISOR Robert Laflamme

PROPERTIES MASTER Celina Baharally

PRACTICUM STUDENTS

• PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Jacob Sunderland, Allison Weninger
• PROPERTIES Abby Robbins
• COSTUMES Conor Anderson

STUDENT ASSISTANTS Sunny Bao, Kathleen Ballangan, Stephanie Bessala, Leah Cole, Shannon Dagg, katriona Dunn, Kiauna Harder, Megan Klick, Atiyyah Ladipo, Matthew Lane, Mikhaila Lomocso, Erin MacKey, Claude McCaffery, Nirad Menon, Eden Middleton, Christoper Mosimann, Sabrena Shah Baigzada, Jacob Sunderland, Allison Weninger

• Those who are feeling ill, and particularly those with COVID-19 type symptoms identified by Alberta Health Services cannot attend events on campus.
• Non-medical grade face masks must be worn in all indoor areas on University of Calgary campuses, included while seated during a performance.
• Upon entry to the venue, ALL visitors that are 12 years of age and older must present proof of full vaccination status. All visitors over the age of 18 must also present a piece of Government issued ID with their picture. Youth aged 12-17 will only be required to show their QR code. Children under 12 are not required to show documentation.
• As of November 15, 2021, the only valid Alberta proof of vaccination will be the Alberta vaccine records with a QR code. Vaccination records from First Nations, military, other provinces and international travelers will continue to be accepted.
• SCPA events are currently limited to reduced 2/3 audience capacity. We highly recommend booking your tickets in advance to guarantee admittance.
• Non-ticketed SCPA events will be seated on a first come, first served, basis. Please be advised that capacity is limited, and we cannot guarantee admittance.
• Please plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance. Current documentation screening requirements will demand additional time to seat audience in the venue.

For more information, visit UCalgary’s Visitors to Campus page.