Poculi Ludique Societas

PLS Presents, with the generous support of the Connaught Fund,
two medieval English morality plays — on tour across the UK:

MANKIND
(a mischievously cautionary tale, with poop)

THE PRIDE OF LIFE
(a mor[t]ality play,
whose lost second half is reimagined differently at every show!)

TOURING THE UK IN JULY 2016!

ALL SHOWS ARE FREE (donations gratefully accepted!)
AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. NO TICKETS NECESSARY!

Please SPREAD THE WORD
to FRIENDS IN THE UK
(and NERDS EVERYWHERE)!

Wed 6 July, 7pm, Leeds: MANKIND
— at the University of Leeds Beechgrove Plaza
(directions: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/campusmap?location=1135)

Fri 8 July, 12:30pm, Durham: MANKIND
— in Durham’s Town Square (you can’t miss us!)

Sun 10 July: PRIDE OF LIFE World Premiere, 12:30pm
— at Durham University’s Joachim Room
(directions: https://www.dur.ac.uk/about/location)

Wed 13 July, 6:30pm, east London: PRIDE OF LIFE
— at the People’s Palace Great Hall
(directions: http://www.qmgreathall.co.uk/location)

Thu 14 July, 12:45pm, east London: MANKIND
(“surprise” outdoor performance at the NCS lunch hour!)
— at Queen Mary University of London Libaray Square
(navigate to 327 Mile End Road; look for library square)

Sat 16 July, 7:30pm, Birmingham: MANKIND
produced in association with Stan’s Cafe
— in the Courtyard @ A E Harris
(directions: http://www.aeharrisvenue.co.uk/directions.html)

Sun 17 July, 7:30pm, Birmingham: PRIDE OF LIFE
produced in association with Stan’s Cafe
— in the Theatre @ A E Harris
(directions: http://www.aeharrisvenue.co.uk/directions.html)

—–

Our 6 July show will be presented in conjunction with the International Medieval Congress at Leeds (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ims/imc/publicevents.html)

Our 8 and 10 July shows will be presented in conjunction with the SITM Theatrum Mundi Festival
(http://www.sitm.info/durham-performance-program)

Our 13 and 14 July shows will be presented in conjunction with the New Chaucer Society Congress
(http://newchaucersociety.org/pages/entry-sub/schedule-13-july)

Check out the Stan’s Cafe write-up for our shows 16/17 July: http://www.stanscafe.co.uk/?p=3996

—–

Ridiculous, irreverent, raucously relevant: join PLS on our UK TOUR for two uproarious glimpses into the dynamic, scatological, and often hilarious world of English plays as they were performed six centuries ago. We translate original scripts into contemporary English and combine them with real medieval music, costume design, and performance practices — hints of a culture that was, in some ways, more liberated and freethinking than our current one.

In our silly, scatological MANKIND (from the year c. 1464), the stodgy Mercy and the unhinged Mischief strive for the attention of a very distractable Mankind, overwhelming him with grandiose speeches, ridiculous songs, bodily humour, and a cheerful demon who creates human error.

In THE PRIDE OF LIFE, from the late 1300s, the bombastic King Life believes he will live forever… He and his jolly knights ignore the Queen’s urgent warnings that a rival king, has recently landed in their realm. Since only the first half of the original manuscript has been found, we will draw on audience input to improvise the play’s lost but inevitable mortal conclusion differently at every showing!

In a subversion of the original scripts’ anti-feminist themes, both shows are performed by six non-male actors. Family-friendly, free of charge, and accessible, all of our shows will be Relaxed Performances.

—–

OUR TEAM:

Ara Glenn-Johanson (Strength / Mischief)
Polly Phokeev (Health / Mankind)
Tricia Postle (Bishop / Nought)
Cassidy Sadler (Queen / New Guise)
Heather Sanderson (King Life / Nowadays)
Nicole Wilson (Mirth / Mercy)

with special musical guests PNEUMA ENSEMBLE
(Eleanor Verrette on vielle; Gaven Dianda on citole, gittern, recorder, percussion; Tricia Postle on psaltery, voice)

directed by Matthew Milo Sergi
choreographed by Ara Glenn-Johanson
costumes by Linda Phillips
management by Dawn Nearing and Chandos Ross

It's time for PLS's Annual General Meeting. We will be approving new by-laws, reviewing the past season, looking ahead to future plans, and discussing PLS matters in general. All volunteers, participants, friends and people interested in our work are invited.

In keeping with the spirit of summer, we will meeting in the backyard of PLS Board President David Klausner and there will be beer and wine!

Time and Date: 4pm, Saturday, June 18
Location: 303 Sumach Street, Cabbagetown, Toronto
RSVP: info@plspls.ca

See you there!

—Katherine, PLS office manager

A Medieval Christmas 2015: This is a Marvellous Hearing!

poculi ludique societas & st. thomas’s anglican church present

A Medieval Christmas:

This Is A Marvellous Hearing!

Performance dates: December 11, 7:30 pm; December 12, 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm.

St Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron Street, one block south of Bloor

Tickets : $20 / $15 senior / $10 student

Buy tickets online at: U of T Tix (cash only at the door)

Toronto’s renowned medieval and renaissance theatre company, Poculi Ludique Societas, is once again partnering with St Thomas’s Anglican Church to celebrate A Medieval Christmas. Continuing our exploration of the life of the Virgin Mary which we began earlier this fall with The Mary Play, this year’s performance will include episodes from the N-Town manuscript about events leading up to the Nativity. These plays  celebrate the birth of Christ, but also reflect the skeptical yet real-life attitudes that any regular person might feel when confronted with such outlandish notions such as a virgin birth!  The N-Town manuscript poignantly draws its audience into its characters’ incredulity and then deftly belies our collective lack of faith through the modesty and ultimate revelation of the Virgin’s purity. The power of the N-Town manuscript lies in its insistence on the corporeality of Mary’s body and the totally realistic reaction her peers would have had toward her claims of chastity. The basest of our human tendencies are depicted in these plays, yet even at our lowest moments of faith, God eventually intervenes and offers His grace. 

This year we are offering a Medieval Triple Threat. A Medieval Christmas will feature Toronto’s medieval troubadours, Pneuma Ensemble, and if you buy tickets through UofT tix, you can bundle your tickets with a purchase of Sine Nomine’s In presepio: medieval songs for the Christ-child to receive 20% off the regular price of tickets. That’s as little as $32 to see three of Toronto’s best-loved medieval performance groups in celebration of this festive season.

As usual, our cast features a bounty of up-and-coming talent joined by St. Thomas’s avid and talented parishoners. This year we feature soprano, Megan Adam as Gabrielle; comic actor, Alan Belerique as Joseph; and Bristol Old Vic alumna Helen Cashin as the Virgin Mary. They will be joined by our music coach and soprano, Jennifer McCallum; Alice Degan; Jack Hunter; Rob Mitchell; Ermina Perez;  Madeleine Redican; and Second City improv grad, Abram Taylor. The ensemble is directed by PLS resident director, Kimberley Radmacher,  and designed by Artistic Director Linda Phillips.

Quickly becoming a holiday tradition, PLS productions with St. Thomas’s Anglican Church are appreciated for excellent production values, including beautiful costume designs set in St. Thomas’s lovely Arts and Crafts sanctuary.

• Alexandra Johnston, “The Mary Play – One hidden treasure among many: The Puzzle of the N-Town Manuscript Revisited”

12-1:30    Lunch

1:30-3:00    Chair: Alexandra Johnston

• Bert Fuller, ‘Queen and Child: Mary in Chaucer’s An ABC and the Mary Play’
• Amanda Wetmore, “Holy Desire in the N-Town Mary Play”
• Sarah Star “Reading Marian Devotion: N-Town’s Nativity Play and Mary Play“

3:00-3:30    Coffee Break

3:30-4:30    Roundtable on the production with Linda Phillips to direct the discussion.

The afternoon coffee break will be provided. Participants are invited to explore near-by pubs and coffee-shops for lunch.

The production of the play by Poculi Ludique Societas will be Friday November 6 and Saturday November 7 at 7:30 pm in St Stephen In-the-Field Anglican Church 103 Bellevue Ave (at the corner of Bellevue and College on the south side of College between Spadina and Bathurst).

Poculi Ludique Societas, Toronto’s renowned medieval and renaissance players, continue to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a production of the N-Town Mary Play. PLS is a theatre company affiliated with the University of Toronto, dedicated to the production of early plays for research and entertainment.

The N-Town Mary Play is a Medieval English drama chronicling the biography of the Virgin Mary, from her own immaculate conception through her childhood Presentation at the Temple and the events leading up to the Annunciation when she is chosen to be the virginal mother of Christ. The Mary Play is a liturgical drama, full of choral music, which will be overseen in this production by Musical Director Andrea Budgey of the medieval music group SINE NOMINE, and chaplain of Trinity College.

Directed by Kimberley Radmacher, the production is an adaptation of a piece originally staged in Oxford in 2009 under the supervision of scholar Elisabeth Dutton.

In conjunction with the performance, PLS will also host The Mary Play Symposium on Saturday November 7 from 11 am to 4:30 pm at the Centre for Medieval Studies, 125 Queen’s Park at Bloor, Room 310.

LOCATION:

Church of Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields, 103 Bellevue Ave at College St. Toronto

DATES:

Friday November 6 and Saturday November 7, 2015 at 7:30 pm

TICKETS:

$20 / $15 senior / $10 student

Box Office: www.uofttix.ca (416) 978-8849

Seating is limited; order in advance.

Dear friends of PLS,

You are hereby invited to attend Poculi Ludique Societas’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, October 16 at 10:00am in Room 310 of the Lillian Massey Building, 125 Queen’s Park, Toronto. RSVPs (below) are appreciated but not required. All members of the public are welcome.

See you then!
 

RSVP Here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(PLEASE POST OR FORWARD)
NON-UNION · NON-PAYING

Poculi Ludique Societas (PLS) and St. Thomas’s Anglican Church
Present: A Medieval Christmas

Performance dates:

• December 11, 7:30 pm
• December 12, 2:30 pm
• December 12, 7:30 pm

The Project:

Toronto’s renowned medieval and renaissance theatre company, Poculi Ludique Societas, is once again partnering with St Thomas’s Anglican Church to celebrate A Medieval Christmas. This year’s performance will include episodes from the N-Town manuscript about events leading up to the Nativity. These plays represent a solemn celebration of the birth of Christ, but there are still plenty of the shenanigans that lovers of medieval drama enjoy, plus beautiful medieval music to round out the production. Quickly becoming a holiday tradition, PLS productions with St. Thomas’s Anglican Church are appreciated for excellent production value, including beautiful costume designs set in St. Thomas’s lovely Arts and Crafts sanctuary. Under the direction of Kimberley Radmacher, our productions allow excellent emerging actors to hone their skills and to gain experience in early drama.

What we’re looking for:

Versatile actors who are comfortable speaking verse and are able to sing. Good vocal ability is necessary because of the size of the performance venue.

Rehearsals:

There will be two rehearsals per week: Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Cast members will not be required to attend all rehearsals.

Audition Dates:

• October 6, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
• October 10, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
• Callbacks October 13 7:00 – 9:00

Auditions:

Please email your resume and photo (if available) as soon as possible to director@plspls.ca (with subject line: Auditions) to book your audition time. Come prepared with a short classical monologue. You will be asked to read from the plays, which have been modernised, and may be asked to sing. Find out more about PLS at plspls.ca.

We’ve added new audition dates for The N-Town Mary Play. Please see the Audition Call for full details.

Mary and the cherry tree, from a previous N-Town production

The Project

Toronto’s renowned medieval and renaissance players continue to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a production of the N-Town Mary Play. PLS is a non-profit, non-Equity theatre company affiliated with the University of Toronto, dedicated to the production of early plays for research and entertainment.

The N-Town Mary Play is a Medieval English drama chronicling the biography of the Virgin Mary, from her own (less-publicized) immaculate conception to her eventual (more famous) virgin birth. The Mary Play is a liturgical drama, full of choral music, which will be overseen in this production by Musical Director Andrea Budgey of the medieval music group SINE NOMINE, and chaplain of Trinity College.

The production is a re-mount/adaptation of a piece originally staged in Oxford in 2009, as a collaboration between scholar Elisabeth Dutton and director Clare Smout. For our production, Elisabeth Dutton will be advising and overseeing, joined by Kimberley Radmacher as director.

Performances will take place at the Church of The Redeemer, November 6-8 2015: evening shows on Friday and Saturday, matinee on Sunday.

What we’re looking for

• 1 child actor (to play 3-year-old Mary)
• Women and men actors who are comfortable speaking verse and are able to sing
• Men and women singers who are comfortable acting in small roles

Rehearsals

Will take place during daytimes, evenings and weekends.

Audition Dates

• September 15: 4pm-9pm
• September 18: 3:30pm–8pm
• September 19: 2pm–6pm

To Apply

Please email your resume and photo as soon as possible to dawnnearing@gmail.com (with subject line: Auditions) to book your audition time. Come prepared with a short classical monologue. You will be asked to read from the plays, which have been modernised, and will be asked to sing. Please prepare a short song of your own choice which demonstrates your vocal range and timbre; you may also wish to sing one of the pieces appended: Ave verum (plainchant) or Ther is no rose (melody line).

• Ave verum
• Ther is no rose

Find out more about PLS: www.plspls.ca

Roles Available

• Young Mary – 3 years old (played by up to 6-year-old)
• Adult Mary – female, young, mother of Christ, sweet, patient
• Joseph – male, older man, caring, but understandably confused!
• Joachim – male, Mary’s Father
• Anna – female, Mary’s Mother
• Angel Gabriel – male, tenor. Messenger of God
• Ysaker/Bishop/Zachary – male/singer (baritone)
• Elizabeth – female, older cousin to Mary
• Male Choir – male members of the Choir also double as:
  Senior Tribe Member, Vox, Father, Minister, Son, First Pastor, First Generation of David, Holy Spirit, Second Pastor, Second Generation of David, Third Pastor, Third Generation of David
• Female Choir – female members of the Choir also double as:
  Meditation, Messenger, Contrition, Susanne, Truth, Compassion, Rebecca, Mercy, Cleanness, Sephore, Righteousness, Fruition, Peace