World Premiere of Hannah Moscovitch's POST-DEMOCRACY to Open at Tarragon Theatre in November

Mike Payette Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre and Managing Director Andrea Vagianos will present the World Premiere of Post-Democracy, which ends the calendar year at Tarragon. The play, written by TV writer and Governor General's Award-winning playwright Hannah Moscovitch, runs in the Mainspace from November 8 - December 4, 2022 (opening November 16, media opening November 17).

Post-Democracy was originally commissioned by Prairie Theatre Exchange (Winnipeg) as a virtual production, and will now be realized for the first time for a live audience, under the remarkable direction of Obsidian Theatre's Artistic Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu.

This dark new work oozes with the rankness of greed. In it, Moscovitch skewers the 1% and demands audiences ask themselves where morality goes when limitless power is for sale to a privileged few. Can cash and legacy forgive a world of evils? This biting, critical look at the relationship between capitalism and abuse offers a poignant view of the confluence of politics and capitalist elitism, and the dangers this continues to create for those outside the scope of privilege in contemporary society.

"What is so striking about Post-Democracy is Hannah's ability to cut deep into the corporate world in ways that challenge our perception of those that make it. All of these characters are flawed in this whirlwind play, and yet they demonstrate the persistence of survival within the environment of greed and need, that is entirely recognizable," notes Artistic Director Mike Payette. He continues, "We're so blessed to have Mumbi's vision guide one of Canada's most lauded playwrights, offering Tarragon audiences new lenses through which stories can be told. The pairing of Mumbi and Hannah is one I've been excited to share for months!"

Post-Democracy is written by Governor General's Award-winner Hannah Moscovitch (Tarragon's This is War, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, TV: "Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire") and features performances by Rachel Cairns (Tarragon's Hamlet, The Summoned, Howland Company's The Wolves, Bard on the Beach's The Cymbeline, Twelfth Night), Chantelle Han (Tarragon debut, Vertigo Theatre's Strangers on a Train, fu-gen's fearless), Jesse LaVercombe (Tarragon's Hamlet, Sequence, Bunny, Factory Theatre's Beautiful Man, National Arts Centre's Copenhagen, TV: "Murdoch Mysterys") and Diego Matamoros (Tarragon's The Farewell Heart, Farther West, L'Amante Anglaise, Patience, w/ Necessary Angel: Half Life, Soulpepper Theatre's Incident at Vichy, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). Featuring set and costume design by Teresa Przybylski (Tarragon's Infinity, Theatre Smith-Gilmour's As I Lay Dying), lighting design by Louise Guinand (YPT's The Wizard of Oz, Factory Theatre's The Monument) and sound design by John Gzowski (Tarragon's Theory, The Message, Buddies in Bad Times' Tom at the Farm). With direction from Obsidian Theatre's Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu (Artistic Director, Obsidian Theatre Company, Canadian Stage/Necessary Angel/Obsidian Theatre's Is God Is, Obsidian/Soulpepper's Oraltorio: A Theatrical Mixtape, Soulpepper Theatre's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom).

Post-Democracy runs in the Mainspace November 8 - December 4, 2022, with media opening on November 17. Post-Democracy will also be available digitally from November 29 to December 28, 2022 as part of Tarragon Theatre's "Chez Vous" subscription, offering fully realized recordings of the performances in the 2022/23 season..

Tarragon will continue to require masking in the Theatre for the protection of our artists and patrons. You can find the full list of safety measures here.

Post-Democracy (World Premiere)
Written by Hannah Moscovitch
Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
November 8 - December 4, 2022
Mainspace

Welcome to the world of the 1%, the corporate elite, the "C-suite" - the "king-makers" whose influence flows through every aspect of our lives virtually unnoticed. When a CEO and his top executives are on a business trip for a major deal, a damaging sex scandal at the company is unearthed back home. As the pressure to complete the deal mounts, more secrets come to the surface, endangering the CEO's company, his family, and his legacy. What happens to morality when human beings have limitless power?

Intensely and unabashedly oozing with the condition of greed, Post-Democracy asks what is the price of silence envisioned through the remarkable lens of Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

CAST + CREW
written by Hannah Moscovitch
directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
set and costume design by Teresa Przybylski
lighting design by Louise Guinand
sound design by John Gzowski
stage management by Sandy Plunkett
apprentice stage management by Emma Jo Conlin
featuring Rachel Cairns ("Shannon"), Chantelle Han ("Justine"), Jesse LaVercombe ("Lee") and Diego Matamoros ("Bill")