News

Today Necessary Angel welcomed two new artists to The NA Lab:
Playwright in Residence Jessica B. Hill, and Resident Artist Sabryn Rock. 

Jessica will be working on a new play, inspired by an ‘80s cult-classic film as well as Shakespeare’s personal life.

Sabryn will be engaging with her expanding directors practice, working on a development project with Associate Artistic Director Kanika Ambrose.

We welcome our incoming Resident Artists Jessica and Sabryn, two powerful, multidisciplinary, award-winning theatre artists. We are excited to support them on their journey as they continue to develop their work and their artistic practice. -Alan Dilworth, Artistic Director of Necessary Angel.

Necessary Angel’s NA LAB, which launched earlier this year, is the company’s new home for creative activity in support of artists and their artistic development. The NA LAB is the natural evolution of the company’s established residency programs, which have offer a diversity of artists time, space and resources to create, and deepen their artistry.  

The LAB offers opportunities for artists to engage in residency programs, commissions, workshops, classes, roundtables and special projects, all within a structured setting with professional overview. NA LAB programs are the building blocks of the company’s mainstage programming. Learn more here.

Jessica B. Hill is currently starring as Viola in Stratford Festival's production of Twelfth Night as well as playing Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. Last year marked her debut as a playwright with two of her plays premiering in Winnipeg: Pandora with Prairie Theatre Exchange (a coproduction with Shakespeare in the Ruins) and The Dark Lady with Shakespeare in the Ruins, including a transfer to Saskatoon (a coproduction with Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan). The Dark Lady received its second production a few months later with Lunchbox Theatre in Calgary (a coproduction with The Shakespeare Company). The Dark Lady is also slated to have a staged reading with Red Bull Theatre in New York City this coming fall. Both Pandora and The Dark Lady were recently published and are available for purchase. Past Stratford Festival acting credits include All's Well That Ends Well, Richard III, Paradise Lost, Brontë: The World Without, Mother's Daughter, The Crucible and The Comedy of Errors. In film & tv, voice and mocap, past credits include Five Days at Memorial, The Boys, Kings of Napa, Hero: The Life and Times of Ulric Cross, Assassin's Creed: Origins, and a yet unannounced Ubisoft project. A visiting teacher at the National Theatre School, Jessica trained at Stratford Festival's Birmingham Conservatory, holds a BA in English Lit/Theatre Studies from McGill University and graduated from Dawson College's DOME theatre program. She's a recipient of the Bernard Amyot Teaching Award - National Theatre School, a twice recipient of Stratford Festival's Mary Savidge Award, and the first recipient of the Elsa Bolam Award in Montreal.

Sabryn Rock is an actor, singer, and director originally from Regina, Saskatchewan. Most recently, she directed the world premiere of bahia watson’s powerful play shaniqua in abstraction for Crow's Theatre as well as Truth by Kanika Ambrose at Young People’s Theatre (Dora Award nomination, Outstanding Direction). Sabryn also directed the site specific production of Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman at The SummerWorks Festival that took place on a city bus, has directed youth in One Song Glory as well as the Banks Prize cabaret for Musical Stage Company. She also has assisted on several productions including Intimate Apparel (Obsidian), The Wizard of Oz (YPT) and Next to Normal (MSC/Mirvish). As Studio 180’s 2019/20 RBC Emerging Director, Sabryn was Assistant Director for Sweat and directed 180 READS events Eureka Day and Contractions – the inaugural Studio 180 AT HOME digital presentation. As an actor, she can be seen leading the cast in the first season of the hit CBC/BET+ show The Porter. Other credits include Station Eleven (HBO Max), Departure (BBC/Global), the action film Welcome to Sudden Death (Universal),The Expanse (Amazon), Black Mirror (Netflix), and The Girlfriend Experience (Starz). For Theatre as an actor: The Royale for which she won a Toronto Theatre Critics Award for her performance (Soulpepper), Rose (Soulpepper), Is God Is (Obsidian/Canadian Stage), Fun Home (The Musical Stage Company/Mirvish), Passing Strange (Dora Nomination; Acting Upstage), as well as Caroline, or Change (Dora nomination); and one season at the Stratford Festival.  She has numerous credits in voice and animation and has narrated several audiobooks. Sabryn can currently be heard as the beloved voice of Koki on PBS Kids’ beloved animated series Wild Kratts. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, the Birmingham Conservatory at Stratford and the Canadian Film Centre’s Actors’ Conservatory.

 Necessary Angel Theatre Company announces casting for the Canadian Premiere of
LETTERS FROM MAX, A RITUAL
by Sarah Ruhl
Based on the book by Sarah Ruhl and Max Ritvo

November 10 to December 3, 2023 at The Theatre Centre 

Toronto, ON (September 12, 2023): Alan Dilworth, Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company, today announced that Maev Beaty and Jesse LaVercombe will star in the Canadian premiere of Letters From Max, a ritual by Sarah Ruhl, based on the book by Sarah Ruhl and Max Ritvo. Marking the start of Necessary Angel’s 45th Anniversary Season, the show runs from November 10 to December 3 at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St W, Toronto. Opening night is November 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets for Letters From Max, a ritual are on sale now and range from $30-60. For information or to purchase tickets, visit theatrecentre.org/event/letters-from-max/.

A deeply moving portrait of a friendship, and an unforgettable exploration of love, art, mortality, and the afterlife, Ruhl's poetic play is an award-winning adaptation of her 2018 book, Letters from Max: A Poet, a Teacher, and a Friendship.

"A resonant and profound contribution from two fully formed artists to the literature of illness," (Slate) the story is built on letters and poems passed between Ruhl and her former student Max Ritvo. Letters From Max, a ritual sparks with humour, urgency, and humanity in the face of the return of Ritvo’s Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of paediatric cancer. Ruhl and Ritvo’s words become a captivating celebration of life in which hopes, fears, and observations are shared and debated in a spirit of generosity and joyous affection.

Dilworth has a history of bringing Ruhl’s work to Canada. In 2013 he co-directed and co-produced her epic three-act Passion Play (a co-production between Sheep No Wool with Convergence Theatre and Outside the March which also starred Maev Beaty). In 2015 he directed the critically-acclaimed production of Eurydice at Soulpepper Theatre Company. He also in 2015 produced a staged presentation of The Oldest Boy at Soulpepper, and programmed Ruhl’s play Orlando for Soulpepper’s 2018 season.

“Letter From Max, a ritual, is a stunning, life-giving play that breathes language and love into life,” said Dilworth. “I think this play is an antidote for our time, and that it helps audiences slow down, take stock and connect with what matters most to them.”

Run time: Approximately two hours including one intermission.

Content Note: Mature language, cancer and death by terminal illness.

Tickets: General admission, Pick-Your-Price  ($30, $45, $60 based on availability) and preview tickets run from $25 via the Theatre Centre at boxoffice@theatrecentre.org, (416) 538-0988. The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St W, Toronto.

Letters From Max, a ritual
By Sarah Ruhl
Based on the book by Sarah Ruhl and Max Ritvo
Directed by Alan Dilworth
Featuring Maev Beaty and Jesse LaVercombe

Set & Costumes Designer Michelle Tracey
Lighting Designer Rebecca Picherack
Sound Designer Debashis Sinha
Production Manager Rick Banville
Stage Manger Scarlett Larry

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Necessary Angel Theatre Company | necessaryangel.com

Necessary Angel Theatre Company is one of English Canada’s most vital original creation and touring organisations. The company has a history of innovation and risk taking and engages theatre artists from a variety of disciplines in the creation of new work. An influential and original presence on the national and international theatre scene for over 40 years, the company has produced more than 60 productions, including 30 world premieres and 11 North American premieres. Work created by Necessary Angel has been nominated for and has won Governor General’s Awards for Drama, Chalmers Awards for Outstanding New Play, and numerous Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

Necessary Angel Theatre Company acknowledges and thanks the following for their support: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, and season sponsor, Diane Blake and Stephen Smith.

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For further media information, contact: Katie Saunoris katiesaunoris@gmail.com

Media Gallery for LETTERS FROM MAX, A RITUAL

Necessary Angel remembers Daniel Brooks, celebrated Theatre Director and past Artistic Director of Necessary Angel.

Everyone at Necessary Angel Theatre Company is deeply saddened by the passing of Daniel Brooks. 

Brooks, the second Artistic Director at Necessary Angel, led the company from  2003-2012. During his tenure at NA he continually created productions that shaped the aesthetic and dramaturgical landscape of Canadian theatre. 

His works with Necessary Angel included Bigger Than Jesus with Rick Miller, John Mighton’s Half Life, The Eco Show, the adaptation and staging of Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero, and This Is What Happens Next with Daniel MacIvor. 

Daniel has left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of theatre artists across Canada and beyond. He will be profoundly missed by his many dear friends and colleagues. 

September 14, 2022 // Toronto, ON: Today, Necessary Angel officially welcomed Kristina McNamee to the role of General Manager. 

Necessary Angel Artistic Director Alan Dilworth said “We are delighted to have Kristina join the Necessary Angel team as we head into a period of electrifying premiere productions and new play development.”    

“I’m thrilled to join the Necessary Angel team, and at such an exciting and renewing time for the performing arts, with audiences wholeheartedly returning to the embrace of the theatre,” said McNamee.

Kristina McNamee (she/her) is a Toronto-based producer, arts advocate, administrator, designer, and manager. Kristina is deeply committed to helping the artists and arts organizations that she works with to accomplish their long term goals, while being a positive and proactive team member and leader. Kristina started as an indie theatre producer and designer working with a variety of Toronto artists and playwrights, bringing shows to SummerWorks and the Toronto Fringe Festival. She has worked with such dynamic companies as Aluna Theatre, Nightwood Theatre, Studio 180 Theatre, and The Company Theatre, among others.

Kristina comes to Necessary Angel after serving as Crow’s Theatre’s producer for over seven years, where she was responsible for the management and execution of their home productions, partnerships, and touring circulation. Kristina is an active member of the theatre community and has volunteered with the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre (PACT) and continues to strive for industry knowledge through peer-to-peer connection. Kristina holds a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University in Production Performance and has completed further educational courses at George Brown College and City University London, UK.

Necessary Angel’s 2022/23 artistic programming includes New, a Necessary Angel Theatre production in association with Canadian Stage and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre by Pamela Mala Sinha and directed by Alan Dilworth playing in Winnipeg November 2 - 29, 2022, and April 25 - May 14, 2023 in Toronto. Immersive vinyl/audio pop-up events also continue for The Great Fire by Roland Schimmelpfennig, translated by David Tushingham. Additional programming, to come.

Kanika Ambrose, Incoming Associate Artistic Director

July 20, 2021

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Kanika Ambrose to the role of Associate Artistic Director.

In this new position, working alongside Alan Dilworth, Kanika will lend her considerable experience to areas of programming, artistic development and community engagement. She will contribute to the company’s work at local, national, and international levels, while also further developing her own artistic practices. Kanika officially joins Necessary Angel on September 1, 2021.

Kanika Ambrose, Incoming Associate Artistic Director, Necessary Angel:

“As a person who is newly navigating the intersections of motherhood and artistry, I couldn't be more excited to be joining a company committed to creating space for that journey and the many other intersections that artists walk through. I am looking forward to getting to know the artists within the company more deeply as well as reaching out to others the company has yet to work with.

It brings me no small amount of joy to get to work with Alan, whose leadership I came to respect even more when we were both working at Soulpepper in the midst of its transition. In this time of great cultural change, it is a privilege to take this journey with Necessary Angel; to contribute to the conversations on where we're headed and what it all means.”

Alan Dilworth, Artistic Director, Necessary Angel:

“I am thrilled that Kanika is joining the Necessary Angel team in such a pivotal role at a remarkable time in our journey. Working with Kanika at Soulpepper, I was inspired by her thoughtful, collaborative and community minded approach. As Necessary Angel continues to explore the shifting nature of connection and identity through our work in the theatre, Kanika will be a key member of our small but dynamic and engaged team. In her role as Associate Artistic Director, Kanika will work closely with me on our programming and artistic development portfolios in addition to taking on a leadership role in community engagement.”

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Kanika Ambrose is a Toronto-based playwright and librettist. She was Cahoots Theatre Company's Canada Council Playwright-in-Residence, developing her play “our place” and was Obsidian Theatre Company's Ontario Arts Council Playwright-in-Residence developing her play “Reception.” As a playwright, her work has been presented at Toronto Fringe, Crow’s Theatre’s East End Performance CRAWL, Rhubarb Festival, Black Lives, Black Words, Rising Tides Showcase, SummerWorks Festival and Paprika Festival.

As a librettist, her work has been presented in Tapestry Opera’s “Tapestry Briefs,” Sparks and Wiry Cries’ “SongSLAM”, and Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia) where her piece, “Anansi and the Great Light,” created with composer Nick diBerardino and the students at Girard College, premiered.

She has been commissioned by Tapestry Opera and Obsidian Theatre Company to create new opera “Of the Sea” with composer Ian Cusson.

Kanika is the former Artistic Producer of Paprika Festival and was one of Cahoots Theatre Company's 30 for 30 theatremakers for their 30th anniversary season.

Necessary Angel’s new Artistic Director

June 1, 2019

Necessary Angel Theatre Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Alan Dilworth, award-winning director, dramaturge and teacher as the company’s new Artistic Director.

In making the announcement, Nalini Stewart, Board Chair commented on what made Alan the ideal candidate in a field of forty-two applicants:

“Alan is an artistic visionary with a masterful ability to bring his vision to life on the stage and in his programming. An examination of Alan’s work, particularly during his recent tenure as Acting Artistic Director at Soulpepper, reveals true artistic leadership, capable of embracing different perspectives, and fostering meaningful collaboration while championing new and diverse voices, and engaging audiences in complex, meaningful conversations. His passionate humanity and integrity can be evidenced in every facet of his work as a theatre artist.”

Ms. Stewart concluded: “under Alan’s leadership, we look forward to establishing new partnerships in an exciting era of creative endeavour at Necessary Angel Theatre Company”.

On his appointment Alan remarked, “I am thrilled to be appointed the new Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company. I have great admiration for the company, the leadership and artistry of its founding Artistic Director Richard Rose, and subsequent artistic directors, Daniel Brooks and Jennifer Tarver. For me, Necessary Angel Theatre Company has always been about the best of what theatre is: a space. A space for creation, process, collaboration, innovation and the unknown. A space where questions can be asked and new meanings can be made by artists and audiences alike. A space for encountering and wrestling with complexity, contradiction and questions of our time. A space for diverse stories and voices. And as a venue-less theatre company, Necessary Angel is a space-less space, with artistic excellence, innovation and partnerships at its core.”

Mr Dilworth continued: “as the incoming Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre Company I am unswervingly committed to continue my practice of prioritizing, championing and amplifying underrepresented stories and voices both personally and institutionally.”

Early responses from the community have been overwhelmingly positive.

Pamela Mala Sinha, Playwright, Actor:

“Alan is a brave and soulful visionary. I can think of no better person to keep their eye on the complicated matters of our time than Alan. Not because of his gender or race, but because of his determination to embrace different perspectives and voices, the complexity of his thought, and the fierceness and depth of his heart. I am confident that Alan, as the Artistic Director of Necessary Angel, will continue to support the principles that I have fought to realize both as a woman and as an artist of colour. He is an Ally, in more ways than one.”

Richard Rose, Founding Artistic Director Necessary Angel, currently A.D. Tarragon Theatre

“I see a great future in Alan Dilworth running the company.”

Vanessa Morgan, Board Chair Soulpepper Theatre Company

“Alan lead Soulpepper with professionalism, generosity, thoughtfulness, collaboration, and vision. He planned inclusive and transformational seasons despite severe constraints, oversaw the capstone projects for the Soulpepper Academy artists, directed critically-acclaimed productions and provided guidance to young directors, always with an eye to the best long-term interests and health of the company. The Board and everyone at Soulpepper are deeply grateful to Alan. We would not be here today without his remarkable leadership.”

Alan Dilworth - a brief profile

Alan started his career as a writer, director and performer, making theatre with the two companies he co-founded: Belltower Theatre (with Maev Beaty and Patrick Robinson) and Sheep No Wool (with Maev Beaty). It was at this time that Alan developed a passion for creating and staging new works, and championing new voices. Since then he has brought over twenty new works to the stage including his acclaimed world premiere productions of If We Were Birds by Erin Shields, Crash by Pamela Sinha, The Middle Place by Andrew Kushnir, and The Last Wife, The Virgin Trial and Mother’s Daughter by Kate Hennig. Since 2013, in addition to working across Canada, in the US and Europe, Alan has worked with Soulpepper Theatre Company as a resident artist, Co- Associate Artistic Director, and in 2018, during a period of crisis at the company he served as Acting Artistic Director. Alan directed numerous signature productions of established plays for Soulpepper including Incident at Vichy, Idomeneus, Eurydice, and Twelve Angry Men. His body of work has been celebrated for its striking, often spare imagery, outstanding ensemble work, and resonant performance and production dramaturgy.

Background

• Alan Dilworth's education includes an MFA (Directing), a BEd, and a BA (International Relations)

• Alan was the first recipient of The Christopher Plummer Foundation Award for Excellence in Classical Theatre

• Alan has been nominated for 7 Dora Awards for Outstanding Direction, 6 for Outstanding Production, and 5 for Outstanding Ensemble (winning 3), winner of a Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Production, and winner of three SummerWorks Theatre Festival Jury Prizes for Direction and Production

• Alan is married to actor Maev Beaty, they have a young daughter

About the Search

Necessary Angel’s search was led by Searchlight Partners. The Search Committee was comprised of Board members Nalini Stewart, Astrid Janson, Richard Stursberg and Daniel Weinzweig (non-voting). Completing the committee were two highly respected members of the theatre community, Philip Akin, Artistic Director, Obsidian Theatre Company and Robert Sirman, past Director and CEO, The Canada Council, Board member, The Theatre Centre. The three month search resulted in the receipt of 42 applications from across Canada. A long list of 22 candidates was given close consideration. The committee noted with pleasure, the balanced representation of both gender and diversity on the long list. On the short list of 8 candidates interviewed, there was gender balance, and the majority were of diverse backgrounds, reflecting the city itself.

About Necessary Angel Theatre Company

Necessary Angel is one of English Canada’s most original theatre creation organizations. Founded in 1978 as one of Canada’s first artist driven theatre companies, it has created over70 productions including 35 world premieres and 15 North American premieres. Work created by artists at Necessary Angel has been nominated for and won Governor General’s Awards for Drama, Chalmers Awards, and numerous Dora Awards in the city of Toronto. Work produced by Necessary Theatre has toured across Canada and internationally. A catalyst for ground breaking original work, Necessary Angel has collaborated with some of Canada’s most acclaimed theatre artists including Jordan Tannahill, Colleen Murphy, Marie-Josee Chartier, Daniel MacIvor, Jason Sherman, John Mighton, Brigitte Haentjens, David Young, Michael Ondaatje and Colleen Wagner among others.