The Diviners
by Vern Thiessen with Yvette Nolan
Based on the novel by Margaret Laurence
Stratford Festival
World Premiere
Direction by Krista Jackson with Geneviève Pelletier
Dramaturgy by Krista Jackson and Yvette Nolan
Outstanding Direction - My Entertainment World - Critics' Pick Award 2024
This production was carefully created over a six year period in collaboration with Indigenous partners and the Métis community.
As Keith Barker so eloquently states in his introduction to the publication of the text:
“Number 83 of the 94 calls to action by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee call upon the Canada Council for the Arts, our federal arts funder, to prioritize funding to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process. If you are unfamiliar with what I am referring to, please Google it. It is essential reading.
The adaptation of The Diviners from the novel to the play embodies the essence of call #83"
PRESS“Everything About The Diviners is Exquisite
Vern Thiessen and Yvette Nolan have adapted Margaret Laurence’s book beautifully with sensitivity, vision and a boldness to bring this tough story to the stage. The Diviners is directed with vivid imagery and creativity by Krista Jackson with Genevieve Pelletier. ”
“Could Spark a Margaret Laurence Revival
Clearly, care has been taken to include First Nations and Métis in this stage retelling – and expand on their presence in the story.”
“A Brilliant Distillation of Laurence’s Masterwork
Towering performance and bold choices elevate The Diviners... Yvette Nolan and Vern Thiessen accomplish the near-impossible with their wonderfully realized adaptation of The Diviners…
Driven by Poole’s masterful performance, and some bold creative choices by Jackson, Pelletier and designer Bretta Gerecke, The Diviners is an affective piece of theatre, carrying an emotional heft that resonates long after the curtain closes on this world premiere.”
“If anyone tells you that Canadian literature or drama is boring, send them to The Diviners as a show that thrillingly refutes that notion.
Thiessen and Nolan have created in their stage version one of the finest, most complex roles for a woman in Canadian Theatre.
The adaptation presents the complex work with admirable clarity reinforced by the imaginative direction of Krista Jackson with Geneviève Pelletier.”
TEAMA Stratford Festival World Premiere, Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Based on the novel by Margaret Laurence
Text by Vern Thiessen with Yvette Nolan
Director: Krista Jackson with Geneviève Pelletier
Dramaturgs: Krista Jackson, Yvette Nolan
Choreographer: Cameron Carver
Set & Lighting Designer: Bretta Gerecke
Costume Designer: Jeff Chief
Composer: Andrina Turenne
Music Director, Arranger: MJ Dandeneau
Additional Composition & Sound Designer: MJ Dandeneau
Fight and Intimacy Director: Anita Nittoly
Métis Cultural Consultant :Geneviève Pelletier
Cultural and Praxis Consultant: Dolorès Gosselin
Cultural Consultant: Yvette Nolan
French and Michif Language Consultant: Lina Le Gal
Jigging Consultant: Darla Daniels
Voice, Text and Dialect Coach: Jane Gooderham
Cast: Christopher Allen, Gabriel Antonacci, Dan Chameroy, Caleigh Crow, Allison Edwards-Crewe, Jesse Gervais, Jonathan Goad, Josue Laboucane, Julie Lumsden , Irene Poole, Anthony Santiago, Tyrone Savage, and Sara Topham
Ensemble: Michelle Bardach, Carla Bennett, Jarret Cody, Bethany Kovarik, Gracie Mack, Jordan Mah, Chris Mejaki, Evan Mercer, and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane
Swings: Bonnie Jordan
The Métis Fiddler: Darla Daniels
Understudies: Henry Firmston, Jeff Lillico, Jennifer Rider-Shaw, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah
Assistant Choreographer: Gracie Mack
Assistant Set and Costume Designer: Ariel Slack
Assistant Lighting Designer: Simran Kapoor
Dance Captain: Gracie Mack
Fight & Intimacy Captain: Julie Lumsden
Stage Manager: Kelly Luft
Assistant Stage Managers: Jordan Guetter, Suzanne McArthur, Melissa Rood
Production Stage Managers: Meghan Callan, Elizabeth McDermott
Production Assistant: Abby Stevenson
Technical Director: Greg Dougherty
Producer: David Auster
Casting Directors: Beth Russell, Ari Weinberg
Creative Planning Director: Jason Miller
Director of Music: Franklin Brasz
Music Administraton: Janice Owens
Photography by David Hou