The Diviners
Based on the novel by Margaret Laurence
Text by Vern Thiessen with Yvette Nolan
Direction and Dramaturgy by Krista Jackson
Stratford Festival
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“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 effective piece of theatre, carrying an emotional heft that resonates long after the curtain closes on this world premiere.”
“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.”
“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 ... It’s a lovely image that bonds the Indigenous world and the white world together.”
TEAMThe Stratford Festival, Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Based on the novel by Margaret Laurence
Text by Vern Thiessen with Yvette Nolan
Director & Dramaturge: Krista Jackson
Director& Cultural Consultant: Geneviève Pelletier
Choreographer: Cameron Carver
Set and Lighting Designer: Bretta Gerecke
Costume Designer: Jeff Chief
Composer: Andrina Turenne
Music Director and Arranger, Additional Composition and Sound Designer: MJ Dandeneau
Fight and Intimacy Director: Anita Nittoly
Cast: Irene Poole, Jesse Gervais, Jonathan Goad, Josue Laboucane, Julie Lumsden, Christopher Allen, Gabriel Antonacci, Michelle Bardach, Carla Bennett, Dan Chameroy, Jarret Cody, Caleigh Crow, Darla Daniels, Allison Edwards-Crewe, Henry Firmston, Bonnie Jordan, Bethany Kovarik, Jeff Lillico, Gracie Mack, Jordan Mah, Chris Mejaki, Evan Mercer, Jennifer Rider-Shaw, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Anthony Santiago, Tyrone Savage, Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane, & Sara Topham.
Assistant Choreographer, Dance Captain, Ensemble: Gracie Mack
Assistant Set and Costume Designer: Ariel Slack
Assistant Lighting Designer: Simran Kapoor
Stage Manager: Kelly Luft
Assistant Stage Managers: Jordan Guetter, Suzanne McArthur, Melissa Rood
Production Stage Managers: Meghan Callan, Elizabeth McDermott
Production Assistant: Abby Stevenson
Photography by David Hou