Oakville's West End Studio Theatre (WEST) is ready to restart the conversation. More specifically, it's ready for a second talk with their return engagement of Jane Martin's 1982 classic play Talking With..., opening tonight and running until Sept. 24, 2023.
WEST originally staged this production of the play at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts' Studio Theatre in May this year. This return engagement was announced after the original run nearly sold out, and this weekend's run will have extra performances.
The play is told through nearly a dozen monologue vignettes, each showcasing the work of a new character portrayed by one of 11 actresses, nearly all of them local Halton talents.
Director Yo Mustafa says, "I wasn’t ready to put the show away when we did it in May. There was so much more I wanted to discover with the stories of these 11 women. It’s a privilege to go back to this show."
In all, there will be four performances this weekend:
- Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.
Jane Martin’s play is "a showcase of eleven extraordinary monologues involving idiosyncratic characters who amuse, move, and frighten, always speaking from the depths of their souls."
An official show description reads, "The play deals with the personal ordeals of each of the female characters. Many of them are very touching; a few are even intensely emotional. They're also quite comical. Even the funny ones, however, have an underlying depth to them that gives a sensitive insight into each of the characters involved."
Mustafa says the play "is very different - there are 11 monologues and 11 different stories delivered by these very powerful women. And since we did the show in May, the actors have discovered so much more."
While most of the original cast is returning, two actors have changed since the original May production due to scheduling conflicts: Carla Zabek has taken over for Linda Spence, and Christine Ann Marchetti is now playing the role originated by Eileen Elkam.
Pictured above is the original cast in May 2023, seen at their final dress rehearsal.
Mustafa adds, "It’s a wonderful cast and crew, and it’s something different than what people are used to seeing. That's why WEST was started - to make small thought provoking shows west of Toronto. The play is attractive because it's raw theatre."
Since the Oakville Centre reopened from the pandemic in fall 2021, WEST has been specializing in studio drama through their projects in the Oakville Centre's studio space, including last spring's acclaimed The Laramie Project and last fall's Art.
This production of is the also the opening of WEST's 2023/24 season - their first full season in four years since they finished 2020's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Their season continues with two popular plays in the coming months: Twelve Angry Men will open in November this year, and Thornton Wilder's Our Town opens in March 2024. Subscriptions for all three shows are on sale now with the Oakville Centre.
Talking With...
By Jane Martin.
Directed by Yo Mustafa.
Now playing at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts until Sept. 24, 2023.
All tickets are $30 and are available here with the Oakville Centre box office.
Starring Christine Ann Marchetti, Nectaria Bogdanis, Alexandra Chappell, Esther Chung, Dina Dametto, Lisa Drupsteen, Lucy Ellis, Aimee Kessler Evans, Dia Gupta Frid, Zakiya Toby-Erwig and Carla Zabek.
Audiences should be advised the show is recommended for those aged 13 and up, and it contains both mature language and subject matter.
