Workbook:

The Amorous Adventures of Anatol

What is it that women want? If statistics are anything to go by: theatre. Pictured above, Freud, whose grandfather came from the same small town in Ukraine as the Panych clan. Freud is considered the father of modern psychoanalysis; we can only imagine what he might have made of Anatol.. Freud lived up the street from Schnitzler and even knew about the playwrights philandering. Pictured right, home of Tarragon Theatre in the Annex, proud originator of many Canadian plays. Morris has premiered eight plays at this theatre. starting with 7 Stories.

Anatol author, Arthur Schnitzler, above, and right, a painting by Gustav Klimt, who was a pioneer of Viennese modernism. Anatol was written during a more vibrant time in the Austrian capital.

An impossibly handsome Mike Shara, above, from the Tarragon online brochure, and left, our Max, Robert Persichini. Robert last worked with us on Amadeus and Mike last worked with us on - yes its true - Anatol at the Vancouver Playhouse

Schnitzler plays were considered Jewish filth by the Nazis, which is pretty high praise in our books. Schnitzler considered himself Freuds double and later in life Freud referred to Schnitzler as his psychic twin. In the adaptation we made Max into a psychologist interested in Anatol from a clinical perspective - and while were on the subject of perspective

Tom McCamus in 7 Stories, above, and below, Randy Hughson in Earshot

Above, Stephen Ouimette heading to a mysterious island in The Ends of the Earth, and right, Richard Zeppieri as Lawrence rests his shoulder on his new best friend, Holloman,  Richard Waugh. Below, Tom Rooney as Eichernman and his new friend Lomey, Stephen Ouimette, in Benevolence

In all, Morris has premiered eight new plays at the Tarragon, all designed by Ken; Anatol will be the ninth

Before Ken and Morris finally moved to Toronto, they used to return home to Vancouver after each of their Toronto premieres, taking the daily newspapers with them to the airport to read what they called their get-out-of-town reviews; and many were. But there were successes, too, and many of these shows went on to be produced multiple times in Canada and throughout the world. Today, these plays enjoy continued success and productions thanks to their start at the Tarragon

It all started on Bridgman Avenue, next to the railroad tracks. Upper left, 7 Stories off Broadway, upper right Earshot in Norway. 7 Stories has had sixty professional productions, and is now published in its second edition by Talonbooks, Pictured, left, Olympia Dukakis plays Grace in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and right, from a production of Girl in the Goldfish Bowl in Washington D.C. Since its premiere Girl in the Goldfish Bowl has been produced in every major city in Canada and in many U.S. cities, Vigil, meanwhile, has been produced, now, in twenty four languages worldwide. Further below, left, a recent production of The Dishwashers, called Les Dishwasheurs, in Montreal and lower right, a production of Lawrence in Holloman in Warsaw, in Polish titled Lawrence and Holloman. None of this, of course has anything to do with our production of Anatol except to say that shows coming out of the Tarragon theatre have a history of moving on, Maybe its those railway tracks. Now where were we? Oh, yes - Anatol -

Don Juans of a different age. Don Juan of Austria, with a reputation for being something of a ladies man, but not the source of the legend as far as we know. Far left, Don Juan de Marco, a fictional character played by Johnny Depp. The story of a libertine who seduces women comes to us from Tirso de Molina, and was the inspiration for dozens of stories from Moliere to Byron to Mozart

Floor pattern for section of the lobby of the Hotel York, inspiration for our floor design for Anatol, Right, a panoramic view of mountains in Anatolia or as it is more commonly known, Turkey. Of course, this has nothing to do with the character in the play except perhaps that Anatolia is a peninsula which protrudes into the Mediterranean?

Right, Robert on the first day, and left, assembled Tarragon staff with cast for design presentation and first reading. Far left, Nicole is fitted for her Emily wig. Nicole plays seven different women

Below, several looks for Adam Paolozza, a Gregor, waiter, shopkeeper, and Adam Paolozza himself, who is assistant directing

Costume look, right, for Robert as Max.

Some looks for Mike Shara, above, as well as Mike Shara, playing Anatol for the second time

Five of seven Charlotte Dean looks for Nicole Underhay, Far left, Hilda, our first hypnotic character, next to her, Gabrielle. First right, Emily, the jewel of Anatols collection, further right, Bianca the bareback rider and circus performer and furthest right Mimi, the ballet dancer with the tiny boyfriend; a whole lot of fast changes and backstage chaos.

Michelle Bailey, Tarragon costume head, squeezes Nicole into her corset and bum pad. Nicole has six costume changes in the show, so fitting into them is an absolute must

The Reshaped Waist

Because the lower five ribs are not attached to the sternum (breast bone), the human torso can be shaped by various techniques to produce a waistline of desirable and alluring contours. Introduced in Europe during the fifteenth century, corsets began as tightly wrapped bandages. Over the next four centuries, corsetry evolved to include stays (boards) and strings for extra-tight lacing. Respectable and virtuous Victorian women wore corsets; an "unlaced woman" (as opposed to "straight-laced") was thought to be a vessel of sin. In a desperate attempt to achieve the ideal, some women had their lower ribs surgically removed. "Corset diseases" such as fainting, hemorrhoids, coughing, and palpitations plagued many fashionable women. Corsets could displace internal organs and cause pulmonary disease, and occasionally led to miscarriages. They were eventually replaced in the 1930s by less constricting, but still reshaping, girdles. European and American men did not entirely escape the demands of fashion. They, too, wore corsets and waist cinchers beneath their military, riding or court attire. However, once a man reached middle age, a paunch was more likely to be tolerated as a sign of his wealth and status. (University of Iowa Medical Museum)

Opening day and the actors are running their lines onstage. Some call this an Italian, for which there are a number of plausible origins, the most convincing of which is that the lines are said quickly, without pausing, making the speaking of them sound vaguely like Italian. In our case, we like to run the lines at speed so that the actors have a chance to find the conversation within the lines without the pressure of an audience

Opening night reception before the performance, left, Tarragon supports gather to hear Ken and Morris talk about the show, hosted by Artistic Director, Richard Rose. Above, right, a photo from the production, scene five, with Mimi, and right, the day after opening Ken reports to St Michael for a shoulder xray to confirm the fact that he needs a replacement and that it will be a two year wait.