Ideas, Images, for our production of Gordon with Sidemart Theatrical Grocery in Montreal

Among many firsts, our first premiere in Montreal

Under the helm of director Andrew Shaver, Gordon will be performed by the Sidemart Theatrical Grocery

Not ordinarily known for setting his plays in any particular location, Morris was, nevertheless, heavily influenced by the landscape of Hamilton, and the abandoned neighbourhoods there. The refineries reminded him of his own childhood in Edmonton

Morris was inspired by a story his mother used to tell of her half-brothers son, who, during the depression, would disappear for months at a time, only to return home either a great success or a drunken failure. They called him Young Ed, after his father Old Ed

Despite compelling evidence that in Canada the crime rate continues to fall, the government has an aggressive agenda that will include the building of more prisons; proven hothouses for our budding young criminals.

There have been many attempts to physiologically profile criminals; everything from the shape of the forehead to the size of the palate has been used to try and physically describe the criminal. Do certain people look like criminals? Or is this just a vain attempt to explain the evils of men? There are also psychological profiles which are used to explain criminality. But as with most such theories there are exceptions which although they may not disprove the rule, clearly show that criminals come in all shapes and sizes and from every background of society. Bad is as bad does.

All shapes and sizes

Some girls seem hopelessly attracted to bad guys; whats that all about?

The play makes a few passing and irresponsible references to Dantes Inferno. Of particular interest, the burning river Acheron, after which there is no turning back.

A reference is made to Kingston Pen (or KP) in the play, where the boys were incarcerated. Morris recalls, growing up in Edmonton, nogoodniks who ended up in jail often from the very same families as his more law abiding pals

Earlier versions of Gordon took place on a rundown old farm.

The story of the prodigal son is one of the plays many Biblical references

Dialogue from scene 2 of the play

Graham Cuthbertson, above, plays Gordon and Patrick Costello, below, is Carl

First week of rehearsal, mostly script work, the actors here looking a whole lot busier than they really are. Company getting to know us, us getting to know the company, left, Chip and Patrick, below, in foreground Graham, Patrick, SM Seamus, Annie eating lunch and Sarah, doing something that seems to have caught everyones attention

Pictured above Graham takes on Andrew in a show of emphatic force, and below, Sarah, Attila, Andrew and Morris reconfigure Kens set with the help of a computer program and a bottle of wine. The set needed to fit the very confined studio space while allowing for sufficient seating.

Below, Morris tries unsuccessfully to understand the humour of the actors

Left, Ken MacDonald ipad sketch of the Gordon set. There is little money for the set so many pieces had to be or will have to be found; even the kitchen cabinets. Ken is being assisted by Attila Cleman who is working with production students at the National Theatre School. Since the studio at Segal centre is essentially an empty box, the set, the stage, the audience, the entire environment can be configured.

Pictured below, left, the National Theatre School in Montreal is figuring into our production in a couple of ways. The production students are assisting in building the Gordon set, the assistant stage manager is a production student from NTS, and Morris is spending some of his time working with the second year English section students on a two week acting project. The last time Morris and Ken collaborated with an acting school, they created The Overcoat.

Set pieces not yet put together in the studio theatre but stored in the prop shop waiting for assembly. The set was built in the scene shop at Monument-National on Rue St. Laurent.

Upper right, stage right wall, upper left stage left wall, below, left, off stage door and wall; gritty hyper-realism is the order of the day; the kitchen counter and cupboards were found objects, as is much of the set and props.

Rehearsal, especially for a new play, but really with all plays, involves a lot of trial and error. The actor must be ready to fail as much as succeed, until the right idea is found. Here, Chip. left, tries turning his head to the right, always a crowd pleaser; while, right, Graham experiments with a styrofoam cup. We may see neither of these techniques in performance, but we will at least have tried them

As the actors do their final rehearsals in the hall, the set goes up at the Segal studio, where Ken and a crew of builders and scenic artists do their finishing touches; below, kitchen walls stage left and right and passage to stairway take shape

Set dec and set breakdown for Gordon involves a lot of paint, a lot of hours, and a lot of hands on deck. One of Kens specialities is breakdown, which means many, many layers of paint and material to create a broken down effect on furniture, walls, and set pieces. The chair, right, was a late addition to the set, yet another found object. The table, left, collapsed during rehearsal and had to be reinforced, for the last time, one can only hope.

Sidemart director Shaver and writer Panych, left, confer about show on the Gordon set? Actually, they are posing for a Globe and Mail photo while they confer. Changes are still being made well into previews

While Morris, above, affects a relaxed and easy look about the show, the actors, centre right, pose for cameras; Patrick Costello, centre, Annie Murphy, Graham Cuthbertson, and, seated at back, Chip Chuipka. Later the actors prepare backstage for the first preview. The show is very close and little makeup is required, except for Annie who applies considerable amounts; her character, Deirdre, is a bit oaf a trashionista. Previews are vital to iron out kinks in the show, technical, acting-related, or in the script. By opening night most shows are very different than in dress rehearsal, thanks to previews.

Chip relaxes on set during technical rehearsals. Left, a view of the set from house left, which shows the stairway, a detail only part of the audience can see but nevertheless adding to the atmosphere of decrepitude; to that end the set is littered with hundreds of little bits and pieces, and painted and over-painted to give it the stained, aged look it needs. There are very few houses of this character, in reality, but the over-dressing gives the set a theatrical and somewhat exaggerated feeling, so that the idea of its being a parable or fable is more apparent. True reality is not the concern here, as with most Panych plays, but an almost dreamlike sense of reality.

Opening day, and things are still taking shape. Far left, Seamus, Jesse in booth, Graham and Chip go through last minute changes and fixes, left, below, Andrew, weighing his career options and Sarah making some final adjustments to the lights