''Belleville'' is a play from American playwright

Amy Herzog Amy Herzog is an American playwright. Her play '' 4000 Miles'', which ran Off-Broadway in 2011, was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Her play ''Mary Jane'', which ran Off-Broadway in 2017, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle A ...

. Commissioned by

Yale Repertory Theatre Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented student ...

, the play premiered at the company in October 2011. It has been produced extensively across the US and UK, and Anne Kaufmann directed the production in its 2013 off-Broadway debut. The off-Broadway production was a

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Critics' Pick, with Charles Isherwood of the Times describing the play as "extraordinarily fine." Kaufmann received a nod for the

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

for Outstanding Director, while Ben Stanton was nominated for Outstanding Lighting Design. The play also received a 2013

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination for Outstanding Play, while Maria Dizzia was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Abby.

Plot

The play follows a young American ex-pat couple living in the up-and-coming Belleville neighbourhood of Paris. Abby is an actor-turned-yoga-instructor, while Zack is doing AIDS research with

Doctors Without Borders Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

, but their life abroad is filled with conflict. ''Belleville'' examines a marriage fraying at the seams and coming undone with unflinching honesty and truth.

Canadian production

The Company Theatre (TCT) brought Herzog's play to Toronto's Berkeley Street Theatre in 2014 in association with

Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is a non-profit contemporary performance arts company based in Toronto, Ontario, ''Canada''. About Canadian Stage Canadian Stage is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit contemporary theatre companies, based in Toronto, Ontari ...

. Helmed by regular TCT collaborator and director Jason Byrne, the show starred TCT co-Artistic Director Allan Hawko in the role of Zack, with

Christine Horne Christine Horne (born December 14, 1981, in Aurora, Ontario) is a Canadian actress who co-starred with Ellen Burstyn in the movie ''The Stone Angel''. She received her BFA in Theatre at York University in 2004 and has since become an establish ...

returning to TCT to take on the role of Abby. Rounding out the cast as Abby and Zack's Senegalese landlords, Alioune and Amina, are Dalmar Abuzeid and Marsha Regis in their TCT debuts. ''Belleville'' marked Hawko's first return to the theatre since 2009, when he trod the boards in TCT's production of ''

Festen ''The Celebration'' ( da, Festen) is a 1998 Danish dark comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and produced by Nimbus Film. The film tells the story of a family gathering to celebrate their father's 60th birthday, juggling subjects of ...

.'' The creative team included both new and returning TCT collaborators. Yannik Larivée designed the production's costumes and set, while Kevin Lamotte joined the team as the lighting designer. Richard Feren, the sound designer from TCT's production of ''

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'' (2011), took on both sound design and musical composition, while stage manager Michael Sinclair returned for his second stint with the company.

References

{{reflist Off-Broadway plays