Top-flight thespians face off in head-to-head competition
Money from UFC-style event will go to Passe Muraille
Two Pianos, Four Hands, one big acting smackdown.
Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt, the creators of the revered 1995 stage show, are among nine pairs of top-flight thespians taking part in a three-day head-to-head competition loosely styled on the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
It’s called the Ultimate Theatre Championship and creator Rebecca Northan says it’s a way to showcase the talents of Toronto’s theatre community while raising much-needed funds for Theatre Passe Muraille.
“I came up with the concept because I watch the UFC with my boyfriend all the time. This seemed like a fun, recognizable format for actors,” said Northan, who will co-host three days of competition Thursday to Saturday.
“Theatre lovers will have a great time. The championship will also act as an excellent, ridiculous gateway for people who might not generally go to theatre,” she added.
Each night’s event — which will be staged in a “caged” octagon — will include five rounds of performance incorporating a range of theatre disciplines, starting with monologues, moving on to a “cold read” using scenes from Canadian plays, followed by “free” actor’s choice, a musical round and a final round involving an improvised slo-mo stage fight.
Apanel of judges, drawn from artistic directors from other companies as well as theatre critics, will decide the winners.
Dykstra and Greenblatt, both of whom have since become respected directors, will perform in the final matchup on Saturday. Both men say they’re in fighting form and ready to rumble.
“Richard and I are very competitive. I’ve known Richard forever. We have a long history and tons of chemistry to draw on. It’s going to be fun and ridiculous. Also, I’ll likely win,” Dykstra said.
Pitting the two longtime friends and collaborators against each other was an obvious fit for the event, Greenblatt noted.
“Part of the dynamic of the Two Pianos is this kind of competition between the two of us. So I think it was kind of natural. I’m hoping it’ll just be a lot of fun,” he said.
Greenblatt also noted that the pair owe a debt to Passe Muraille artistic director Andy McKim, who as artistic director of Tarragon Theatre back in the 1990s encouraged them to develop their show and “made it happen” there.
They also agree that Theatre Passe Muraille has a long history of nurturing Canadian talent and plays.
“(Its) history in the development of Canadian theatre is so powerful. So if we were going to support any theatre or any company, this would definitely be one,” Greenblatt said.
“It’s tough times for theatre in general and for mid-sized theatres in general.”
Dykstra said his first major breakout role came in the play Fire, which was staged at Passe Muraille.
“It launched my career. I have tons of fond memories about TPM. I’m also a big fan of Andy’s and want to support anything he’s involved with.”
Other matchups include: Welterweight round, Thursday: Joella Crichton vs. Craig Pike; Katherine Cullen vs. Rose Napoli; Christy Bruce vs. Qasim Khan (title match) Middleweight round, Friday: Leah-Simone Bowen vs. Craig Lauzon; Alex McCooey vs. Ellen-Ray Hennessy; Kristen Thomson vs. Matthew Edison (title match) Heavyweight round, Saturday: Kate Hennig vs. Tanja Jacobs; Maja Ardal vs. Andre Sills; Greenblatt vs. Dykstra (title match) The Ultimate Theatre Championship runs Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m., at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave., Toronto. Go to artsboxoffice.ca or call 416-504-7529 for tickets.