Help Yourself – Toronto Fringe 2012 Press Release

From Press Release

Theatre Brouhaha Presents: Help Yourself at the Toronto Fringe Festival from Alec Toller onVimeo.

WINNER OF THE 2012 FRINGE FESTIVAL NEW PLAY CONTEST:
WORLD PREMIERE OF THEATRE BROUHAHA’s HELP YOURSELF BY KAT SANDLER TO TAKE STAGE IN JULY

“Kat Sandler is the writer to watch this year.”
– Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

The winner of the 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival New Play Contest – Theatre Brouhaha’s Help Yourself by Kat Sandler (co-created by Daniel Pagett) – will have its World Premiere in July. Performances will run at the George Ignatieff Theatre as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival from July 4th-14th.

Recently, playwright/director Kat Sandler garnered praise for her first play LOVESEXMONEY at this year’s Next Stage Festival. She has been called “the writer to watch this year,” by Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star and Robert Cushman of the National Post said of LOVESEXMONEY, “Sandler has reinvigorated the formula with wit, invention and feeling.”

Hot off the heels of this success comes HELP YOURSELF, which focuses on the story of 35-year-old Donny who is in the business of clearing consciences. Audiences learn that for a hefty sum Donny will help clients justify to themselves their desired immoral actions. Donny’s life is great – fancy condo, beautiful girlfriend and swanky dinners – until a new client sparks a gut-wrenching, high-stakes session that will leave Toronto Fringe Festival audiences wondering if breaking the rules is ever worth the payoff.

The cast includes Tosha Doiron (Luminato Festival hit, Habit), Daniel Pagett (LOVESEXMONEY), and up-and-comer Tim Walker, who was in the cast of last year’s Fringe smash hit Horse.

Theatre Brouhaha has been prolific in a short period of time. This will be the company’s third production since January 2012, in a season sponsored entirely by Toronto theatre festivals; first LOVESEXMONEY at the Next Stage Festival, then 27 Wagons Full of Cotton in The Tennessee Project (May 1 – 7, 2012), and finally Help Yourself at the Toronto Fringe.

Sandler is no stranger to the Fringe Festival. “Over the past four years I’ve participated in Fringe as a volunteer, a performer and a writer. To win the Best New Play Contest and be put in such fine company with the previous winners is incredibly exciting and humbling,” says Sandler. “Brouhaha was founded to create more accessible theatre for a younger generation of theatre audiences, and Fringe is the perfect place to debut this script.”

ABOUT FRINGE NEW PLAY CONTEST

macIDeas and Exclamation Foundation sponsor the Fringe New Play Contest. Past winners include last year’s hit “Kim’s Convenience” by Insurp Choi (2011), “Short Story Long” by joel fishbane (2010), “A Singularity of Being” by T. Berto (2009), “Wake” by Rachael Blair (2008), “Expiry Dating” by Alison Broverman (2007), “Love Songs from Unlikely Places” by David Egan (2006), “Bella Donna” by David Copelin (2005), “Stealing Freedom” by Stephanie Nickerson (2004), “That Boy” by Paul Gibson (2003) and “Fish/Wife” by Rick Roberts (2002).

“As always, it is great to support new works, and emerging artists. Theatre Brouhaha has impressed us in how they approach storytelling and their passion for finding new audiences,” said Marcello Cabezas, co-sponsor of the New Play Contest

Learn more about the Fringe New Play Contest.

SHOW DETAILS

Theatre Brouhaha
in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents
Help Yourself
written by Kat Sandler
co-created by Daniel Pagett
directed by Kat Sandler
Featuring Tosha Doiron, Daniel Pagett, Tim Walker
Location
George Ignatieff Theatre
15 Devonshire Place
Toronto, ON M5S 2E2

PERFORMANCES

Running Time: 90 minutes
July 4, 10:30pm
July 7, 5:45pm
July 9, 7:45pm
July 10, 9:45pm
July 12, 12:00pm
July 13, 4:30pm
July 14, 3:30pm

Ticket Prices:
At-the-door tickets are $10 and advance tickets are $9.

Tickets:
www.fringetoronto.com

 

Photo by Zaiden featuring Daniel Pagett and Tim Walker.