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What People are Saying…
"Tracey's One Power-ful Actor"
~ Liz Nicholls, The Edmonton
Journal
"Edmonton writer and performer Tracey Power
sharpens the focus on Pickford's bittersweet story in her
engaging one-woman biographical drama. Power's drama is
structured like a silent movie with title cards. Power gives a
beautifully nuanced performance that offers a glimpse of a
woman who became America's little girl but never had a
childhood of her own." ~ Winnipeg Free Press/ Kevin Prokosh
"The production is smoothly directed by Brian
Dooley. You won't want to miss a moment of Power's
performance. She plays Mary with a wide-eyed innocence and
enthusiasm that is simultaneously evocative of silent film
acting and entirely natural - and completely engrossing. Her
performance is bound to be one of the standouts of the
festival, so do yourself the favour of checking out this
lovely story of one of Canada's first great cultural exports."
~ CBC Winnipeg/Joff Schmidt
"Tracey Power gives a luminous performance...A
rich, fascinating story" ~ Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine/Toronto
"Power's close spiritual alliance with the
project is evident in every impassioned, stylized move she
makes" ~ Eye Weekly/Toronto
"Beautifully directed by Brian Dooley, this
show's life is guaranteed to extend well beyond the Fringe
circuit." ~ Amy Barrat, The Montreal Mirror
"The Best Show of The Montreal Fringe" ~
CBC Montreal
"A remarkable play" ~ Simon Johnston, Artistic Director,
Gateway Theatre/Vancouver Production History
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Production History
by Brian Dooley
New voices in theatre are extremely important in continuing
the growth of Canadian Theatre and taking it to new levels.
Mary Pickford is a woman all Canadians should be proud of. She
was a woman that made a difference in people's lives and the
entertainment industry worldwide. It makes sense that
Canadians have chosen to tell her story or at least a part of
it, so that others are inspired to learn more.
In April 2005 Tracey Power came to me with the idea of a one
woman show inspired by the life of silent screen star, Mary
Pickford. I was intrigued by both the subject and the
theatrical potential not to mention Tracey's tireless
enthusiasm and curiosity for this silent screen icon. I knew
only the broad strokes about Mary Pickford: screen star,
founder of United Artists and, ironically, "America's" Sweet
Heart. The amount of research material was daunting and
illuminated much; Mary Pickford, I quickly learned was at one
time the most famous woman in the world. As the script evolved
and developed, I began to realize how significant and
entertaining a play about this unique woman could become. It
struck me that this project was much more than a simple
theatrical biography. Living Shadows resonates with fulfilled
dreams that haunt and entrap. Mary Pickford's life was
complex: filled with dogged pursuit, a need for survival,
tragedy and a haunting realization that our successes can
prove a crushing burden. Not only is Mary Pickford a part of
Canadian cultural history but her pioneering spirit and
contribution to the art of movie making make her an important
part of film history around the world.
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The Company
Tracey Power - Writer, Performer
Tracey is a 1997 graduate of the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts
Program in Edmonton. Before moving to Edmonton, Tracey was
director and choreographer of Escapade Dance Studio in the
Comox Valley on Vancouver Island and performed in Taiwan in,
Canada Coast to Coast a Multicultural Production selected by
the Canadian Trade council to represent Canada for the Canada
Festival in Taipei. Dedicated to creating new works, Tracey
was co-creator of The Back Kitchen Release Party, the story of
a Newfoundland Band that reunites after five years and tours
across Canada to play at the wake of a beloved band member. An
award winning actor, credits include: Little Sally, Urinetown
the Musical (The Firehall Arts Centre), Louise, The Underpants
(Quickchange Productions), Hermia, A Midsummer Nights Dream
and Henry V (The River City Shakespeare Festival, Free Will
Players), I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!(Arts Club
Theatre), Lucy, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Fringe
Theatre Adventures), The Wizard of Oz and Carousel (The
Mayfield Theatre) and Anne Frank, Yours Anne directed by
Stephen Heatley. Tracey has participated in the development
and workshop of new plays for Workshop West, The Arts Club
Theatre, The Citadel Theatre, The Gateway Theatre and was this
summer a member of the acting company at the Banff Playwrights
Colony. As a new Playwright Tracey is currently working on a
mystery thriller 14 Across, Monet by Moonlight, Bookmark and a
new adaptation of the Jungle Book recently work-shopped by The
Citadel Theatre using puppets and masks. Living Shadows was
work-shopped by the Gateway Theatre as part of SceneFirst
their New Play reading series and received funding from The
Alberta Foundation for the Arts for a development workshop.
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Brian
Dooley - Director, Dramaturge
Brian Dooley has been involved in radio, television, film and
theatre for twenty-five years. During that time he has
garnered several awards and many honours in several areas of
media. As former Vice President, Creative, for Great North
Productions, Alliance Atlantis, Brian over-saw the development
and production of a variety of documentary projects. Among his
many credits are the long running series The Things We Do For
Love and Who's On Top both of which he created for LIFE
Network, The $100 Taxi Ride, for National Geographic, The
Canadians for HISTORY Television and the dramatic television
series, Jake and the Kid for Global. Other broadcasters Brian
has worked with include: Discovery Canada, Discovery Health,
Food Network, BBC, National Geographic, TLC, S4C, CBC, Global
and CTV.
Fluently bilingual he as appeared as an actor in principal
roles in many productions over the years. His efforts were
capped by a Gemini nomination (Best Supporting Actor) for the
internationally acclaimed drama, The Boys of St. Vincent. He
recently received a Betty Mitchell Award nomination for his
performance in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Alberta
Theatre Projects in Calgary and has been honoured with two
AMPIA (Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards) awards, one for
best performer and another for best production under 60
minutes, both celebrating work on a drama pilot entitled The
Beat.
Early in his career Brian was Associate Dramaturge and
Director of the Young Playwrights Program at the Playwrights
Workshop in Montreal, and has been a guest instructor at
various colleges and universities across Canada. He has
participated in many, many workshops and in the development of
new plays for a variety of organizations including:
Playwrights Workshop Montreal, Factory Theatre in Toronto, The
Banff Playwright's Colony, The National Film Board and Le
Centre des Auteurs Dramatiques. (CEAD)
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About Mary Pickford
(source: Wikipedia)
"Make them laugh, make them cry, and back to laughter. What do
people want to go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise...
I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that." ~
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 - May 29, 1979) was a
Canadian-born motion picture star and co-founder of United
Artists, known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and
"the girl with the curls." She was one of the first [Canadian
pioneers in early Hollywood] and one of film's greatest
pioneers regardless of nationality or background.
From a very early age, Mary Pickford was determined to become
a success. If she set her mind on something, Mary would not
give up until she was in the door, and had the chance to prove
herself. Whether she was surprising Toronto audiences at the
age of five, auditioning for David Belasco, or convincing D.W.
Griffith that she was worth more than any of the other stock
performers in his Biograph company, Mary believed in her
ability to overcome all obstacles. Her ambition may have
stemmed from a need to survive in troubled times, but her
innate talent is what made Mary Pickford one of the most
incredible performers on screen, and her head for business
made her one of the greatest perfectionists in the history of
film.
Mary Pickford was born Gladys Marie Smith on April 8, 1892, in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her father was an alcoholic, and
died when Gladys was a child. Gladys' started acting for
financial reasons, eight dollars a week at Toronto's, Princess
Theatre, after many years of touring Gladys became a success
on Broadway, and was known as "Baby Gladys Smith," until
Broadway producer David Belasco christened her "Mary
Pickford."
Her film career began in 1908, when she met D.W. Griffith,
head of Biograph Studios. In 1910, Mary proved she was a savvy
businesswoman by hopping from studio to studio - wherever the
most money was. By 1916 she was making $16,000 a week. Now
known throughout the world as "America's Sweetheart," (abroad
Mary was called "The World's Sweetheart") she played roles of
all ages and nationalities. She married actor Owen Moore but
the troubled marriage didn't last too long because Mary met
Douglas Fairbanks, a man who had a profound affect on both her
personal and professional life. Douglas Fairbanks was the
biggest male star in Hollywood. He was the first "action"
star, thrilling audiences by swinging on ropes, jumping across
high buildings, and engaging in sword fights. Mary found him
irresistible, and after divorcing their respective spouses,
they married in 1920. They named their Hollywood estate
PickFair.
After Biograph, Mary went to work for Adolf Zukor and Famous
Players in 1913 and the following year established herself as
the young innocent yet feisty, "America's Sweetheart". The way
she captured young girls was entrancing and audiences fell in
love. In 1920, she helped to establish United Artists Pictures
with Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and her former boss D.W.
Griffith, a studio that was responsible for many great films
for the next 60-plus years. United Artists was a revolutionary
concept: allowing filmmakers to have total artistic control
over their films from conception through post production. It
also meant that artists and writers could control their own
financial future, rather than having to kowtow to exploitative
studio bosses. Her decision to help found United Artist would
eventually make Mary Pickford a millionaire several times
over. She was not as lucky in her personal life, however, and
she and Fairbanks divorced in 1929.
Mary was more than an actress; she was a tough, savvy
businesswoman, and was proud of the fact that she knew what
worked for her and what didn't. Though Mary won an Oscar that
same year for a "grown-up" role in Coquette, audiences never
really accepted her as an adult. Mary was only 43 when she
made her last film, Secrets in 1934. Her career lasted from
1908 to 1935, encompassing 236 films. Without a doubt, Mary
Pickford was the most popular star in the silent era, if not
of all time. She was awarded an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement
in 1976, from the very organization she had started years
earlier. On May 29, 1979, she died of a cerebral hemorrhage in
Santa Monica, California. She was 87 years old.
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