From Press Release

There’s a new play in town— it’s called her.  And, as the ads tell us: “Everyone is talking about her.  Except her.”

Ilsa– the central character in Toronto playwright Deborah Shaw’s darkly-original drama– has a secret, and she’s not telling… that is, until the handsome young relative of her best friend turns up on her doorstep, claiming to know what Ilsa has never breathed to a living soul.  Even in the cozy world of Toronto in 1954, Ilsa cannot escape the monumental events of her troubled wartime past.

Shaw says she wrote the play in response to upheavals she experienced in her own life, brought on by decisions she had made and the consequences which eventually had to be faced.  Taking her experiences a giant step further, she gave the character a life-shattering decision to make, in circumstances most of us couldn’t even imagine.  Did Ilsa make the right decision?  To answer that, we’d have to put ourselves in her shoes and ask, would I have done any differently?  There lies the play’s power as, gradually, but most surely, we are compelled to decide for ourselves.

One decision Shaw does not regret is taking on her longtime acquaintance David Agro as dramaturg and director of her.  Drawing from their broad range of experience they have proven to be a dynamic team, between them tackling the script rewrites, production concept and most other creative, administrative and technical aspects of the show, which Shaw will also perform.

Details

• her. plays at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. (79 St. George St.)
• Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
• Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
• This venue is wheelchair-accessible.
• Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

• Thursday July 5th, 10:30 pm
• Saturday July 7th, 3:30 pm
• Monday July 9th, 4:30 pm
• Wednesday July 11th, 9:15 pm
• Thursday July 12th, 4:00 pm
• Friday July 13th, 7:30 pm
• Sunday July 15th, 12:00 pm

Photo by Brad Vos