Pyretic Productions Presents
Sia by Matthew Mackenzie
Sia
a part of the Arts at the Barns Presentation Series
November 8 – 17 | PCL Studio Theatre
Written by Matthew Mackenzie
Directed by Laura Raboud
Designed by Kevin Green
Stage Managed by Erin Voaklander
Featuring Patrick Lundeen, Thomas Olajide, Makambe K. Simamba
“SIA is as unforgettable as it is harrowing. Because of its unflinching honesty and its searing insights, SIA is a play that demands to be seen.”
[5 Stars] Calgary Sun
Sia by Matthew Mackenzie (top to bottom) Makambe K Simamba, Thomas Olajide, Patrick Lundeen
Pyretic Productions, as a part of the Arts at the Barns Presentations Series, presents the Edmonton Premiere of a gripping hostage drama by one of Canada’s up-and-coming playwright’s, Matthew Mackenzie. Sia debuts at the PCL Theatre at the ATB Financial Arts Barns (10030 84 Ave), Nov. 8 – 17. Tickets are $20.00 for adults ($15.00 for students/seniors ; $10.00 per ticket for groups of 10+) and can be purchased at the Arts Barns Box Office at 780-409-1910 or http://tickets.fringetheatre.ca.
Set outside the Buduburan Liberian refugee camp near Accra, Ghana, Sia is the story of a former Liberian child soldier who takes a U of A student hostage in a bid to have his sister removed from testifying at a War Crime’s trial. The story examines the difficult but vital relationship between the Developed and Developing worlds.
In 2010, Sia won the Alberta Playwriting Competition’s Grand Prize Category. The play subsequently received a workshop production in Toronto where it was called a“masterful hostage drama” by Toronto’s Eye Weekly Magazine. In 2011, Sia was presented in New York City by the Bridge Theatre Company, where it garnered significant interest from the office of the Under Secretary General of the United Nations responsible for Children in Armed Conflict. Last year, Sia received its first two professional productions; by Toronto’s Cahoots Theatre and Calgary’s Downstage Theatre, where the Calgary Herald gave it 4 Stars and said, “Sia is willing to travel to the dark corners of the heart, and doesn’t flinch when it comes to articulating difficult truths.”
Sia – Patrick Lundeen. Photo by Mat Simpson
