THE rear window

written & Directed
by EMILY DIX

A remount of our popular 2019 production

Hart House Theatre presents the Bygone Theatre production of The Rear Window

May 2024

Hart House Theatre | 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto

STARRING
Oliver Georgiou as L.B. Jefferies

Kate McArthur as Lena Hall

Cayne Kitagawa as Charles Thomas

Antonino Pruiti as Lars Thorwald

WITH

Simone Matheson as Mrs Thorwald

Sean Jacklin as The Working Stiff

Trinity Lloyd as The Newlywed Wife

Jacob Dowdall as The Newlywed Husband

Rachel Frederick as The Dancing Girl

PRODUCTION

Matt Richardson - Fight Director
Wesley Babcock - Set and Lighting Designer

Emily Dix - Sound, Prop and Costume Designer

Bria Cole - Projection Designer

Julia Edda Pape - Stage Manager

Ayesha Maria Khan - Assistant Director

Aria Kowal - Assistant Set Designer

Arianna Skirzynska - Assistant Lighting Designer

Kaleb Harrison - Assistant Projection Designer

Athen Chloe Go - Scenic Design Assistant

Olia Kashevarova - Wardrobe Assistant

Cheryl Ng, Rida Riyas, David Oduro - Assistant Stage Managers

Bygone Theatre | Broadway World Toronto Award Winner 2019

TICKETS

PRODUCED BY

Conor Fitzgerald and Emily Dix
Isabella Cesari - Producer-In-Training

VENUE SPONSOR

projectors provided by

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ABOUT
Recuperating from a broken leg, a news photographer spends his days cooped up in his New York apartment, watching his neighbours through the rear window of his home. The intense summer heat wave, a growing addiction to his painkillers, and the kind of delirium brought on by boredom and lack of sleep leads him to create fanciful stories about those he spies on, but when the line between truth and reality begins to blur, he finds himself questioning whether he has just witnessed a brutal murder, or whether his demons have finally gotten the best of him.

Based on the short story It Had To Be Murder by Cornell Woolrich, the same tale that inspired the 1954 Hitchcock film, Rear Window (James Stewart, Grace Kelly), The Rear Window takes a new look at this classic tale of a "peeping Tom" who saw more than he wanted to see. A gripping, psychological thriller that will leave you guessing until the final moments whether or not what we're seeing can truly be believed.

"(an) engaging and unexpected take on a story many of us thought we knew"
- Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine

Nominated for eleven 2019 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;

Best Play (Equity); Best Independent Production; Best Direction (Emily Dix); Best Original Set Design (Emily Dix); Best Original Lighting Design (Wesley Babcock); Best Original Costume Design (Emily Dix); Best Performance by a Lead Actor (Tristan Claxton); Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role (Tristan Claxton, Alex Clay); Best Performance by a Lead Actress (Kate McArthur); Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role (Kate McArthur).

winner of four 2019 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;

Best Direction (Emily Dix); Best Performance by a Lead Actor (Tristan Claxton); Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role (Kate McArthur); Best Original Lighting Design (Wesley Babcock)

"a tense look into solitude and desperation...What really drives THE REAR WINDOW is its strong script and solid delivery...a strong thriller that takes cues from the best of the genre - and still finds ways to implant little twists and turns to keep it fresh"
- Isabella Perrone, Broadway World, Toronto

CAST & CREW

Oliver Georgiou - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Oliver Georgiou - L.B. JEFFERIES

Oliver is an actor, improviser, and comedian based in Toronto. He runs SODA Impro through which he produces Played Out, a three-act unscripted play, and performs as half of the comedy duos Johnson & Georgiou with Lara Johnson and Jan & George with Reid Janisse. Bygone Theatre audiences may remember Oliver as Mitch, the cad ex-boyfriend from Emily Dix's adaptation of The Birds, and as the moustachioed Greek restauranteur, among other roles, in Wayne & Shuster, Live!. Also in the past year, he developed the roles of Edwin in Kristen Da Silva's The Bluff (Theatre Orangeville) and Mr. Gordon in Vishesh Abeyratne's workshop of Blood Offering (Alma Matter Productions).

This year, the long-awaited Vampire Zombies... From Space!, a 1950s horror-comedy homage starring Oliver as a chain-smoking greaser heartthrob, will hit the festival circuit. His improv & solo sketch comedy has delighted audiences in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Toronto. He has taught improv comedy for over a decade and has since specialized in acting and narrative improvisation. Oliver currently works as an instructor with The Assembly Improv in Toronto. He is an alumnus of Second City Toronto House Co, and can be found online as Larry the Logo on the CBC TikTok account, and in the Canadian Podcast Award-winning series Caverns & Comedians.

Kate McArthur - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Kate McArthur - LENA HALL

Kate McArthur is a Mad (Bipolar 1 Disorder)/ Queer actor/theatre artist and is a Co-Artistic Leader of Skipping Stones Theatre, a Toronto based company whose mandate is to tell stories through the lens of mental health or stories that centre around it. She constantly seeks to grow as an artist and is dedicated to the creation of important work in supportive spaces with professional standards. Selected credits: The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, As You Like It with a Company of Fools; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gorboduc, The Changeling with Shakespeare BASH’d; Hamlet(s), Laughing Wild, 4.48 Psychosis with Skipping Stones Theatre; The Yellow Wallpaper, The Rear Window with Bygone Theatre

Cayne Kitagawa - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Cayne Kitagawa - CHARLIE

Born in Ottawa of Ukrainian and Japanese heritage, Cayne Kitagawa is dedicated to performance, whether live or recorded. His interests encompass theatre, film, television, improv, and voice-over. This Dora award nominated actor simultaneously completed his BA (Honours) in Theatre and Drama Studies at the University of Toronto and his Advanced Diploma in Acting from Sheridan College in 2021. A few of his notable roles include: Danny (Grease), Oliver Twist (Oliver!), Link (Hairspray), Orestes (Oresteia), Mercutio/Paris (Romeo & Juliet), Levin (Anna Karenina), White Rabbit (Alice in Wonderland). Cayne is currently working in the Toronto and Ottawa acting scene, always searching for opportunities to display his skills and work to the world!

Antonino Pruiti - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Antonino Pruiti - LARS THORWALD

Antonino is an award winning Toronto born theatrically trained actor. Recently, he can be seen as a lead in the episode BELOVED of Tom Sokalski's Crime Drama Anthology series titled STRANGERS, which is currently available for FREE on YouTube. This past summer, you may also have caught Nino in a Bell National commercial being chased by a clown, along with some other international spots. Nino is looking forward to reprising his role as LARS THORWALD in this year's remount of Bygone Theatre's REAR WINDOW, once again under the direction of Emily Dix. Visit taurusworks.com for Nino's contacts or materials.

Simone Matheson - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Simone Matheson - MRS THORWALD

Simone Matheson is a Queer multi-disciplinary artist, classically trained actor, and theatre creator and a graduate of the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. In 2018, Simone co-founded Arrowwood Theatre and has served as co-artistic director since, through which they have focused on creating accessible community-focused Queer and movement-based theatre for contemporary audiences. Simone has created, performed in, and produced over a dozen original works, namely the Toronto Fringe (ICARUS), in collaboration with Soulpepper (Contactless), Shakespeare in Action (Nurses: Then and Now), and Theatre Passe Muraille (After The Apocalypse). With a deep passion for a multiplicity of hat-wearing, Simone recently directed for The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus (Toronto Youth Theatre), performed in The Candlemaker’s Game (Project:Humanity) as well as Talking to Dead Cats at Night (House+Body/Arrowwood Theatre) and is presently working as an intimacy coordinator on The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals (The Playhouse Collective). @simonematheson // @arrowwoodtheatreco

Sean Jacklin - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Sean Jacklin - THE WORKING STIFF

Sean is a multi-disciplinary artist (but who isn't?) based in Toronto. He is the Co-Artistic Director of The Lakeside Players with whom he's had the pleasure of travelling the country with creating outdoor theatre experiences. Recent Credits: Chef in Thin Blue Steak (Shadow Dino Productions 48 Hr Film Fest), Iracundus/Titius Tatus in Fatal Charade (El Kabong Productions), Cruikshank in Robin Hood (The Lakeside Players). Bygone Theatre Credits: Walter Burns in His Girl Friday. Look for more from Sean at www.thelakesideplayers.com.

Trinity Lloyd - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Trinity Lloyd - THE NEWLYWED WIFE

Lloyd (she/they) is a queer Jamaican/Filipino actor and creator based in Tkaronto. Trinity completed their training at York University’s Acting Conservatory in 2022 and has since appeared in
X n Da Spirit (Theatre
Passe Muraille) and The
Tempest (Buddies in Bad Times/Theatre Rusticle). They have also participated in workshops in association with Factory Theatre, Obsidian, and Roseneath Theatre. This is Trinity’s first dramaturgical project and is over the moon to be working alongside these talented
artists.

Jacob Dowdall - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Jacob Dowdall - NEWLYWED HUSBAND

Jacob is a 23-year-old queer actor who is excited to be making his Toronto debut with Bygone theatre. In 2022, he had completed his specialist at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, receiving a BFA in Theatre and Drama Studies and an Advance Diploma in Acting. There Jacob performed as Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Tereus in If We Were Birds, and as co-creator/ensemble for a devised project From the Ground Up. He often travels between his home in Toronto and his hometown of Okotoks Alberta. Jacob immediately connected with the material, and he is so privileged to be a part of this production.

Rachel Frederick - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Rachel Frederick - THE DANCING GIRL

Rachel (She/Her) is a queer actor/dancer who cannot wait to make her Toronto debut with Bygone Theatre! Rachel graduated from Brock University with a first-class honours Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in performance. While there, she had the privilege of performing in the following productions - King Ubu, Love and Information, Perdita (or The Winter’s Tale) - as well as participating in workshops at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival. Rachel is so excited to take the stage alongside the incredible artists in this production!

Emily Dix - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Emily Dix - WRITER, DIRECTOR, DESIGNER

Conor Fitzgerald - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Conor Fitzgerald - PRODUCER

Wesley Babcock - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Wesley Babcock - SET & LIGHTING DESIGNER

Wesley (he/him) is a Queer set and lighting designer who splits time between Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS) and Tkaronto (Toronto, ON). You may have seen his work on stage for the likes of Neptune Theatre, Crows Theatre, the Howland Company, and Coal Mine Theatre. He is a proud member of ADC659.
Wesley is a founding member of whatbywhen (WxW) (with Crystal Lee), where they develop models for sustainable production management and technical direction through praxis. (whatxwhen.ca)
He founded and co-curated Dark Day Monday (with Thea Fitz-James), a Toronto-based performance series featuring artists who break boundaries and defy expectation.
He is also a founding partner of Act1 Consulting for the Performing Arts (with Peter Henry), where they are currently working on a masterplan for Ship’s Company Theatre, among other architectural projects with companies like Coal Mine Theatre. (act1consulting.ca)

Bria Cole - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Bria Cole - PROJECTION DESIGNER

Bria Cole is a media storyteller, junior architect, and educator. Bria's extensive experience in the nonfiction film communities and with cultural institutions in Toronto and New York has shaped her work and interests, intersecting media arts, architectural design, and narrative. She practices neighborhood design and documentary film. She holds a Master of Arts in Media Studies from the New School and a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto. She teaches at Humber College in the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts.

Julia Edda Pape - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Julia Edda Pape - STAGE MANAGER

Julia Edda Pape is currently a student at the UofT’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in their Master of Teaching Program. She hopes to continue working in the world of theatre post-graduation especially after having so much fun working on such productions as Bygone Theatre's The Yellow Wallpaper and The Birds. Julia is grateful as always to Emily Dix and the whole team at Bygone for giving her the opportunity to learn and grow once more as the Stage Manager for this production of The Rear Window.

Ayesha Maria Khan - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Ayesha Maria Khan - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Ayesha is an actor, dramaturg, and budding director whose work sits in the places that cause the most discomfort within themself and the most friction with their environments. Themes that recur for her are mental illness, neurodivergence, queerness, first generation immigrant Muslim identity, and the struggle to stay loyal to one's truth. She cherishes the opportunity to grow alongside a team and to deepen her ability to listen.

Isabella Cesari - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Isabella Cesari - PRODUCER-IN-TRAINING

Isabella Cesari is a director, producer, lyricist, playwright, lighting designer, and general theatre person born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Her directing credits include Cabaret, Twelfth Night, Spring Awakening, Lizzie: The Musical, Radium Girls, and Carrie: The Musical, as well as the premiere of Miss You 'Til Tomorrow, an original musical she co-wrote with Ian Chan. Alongside directing, Isabella has designed lighting, projections, and animations for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, designed lighting for Jesus Christ Superstar, and given a career-defining performance as a plate in Beauty and the Beast. She most recently worked as a Production Assistant at the Canadian Opera Company, where she was part of the stage management teams of La Bohème and Don Giovanni. Isabella is also the founder and executive producer of Thaumatrope Theatre, a company whose mission is to create opportunities for early-career artists.

Aria Kowall - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Aria Kowall - ASSISTANT SET DESIGNER

Aria Kowal is currently a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto. Through UofT, she has worked as a set designer for student productions including Legally Blonde and Angels in America, and assistant designed for Into the Woods and the Howland Company’s Three Sisters. She hopes to continue to develop her skills in design by working as assistant set designer for Rear Window, and is super excited to have been given the opportunity at Bygone to do so.

Arianna Skirzynska - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Arianna Skirzynska - ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER

From lighting designer to biomedical engineering, Arianna keeps one foot firmly in both worlds. She is currently completing her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto, while spending her evenings volunteering in student-led productions at Hart House Theatre. Her lighting design has been recognized through accolades, including through the Canada’s Capital Cappies Award for best lighting design in her work on the Glass Menagerie (2015). She has previously worked with Bygone Theatre on Wayne & Shuster, Live! (2023) as an assistant stage manager and is excited to continue learning and working with them in their 2024 production of The Rear Window.

Athen Chloe Go - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Athen Chloe Go - ASSISTANT SCENIC DESIGNER

Athen is a third-year student at the University of Toronto studying Architecture, English, and Visual Arts. She fell in love with scenic design in high school; amidst struggling to deliver a monologue as Lady Macbeth, she found her voice only after being immersed in the set. Ever since witnessing the transformative power of space, she has hoped to be a part of giving others that same experience. Her recent credits include Set Designer for A Streetcar Named Desire (TCDS), as well as Assistant Set Designer for Sure Thing and The Most Massive Woman Wins (CDTPS). She is so excited to be working on The Rear Window, and she is grateful for the opportunity to keep learning about storytelling through design.

David Oduro - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

David Oduro - ASM

David (He/Him), is going into his first year as a student at Humber college and is one of the assistant stage managers for Bygone Theatre’s production of The Rear Window. He has some experience in theatre volunteering previously as an actor and a stagehand at his high school. He currently works as a freelance AV technician. With a passion for the performing arts, he’s excited to contribute to the production of The Rear Window!

Rida Riyas - Bygone Theatre | The Rear Window

Rida Riyas - ASM

Rida (she/her), is a first-year Social Sciences student at UofT, and one of the Assistant Stage Managers for Bygone Theater's production of Rear Window. She’s been involved in a little bit of everything in theater, including script writing, acting, and directing during high school. With a passion for the performing arts, she’s excited to contribute to the production of The Rear Window!

THE rear window

written & Directed
by EMILY DIX

VENUE SPONSOR

projectors provided by

"(an) engaging and unexpected take on a story many of us thought we knew"
- Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine

Nominated for eleven 2019 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;

winner of four 2019 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;

Best Direction (Emily Dix); Best Performance by a Lead Actor (Tristan Claxton); Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role (Kate McArthur); Best Original Lighting Design (Wesley Babcock)

CAST & CREW

Registered Charity Number 793306895RR0001

© 2021 by Emily Dix

THE rear window

written & Directed by EMILY DIX

VENUE SPONSOR

projectors provided by

"(an) engaging and unexpected take on a story many of us thought we knew" - Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine

Nominated for eleven 2019 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;

​

winner of four 2019 Broadway World Toronto Awards, including;

Best Direction (Emily Dix); Best Performance by a Lead Actor (Tristan Claxton); Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role (Kate McArthur); Best Original Lighting Design (Wesley Babcock)

CAST & CREW

written & Directed
by EMILY DIX

"(an) engaging and unexpected take on a story many of us thought we knew"
- Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine