Sidney can feel her career slipping down the drain. No one loves a pop star when she’s past forty. Unless she wants to join the ranks of the has-beens on the casino circuit, she needs to reinvent herself – and quick. But what if she regains her former glory and still feels that something is missing?
Capitalism, race and pop culture. You know, the small stuff.
ARC theatre company presents the Canadian premiere of Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith’s Rockabye, a dark, satirical comedy about our self-involved, celebrity-obsessed culture. It is directed by ARC Co-Artistic Producer Rob Kempson, with Assistant Director Paul Smith, and will run in the Factory Theatre Mainspace from Friday, January 26 to Sunday, February 11, 2024. Funny and fast-paced, Rockabye tackles adoption, fame, hypocrisy, narcissism and media manipulation with cutting style. The cast features Deborah Drakeford in a career-defining role, with ARC Resident Artist Nabil Traboulsi, plus Christopher Allen, Sergio Di Zio, Kyra Harper, Julie Lumsden and Shauna Thompson.
About ARC
ARC is an ensemble-based theatre company that produces contemporary international theatre in a multinational city. They take a rigorous, bold, socially active and highly collaborative approach to producing thought-provoking international works in their Canadian premiere. By collaborating with community stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and their audience, they create this work as a means of engaging with relevant global conversations. Community engagement and social justice are at the core of who they are as theatre-makers.
“This darkly funny piece is a real roller-coaster. It’s the kind of play that deceives you again and again, so you’re never quite sure what to expect. I’m excited to share with our audiences such a complex story of a mature woman confronting her legacy. It’s powerful, profound, and really, really funny.”
– Rob Kempson, ARC Co-Artistic Producer & Rockabye Director
Deborah Drakeford
(Photo credits: ARC. Photo of Deborah Drakeford by Juan Carlos Echavarría.)
Event details
Hosted by: ARC
Type of event: theatre performance
Written by: Joanna Murray-Smith
Directed by: Rob Kempson, with Assistant Director Paul Smith
Cast: Deborah Drakeford, with Nabil Traboulsi, Christopher Allen, Sergio Di Zio, Kyra Harper, Julie Lumsden & Shauna Thompson
Dates: Friday, January 26 – Sunday, February 11, 2024
Start times: Tuesdays – Saturdays @ 8:00 PM ET; matinées on Saturdays* & Sundays @ 2:00 PM ET (*no matinée on Saturday, January 27)
Duration: approximately 2.5 hours (including intermission)
Cost: General $35.00, Arts Worker $30.00, Student $25.00
Location: Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M5V 2R2
Booking link: Book your tickets here
Contact Details: ARC, Mailing address: 207-157 Carlton Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 2K3, Canada; info@arcstage.com, arcstage.com
Content warning: For audiences 14+. This production features mature language and content, including swearing and discussion of sex.
Accessibility: Factory Theatre accessibility info here.
Refund policy: Please contact the organizer.