Extremophiles
Written and Performed by Georgina Beaty
A Downstage Production
Directed by Ellen Close
Production Design by Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett
“Stunning… one can’t help but sit on the edge of their seat, eager for every word.” Showbill Canada
Extremophiles is an absurdly comic meditation on a world past the precipice. It’s an unconventional dissertation, a eulogy, and a mid-apocalyptic bedtime story. In the midst of a spontaneous pregnancy epidemic, Margaret is the only one to give birth — to a very unusual baby. She is quarantined in the far North with her growing child. When April, an eager young anthropologist, arrives to chronicle their emerging society, she becomes more entangled than she anticipated. In this unsettling and eerily funny solo piece, Canadian playwright Georgina Beaty creates a strange and beautiful dystopia to evoke unsettling truths about where our planet may be headed. The stunning set design is by internationally-renown visual artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett. Extremophiles has previously been presented at SummerWorks (Toronto); In the Soil Festival (St. Catharines); High Performance Rodeo (Calgary); and Uno Festival (Victoria.)
Length: 65 minutes with no intermission
Touring Company: 2 artists and 1 crew
Known for offering a unique experience to audiences, Downstage produces Canadian theatre that creates meaningful conversation around social issues. Its critically-acclaimed work is inventive, entertaining, relevant, and accessible. Founded by Simon Mallett in 2004 and under the current artistic direction of Clare Preuss, Downstage devises original ensemble works and produces new plays by exciting local and cross-national artists. Since 2009, the company has produced seven World Premieres by Albertan creators. Downstage productions have been featured across Canada.
Georgina Beaty is a Canadian actor, writer, and co-artistic director of Architect Theatre.
