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THE STONE FACE Buster Keaton, Samuel Beckett and a film called Film. Damfino Theatre is excited to announce the world premiere of The Stone Face by Sherry MacDonald, a play about a film called Film. It’s 1964. Buster Keaton and Samuel Beckett are the unlikely collaborators on a black and white silent film. MacDonald’s hilarious new play is the story of these two iconic figures and the director – Alan Schneider – assigned to direct the piece. Directed by Kevin McKendrick, The Stone Face features an outstanding cast including Alex Diakun as Buster, Terence Kelly as Sam, Allan Zinyk as Alan, Patricia Drake as Eleanor and featuring Kyle Rideout as the Young Man. “I fell in love with Keaton when I first saw Sherlock Jr.,” explained MacDonald. “I was inspired to research his life and came across Film. I read an anecdote recounted by Schneider, the director, about how he arrived at Keaton’s home to discuss the project only to find the former star engaged in an imaginary card game with the long-deceased Irving G. Thalberg. Buster claimed the game had been going on since 1927 and Thalberg owed him two million dollars. This sounded like the first scene of a play.” Taking this as her starting point, MacDonald has created an alternative, surreal universe that resembles a Buster Keaton film; a world where doors solve problems and card games provide life lessons: a world where Beckett and Keaton are equally at home. The Stone Face has received staged readings and workshop performances at Playwrights Theatre Centre, Vancouver, Alberta Theatre Projects, Alberta Playwrights Network Playworks Ink and the Orlando Shakespeare Festival PlayFest. MacDonald is a graduate of the MFA Creative Writing program at UBC. Her previous plays include The Duchess of Alba, Cowgirl Jane and Iraqi Karaoke. “Rich and appealing. The slapstick world of Buster Keaton is exploited to full theatrical effect.” Watch Film by Samuel Beckett and featuring Buster Keaton yourself at the following: www.ubu.com/film/beckett.html
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