My Story @ Tarragon

Bob White

Back in the eighties, when I was artistic director of Factory Theatre, there was a natural alliance between all of us who were engaged in the development and production of new Canadian plays. The Canadian play movement, as defined by what were called the alternate theatres at the time, was only ten years old or so and openings at the Tarragon served as one of the gatherings of the clan. No matter if the actual play and production was successful or not, the opening night party was always an opportunity to drink too much, smoke too much, dance too much and laugh, laugh, laugh.

Well, most of the time. Somebody had decided that the opening night of Marsha Norman’s ‘night, Mother (an unbelievably bleak two-hander wherein a distraught daughter informs her mother that she’s going to commit suicide—and does) should take place on New Year’s Eve. The idea was that the opening night festivities would somehow morph into a great New Year’s celebration. Let’s say the production was so powerful that everyone came out of the theatre unbelievably depressed. Let’s say our mood carried over to the party in the rehearsal hall. Imagine, then, a hundred or so staunch souls sitting around with those New Year’s party hats on, clutching noise makers and staring very solemnly into their drinks. There was no dancing, there was no laughing — but it is a New Year’s Eve I will never forget. Thanks, Tarragon.

’night, Mother by Marsha Norman was directed by Ken Livingstone, starring Nancy Beatty and Doris Petrie, and opened on December 31, 1984. Photo by Nir Bareket.