Mabel Hubbard Bell was a strong, self-assured woman – bright, passionate, and a complete original. Despite a near-fatal case of childhood scarlet fever that cost her the ability to hear, she learned to talk and lip-read in multiple languages. At 19, she married a young inventor named Alexander Graham Bell and became the most significant influence in his life.
Silence is Mabel’s story, offering the unique perspective of a woman...
“Silence is golden...a triumph for director Peter Hinton.”
London Free Press
≈ 2 hours and 20 minutes
· With intermission
NAC English Theatre Presentation
A Grand Theatre (London, ON) Production
Mabel Hubbard Bell was a strong, self-assured woman – bright, passionate, and a complete original. Despite a near-fatal case of childhood scarlet fever that cost her the ability to hear, she learned to talk and lip-read in multiple languages. At 19, she married a young inventor named Alexander Graham Bell and became the most significant influence in his life.
Silence is Mabel’s story, offering the unique perspective of a woman whose remarkable life was overshadowed by her famous husband. Deftly directed by former NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Peter Hinton, Silence recounts how Mabel communicated with the man who invented the most powerful communication tool ever conceived.
Peter was Artistic Director of English Theatre at Canada’s National Arts Centre from 2005-2012. Some favorite productions include: The Wrong Son by Allen Cole, Copper Thunderbird by Marie Clements, Congreve’s The Way of the World, and King Lear with Auggie Schellenberg. Peter has directed over 250 productions since 1984; their own plays and adaptations have been staged at Stratford, Shaw, National Arts Centre and the Segal Centre. He is the recipient of numerous theatre awards across Canada, and in 2009, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Selected Theatre Credits:The Hooves Belonged to the Deer by Makram Ayache (In Arms Collective, Edmonton/Tarragon Theatre, Toronto); The Shadow of a Doubt by Edith Wharton (Shaw Festival); At the Beginning of Time by Steve Galluccio (Centaur Theatre, Montreal); The Man That Got Away by Martin Julien (Buddies in Bad Times, Toronto); The Sylvia Effect, writer and director (Theatre Kingston); Missing by Marie Clements and Brian Current (City Opera Vancouver); Hadrian by Rufus Wainwright and Daniel MacIvor (Canadian Opera Company)
Upcoming:Dion by Ted Dykstra and Steven Mayoff (Coalmine Theatre, Toronto) and Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold (Edmonton Opera).
Peter a été directeur artistique du Théâtre anglais du Centre national des Arts de 2005 à 2012.Ses pièces préférées :The Wrong Son d'Allen Cole, Copper Thunderbird de Marie Clements, The Way of the World de William Congreve, et King Lear avec August SchellenbergPeter a mis en scène plus de 250 productions depuis 1984; ses pièces et adaptations ont été présentées au Festival de Stratford, au Festival Shaw, au Centre national des Arts et au Centre Segal. Peter a reçu de nombreuses distinctions tout au long de sa carrière, y compris Officier de l’Ordre du Canada depuis 2009.
Au théâtre : The Hooves Belonged to the Deer de Makram Ayache (In Arms Collective, Edmonton/Tarragon Theatre, Toronto); The Shadow of a Doubt d'Edith Wharton (Festival Shaw); At the Beginning of Time de Steve Galluccio (Centaur Theatre, Montreal),The Man That Got Away de Martin Julien(Buddies in Bad Times), The Sylvia Effect (Theatre Kingston), Missing de Marie Clements et Brian Current (City Opera) Hadrian de Rufus Wainwright et Daniel MacIvor (Compagnie d'opéra canadienne).
À venir : Dion de Ted Dykstra et Steven Mayoff (Coalmine Theatre); Das Rheingold du Richard Wagner (Opéra d’Edmonton).
Michael Gianfrancesco’s set and costume designs for theatre, musical theatre, opera, and dance have been seen across Canada, in Europe, and in the United States. His multifaceted designs include period, contemporary, conceptual, and site-specific work. He has worked in repertory with the Stratford Festival for 19 seasons and the Shaw Festival for 10 seasons.
Michael has designed productions for the Canadian Opera Company, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Opera Atelier, Canadian Stage Company, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Citadel Theatre, Centaur Theatre, Theatre Calgary, The Grand Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Against the Grain, Mirvish Productions, The Segal Centre, Studio 180, Young People’s Theatre, and Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, among others. Some recent productions include sets for Richard II and Chicago at the Stratford Festival, Jasper at the off-broadway Signature Theatre in New York City, the costumes for Ricciardo e Zoraide at the Rossini Festival in Italy, Frame by Frame created by Robert Lepage and Guillaume Côté with Ex Machina and the National Ballet of Canada, and the world premiere of the opera Hadrian by Rufus Wainwright and Daniel McIvor at the Canadian Opera Company. Michael’s set design for Cabaret at the Shaw Festival, directed by Peter Hinton, was featured at the Prague Quadrennial for Performance Design and Space in 2015.
michaelgianfrancesco.com
Les décors et les costumes de Michael Gianfrancesco pour le théâtre, la comédie musicale, l’opéra et la danse ont été vus partout au Canada, en Europe et aux États-Unis. Ses conceptions scéniques à multiples facettes embrassent aussi bien les œuvres d’époque que les créations contemporaines, conceptuelles et adaptées au lieu. Il a œuvré dans le théâtre de répertoire pendant dix-neuf saisons avec le Festival de Stratford, et dix saisons avec le Festival Shaw.
Il a créé des conceptions scéniques pour la Compagnie d’opéra canadienne (COC), Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, l’Opera Atelier, la Canadian Stage Company, le Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, le Citadel Theatre, le Centaur Theatre, Theatre Calgary, The Grand Theatre, le Tarragon Theatre, Against the Grain, Mirvish Productions, The Segal Centre, le Studio 180, le Young People’s Theatre, le Théâtre du Nouveau Monde et plusieurs autres. Parmi les plus récentes productions auxquelles il a collaboré, mentionnons ses décors pour Richard II et Chicago au Festival de Stratford, et pour Jasper dans une production off-Broadway du Signature Theatre à New York, de même que ses costumes pour Ricciardo e Zoraide au Festival Rossini en Italie, Frame by Frame, une création de Robert Lepage et Guillaume Côté avec Ex Machina et le Ballet national du Canada, et la création mondiale de l’opéra Hadrian de Rufus Wainwright et Daniel McIvor à la Compagnie d’opéra canadienne. Son décor pour Cabaret au Festival Shaw, dans une mise en scène de Peter Hinton, a été présenté à la Quadriennale de Prague en scénographie et en architecture théâtrales en 2015.
