“A gem of a play, an old-fashioned love song that is affecting, funny, and evocative as a dream.”
-The Globe & Mail

Ottawa, ON, October 6, 2011 - As a fitting tribute to Canada’s one and only David French, the NAC English Theatre season opens with his best-known romantic comedy, Salt-Water Moon.

On a moonlit night in August, 1926, 18 year-old Jacob Mercer has returned from Toronto to the tiny Newfoundland outport of Coley’s Point, hoping to win back his former sweetheart, Mary Snow. But Mary, still hurt and puzzled by Jacob’s sudden departure a year earlier, has become engaged to wealthy Jerome McKenzie and will not be easily wooed.

Salt-Water Moon premiered in 1984 as one of David French’s semi-autobiographical plays about the fictional Mercer family of Newfoundland, and became his most produced work. In all, of the 12 plays he penned, five tell the story of the Mercer family, including Leaving Home, Of the Fields, Lately, 1949, and Soldier’s Heart.

Salt-Water Moon won the 1985 Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Drama, the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, a Hollywood Drama-Logue Critics Award, and an Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists (ACTRA) Award. It was a finalist for both the Chalmers Award and the 1985 Governor-General's Award for Drama.

In conjunction with this production, and in association with Theatre Museum Canada, NAC English Theatre is proud to present a retrospective exhibit on the life and work of David French (1939-2010) in the NAC Theatre Lobby titled David French: Writing Home.

Focusing on the five Mercer plays, the exhibit combines rare artifacts, images and text to examine the history of French’s darkly humorous slice-of-life dramas, and his far-reaching influence in the development of English Canadian theatre.

The exhibit continues through November 6, 2011. An online companion exhibit is also featured on the NAC’s educational website ArtsAlive.ca.

Salt-Water Moon plays in the NAC Theatre October 18 – November 5, 2011.

Starring Holly Gauthier-Frankel and Jamie Mac.

Working with Director Micheline Chevrier to bring this classic to the stage are Set Designer Max-Otto Fauteux; Costume Designer Normand Thériault; Lighting Designer Jock Munro; Composer and Sound Designer Marc Desormeaux; Assistant Director Megan Watson; Stage Manager Laurie Champagne; and Apprentice Stage Manager Loreen Gibson.

PWYC:        
Tuesday, October 18
Previews:   
Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20
Opening:    
Friday, October 21

Hinterview:          
Saturday, October 22 at 1 p.m. in the Panorama Room.
NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Peter Hinton will be speaking with Salt-Water Moon Director Micheline Chevrier. Free to the public.

Talkbacks:  
Wednesdays, October 26 & November 2 and Thursdays, October 27 & November 3.          
Stay in your seats for a post-show question-and-answer session with artists from Salt-Water Moon.

Performance times in the NAC Theatre:       
Evening performances Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday matinees are at 2 p.m.
(no performances on Sunday or Monday)

Tickets range from $22 - $71.50
Groups of 10 or more contact grp@nac-cna.ca or
visit our webpage.

Tickets are available for purchase:

• In person at the NAC Box Office
• At all Ticketmaster outlets
• By telephone 1-888-991-2787
• Online on the NAC’s website: www.nac-cna.ca
  A service charge applies on all purchases made through Ticketmaster.

Find out more about NAC English Theatre on Facebook and YouTube. To discover some fascinating facts about Salt-Water Moon click www.nac-cna.ca/en/englishtheatre and learn more through the English Theatre online study guides.

Check out the NAC Blog at blog.nca-can.ca for backstage information on Salt-Water Moon.

This production is eligible for the Live Rush program.Full-time students age 13-29 with valid Live Rush membership may buy up to two tickets per performance at the discounted price of only $12 per ticket. Live Rush tickets are available from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance to 6 p.m. the day of the performance. This includes all available seats, including the best seats in the house.Check out liverush.ca for more information on the Live Rush program.

Embassy Hotel & Suites is proud to be the Official Hotel Partner for the National Arts Centre English Theatre.

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For more information, please contact:
Sean Fitzpatrick, Communications Officer, National Arts Centre English Theatre
613-947-7000 ext. 389; e-mail: sean.fitzpatrick@nac-cna.ca
or visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca