For Immediate Release:
September 6, 2000
Pi (Pink Ink) Theatre and Rumble Productions present
Three in the Back, Two in the Head
A play by Jason Sherman
At the Roundhouse Community Centre (Davie & Pacific)
November 2-18, 2000
Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm $16/18
Matinees Saturday, November 11 & 18 at 2pm
2 for 1 - Tuesdays & Preview November 2
Free Performance November 1
The son of a murdered Canadian Scientist goes looking for justice at CIA headquarters.
"...they don't care about what you 'say' you are doing, what you 'think' you are doing, all they see is this, these, your hands and what you are doing to them, forget the rest, forget the Things Thought, forget the Things Said: all that matters, truly matters, are the Things Done, Done to survive."
As a Star Wars missile defense system returns to front-page news, one is reminded of the life - and death - of Canadian ballistics innovator Gerald Bull, inventor of the "supergun". It's the enigma of this renegade genius that provides the inspiration for one of the most gripping plays of the last decade - Jason Sherman's Governor General's Award winner, Three in the Back, Two in the Head.
Alec Willows plays Donald Jackson, a visionary armaments expert who, through devising a defensive anti-missile strategy called "Snowman", attracts the attention of the US military eventually canceling the project and his reputation as a scientist is ruined, he is recruited by the CIA, but in the end turns to foreign regimes in order to continue his research. The CIA and the military learn of his dealings, and take steps to protect their own interests.
With its allusion to the number of bullets found in Jackson's body, Three in the Back, Two in the Head dramatizes the quest of Jackson's son, Paul, to uncover the names of the men responsible for his father's death. Played by Alex Ferguson, Paul faces off against CIA agent Doyle, played by Andrew Johnston, through whom he discovers the realities of his father's idealism - a world of power, deceit, and obsession. David C. King plays Sparrow, the Pentagon General originally responsible for Jackson's project. Gina Stockdale is Anna, Donald Jackson's devoted wife.
"... beguiling debate on state morality vs. personal morality ...hammers away at the richly dramatic themes of loyalty and betrayal. The dialogue is quick-witted, wobbling wonderfully from an examination of state and personal secrets to how people change and how that change is seen by others to the brutal sort of conclusion that is despised by liberals and armchair radicals alike- that all that matters is survival of the strongest."
- Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star
Three in the Back, Two in the Head evokes the epic tragedy of a lone dreamer caught in a maelstrom of political positioning, family loyalties and Cold War expediency. In the tradition of a Le Carré thriller, Jason Sherman offers up a "Rubik's Cube" look at the knotted ethics of national security and the 'peacekeeper' illusions of our Canadian identity. And as the play that launched Sherman's career (It's All True, Patience, Reading Hebron), it has the wit and intrigue relished by fans of his CBC Radio political satire National Affairs, heard weekly on This Morning.
"It's a macho, high stakes chess game, and I found its logistical challenge tremendously stimulating. 'You understood that a lie was passing between us,' Doyle says to Paul early on, 'and I respected you for allowing me to take that position."
- Colin Thomas, The Georgia Straight
This co-production is directed by Rumble's Artistic Producer, Norman Armour and designed by Pi's Artistic Director Del Surjik (Lighting), in collaboration with Andreas Kahre (Set), Barbara Clayden (Costumes), Noah Drew (Sound). Technical direction is by John Webber and stage management is by Galia Goodwin.
This season marks Rumble Productions' tenth anniversary of presenting risky, multidisciplinary collaborations with visionary artists from Vancouver and beyond. Pi (Pink Ink) Theatre celebrates 15 years of producing award-winning productions from the most unusual and exceptional from the French Canadian canon and the world stage. Both are mainstays of the SEE SEVEN independent theatre subscription series.
Pi (Pink Ink) Theatre and Rumble Productions gratefully acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, BCArts Council, City of Vancouver - Office of Cultural Affairs, CMHC - Granville Island, Pacific Cinematheque, du Maurier Arts Ltd. and donors, members, and volunteers.