Transitions
Created by Ron Davies | Produced by Overbridge Productions | Origin: Ottawa, Canada
Arts Court Theatre
Show Details
WINNER of the 2023 Hamilton Fringe New Play Contest. Family members from three generations— an ailing grandfather, a beleaguered mother and a transgender teen— struggle to understand each other’s life changes… and to deal with their own…
Content Notes
A character describes a brief interrupted gender-related assault and a past suicide attempt.
Showtimes
- Friday, June 16th8:00pm
- Saturday, June 17th4:30pm
- Monday, June 19th6:00pm
- Thursday, June 22nd5:30pm
- Friday, June 23rd9:00pm
- Saturday, June 24th2:30pm
This premiere production is directed by Patrick Gauthier (winner of the 2022 Prix Rideau Award for Outstanding Direction) and features Michelle LeBlanc (past winner of the Prix Rideau Emerging Artist Award) and Peter Froehlich (recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Capital Critics’ Circle). It introduces to the Arts Court stage Algonquin College graduate Jay Quesnel. The play was written by Ottawa resident Ron Davies (two-time winner of the National One-Act Playwriting Competition.)
“An incredibly important piece that focuses on the only never-ending thing in life: change. Change of environment, change of circumstances, or even changes within yourself. ‘Transitions’ deals with all of these themes and more in a deeply-relatable piece.” — Jordan M. Burns, playwright and Hamilton Fringe New Play Contest juror
“Part of the magic of this script is that there are three generations facing critical life decisions and …their issues cross over to the other generations. An important play… with a great deal of sensitivity to the issues… Beautifully written.” — Sandra Nordgren, New Works of Merit (N.Y.)
“A really honest dialogue about how gender transition is not so different from a lot of major liminal phases that humans go through in their lifetime.” — Salt & Sage sensitivity reader and screenwriter.
7 responses to “Transitions”
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Fringe Review: Transitions – Eve Beauchamp, Apartment 613
Ottawa playwright Ron Davies does a risky and interesting thing in this play by taking familiar characters and situations and mashing them together, creating an engaging and sympathetic portrait of a family coping with the multiple and relentless pressures of change.
Grandfather Richard is a typically cranky old guy facing medical issues and a forced move from the family home to seniors care. Daughter Maggie is juggling her own mid-life health and marital challenges while tending to Richard’s needs and navigating the female to male transition of her son Michael (formerly Michelle).
There’s nothing new or startling here, but Davies’ precision is impressive as he carefully moves each character through a 60-minute arc. The dialogue is in turns dramatic, banal, true-to-life and funny, and comes alive thanks to excellent, often understated performances by the actors, particularly Peter Froehlich as Richard and Michelle Leblanc as Maggie. Leblanc’s powerful portrayal of Maggie’s emotional breakdown near the end of the play had the audience reaching for hankies. Froehlich avoided an easy stereotype and brought Richard to life with humour, intelligence and honesty.
The play makes us laugh and cry and then laugh again. Nothing feels fake or falsely theatrical. The ending is gently upbeat, without being sentimental. And by the final blackout, we realize how well Transitions has entertained and touched us.
I attended last evening’s performance and was quite impressed with the text and the actors’ play. It takes talent to make an audience laugh while unfurling three human dramas, one of which at least will resonate with most people. Definitely worth seeing!
We saw Transitions at Ottawa Fringe on Monday night. The show was very well attended and the audience appreciative. Davies’ text shone brightly through the excellent acting and direction. This was a serious and sensitive treatment, but humorous moments were a natural part of the drama. Perhaps because I was holding my breath, when the laughs came I let them out rather loudly. The person behind me was crying and quietly gasping at the bits about which the content warnings were centred. This was a moving and enjoyable piece of theatre.
A well crafted play addressing very current and relatable societal issues, delivered with excellent performances by the cast. A very enjoyable performance!
Congratulations to the creator of the play, Ron Davies, for meshing together these transitions. It is very well done. The brilliant actors will make you smile, laugh, maybe cry a little and all this in the span of 60 minutes. Really worth seeing!
A moving and strong piece of theatre. Covering a wide range of topics that will touch most people who are lucky enough to see this play, the story telling in this play is well done. Regardless of where you are in life, there should be something relatable here. It’s a good and necessary story. I hope you get to see it.