Hurricane Diane, the Madeleine George stage play that will begin the Guild Theatre’s 2024-25 season, focuses on permaculture gardener, Diane, whose true identity is that of the notorious Greek god, Dionysus.
Upon returning to the modern world to gather mortal followers and restore the Earth to its natural state, she finds herself starting with four housewives in a suburban cul-de-sac.
The Guild Theatre is kicking off its new season on October 2 with a run of Madeleine George’s hit play, Hurricane Diane.
“I picked up Hurricane Diane and was wowed by the playwright, and how her script asks this really difficult question about why we aren’t all collectively acting more on looming climate change collapse,” says Odile Nelson, who is co-directing the Guild’s production with Jordan Kaltenbruner.
“I can imagine her thinking, ‘The way to look into this is to bring the God Dionysus back to Earth as a butch lesbian charm factory named Diane and then have her–in almost a deus ex-machina way–try to save the planet by starting up a Bacchic cult, starting with four New Jersey housewives.’”
“I love the way George probes at the answer to this existential question by weaving together all these disparate elements: Greek myth, queer culture and sitcom sensibilities. The result is incredibly funny, incredibly human and also tragic.”
Kaltenbruner appreciates how many different themes and ideas the play is able to blend, citing the myth of Dionysus, nods to queerness today, the natural world and our role belonging to it.
He also notes that the play speaks directly to the infection that corporate, patriarchal, white supremacist capitalism has had on accessing human authenticities.
“I love how hilarious this play is, and how profound and contemplative space is made to grapple with the plot,” she says.
“There are scenes that repelled me at first. Finding the deeper meaning and tending to the topic of consent and choice, I think, is extremely valuable. To me, the play reinforces the idea that self determination and community care are the way forward, and that is what agrees with my ethos on a very base level.”
Hurricane Diane at the Guild will feature a cast of Amanda Bartle, Sophia Marnik, Alita Powell, Stephanie Routley, Mirabel Dawn Sirois.
For Artistic Director Brian Fidler, the play was the right choice to kick off the Guild’s new season for its mix of poignancy and humour.
“The play tackles the very unfunny topic of climate change in a brilliant and hilarious way,” Fidler explains. “With an all female cast, the writing is absolutely pitch perfect. When I first read it, it cracked me up, but also got me thinking. With the incredible tag-team directors of Jordan Kaltenbruner and Odile Nelson, the production is very thoughtful, smart and extremely playful.”
With a small cast and crew but two directors, putting together this production brought lots of opportunities for collaboration. Kaltenbruner says it was exciting to see the team thinking in sync for how to bring the play to life.
“Co-directing looks like two brains coalescing into one. So, it’s a practice of communication, consideration and finding the sweet spot,” she says. “And often, pleasant surprises are found.
“It is so cool to witness the same thought being thought in the same place at the same time. Or having completely opposing thoughts, meeting in the middle, trying both and making a decision together–that’s happened too.”
Nelson echoes Kaltenbruner’s sentiment on co-directing, while saying the challenges that come up are better seen as opportunities to develop as a theatre artist and a team player.
“Maybe it can take more time to check-in with each other on design decisions,” says Nelson. “Or maybe you have different approaches in rehearsal. I’m super appreciative of working with Jordan–her creativity, intuitiveness, and her empathetic approach to the rehearsal process.”
Hurricane Diane runs at the Guild Hall on 14th Ave. from Oct. 2 to 19, with Oct. 2 being a preview night and Oct. 3 the official opening. The play will be shown Wednesday to Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32 at yukonartscentre.com, except pay-what-you-decide Wednesdays.
Beyond Hurricane Diane, the Guild Hall has a host of exciting productions throughout the coming season.
The second play of the season is Animals out of Paper by Rajiv Joseph, and this year’s musical is Monty Python’s Spamalot, with book and lyrics by Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle. The Guild Theatre is also collaborating with the Yukon Arts Centre (YAC) to bring a Guild production to the YAC stage this season.
“The Guild Is an ever-changing place full of surprises,” says Fidler. “When you come to see a play it might be the set that totally shocks and delights you with its ingenuity. Or maybe a particular performer knocks your socks off. Or the words of the playwright will call you to action or deep reflection.
“This year, the Guild is once again humming with activity! We have so much going on and our doors are open to the community! A lot of people put their heart and soul into our productions and we are so proud of what we do. We love our audiences and want to entertain the heck out of them.”
To learn more about Hurricane Diane and the Guild Theatre, visit guildhall.ca.
