New Theatre Company Raises The Stakes

The Stakes, L-R: James Soares Correia, Angon Golikov,
Julia O’Donoghue and Marc-André Dagenais

Dawson grads, represent. Montreal has a new independent theatre company. After honing their chops in Dawson College’s theatre school, a group of recent and soon-to-be graduates have lit out on their own. Raise The Stakes Theatre is set to mount its first production this Wednesday and Thursday at Théâtre Ste-Catherine.

Salt Water Moon, a piece written in 1984 by the late Newfoundlander David French, is the troupe’s choice for their inaugural production. Director Anton Golikov explains, “We chose this play after having been assigned individual play readings in a Canadian drama history class taught by Douglas Buchanan. James (Soares-Correia) and I fell in love with the script.”

With young love, seaside small town oddity, and David French’s renowned naturally flowing, poetic dialogue, it’s easy to see why. In Salt Water Moon, they have some popular material with plenty of depth, comedy, and teenage pining to ensure a juicy performance.

Golikov provides the play’s synopsis: “It’s a splendid moon-filled night in Coley’s Point in 1926. Eighteen-year-old Jacob Mercer has returned from Toronto to the tiny Newfoundland outport, hoping to win back his former sweetheart, Mary Snow. But Mary has become engaged to wealthy Jerome McKenzie, and she is still hurt and bewildered by Jacob’s abrupt departure a year earlier. She will not be easily wooed…”

Salt Water Moon is the third of five plays written by the legendary French about the imagined Mercer family. The first was the landmark Leaving Home in 1972, which became one of the most influential and widely produced Canadian plays in history.

French passed away of brain cancer in 2010. His work has remained steady fodder for high school and college class material, as well on stages around the country.

Among the Raise The Stakes founders are James Soares-Correia, who plays Jacob, alongside Julia O’Donoghue as Mary in the two-character piece. Director Anton Golikov and the troupe’s stage manager Marc-Andre Dagenais are joined by Alexander Smith (lighting design), Selina Doroshenko (set design) and Skyler Clark who will open the night with live music.

After this week’s performances the Raise The Stakes crew won’t be slowing up. Next up for the troupe is Sam Sheppard’s iconic True West, to be staged at Théâtre Ste-Catherine in November.■

Salt Water Moon runs this Wednesday and Thursday August 15, 16 at 8 p.m., Théâtre Ste-Catherine (264 Sainte-Catherine E).