Straeon’s Filmworks Inc.’s Agnes of God Premieres at Grove Hall

Montreal production company to perform a piece at local theatre that explores the boundaries between faith and science.

On Thursday, November 12th at 8:00 P.M. the Montreal-based Straeon Filmworks Inc. will present John Pielmeier's "Agnes of God" at Huntingdon’s Grove Hall. Straeon, which consists of two factions (Straeon Acting Studios and Straeon Filmworks Inc.) holds acting workshops in Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and New York. Run by acting coaches Isabel Farias Lehoux and Jock MacDonald, the house aims to tell great stories in both film and theatre. While both founders have worked together before, Agnes of God will be the duo’s first production as the assembled Straeon Filmworks Inc. production company.

Pielmeier's Agnes of God has met with much success on film and on stage. Director Jock MacDonald first saw the play 33 years ago and was moved to recreate the piece—this play will explore his vision. Exploring the tale of a novice nun who claims to have a virginal pregnancy, the story explores the boundaries of faith and science. The play is based around three characters—a psychiatrist (Tara Bissett), a novice nun (Isabel Farias Lehoux) and Mother Superior (Jane Gilchrist), all of whom who experience a transition working together. Produced by Dominic Roussel and Katherine Turnbull, the play rests heavily on the connections between the actors. “You could scrap everything and the actors would still make this play stand out,” says Roussel of the piece.

Laval-based Roussel, who runs a paper business out of Ormstown, met Grove Hall’s Mark Bye last year at the Ormstown Fair. After a visit to the hall, he was moved by the location, which prompted MacDonald to pay a visit to Huntingdon. Roussel, who is also on the board of the Montreal dance festival Bouge d’ici, is excited about what the play brings to the stage. “That’s why I’m in involved—to see that level of commitment that exists between the actors. Creating lasting relationships between the business world and the arts, to see that it can be sustainable.”

The play will run from the 12th of November to the 29th. Visit www.grovehall.ca for more information.