Headstrong Collective
. . . was founded in 2014 by Leslie McBay and Melanie Hrymak to create space for female and female identified artists by producing work that is accessible, LGBTQ-friendly and culturally diverse. I was fortunate to work with these brilliant young women twice.
The first was a site-specific production of Boston Marriage by David Mamet, which we performed in the sitting room of Toronto’s Historic Campbell House. We could only invite 38 people into the room for each show, but we played to enthusiastic sold out houses through the run.
The second was Manfred Karge’s Man to Man, presented as one half of an evening two one-act plays about women surviving war trauma.
Charlotte Dennis as the Maid in Boston Marriage photo: Bonnie Anderson
Boston Marriage
by David Mamet
Headstrong Collective, 2015
at Historic Campbell House
photo: Bonnie Anderson l-r: Deborah Drakeford, Catherine McNally
l-r: Charlotte Dennis, Catherine McNally photo: Bonnie Anderson
The sitting room at Campbell House, set for a performance of Boston Marriage, with 38 seats around the perimeter of the room.
Catherine McNally as Anna, with Deborah Drakeford as Claire photo: Bonnie Anderson
“Fox is a thoroughly good match for this play and this cast ... razor sharp, mercurial wit tinged with poignancy ...”
Director: Kelli Fox
Set/Costume Designer: Laura Gardner
Composer: Christopher Stanton
Stage Manager: Lucy McPhee
Catherine McNally in rehearsal
Man to Man
by Manfred Karge
Headstrong Collective, 2017
at Theatre Passe Murraille Backstage
photo: Nathan Kelly Lisa Karen Cox as Max Gericke
Lisa Karen Cox photo: Nathan Kelly
Lisa Karen Cox photo: Nathan Kelly
Cox gives a strong, grounded performance . . . powerful, poetic
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