Politically Correct Bedtime Stories
Adapted and directed by Jessica Beaulieu

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories is the Pheasant Plucker’s Mates' most recent production and also their most successful one. The script is based on the best-selling book by James Finn Garner, and was adapted and directed by Jessica Beaulieu with original music written and performed by Scott Christian and Micheal Moss. It premiered at the 2009 Toronto Fringe Festival in the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace. The talented ensemble, consisting of Marcel Dragonieri, Gwynne Phillips, Kaitlyn Riordan, Ian Ronningen, Jesse Stanley, Thom Stoneman, Briana Templeton, and Luke Van Bakel played various fairytale characters, as they retold the new and improved classical stories of James Finn Garner. The five tales featured were: Little Red Riding Hood, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Three Little Pigs, Rumpelstiltskin, and Cinderella. The cast performed to sold out audiences, and the show ended up winning the Patron’s Pick for Tarragon Mainspace. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories received critical acclaim and was chosen as the Best of the Fringe by NOW Magazine theatre critic Jon Kaplan, which extended the run of the show for another week at Canadian Stage’s Berkeley Street Theatre.

Conjoined Skins
Created by Jessica Beaulieu, Gwynne Phillips, and Luke Laroque

Conjoined Skins was performed in September of 2008 for the Nuit Blanche exhibition of that year. It was created by Jessica Beaulieu, Gwynne Phillips, and Luke Laroque, with guidance from Johanna Schall and Sallie Lyons. Conjoined Skins was a battle between three creatures for each other’s affection. Each character was genderless, unsocialized, and violent, when they needed to be. It was in the style of dance and acrobatics, and told the story of the characters’ struggles through physical movement. The entire piece was performed behind a screen, and their silhouettes were illuminated using a bright red light and their actions were in response to the music of Amon Tobin. It was the Pheasant Plucker’s Mates' first experimental piece and it was a huge success, as passersby were mesmerized until 6 AM.

The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine
Directed by Gwynne Phillips

The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine, written by Robert Morgan, Martha Ross, and Leah Cherniak of Theatre Columbus was the Pheasant Plucker’s Mates' second show and was presented in July of 2008 at the Bread and Circus theatre. It was the directorial debut of company co-founder Gwynne Phillips and featured original music composed and performed by the lovely Brandon Hackett. The show starred Marcel Dragonieri and Jessica Beaulieu as Ernest and Ernestine, a newlywed couple attempting to deal with each other’s eccentricities while cooped up in their shabby, sweltering, windowless basement apartment. The script was a collaborative creation between the three playwrights, who used improvisational exercises to generate the witty dialogue and physical gags for which the play is famous. The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine proved that the Mates can not only make you laugh, they can also make you cry (sometimes from laughing too hard, but you know what we mean).

The King Stag
Directed by Jessica Beaulieu

The King Stag, written by Carlo Gozzi, was the Pheasant Plucker’s Mates' debut show. It was performed at the Palmerston Library theatre in June 2007 and selected scenes were also presented at the Luminato Festival. It was directed by The Pheasant Plucker’s Mates' Artistic Director Jessica Beaulieu. The King Stag was written in the tradition of Commedia dell’arte and featured quintessential characters from the Commedia family. The stars of the show, Marcel Dragonieri, Gwynne Phillips, Rob Renda, Briana Templeton, Thom Stoneman, and Annie Wilkin were continually changing their costumes, voices, and physicality as they transformed from Kings, to Parrots, to Ladies in Waiting, to Wizards, and, of course, to Stags. The show established the signature style of the Pheasant Plucker’s Mates: very physical, always character-driven, incredibly colourful, and absolutely hilarious.