Toronto International Festival of Authors, Director
Fall On Your Knees Part One: Family Tree
A National Arts Centre, Vita Brevis Arts, Canadian Stage, Neptune Theatre, Grand Theatre production
Co-created and Written by Hannah Moscovitch
Co-created and Directed by Alisa Palmer
Production Dramaturgy by Mel Hague
Based on the Novel by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Five theatre companies partner to bring this production based on Ann-Marie MacDonald’s internationally acclaimed novel to four cities
In 1996, Fall On Your Knees, written by the internationally acclaimed Canadian writer Ann-Marie MacDonald, was released – a sweeping novel that chronicles three generations of Cape Breton Island’s Piper family. The story moves from the battlefields of the First World War to the emerging jazz scene in Harlem, NY, and into the lives of four unforgettable sisters.
Ann-Marie MacDonald and Margaret Atwood In Conversation (January 23)
Hosted by Roland Gulliver, Director, Toronto International Festival of Authors
Monday January 23 at 7PM
Berkeley Street Theatre
26 Berkeley Street, Toronto
Tickets: $15.00
Author
Margaret Atwood
Author
Ann-Marie MacDonald
In celebration of the world premiere of Fall On Your Knees, trailblazing Canadian authors Ann-Marie MacDonald and Margaret Atwood join Toronto International Festival of Authors Director Roland Gulliver for a captivating discussion about adaptation, and how their landmark books have been envisioned for the stage.
Special Fall on Your Knees Pre-show Event (January 24)
Join us for a VIP evening on Tuesday, January 24 with Women’s College Hospital (WCH) and Canadian Stage featuring expert panellists on trauma-informed mental health: Dr. Cindy Maxwell (Vice President, WCH), Dr. Dana Ross (Psychiatrist, WCH), and Ann-Marie MacDonald (Author of Fall On Your Knees).
7pm - Pre-show Reception and Panel
Standing reception featuring light refreshments; cash bar available
8pm – Fall On Your Knees: Part 1 Performance
Vice-President, WCH
Dr. Cindy Maxwell
Psychiatrist, WCH
Dr. Dana Ross
Author
Ann-Marie MacDonald
Panel Tickets: $10.00*
*Fall On Your Knees: Part 1 performance ticket price varies. $10 from each panel ticket purchased will be donated to WCH.
Please note: Patrons must have a ticket to Fall On Your Knees on January 24 to attend the pre-show panel. This event is limited to Fall On Your Knees ticketholders.
A limited quantity of tickets available.
“Seeing Fall On Your Knees brought to fruition as a piece of theatre is the fulfillment of a process that began long ago when I first started writing what would become the novel. Fall On Your Knees began, in my mind, as a play. This makes sense because I was, and am, a playwright. I ended up bringing the story to light as a novel, but I’ve always cherished the vision of it as a three-dimensional experience for a live audience. I am so grateful to all the incredibly talented artists, especially Hannah Moscovitch and Alisa Palmer, for boldly and beautifully bringing it to life.
– Ann-Marie MacDonald, Author, Fall On Your Knees
Now in 2022, the National Arts Centre English Theatre, Vita Brevis Arts and Canadian Stage, Grand Theatre, and Neptune Theatre have announced an unprecedented partnership that will bring the world premiere stage adaptation of the Canadian classic to four cities – Toronto, London, Ottawa and Halifax – beginning in 2023.
Fall On Your Knees will be presented in two parts, allowing audiences to savour the experience over two extraordinary evenings:
Fall On Your Knees Part One: Family Tree
Fall On Your Knees Part Two: The Diary
Fall On Your Knees - Content Advisories
Please note that this performance contains:
Partial nudity
Mature themes
Graphic violence
Sexual content
Sexual violence
Strong language
Smoke machine
Haze
Domestic Violence
