Theatre Ouest End is proud to present the world premiere of The Covenant, winner of the prestigious 2017 Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition. Written by Alice Abracen and directed by Murdoch Schon, and joined by a stellar cast and creative team, we are thrilled to share this powerful story with Montreal audiences at last.   
Inspired by a true story, The Covenant is set in June, 1944 at Theresienstadt. Red Cross dignitaries are invited to marvel at this lively town which appears to be a haven for Jewish people in the heart of Czechoslovakia.  Little do they know that this paradise is a ghetto and concentration camp, elaborately staged in order to conceal Nazi crimes against humanity. Forced to participate in the terrible charade, the ambitious politician Peter and the dedicated doctor Hilde find their idealism, their faith, and their love put to a terrible test. Timely and timeless, ​

Recommended for age 12+ (grade 7+) 
Warning: Mature themes 

Directed by Murdoch Schon
By Alice Abracen
With Holly Gauthier-Frankel, Laura Mitchell, Romi Shraiter, Jonathan Silver and Brett Watson
Production Manager & Technical Director Morgandy McKinnell & Lee Tucker
Stage Manager Elyse Quesnel
​Set Designer Diana Uribe
Costume & Lighting Designer Zoe Roux
Sound Designer Joey Zaurrini
Set Build Shopdogs MTL
Fight Choreographer Shawn Baichoo
Publicist Janis Krishner
Poster Design Amelie LaFlamme & Anissah Vanhorn
Printing Henry Roth at CORE Business Centre

First developed at the National Theatre School of Canada
With Dramaturgy by Sarah Elkashef
Theatre Ouest End Producing Team Ayesha Hasan, Ann Lambert, Laura Mitchell, Anissah Vanhorn

*Artist biographies are available at the bottom of the page

Box Office

 Link to Segal Centre Box Office:  tickets.segalcentre.org/TheatreManager/1/login?line=31&month=0&year=0&event=0&venue=0&genre=0&presale_coupons=None

Show Dates 2022

Preview Nov. 13
​Opening Night at the Segal Centre Nov. 15
The Covenant will be at the Segal Centre from November 15th to December 3rd!

Reviews

After he attended the staged reading at the Segal Centre in 2018, Martin Duckworth, a celebrated Canadian cinematographer and film maker wrote:
“Your play struck me with the force of a Tolstoy novel, combining as it did a polished historical scholarship, a sophisticated awareness of the tension between politics and morality, a great sensitivity to the contradictions of human emotions, an extraordinary skill at dramatic structure, plus something that Tolstoy lacked, a sense of humour which helped immensely in grounding the story. I would feel very privileged if I could have the pleasure of re-reading your script.   As of now, it feels like one of those special works of art that has the quality of having leapt to life inevitably, the role of the artist being simply to reveal it to the world as received.  Works that have an endless life. Please make sure it gets seen by people of all religious and political leanings.” 
​- Martin Duckworth
Stay tuned for more reviews after opening night!

Artist Biographies

ALICE ABRACEN (Author) (she/her) is an award-winning playwright, librettist and dramaturge. Her work has been featured with McGill Opera's Beta Lab, Boca De Lupo's Red Phone Project, Alumnae Theatre (Toronto) Underlings Theatre (Boston), the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club, the Montreal Fringe, the New Words Festival of NTS, and two Women Playwrights International Conferences (Cape Town & Santiago). What Rough Beast will be featured as Centaur Theatre’s Brave New Looks in March 2023. Alice is one of the founders of Theatre Ouest End.

​
MURDOCH SCHON (Director) is a nonbinary director, puppeteer, and theatre educator. Born and raised in Treaty One Territory (Winnipeg), they have been involved in the Tiohtià:ke (Montreal) English theatre scene for almost a decade. Murdoch's work is focused on curiosity, vulnerability, and the role of risk and failure in art making. They believe that theatre rises to its true power through the practices of ritual liminality, community, and imagination. They insist on the wondrous nature of theatre as a transformative space where rulers fail, heroes rise and monsters are more familiar than angels. Murdoch is a graduate of the National Theatre School’s Directing Program and has a BFA, Specialization in Theatre and Development, from Concordia University. ​
JONATHAN SILVER (Peter) is a multidisciplinary performer whose work can be seen on stage, screen, and video games. His screen work includes roles in Moonfall (Roland Emerich/Lionsgate), Suits (Universal), Saving Hope (eOne),The Detectives (CTV), Mother! (Darren Aronofsky/Paramount), On the Basis of Sex (Mimi Leder/Focus Features), web series LARPs (Beanduck Productions), video game series The Outer Worlds, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Monster Hunter, and others. Theatre: Foxfinder (Imago Theatre), The Murder Next Door (Raidō Productions, Montreal Fringe 2022) Unseamly (Infinithéâtre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, (Repercussion Theatre), Moonlight and Magnolias, Better Late (Theatre Lac-Brome), The Birthday Party, The Nobleman’s Wedding (Stephenville Theatre Festival), and more.
HOLLY GAUTHIER-FRANKEL (Hilde) is thrilled to be back onstage after…well, you know. Trained as a singer, dancer, and voice actor with a career spanning over 30 years, Holly is also a writer, director, and one of Montreal’s internationally-acclaimed founding Neo-Burlesque performers. Favourite credits include: Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing for Repercussion Theatre; Portia in Julius Caesar for Repercussion Theatre; Molly in Last Night at The Gayety at Centaur; Lillabit in David Fennario’s Motherhouse at Centaur; Mary Snow in Salt-Water Moon at the National Arts Centre; Miss Sugarpuss in Miss Sugarpuss Must Die! at the Segal and Centaur; Chorus in Scapegoat Carnivale’s Medea and The Bacchae at the Centaur. She’s immensely grateful to her friends and family for their support and love, and to the incredible cast and team for such a humbling experience. May we all look out for one another in these dark times.
BRETT WATSON (Eric) A professional actor for over twenty-five years, Brett has worked in theatres across Canada and has a busy film, tv, and voice over career. Montreal theatre credits include projects with the Centaur Theatre, Segal Centre, Scapegoat Carnivale, Tableau D’hote, Infinitheatre and Black Theatre Workshop. Brett also works with Porte Parole Productions where he is the co-creator of The Assembly; a series of documentary plays examining political polarization. He has co-authored different versions of The Assembly that have been produced in Montreal (Espace Go, Segal Centre), Toronto (Crow’s Theatre), Ottawa (National Arts Centre), Germany (Munich Kammerspiele), Brazil (Brasil Cena Aberta) and Lithuania (Kaunas National Drama Theatre). The Quebec version of The Assembly was adapted for television and broadcast by Tele- Quebec while a film version of the Brazilian Assembly was recently in competition at the Rio International Film Festival. Brett is a graduate of the Toronto Metropolitan University Theatre School.
ROMI SHRAITER (Judi) (she/her) is a Jewish-Canadian actor hailing from Tel Aviv-Yafo. She moved to Canada at a young age and can now usually be found on Treaty 13 Territory. Since graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada’s acting program in 2021, Romi has participated in productions such as Ginny and Georgia (Netflix), and Little Bird (Crave/APTN), as well as workshops including Sad Girls Watch the Princess Bride (Burnt Thicket Theatre) and Alone/Together (rookies with friends collective). Romi has several mentors-turned-friends she’d like to thank for all she knows! She is so grateful to Theatre Ouest End for providing her this opportunity to perform at the Segal Centre for the first time, in this very special piece. She hopes you enjoy the show! You can keep up with Romi on instagram @romi_shraiter.
LAURA MITCHELL (Karla) is one of the founding members of Theatre Ouest End, and she is thrilled to be working on this beautifully written play with such a generous and talented bunch of creative artists. In addition to screen and stage work, her writing credits include: a feature film, a documentary, and 3 plays. She is currently working on a collection of short stories. She lives in Montreal with jazz drummer Eduardo Pipman and Kimba, the wonder dog.Laura Mitchell is one of the founding members of Theatre Ouest End, and she is thrilled to be working on this beautifully written play with such a generous and talented bunch of creative artists. In addition to screen and stage work, her writing credits include: a feature film, a documentary, and 3 plays. She is currently working on a collection of short stories. She lives in Montreal with jazz drummer Eduardo Pipman and Kimba, the wonder dog.
ELYSE QUESNEL (Stage Manager) Montreal based stage manager, is excited to be working with Theatre Ouest End again. Favorite stage management credits include: Meet Me (Live Action Theatre Project/Teesri Duniya Theatre), In Search of Mrs Pirandello, 8 Ways My Mother Was Conceived (Marybeth productions), Orphans, Category E and Between Riverside and Crazy (Coal Mine Theatre). Favorite Assistant Stage Manager credits include: April Fools, Indecent (Segal Centre for Performing Arts), Playing with Fire (Centaur Theatre), Billy (The Days of Howling) (Talisman Theatre), The Snow Queen (Theatre New Brunswick). Favorite apprentice credits include: Top Girls (Segal Centre for Performing Arts), Lady from the Sea, Lithuania, Engaged, and Hello From Bertha (Shaw Festival). She is grateful to be part of this incredible team.
Diana Uribe (Set Design)  is a Colombian theatre designer, plastic artist, interior designer and an eternal child based in Montreal. She had worked for over 30 years in design and arts. In 2000 she moved to the United States where she created, along with 3 fellow Colombian artists, Interrorism, an art movement that denounced violence and injustice in her native country. In 2005, Diana moved to Canada and found her second home; In 2011, she graduated from the Theatre Design program at The National Theater School of Canada and launched a new career. Diana is interested in the way that theatre reaches people, in the world of possibilities, dreams and change that are inherent to the theatre practice. Her passion for space and its relationship to humans, and how this affects the body and mind have inspired her work, creating spaces and costumes that evoque a metaphor of our environment. As an artist and a human, she is aware of the imprint that we leave and the importance to engage in the exploration of ecological materials and renewed theatrical practices. ​
JOEY ZAURRINI (Sound Design) is a Montreal-based composer, sound artist and sound designer. He completed an undergrad in Electroacoustic Studies at Concordia University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies at Simon Fraser University. He is the recipient of the 2021 R. Murray Schafer Soundscape Award and has also received a Canada Graduate Scholarship and Michael Smith award for his research in sound studies. As someone who feels many things, his collaborative approach is sensitive and inquisitive – often also eclectic. He credits much of the development of his craft to having studied in Electroacoustics, and ​hopes to continue creating sound worlds for theatre, dance, and installation art. ​
ZOE ROUX (Lights & Costume Design) is a set, costume, and lighting designer based in Montreal. She was awarded 'Outstanding Emerging Artist' at the The Montreal English Theatre Awards. She also creates work as a performance and installation artist, her most recent project is a digital site-specific installation with Imago Theatre. Her other recent credits include: set and lighting design on Psycho 6 (Surreal SoReal Theatre), set design on All Flesh is Grass (The Other Theatre), set and lighting design on Winter's Daughter (Tableau D'Hôte Theatre), set and lighting design on Counter Offense (Teesri Duniya Theatre), set and lighting design on Every Brilliant Thing (Segal Centre and Hudson Village Theatre) and set design on Night from the 4th to 5th (Talisman Theatre). As well, she is a past alumni of The Black Theatre Workshop's 2016-2017 Artist Mentorship Program.
SHAWN BAICHOO (Fight Choreographer) has been involved with Stage Combat for over 25 years and has had the chance to be a fight choreographer or consultant on such theatre productions as Hamlet, She Kills Monsters, Private Lives, God Is An Iron, and many more. He regularly teaches stage combat workshops around the greater Montreal area, and also works in voice acting, performance capture, dubbing, coaching, directing, film, television, and theatre. Link to his website:  shawnbaichoo.com
MORGANDY MCKINNEL (PM/TD) Easily recognizable thanks to her brightly coloured hair, Morgandy is a Montreal-based stage manager and graduate of Concordia University’s Theatre Program. This is her first apprenticeship with Imago Theatre though she's been a fan of the company's work for many years. Favourite credits include Justin Eddy and the Great Cosmic Crisis (Doorstep Theatre Project), The Winkle Pickers (Kings Playhouse), The Learned Ladies (Concordia University) and her work with the Just For Laughs Festival. When she’s not working backstage you can find her streaming online or cross stitching while watching period dramas.
 



​Shopdogs Inc. provides professional solutions for film, live events, and theatre. They have proudly served designers, art directors, and technical teams in the Montréal community since 2019. For more information check out their website at shopdogsmtl.com

Media Coverage

November 11 - Global Morning News community spot: globalnews.ca/video/9271331/community-events-the-covenant/

November 8 - EMSB (English Montreal School Board) Focus by Mike Cohen: www.emsbfocus.com/2022/11/november-8-2022-edition-volume-25.html

November 7 - Canadian Jewish News interview with Alice by Ilana Zackon: thecjn.ca/arts/jewish-nomad-50/

November 6 - CHAI Montreal podcast interview with Alice by Lisa Winston and Sarah Villani 

November 3

November 2

November 1 - Mountain Lake PBS event: mountainlake.org/event/the-covenant-haunting-history-with-heart-and-dark-humour/ 

October 31 - Mononews: mononews.com/horreur-coeur-et-humour-the-covenant-du-15-nov-au-3-dec-au-studio-du-centre-segal-theatre-ouest-end/

October 30 - Canadian Multicultural News: cmnnews.ca/?p=2553

October 29 - www.mtl.org/en/what-to-do/festivals-and-events/covenant-montreal

October 28 - Mountain Lake PBS events: mountainlake.org/event/the-covenant-haunting-history-with-heart-and-dark-humour/

October 27 - BizBash: www.bizbash.com/industry-buzz/article/22512510/canada-event-industry-news-for-october-27-2022
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