Factory Presents A Line in the Sand – Directed by Nigel Shawn Williams

There’s a thin line between brutality and bravery. Factory presents A LINE IN THE SAND, written by
Guillermo Verdecchia, Marcus Youssef, directed by Nigel Shawn Williams, and starring John Cleland,
Danny Ghantous, and Morgan David Jones.

“Naked is the paring down of artifice to expose the natural and beautiful content of the play.”
– Nigel Shawn Williams

Nigel Shawn Williams directs the gripping story of an unlikely friendship between a troubled
Canadian soldier and a 16-year-old Palestinian boy who meet in the scorched Qatari desert during
Operation Desert Shield. Their secret and tenuous friendship comes to an abrupt end with the
torture and murder of the teenager inside the Canadian base; an act to which his friend the soldier
was a witness, if not a willing participant.

Twenty years ago, A LINE IN THE SAND ripped the benevolent mask off western peacekeeping operations
and challenged Canada’s long treasured mythology that it is a nation of quiet diplomats. With the
current discussions to end Canadian air strikes against ISIS in Iraq, A LINE IN THE SAND continues
to challenge Canada’s participation in war and the many brutal acts committed in its name.

A LINE IN THE SAND was created in 1995 for the New Play Centre (now Playwrights Centre in
Vancouver), and was revised and produced at Tarragon Theatre a year later. The production was also
staged at Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage Festival in Toronto in 1996, directed by Verdecchia. It
won the Chalmers Best New Play Award in 1997, and three MECCA Awards (Montréal English Critics
Circle Awards) in 2009.

Guillermo Verdecchia is a director, playwright, dramaturge, and reluctant actor. He is the
recipient of the Governor-General’s Award for Drama for his play Fonteras Americanas and a
four-time winner of the Chalmers Canadian Play Award. His work, which includes the Governor General
shortlisted Noam Chomsky Lectures (with Daniel Brooks), the Adventures of Ali & Ali (with Marcus
Youssef and Camyar Chai), and Another Country has been anthologized, translated into Spanish and
Italian, and produced in Europe and the US. He is a Resident Artist with Soulpepper Theatre where
he heads
New Play Development.

A LINE IN THE SAND, the Chalmers Award-winning play, was Marcus Youssef’s first full-length
work, and the first of three collaborations with Guillermo Verdecchia. His other plays include
Winners and Losers, Leftovers, Jabber, How Has My Love Affected You?, Ali and Ali and the aXes of
Evil, Adrift, and Peter Panties. These have been performed at major festivals and theatres across
North America, Australia and Europe and have been translated into multiple languages and published
by Talonbooks and Playwrights Canada Press. Marcus co-founded the East Van artist-run production
centre Progress Lab 1422 and is artistic director of Vancouver’s Neworld Theatre.

A LINE IN THE SAND features performances by Dora Award-Winner John Cleland as Colonel (Late
Company/Theatre Centre, This is War/Prairie Theatre Exchange, A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Canadian
Stage); Ryerson Theatre School student Danny Ghantous as Sadiq (You Can’t Take it With You, Adult
Entertainment, Filthy Rich//Ryerson Theatre); and Australian-born Toronto- based Morgan David Jones
as Mercer (A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Cate Blanchett/Sydney Theatre Company, Romeo and
Juliet/Citadel Theatre).

Stripped down to the most fundamental and striking elements, the Naked Season pares down theatre to
a series of pure encounters between the audience, the actors, and the text. A LINE IN THE SAND is
presented as part of a seasonette that also includes: SALT-WATER MOON, written by David French, and
directed by Ravi Jain, February 23 – March 13 in the Mainspace Theatre; and THE CRACKWALKER,
written and directed by Judith Thompson, March 22 – April 10 in the Mainspace Theatre.
FACTORY presents The Naked Season 2015/16 CANADIAN CLASSICS REIMAGINED
A LINE IN THE SAND
Written by Guillermo Verdecchia and Marcus Youssef Directed by Nigel Shawn Williams
FACTORY, 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide) Factory Studio Theatre
Starring John Cleland, Danny Ghantous, and Morgan David Jones
March 8 to 27, 2016
Media Night: Thursday, March 10, 2016 @ 8pm Opening Night: Friday, March 11, 2016 @ 8pm Tuesday –
Saturday @ 8pm • Sundays @ 2pm
* New This Year – All Single Tickets $35 – Preview Tickets $25 *
See all of the shows in the Naked Winter Seasonette with a 3-Play Pass for just $99 Tickets and
Passes can be purchased online at www.factorytheatre.ca, by phone at 416.504.9971,
or in-person at Factory’s Box Office, 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide)
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Factory’s 2015/2016 Season Sponsor is BMO Financial Group

Media Contact: FLIP PUBLICITY, 416.533.7710 • @FLIP_PUBLICITY
Ashley Belmer X253 ashley@flip-publicity.com or Carrie Sager X224, carrie@flip-publicity.com