Belleville Theatre Guild

View Program

Press Release
February, 2013

The Belleville Theatre Guild,
256 Pinnacle Street, Belleville
(613) 967-1442

Cast Members Art: (L-R): Ozz MacDonald, Craig Chamberlain

Art versus Friendship

Belleville:Three friends, two different opinions and one painting. The next play to take the stage at the Belleville Theatre Guild will be “Art” by Yasmina Reza. Winner of the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play, this show is sure to hit the audiences’ funny bone.

The premise of the show is rather simple; Serge buys a very expensive painting by a popular modern artist, his best friend Marc thinks he is absolutely crazy and that the painting is a joke. When Yvan, another friend, tells Serge he likes the painting, the old friends square off over the canvas. As their arguments become more personal, they border on destroying their friendships.

Rehearsals are in process and director Diane Burley is delighted with her cast and how well the production is shaping up. She has wanted to direct this play since she saw a production of it in Toronto and loved every minute of it. “The play is a very funny and insightful look at friendship”.

“Art” is not divided into traditional acts and scenes. It runs as a longer one act play, weaving dialogue between characters and several monologues where the characters address the audience directly. At one level the debate over the painting in “Art” revolves around the usual question of aesthetic values, but on another level the purchase of the painting comes to symbolize a deeper exploration of the nature of friendship.

Art has a cast of just three male actors. Rob Lloyd as the art indulging Serge, Craig Chamberlain as his conflict creating friend Marc and Ozz MacDonald as the more agreeable other friend (with his own personal problems) Yvan. Liz Marshall is the producer and Emily Macdonald the show’s stage manager. Liz also saw the Toronto production and says that “audiences are in for a great evening of theatre”.

Visit the BTG web site at www.bellevilletheatreguild.ca to find more about our upcoming productions — including the release of the upcoming 2013-2014 season!

Don’t miss the theatre's latest production of Art taking place from April 4th to April 20th. Tickets are $18.00 and we offer thirteen performances including two Sunday matinées. There is a preview night on April 3rd, with tickets at $5.00. Contact us through or call the box office at 613-967-1442 to order your tickets on-line.

The Belleville Theatre Guild offers elevator service right in to the theatre, a barrier-free washroom and room in the front row for wheel chairs and other mobility devices. See you at the Pinnacle Playhouse!

Submitted by
Erica Holgate