Playwright, Performer Diane Flacks will be "Getting to the Girl" in a Talk/Performance Exploring Gender Issues in her Body of Work at York University

TORONTO, Feb. 1, 1999 -- Described as "Canada's answer to Lily Tomlin" by New York's Variety Magazine, Toronto playwright and performer Diane Flacks will explore gender issues in her body of work during a talk/one-woman performance called "Getting to the Girl" at York University, Monday, Feb. 8, 1999.

Flacks, who has worked extensively in theatre, television, and film, is best known for her three solo shows Myth Me, By a Thread and Random Acts. She has also written and acted for the hit Canadian comedy troupe Kids in the Hall and appeared in the popular award-winning TV series Traders. Her 7 p.m. performance follows a panel discussion featuring renowned theatre practitioners and playwrights David Bateman, Audrey Butler and Jonathan Wilson, who will share their unique insights on how redefining traditional gender roles on the stage can transform audience perceptions about sex and gender.

Originally from Peterborough, Ont., now in Calgary, Alta., David Bateman is best known for his flamboyant portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Jackie O; The Show She Never Gave, and What Dreadful Things to Say About Someone Who Has Just Paid for My Lunch. His work has been seen at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in Toronto and Zeitgeist Theatre in New Orleans.

Playwright and performer Audrey Butler is artistic director of Tempermental Journeys, a theatre company in Toronto. One of Canada's few openly lesbian playwrights, she has received wide acclaim for her lesbian coming out play entitled Black Friday?.

Best known for his play My Own Private Oshawa, Jonathan Wilson is a Toronto playwright and performer. His TV credits include feature roles on Traders, The Valour and the Horror, E.N.G. and Wind at my Back. His newest play Kilt premiers at Toronto's Tarragon Theatre this April.

Presented by York University's Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, the event is the seventh in a series of free public events entitled: Theatrical Trans/Formations. From September 1998 through March 1999 some of Canada's best known theatre and dance practitioners will discuss, and in some cases demonstrate, how theatre has transformed Canadian culture.

WHO:

Toronto Playwright, Performer Diane Flacks (Random Acts, Kids in the Hall, Traders)

Calgary Playwright, Performance Artist David Bateman (Jackie O; The Show She Never Gave)

Artistic Director, Tempermental Journeys; Toronto Playwright, Performer Audrey Butler (Black Friday?)

Toronto Playwright, Performer Jonathan Wilson (Kilt: Tarragon Theatre, April 1999)

WHAT:
Panel: Trans/Forming the Audience
(David Bateman, Audrey Butler, Jonathan Wilson)
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Burton Auditorium, Faculty of Fine Arts

Reception
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Alumni Fireside Lounge, Centre for Film and Theatre

Talk/Performance: Diane Flacks, "Getting to the Girl"
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Joseph G. Green Studio, Centre for Film and Theatre

WHEN:
Monday, Feb. 8, 1999
4:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

WHERE:
York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto

-30-

For more information or a detailed schedule of events, please contact:

Cheryl Dobinson
Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies
York University
(416) 736-5499

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
YU/005/99