Jun 11, 2020
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By George M. Johnson
"It's only nonsense if you're not attending to your senses."
Mockus is a thrilling tale based on true events of a mayor desperate to save his city and the clown who inspires him through a world of imagination. The clown’s antics, and his success, provoke fear and jealousy. Will they survive, armed only with laughter and love? Featuring spectacular acrobatics and exhilarating music and dance, Mockus will transport you to the sublime world of the three-ring circus.
"undeniably charming...truly brave!"
- Jennifer Will, The Omega
Artistic Personnel
The Cast
Andrew G. Cooper
George M. Johnson
Cassandra Watson
Skylar Desjardins
Kai Hall
Kyla Ferrier
Nichol McIntyre
Mikee Ames
Simon Mallet
Jelena Minshall
Eszter Gorombey
Alex Suska
Melony Sallow
Javier Guillot
Gloria Ramirez
Director/Choreographer/Fight Director
Playwright
Assistant Director
Set Designer/Technical Director
Lighting Designer
Composer/Sound Designer
Costume Designer
Head of Properties
Magic Consultant
Intimacy Adviser
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Production Assistant/Circus Consultant
Cultural Consultant
Cultural and Language Consultant
Kristy Benz
Jerod Blake
Jelena Minshall
Kayla Mackenzie
Caitlyn O'Connor
Shaylea Pangle
Braedan Pettigrew
Kodie Rollan
Susan Rowland
Mockus Aurelius
Juan Antonio
Sofia Antonio
Messenger 1
Messenger 2
Messenger 3
Parades
Will Garipissimo
Faustina Antonio
About the Playwright
George M. Johnson’s “Still Life With Nudes” has won several awards, including the Gladys Cameron Watt Award in the Ottawa Little Theatre’s 67th Canadian One Act Playwriting Competition and the National Playwriting Competition, sponsored by the Regina Little Theatre, which produced the one-act version in October 2009. It was published in Ryga: A Journal of Provocations and in the U.S.A. in 2013 by ArtAge Senior Resource Center. Another play, “Look Up, America,” was short-listed for the Tennessee Williams playwriting competition. A ten-Minute play, “Rest Assured,” was selected in 2011 by Los Angeles’s Little Fish Theatre for their “Pick of the Vine” production, and also for the InspiraTO Festival in Toronto. His Screenplay “The Wonder” was a Finalist in the British Independent Film Festival Competition. Most recently his screenplay “Peace Pledge” received Honorable Mention in the Euroscript Screenplay Competition (London) and was a Finalist in the Script Doctor “Contest of Contest Winners Screenplay Competition” in L.A.. Johnson is Professor and Chair of the English and Modern Languages Department at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, where he teaches creative writing and literature.
NOTE: The idea for “Mockus” came from hearing activist Mary –Wynne Ashford speak about the anti-politician Mayors of Bogotá, Colombia, particularly Antanas Mockus, and by the description in her book Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror and War. Mockus employed creative antics, such as replacing corrupt traffic cops with street mimes and developing a “vaccine against violence” to encourage people to overcome the city’s severe social and environmental ills, with varying degrees of success. Mockus held the Mayor’s office twice, from 1995-97 and 2001-2003. During his second term he turned fifty (he was born in in 1952 and the second term ran from 2001-03).
Reviews & Awards
"colourful...bold!" - Jessica Wallace, Kamloops This Week
"highly original" - Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition
Production History
February 2016: Workshop with Chimera Theatre, Kamloops
February 2017: Chimera Theatre, Kamloops
March - April 2020: Jupiter Theatre, Calgary (Postponed due to COVID-19)
Future Development
We’re currently seeking partners and residencies for Mockus. If you feel an artistic calling to this show and are interested in the project, please get in touch with us.
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