Joyride

a play by Michael Melski

About the Production

As the recipient of Neptune Theatre’s 2018/2019 Open Spaces program, Matchstick Theatre presented Michael Melski’s Joyride on Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Stage from January 24th-27th, 2019.

Joyride, the play that launched the celebrated Cape Breton playwright’s career, was first performed at the Atlantic Fringe Festival in 1994 and is a reflection of post-industrial Cape Breton. There we meet Rachel, earning minimum wage as a convenience store clerk, Jess, working for his father’s seasonal landscaping business, and Craig, home on probation and unemployed. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, the three friends get caught up in a whirlwind.

Promo Photos and Poster Design by Stoo Metz (Stoo Metz Photography)
Photocall by Samm Fisher (Samm Fisher Photography)

The team

Rachel – Kya Mosey

Jess – Henricus Gielis

Craig – Taylor Olson

Director – Jake Planinc

Stage Manager – Chelsea Dickie

Producer – Alex Mills

Set Designer – Wesley Babcock

Vehicle Design Consultant – Ryan Dickie

Costume Designer – Kelsey Stanger

Lighting Designer – Alison Crosby

Sound Designer – Jordan Palmer

Promo Photos and Poster Design by Stoo Metz (Stoo Metz Photography)

Photocall by Samm Fisher (Samm Fisher Photography)

some moments

About

Michael Melski

Melski’s plays have been featured on stages across Canada, including his 2001 Merritt and Dora-nominated play, ‘Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad’, which was named one of Canada’s top 10 plays of the year by the Toronto Star. His award-winning films included ‘The Child Remains’, ‘Charlie Zone’, and the documentary ‘Perfume War’. He served as an artist-in-residence at the Shaw Festival, Neptune Theatre and Eastern Front Theatre, where his play ‘Creepy and Little Manson’ debuted in 2016. In addition to his other achievements in film, television and theatre, Melski received the Halifax Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Theatre in 2006.

Reviews

Elissa Barnard

NS Reviews

“Cape Breton playwright Michael Melski’s short, explosive Joyride is as powerful today as it was 25 years ago.”

Amanda Campbell

The Way I See It

“This is an extremely strong production from one of Halifax’s youngest theatre companies. Despite the fact that 2019’s Sydney is (thankfully) not as it was 25 years ago Melski’s Joyride still addresses many of the issues we continue to grapple with as a society today.”