A brief history
Between 2003 and 2008, The Independent Aunties have created five highly acclaimed, original performances: Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine (2003), Frances, Mathilda and Tea (2004), The Mysterious Shorts (2005), Robbers Daughters (2007), and Breakfast (2008).
The founding company members are Anna Chatterton, Evalyn Parry and Karin Randoja. Evalyn Parry and Anna Chatterton have written the scripts for all five shows; the company’s first three productions (Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine, Frances, Mathida and Tea, and The Mysterious Shorts) were directed by Karin Randoja and performed by Anna Chatterton and Evalyn Parry. Robbers Daughters brought in new collaborators and actors: directed by Brendan Healy, performed by Anna Chatterton, Claire Calnan, Karin Randoja and Alisha Stranges, and designed by Sherri Hay. A 2-year-company residency at The Theatre Centre began the creation of Breakfast, the company’s most recent production, which was directed by Brendan Healy, performed by Karin Randoja, Evalyn Parry and Anna Chatterton, with set and costume design by Julie Fox, sound design by Richard Windeyer, and lighting design by Laird MacDonald.
The Aunties work has been presented by The Theatre Centre (Breakfast, 2008), The Cooking Fire Festival (Robber’s Daughters, 2007), OUT Productions, Montreal (Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine, 2007), Nakai Theatre’s Comedy Festival, Whitehorse, Yukon (Clean Irene, 2007), The Grande Theatre, London Ontario (Clean Irene, 2007), Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (Clean Irene, 2006), Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille (Frances, Mathilda and Tea and The Mysterious Shorts, 2005), Fem Fest, Winnipeg (Clean Irene, 2005), The National Arts Centre Fourth Stage, This is Not a Dress Productions (Clean Irene 2004), and The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, NY (Clean Irene, 2003).
Their work has also been featured in Toronto at a number of festivals, including SummerWorks Festival, The Rhubarb Festival (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre), Hysteria Festival (Nightwood Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times), Red Festival (Girl Can Create), and Harbourfront’s Gobsmacked Festival.
Clean Irene & Dirty Maxine, the company’s widely acclaimed first show, won the Jury Prize for “Best New Play” SummerWorks Festival 2003 in Toronto, “Best Performance” Award at the Ottawa Fringe Festival 2003; “Best Production”, Now Magazine, Toronto, and “Pick of the Fringe” 2003, Halifax Nova Scotia. It went on to tour extensively, from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Dawson City, Yukon. The show was eventually produced at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto in 2006, and by The Grand Theatre, London and Out Production, Montreal in 2007.
In May 2008, the Theatre Centre presented the Auntie’s newest show, Breakfast. The company plans to tour with Breakfast, and are in the initial stages of conceiving their next project, Gertrude and Alice.