Who is the mob boss? The femme fatale? And how about that girl, Friday? Below we give you some background information on the glamourous, intriguing, and mysterious characters in Tear the Curtain!

Alex Braithwaite (Jonathon Young). Photo by Brian Johnson.
Alex Braithwaite (Jonathon Young) A talented, respected, yet jaded Vancouver theatre critic, worn down by the sameness of theatre culture in the city and uninspired by his work. He feels incomplete, and is in search of something original; an authentic experience in a world full if imitations and stereotypes. But everything changes when he walks in to review The Swan by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar, starring the beautiful and mesmerizing Mila Brook (Laura Mennell).

Mavis (Dawn Petten). Photo by Brian Johnson.
Mavis (Dawn Petten) Alex’s secretary, who will go to any lengths to help her boss in his quest. Mavis is idealistic and true-hearted, and though her devotion to her job may be more than professional, she has no idea about the new occupational hazards that await her.

Mila Brook (Laura Mennell). Photo by Brian Johnson.
Mila Brook (Laura Mennell) On the surface, Mila is a beautiful ingénue on her way to film stardom, but her gorgeous façade conceals a steely revolutionary ambition. Mila has a dark and mysterious past that will not let her go; she’s willing to risk anything and use anyone to realize the cultural uprising she absorbed from her youth performing with Stanley Lee’s avant-garde theatre, the Empty Space Society.

Max Pamploni (Tom McBeath). Photo by Brian Johnson.
Max Pamploni (Tom McBeath) A mob boss, Max is head of the Pamploni family that controls the growing cinema chains in town, though his movie theatres are also a front for less legal activities. Max has his hopes set on a property in the south side rise for his next movie house.

Patrick Dugan (Gerard Plunkett). Photo by Brian Johnson.
Patrick Dugan (Gerard Plunkett) The boss of a syndicate that runs all the live theatres in the city, one of which is showing the hit play The Swan starring Mila Brook. Threatened by the growth of the film industry Paddy also has his eyes on a property on the south side rise for his new vaudeville house.

Sender (Hiro Kanagawa). Photo by Brian Johnson.
Sender (Hiro Kanagawa) The current leader of the ESS (Empty Space Society) since its original leader, Stanley Lee, disappeared. Originally a group of avant-garde artists, the ESS has now gone underground as their philosophies have radicalized and they prepare an assault on the city.

Stanley Lee (James Fagan Tait). Photo by Brian Johnson).
Stanley Lee (James Fagan-Tait) Founder of the famous avant-garde theatre the Empty Space Society, Stanley’s theatrics and his resistance to narrative form memorably shocked his audiences. His agenda to change society through art was cut short when he disappeared in 1906. Was he murdered, or did he go into hiding?




















