Round 2
Monster
AFO FEST
MONSTER
Written by Daniel MacIvor
Performed by Avery Pearson
Directed by Steve Cook
October 2011
Daniel MacIvor’s celebrated chiller returns with Avery Pearson stepping into the skin of 16 characters. Peeling back psychological layers to reveal the heart of an individual experience, MONSTER dissects the true
nature of evil.
Press and Awards
“As this dark yet surprisingly funny story unfolds, it is easy to let yourself get wrapped up in Pearson’s performance —
just don’t forget to pay attention to the disjointedly twisted story being told.”
Backstage
“Avery Pearson, who brings to life this dark, foreboding storyteller—let’s call him Mr. Dark Side—does a fine job of
slipping into the skin of the weirded-out neighbor kid, the axe-wielding neighbor kid, and various other doomed souls.
I say ‘slips into the skin’ because when Pearson moves from one person to the next, or back to Mr. Dark Side, it’s creepy.”
NYTheatre.com
“Avery Pearson’s acting in Daniel MacIvor’s Monster was by turns chilling and hilarious — just as he was meant to be.”
The Villager
Breakthrough Performer award
at the 7th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival.
Trailer
AVERY PEARSON (performer) is an actor, writer, reviewer and producer. He is a founding member of Really Sketchy Comedy, C Group Players, a member of The Bridge Theatre Company and Reality.tv. As a performer, Avery was most notably recognized for his performance in Daniel MacIvor’s solo masterpiece Monster as part of the 7th annual soloNOVA Arts Festival which earned him a 2010 New York Innovative Theatre Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance and a 2010 soloNOVA Breakthrough Performer Award. Additional theatre credits include originating the title role in Trav S.D.’s Willy Nilly (2009 FringeNYC Encore Series), and the premieres of Hold Music (The Culture Project), Harlowe (3LD), Lady Cryptozoologist (Vampire Cowboys), Diversey Harbor (The Kraine), Mina (La MaMa), Eight Ex-Lovers (NY Playwrights Lab, Cherry Lane) and The Hunt for Treasure (Abingdon Theater). Film credits include Tze Chun’s Children of Invention, Habib Azir’s Armless, Victor Patrick Alvarez’s A Hero’s Journey, Rogin Kim’s Getting Dicked and Josh Folan’s What Would Bear Do? TV: "Suits", "Highland Gardens". Avery serves as an adjudicator for the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, a reviewer for nytheatre.com, spoke on the Wingspan Panel: ‘On Solo Performance’ and was a selection committee member for the 2011 soloNOVA Arts Festival. As a producer he received residency at Shetler Studios and Theatres as Program Director of Connections and Really Sketchy Comedy creating an ongoing series of theatrical productions, industry seminars and sketch shows. He is currently writing and in development of an animated children’s television show with Stephen Ananicz and two new solo plays with Calla Videt and Jenny Lane. Education: Neighborhood Playhouse, Concordia University; BFA in Theatre Performance.
DANIEL MACIVOR (writer) was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1962. He is a stalwart of the Canadian theatre scene, having written and directed numerous award-winning productions. From 1987-2007, he was Artistic Director of da da kamera, a respected international theatre touring company that has brought his work to Australia, Israel, Europe, the UK, and extensively throughout Canada and the US. reworkproductions.com