Artwork created by Okhan Orhan
“Di Cesare is a wonderful storyteller ... Her play is full of witty lines ... Her characters are so well fleshed out that one feels almost like a part of the family after seeing the play. She seamlessly transitions from her adult self, to her mother, to a “bro” she dated, to her 8-year old self, each played with consistent and easily-distinguished voices and mannerisms ... a remarkable snapshot of a distinctive slice of Montreal’s culture.”
Chris Lane, Charlebois Post
SYNOPSIS
In order to cure herself of the Virgin Complex sabotaging her love life, a young woman must face her eccentric Italian family and disprove their belief that her mother was conceived à la Jesus Christ (sans sex). Her quest for the truth takes her from the gynecologist’s office, to a clairvoyant, to her estranged and mysterious great-grandmother in Southern Italy.
UPCOMING SHOW DATES:
- 11th run: Official Selection SpringWorks Stratford May 2015: Buy Tickets
PRODUCTION & AWARD HISTORY
- World Premiere: April 2011 University of Toronto Drama Centre Launchpad Award for Emerging Artists Development Grant
- 2nd Run SOLD OUT SHOWS: June 2011 Montreal FRINGE Festival Frankies: Chapter’s Award Nomination for Best Text
- 3rd Run SOLD OUT RUN: Montreal’s Italian Week 2011
- Montreal English Critics Circle Awards (MECCAs) 2010-2011
- Best Text Winner
- Best Actress Nominee Revelation Award Nominee
- Montreal Mirror Annual Best of Montreal Poll 2012 Top 10 plays of the year: 8 Ways at #4
- 4th run: May 2012 Rialto Theatre
- 5th run: November 2012 United Solo Festival in NYC
- Invitation to perform in juried New York City festival
- The Gladstone Theatre Nov. 19-23, 2013: Buy Tickets
- Hudson Village Theatre Feb. 8, 2014: Buy Tickets
- Lino & Mirella Saputo Theatre Feb. 24-27, 2014.
- 9th run: Official Selection Rock.Paper.Sistahz Festival Toronto May 2014
- 10th run: Official Selection FemFest Winnipeg September 2014
“Michaela Di Cesare, star of this solo, is an insanely likable performer. Di Cesare the writer is incredibly intelligent and has a terrific story to tell that doesn’t go a word longer than necessary”
Gaëtan Charlebois, The Charlebois Post
“8 Ways is wonderfully written, feels incredibly genuine, and is a complete delight to see.”
Al Lafrance, Bloody Underrated
“Sharp and funny, her take on the St-Leonard dating scene and impressions of her mother (“Baby,straight men don’t read”) are hilarious.”
Sacha Jackson, Montreal Mirror
The one-woman show about a girl growing up in Montreal's Italian community who develops a Virgin Complex brought on by the fact that her entire family believes her mother was born immaculately à la Jesus Christ. Bids are already on the table to turn this into a feature film.
