Library hook-up

NOW HERE by Emily Hurson, directed by Cathy Gordon, with Hurson and Ryan McVittie. Presented by lean mad sam at the Helen Gardiner Phelan (79A St. George). July 5 at 8:30 pm, July 6 at 5:30 pm, July 7 at 4:30 pm, July 9 at 11:30 pm, July 10 at 5 pm, July 11 at 12:30 pm, July 12 at 8 pm.

you never know where a fringe hit will take you. A successful remount, maybe? A Dora nomination? How about a really great secretarial gig?

“So surreal,” laughs Emily Hurson, whose Fringe 2000 hit, Sleepy Jean, led to her snagging a recurring role as a secretary on the hit TV series The Associates.

Now Hurson is back with now Here, a poetic piece about two strangers who meet in a library one rainy day and magically connect.

Daphne (Hurson) has just learned of her fiancé’s philandering, while Sander (Ryan McVittie) is grieving the death of his mother.

“It’s about letting go, growing up, living in the present and not dwelling in a fantasy world,” points out Hurson, a mesmerizing performer also known for her turn as one of the sinister berry pickers in the SummerWorks show Girls And Horses.

Now Here marks the second collaboration between Hurson and director Cathy Gordon, ex of DNA Theatre and a champion of physical theatre.

“I love active, physical theatre, but what’s sometimes missing from a lot of it is a story that hooks me in,” says Hurson, who’s punctuated the play with poetic snatches of monologue and bits of movement.

“Cathy understands that. She’s smart, but she’s also soft and vulnerable. We’re girls together. I like things to be emotional, but not crazy cathartic for no reason.” GS3