Canada's darlings

Jennifer Dale does Italian actress Eleonara Duse in play

The Dales, Jennifer and Cynthia, may be the most famous sisters on local acting scene. Cynthia Dale is perhaps best known for her television appearances, but she's recently become a fixture at Stratford. Jennifer Dale most recently starred in CTV's The Eleventh Hour and CBC Radio's Words and Music series (Dorothy Livesay/The Woman I Am). What many people don't know is that the Dale sisters are Italian. This week and next, Tandem interviews Jennifer and Cynthia Dale about their upcoming work on stage.
Actors from childhood, the sisters changed their family name from Ciurluini in 1965. "We were kids in the business, and an agent at the time told my mother that we should change it," says Cynthia Dale. "Our mother's maiden name was Vele, and she said 'Vale', and he said 'No, Dale.' Little did we know that 20 years later, we'd be stuck with Dale!"
The new name has been lucky for them in their careers, but neither sister has forgotten their background. In particular, Jennifer Dale has spent more than 10 years creating a play about another famous Italian lady of the stage, the great Eleanora Duse. "I like to think that I come by my affinity with Duse somewhat honestly," she says.
About 12 years ago, the idea of creating a play in which Dale would star as Duse was planted by an astrologer friend who shared a birthday with Duse's lover, Gabriele d'Annunzio. Once the idea had entered her head, "My fascination grew into a passion, almost an obsession," says Dale. After the death of her father, Dale decided to take a trip to Italy, which she had never previously visited, "propelled by a desire to reclaim my Italian heritage and also to pick up my Duse research."
The quest, once resumed, was serendipitous, says Dale. "I was led to this play that I had not heard of before by Ghigo De Chiara called Ultime notti. I subsequently had it translated by Antonio d'Alfonso of Guernica Editions, and I slowly began to adapt this play. We also began to write a screenplay about a Canadian actress who goes to Italy," she recounts.
Back in Canada, Dale invited actor/director Nick Mancuso to direct her in her adaptation of the De Chiara script, to be titled Duse. "I think that he has a very clear vision of what he wants this piece to be. He also has been - as an Italian and as an actor - really moved by the Duse story," she says. "I am surprised by how many people working do not know who she was. She really was the mother of modern acting, because she used her own feelings. She was very famous for her pauses, as opposed to someone like a Sarah Bernhardt, who was much more of a grande dame."
After all her work to recover information about Duse, Dale finds one of the great actor's sayings particularly striking. "She often commented on the fact that the actor's work is so ephemeral," says Dale. "She often said: L'attrice passa e non lascia traccia (The actress passes without leaving a trace)."

Alianak Theatre Productions presents Duse from June 4 to 20 at the Tarragon Extra Space. For tickets, call 416-504-PLAY (7529) or visit www.torontoboxoffice.ca.

Publication Date: 2004-06-06
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4052