An encounter in a Paris cemetery between the ghost of the great actress Sarah Bernhardt and a distraught young Canadian musician leads to a passionate debate about art, fame and success in a world now dominated by social media. Sarah’s fellow ghosts round out the cast in this play imbued with dark humour, magic and suspense.
Bonnie Anderson — Ghost of Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923, renowned French actress)
Bonnie is thrilled to return to the Toronto Fringe, last seen in the 2023 hit June. Recent acting credits: Never Too Late to Celebrate (TV movie), FX’s Adults, and co-hosting/co-producing the weird and wonderful SNAK The Show. Founder of Moxie Productions, Bonnie is an improvisor, director, writer, editor — and recent tap-dancing convert (send help). She lives in Toronto with her bass-playing husband Russ.
Greg Campbell — Ghost of Albert Edward (1841-1910, the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, and eventually King Edward VII); Prince Henri de Ligne (1837-1914, a Belgian nobleman); various other ghosts
Greg has had a long-term affiliation with VideoCabaret in plays such as The Cold War, The Confederation Project, Life and Times of Mackenzie King, The War of 1812 (co-pro with Stratford) and is a four-time Dora Award nominee for Best Ensemble. Recently, he performed in Flin Flon Cowboy at Theatre Passe Muraille. Greg has worked across the country in plays and musicals. He wrote, produced, and starred in his critically acclaimed one-man show, OUT, which was a hit at the Fringe and went on to Best of Fringe and Buddies In Bad Times. He is working on the sequel, Here’s a Skull Now.
Greg's IMDb Reel
Anikka Hanson — Martha, a 25-year-old Canadian musician
Anikka (she/her) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, choreographer and movement director based in Toronto. She is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program. Her training has fostered a passion for new Canadian theatre and devised, explorative works. Recent credits include I Was Unbecoming Then (Dora nominated Outstanding New Musical at Next Stage Festival), Tommy Rhodes (Basement Productions), Toronto: 1989 (Icarus Theatre), and The Storyteller (YPT). Choreography credits include The Storyteller (YPT) and music videos for Alessia Cara “Make It to Christmas” (Goodluck Studios).
Elena Kaufman — Playwright
Elena is a Canadian writer and actor living in Hamburg, Germany. She writes short stories, plays and thrillers. Elena likes to explore historical figures — real and mythical — who transcend the challenges of their era. Prior to Hamburg, she co-founded Paris Playwrights, culminating in a theatre festival. In Hamburg, she co-directed oral storytelling performances for five years (Rover Rep Theatre). She is an active member of the Hamburg Writer’s Room, and has given readings in such exotic locations as a converted pickle factory, a former tin can factory (now artist studios), several pubs, and most recently, on the Elbe River beach. She has an MA in Drama (U of T) and an MSt in Creative Writing (University of Oxford).
Mary Dwyer — Director/Co-producer
Mary is delighted to be back at the Toronto Fringe Festival directing Divine Monster. Previous Fringe credits include Lear’s Daughters and an outdoor production of Cyrano de Bergerac. Mary founded Gabriel’s Theatre Company and produced and directed its debut production The Marriage, as well as co-productions of The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs and Greenland. She has also directed productions for the Alumnae Theatre, the Toronto Irish Players and Amicus Productions.
Debra Hale — Producer/Design consultant
A professional actress, Debra’s producing includes Freedom 85!, her multi-character 2 woman show (Toronto Fringe/NYC Fringe/Ontario tour). Previous Fringe credits include: On the Other Side of the World; Legs Crossed, Hands on Your Knees; and Heads Will Roll. During the pandemic, Debra acted/directed/edited the award-winning comedic web series Kitty Calling.
Eric Koski-Harja — Lighting Designer
Eric is very excited to be the lighting designer for Divine Monster. He is a graduate of York University's Theatre Production and Design program, which is where he learned how to design. He is currently a freelance technician and aspiring designer based in Toronto. He has designed several times for various productions at York, as well as for Burlington Student Theatre. This is Eric's first time being involved with the Toronto Fringe Festival, however he has been involved with the On The Edge Fringe Festival in his hometown of North Bay, Ont. Eric hopes that you enjoy the show, and check out the other amazing works at this year's Fringe Festival.
Zahra Esmail — Stage Manager
Zahra has stage managed several shows, including Fringe shows in Toronto and elsewhere in southern Ontario. A graduate of Humber College’s Theatre Arts – Technical Production program, she has a strong background in lighting, sound, and video design for dance and theatre. Zahra has designed lighting as well as stage managed a number of shows, including Black Girl, Little Secrets (Lamy Productions), Not a Cult: The Musical (Small but Mighty Productions) and An Evening at Sea (Whew Power Generation).
Steve Collins — Production Assistant
Steve’s past Fringe involvement was with Freedom 85! (Toronto Fringe) and The Real Meatballs (Hamilton Fringe). Steve is an avid theatre patron who is retired from his career in broadcast news. He’s pleased to be part of Bernhardt Productions and Divine Monster.
With her haunting voice and mesmerizing gestures, French actress Sarah Bernhardt captivated audiences, achieving international fame and success. The remarkable details of her life as described in the play are not exaggerated. She really did manage her own theatre, tour worldwide with an elaborate entourage, amass a menagerie of exotic animals and set up a hospital at the Odéon theatre during the Franco-German War. Across 70 roles, she played female and male characters — including Hamlet — and was one of the first actresses to perform in motion pictures. Her artistic drive extended beyond acting: she was an accomplished painter and sculptor. Bernhardt flouted social conventions, taking numerous lovers of both sexes, and carefully crafting her sometimes shocking public image.
Père Lachaise Cemetery is the final resting place of many famous artists, writers, philosophers and scientists. The play mentions five — Sarah Bernhardt, Jim Morrison, Molière, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. Other notable figures include Baron Haussmann, Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Georges Bizet, Colette, Marcel Proust, Richard Wright, Isadora Duncan, Maria Callas, Marcel Marceau and Olivia de Havilland. Two famous couples are buried side by side: Simone Signoret and Yves Montand; and Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.
The cemetery spans more than 100 acres — the largest in Paris. It is considered the most visited cemetery in the world. In addition to seeking out the tombs of the many famous figures interred at Père Lachaise, visitors can enjoy the beautiful gardens, shady trees, cobblestone paths, monuments and elaborately carved tombs. Many stand as tall as a phone booth or sentry box with room to step inside.
It all started in Père Lachaise, by the tomb of Sarah Bernhardt. I pictured this legendary figure entombed in concrete, surrounded by other famous dead. Did they speak to each other in ghostly form? Looking at an image of her funeral procession, the streets packed with fans, I realized just how famous she was. My curiosity sent me down a rabbit hole of research. How could one person live all of this?
My fascination with Sarah became the seed for exploring our modern obsession with fame and social media. I found myself drawn to the idea of celebrity as a kind of divinity — not religious, but the magical power we grant others by elevating them into figures of worship and admiration. A central question emerged: what would happen if we could get a second chance? What could Sarah accomplish in our world of social media and technology? The play became a way to contrast different time periods, social mores, cultures, concepts of womanhood and artistry. Through the characters of Sarah and Martha, I wanted to explore unfinished business and creative courage.
I hope audiences will enjoy the entertainment and will think about their own unfinished business, finding the courage to pursue it before they, too, leave this world.
— Elena Kaufman, Hamburg, June 2025
web design:
Reg Beatty
images:
•painting (detail) of Sarah Bernhardt (1879): Jules Bastien-Lepage, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
•photo of Sarah Bernhardt (circa 1878): Nadar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
•photo of Père Lachaise: madras91, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
•source photo for stage curtain: Billie Grace Ward from New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
fonts:
•Le Murmure at Velvetyne
•Playfair
•Spectral
©2025 Bernhardt Productions
_par_Jules_Bastien-Lepage_(1848-1884)_-_1879.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}