TORONTO, ON – Toronto's very own cult celebrity clown Jean-Paul Mullét returns to the Toronto Fringe Festival with a brand new play! And he's brought together a Super Group of award-winning local talent to help create it!
For over 16 years and still going, Allan Turner has performed as his alter ego, the zombie clown Jean-Paul Mullét. Allan was voted Toronto's 'Best Male Improviser' in the 2015 NOW Magazine Reader's Choice Poll. Since 2011, he has hosted the hit Mullet's Night Show, a live comedy variety show done in the style of a late night television talk show. The tragicomedy Mullet's Make-a-Play premiered in the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival to rave reviews. He appears regularly in the Toronto Festival of Clowns and co-hosts Lunacy Cabaret, the longest running circus cabaret in Toronto. He is a Theatresports and Bad Dog Theatre Company alumnus and continues to be a fixture in the Toronto comedy scene.
For Mullet's Ghost Story, Allan reunites with director Bruce Hunter. Previously, they worked together in the 2013 Toronto Fringe on Allan Turner's Sour Grapes (awarded Outstanding Ensemble by NOW Magazine). Allan and Bruce met in the 1990s when Bruce was Allan's teacher at The Second City Training Centre. Bruce is a comedy legend, whose long list of accolades includes a Gemini and two Canadian Comedy Awards. He also directed A Freudian Slip of the Jung (Best of the Fringe 2011).
Mullet's Ghost Story is co-written by playwright Ron Fromstein. For the last two years, Allan and Ron have worked together on Mullet's Night Show. They also met in the 1990s when both were performing weekly in Theatresports, often together as a two-person team. Ron was Allan’s first comedy partner. Ron is a three-time winner of the Canadian National Playwriting Competition (2006, 2007, 2009), thirteen-time winner-finalist of the Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals Playwriting Contests, and four-time winner-finalist of the Ottawa Little Theatre Playwriting Competition (the only person to be a multiple winner-finalist in one year in its 75 year history).
Also appearing is Hilary June Hart, who Allan first worked with as Mullet in Nuit Blanche. Mullet's Ghost Story is Hilary's third appearance in the Toronto Fringe Festival. Her past Fringe hits include Soupcan Theatre's Love is a Poverty You Can Sell II and Killing Game with RedHanded Theatre.
Rounding out Team Mullet is stage manager Pola Stankovic, who previously worked as stage and tour manager for the phenomenally successful clown duo Morro and Jasp. Andrea Ouellette returns as costume designer after having previously collaborated with Allan on Sour Grapes, for which she created "colourful characters...imaginatively outfitted" (NOW Magazine).
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