Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Conversation Starters

• Has the conversation about “what’s wrong with Canadian theatre” confused the ideas of “populism” and “middle-of-the-road”?  Jacob Zimmer writes about the distinction on #CdnCult Times on the SpiderWebShow
• Scarcity thinking has a tendency to drive us towards “tearing things down”—Gwydion Suilebhan reminds us in “Angry Birds and Airplane Dreams” that we need to dedicate ourselves to building things instead
• In a similar vein, Polly Carl reflects on the Anxiety of Generosity and the Abundance of the Commons on HowlRound
• Micheline McKay wonders if artists say thank you enough on The Arts Advocate Blog
• The puppet and the purpose: Andrew Taylor suggests on The Artful Manager that arts administrators can learn a valuable lesson on leadership from the techniques of puppetry
• “It's not that you should see plays when you can because they might have famous people in them; it's that if you never see plays, it's easy to forget how different they are from absolutely everything else, no matter who is in them.” Linda Holmes reflects on "the blood and breath of live theatre" on NPR’s Monkey See blog after seeing Daniel Radcliffe in The Cripple of Inishmaan.
• Developing leadership is one of the best investments for not-for-profits, from James W. Shepard, Jr. on the Stanford Social Innovation Review

From The Wire

• The Ontario Nonprofit Network has released their analysis of the provincial parties platforms on the non-profit sector
• In early 2014, the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres commissioned a survey from Nanos Research on Canadians’ thoughts on theatre in our country. The research focuses on the value and role of theatres in creating vibrant communities across Canada.
• Peter Raymont argues in the Globe and Mail that arts programming can save the CBC from oblivion
• Business for the Arts was granted a four-year investment from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to expand the artsVest program for a mentorship program that will further develop the relationships between the corporate sector and arts and cultural organizations

Behind The Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Beth Kates' maquette for The Road to Mecca at Soulpepper

• Beth Kates, Set and Lighting Designer on the Soulpepper Theatre production of The Road to Mecca shares her approach to the show’s design
• Classic Theatre Festival in Perth has launched a new youth theatre project “Perth Through the Ages”, a theatrical historical walking tour, “animating the town core, re-creating key characters and events in the town’s storied 200-year history”, made possible from the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s Celebrate Ontario program, along with the valuable assistance of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, and the Perth and District Community Foundation

Migrations

• Rona Waddington, a past Neil Munro Intern Director at the Shaw Festival, will be the new Artistic Director of St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott in 2015

In Case You Missed It

• PTTP Profiles: Exploring Projects Funded by the Professional Theatre Training Program

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