Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Jonathan Mandell wrote on HowlRound about the evolving definition of “professional.”  (ICYMI – here is the original post.)  For me, this is an important conversation when we talk about how definitions exclude members of the community.  It’s also important when we talk about the working conditions of professional artists—and it was great to see Allan Teichman (Council President of Canadian Actors Equity Association) contribute a comment with an articulate conversation-starting definition into the conversation.
• Howard Sherman reflected on a call for submissions for a short play festival and the inadvertent lessons it teaches about disrespect for playwrights.
• And Travis Bedard on 2amt reminds us about the dangers of punching down and the value of proportional response in “On Being Right.”
• #CdnCultTimes from SpiderWebShow looked at the behaviour of audiences.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The next stop in Ontario’s Fringe circuit is North Bay, with the On the Edge Fringe Festival opening on August 11.
• Part 5 of Kelly Nestruck’s “High School Drama” series in the Globe and Mail on a secondary school theatre program shines a spotlight on how less drama in the schools hurts the theatre industry—a conversation that we’ve been having for a long time, and one that I’m glad to see in the public conversation. It also touches on the need for education that includes behind-the-scenes teaching—a theme came up in our youth forum at Theatre Ontario Festival in Oshawa.
• Soulpepper Theatre Company will receive $1.5 million over four years to create a permanent touring repertory theatre.  From Albert Schultz, Artistic Director, “Over the next four years, we will lay the foundation for a robust touring network that will spell more employment for local artists and new opportunities to connect with audiences and partners across the province.”

Migrations

• Anita Small is the Project Manager and Catherine MacKinnon is the Deaf Community Consultant for Cahoots Theatre’s Deaf Artists and Theatres Toolkit initiative.

In Case You Missed It

• Speak Out on Bill 54 and the need for regulations for the safe and healthy use of vapour devices in performing arts.
• Lisa Cox wrote about her experience as the International Creators Scholarship recipient, training in theatre creation at SITI Company.
• I wrote about building a lifelong love of adjudication.