Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Rebecca Perry (second from the left, with Cole Alvis, Ted
Dykstra, Kevin Hanchard, and Grace Lynn Kung) was one of the
amazing panelists at Next Generation Showcase in January.
Hear her in conversation at Dark Nights on June 13.

• Rick Roberts made a moving video for Intermission about "Barbara Fingerote, Super Audience" about the long-time Toronto theatre volunteer and audience-goer.
• The news of physical and psychological abuse at Profiles Theatre in Chicago is a disturbing, but important story for all theatre-makers—especially as it relates to "cult of personality" in theatre companies.
• As an addendum, theatre critic Christopher Piatt offers a "mea culpa" about the failure to challenge the worldview expressed by that theatre’s programming.
• Susan Fish on Charity Village has written a good analysis of issues associated with criminal record checks—and whether or not they are a valuable screening tool or a barrier to volunteering
• Rebecca Perry is the guest at Dark Nights in Toronto on June 13.
• A Theatre Mom’s perspective on her child’s first production—from Elana Gartner on the A Child Grows in Brooklyn blog.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• With the London Fringe Festival wrapping-up, the next stop for the Ontario Fringe Theatre lover is our nation`s capital—the Ottawa Fringe Festival opens June 15.
• Lisa Codrington was featured on CBC`s Q on Monday, talking about her experience adapting The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God at Shaw Festival: "This is a white man exploring the story of a black girl and taking her on a journey, and for me, at times, I felt like I don't know if the voice of the black girl is as specific as I would like it to be," Codrington says. "How can I make this black girl a character as opposed to ... a vessel for ideas about religion?"

Migrations

• Alexandra Isenor is the new General Manager of a Company of Fools in Ottawa. 

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program, featuring Krista Colosimo, Thom Allison, Deanna Choi, Lisa Karen Cox and Viktor Lukawski
• Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program, featuring Sehar Bhojani, Matthew Thomas Walker, Donna Marie Baratta, Michelle Suzanne and Alessandro Costantini