Wednesday 20 December 2017

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities for theatre artists from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Theatre Ontario's "Intimacy for the Stage" workshop
Check out all of our upcoming Career Stream and Creator Stream workshops.

New on The Bulletin Board

  • Daniel Saioni is holding a Script Supervision Intensive Weekend for stage managers interested in translating their skills into the film industry on January 13 and 14.
  • Jumblies is holding their “Artfare Essentials” intensive on the fundamentals of community-engaged art beginning January 26.
Check out these items, and other postings from our members.
Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Tuesday 19 December 2017

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Today we feature five stories:
Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Aaron Jan

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Aaron Jan will train in dramaturgy with Marjorie Chan at Cahoots Theatre in Toronto


(November 19, 2017)



Oh hello there.

Super grateful to be chosen by Theatre Ontario to embark on this crazy dramaturgy adventure.

First, a bit about me.

My name's Aaron. I'm 25 years old and from Hamilton, Ontario. There's a joke I tried to write here, but none of them made my roommates laugh.

I am relatively new to the world of dramaturgy, as my training in theatre school and beyond has been primarily in playwriting and direction.

I kind of got involved in it by accident to be honest. In 2015 I was an inaugural member of Factory Theatre's Foremen Directing Training Program. The year ended with us leading a workshop of a new play and presenting an excerpt from it at Factory's Sparks Fly event. This entire process kind of terrified me because I had never done this before. My playwright was based in Montreal, so I would have to do the dramaturgy over the phone. Much to my surprise, this entire experience went very well.

Over the past two years since the Foremen, I've been invited to assist in a handful of dramaturgical projects. As I am a playwright myself, I feel like I kind of have a sympathy for them—the playwrights I mean. When I write myself, I'm incredibly anxious, self-depreciating and neurotic, so when I'm on the other side of the table, I try to keep my dramaturgy to the point, blunt and helpful. My ethos when I dramaturg is that I try to get my playwright excited and inspired to write. If I don't do that, I've failed, simple as that.

My investment in dramaturgy is because I am from a town where there isn't much. Yes, there's a regional theatre in Hamilton, but because of their subscription base and the size of their house they are unable to produce original work on their mainstage for fear that it won't sell. This has a bit of a ripple effect in the community, especially among young folks of colour, who are not in the demographic of the regional theatre's audience. Visible minorities don't attend theatre in Hamilton for whatever reason. The young artists of colour see this and they leave the city. It's not on the regional theatre to fix this, as they need to cater to their biggest demographic. They need to sell tickets to maintain their building and they have a trusted and true method.

I didn't think theatre was a viable career until I came to Toronto and saw people who looked like me on stages, behind stages, directing, designing and being the leads in plays. Part of the reason I think Toronto is so different from Hamilton in terms of having non-Caucasians making work is because there are more developmental opportunities in this city. Playwrights of colour who may not have the same training as their Caucasian counterparts can find mentors and access to professional new play development because the people running the programs understand the necessity of their voices. Their worth is reflected by professional interest and when their work premieres it is ready beyond a first, second or third draft. It can be taken seriously, not dismissed as a “good try” or an amateur taking a stab at a script.

My dream is to do this in Hamilton. When I'm ready and have sufficient training I want to return home and run a theatre company that specializes in developing and presenting new work by playwrights of colour. I want to make sure that brown artists—especially emerging ones—feel like someone in the city has their back. If Hamilton is to become this theatre mecca that the newspapers are talking about, it needs to have work that reflects the diversity of its population—most importantly work that is good and ready to be seen by an audience. Perhaps then, artists of colour will have a reason to stay and feel that they can do this.

So why do the PTTP then?

I remember sitting at coffee with one of my most trusted mentors. We were in the midst of applying for a grant, and somewhere in our conversation she asked me where I saw myself in 10 years. On a whim, I told her that I was interested in dramaturgy, as noted in bold font at the top of my resume. Perhaps naively, I stated proudly that I had dramaturged three plays in the last year and found all three to be very positive experiences. I explained my Hamilton plan. Thus, I was now a dramaturg for hire and this was to be my career path. Forever and always.

When I had made this statement, she took a moment and looked at me super seriously (whenever my mentor does this, I usually know I've said something stupid, arrogant or very, very wrong.) She said that I had no training in dramaturgy and was literally flying by the seat of my pants. Further, she stated that people trained and practiced all of their lives to give themselves that title and just because I had taken one class in it and had dramaturged a few plays didn't make me a practicing dramaturg. Like any career I needed training in it before I inevitably let down a playwright.

I took this to heart, because it was true. If I am to continue my dramaturgical practice, I need some kind of formal training, some kind of fundamental crash course in how to structure my process. While I've been incredibly lucky with the playwrights I've worked  with, there's always been an inherent fear that I'll fail someone or I'll confuse them or even worse, I'll put them off writing because I don't know what I'm doing. Especially as an artist of colour, where we need to nurture new voices in our community that may not have the same training experience as others, this is the worst possible thing that I could do.

Enter Marjorie Chan.

I was in line at a BBQ this summer, eating some fried animal when Marjorie came up to me and asked me what I was interested in. I mentioned dramaturgy. This PTTP offer happened right then and there as we consumed fried things.

What really impresses me about Marjorie (and really most theatre folks I admire) is generosity. Everything about her bleeds generosity. You walk into the Cahoots office and you feel like you're at home. You sit in on the Hot House playwrights meetings and it feels like a group of old friends consuming cheese and licorice. Then you hear the work that they share and it's bold and daring (one of the plays in development is a bloody noir about drag kings and queens assassinating businessmen!).

On one of the first Hot House meetings I attended, Marjorie talked about how she doesn't create safe spaces, but spaces where people can be brave and take risks. It's what I admire the most about her, how she can work with new and experienced playwrights alike and inspire them to take that extra step or write that scene that they're afraid of through her curation of space in Cahoots' brand, her own practice and her company's outreach.

I will be with Cahoots from now until October 2018.

Marjorie and I have come up with 3 distinct learning objectives for my time at Cahoots.

Firstly, because of the Hamilton project, I want to learn how a dramaturg functions in a deep development process and how their role evolves as the project enters production. I will be assisting Marjorie on dramaturging Jani Lauzon's I Call Myself Princess from its workshop in January 2018 to its production in September. I want to be able to see what Marjorie's process is like and what objectives she has as a dramaturg in each stage of development so I can create keystones for my own process.

Throughout the year I will also be assisting on a variety of projects where the dramaturg is in different positions beyond new work development, including production dramaturgy, leading and running workshops and post-mortems and how to structure outreach to build new audiences.  I will be traveling to Scarborough for Cahoots' Lift Off! Presentation tomorrow to see this in action as the first part of my training.

Secondly, I want to learn about the dramaturg as a curator, specifically in how Marjorie programs Cahoots' season and selects RGTC (Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators) applicants for funding. In addition to this, I want to learn how Marjorie curates space for artists and audiences alike so I can take that into my own process. On the 28th of November, I will be attending a conference for pluralism in theatre as part of my education in this area. I want the playwrights and creators I collaborate with to feel safe in the rooms I run or lead, so they can take the biggest risks possible.

Thirdly, I will be taking on a personal dramaturgical project of a new work (yet to be selected) that I will be developing throughout the year under Marjorie's guidance. This practical application of the skills I have learned throughout the year will culminate in a workshop led by myself in July 2018. I'm super excited to have step by step mentorship of a practical application of the skills I learn throughout the year as my process shifts and transforms.

I'm really stoked to get started (literally tomorrow)! Excited to dive in!

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2018.

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Victoria Stacey

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Victoria Stacey trained in directing with Thomas Morgan Jones at Theatre New Brunswick in Fredericton NB


(November 12, 2017)  For my final report detailing my time with Theatre New Brunswick, and my training with Thomas Morgan Jones, I want to share three moments from the last two weeks of rehearsal that felt like massive breakthroughs.

The most dangerous thing is a good idea

During the creation of the physical vocabulary for the play, Fortune of Wolves, it became important that the performers find slight variations within their movements each time the play would be performed. In order to properly facilitate this we created a series of rules surrounding each of the physical improvisations to act as a container that the performers could play within. There was one moment where an actor made a physical choice that was performed with such intense focus that my full attention was drawn to his actions and away from the actor performing the monologue. I thought the moment was compelling and that we had to keep it. Later in the note session Thom asked the actor to cut that moment and added some new rules to that section of the play. When I asked Thom about his decision he told me that yes, it was a compelling choice but it needed to be cut because it would pull the audiences’ focus away from the monologue being performed. The rest of the ensemble on stage and their movements were meant to support or comment on the text but not become the main point of focus. I learned that just because a choice or movement is interesting doesn’t mean it belongs in the play. I learned that the director must curate the audiences’ point of focus. I also learned that a really good idea could actually be dangerous if it gets in the way of or does not serve the story.

What are you trying to achieve? 

In one of the first meetings with our lighting designer, David Degrow, he asked Thom a big question, “what are you trying to achieve with this piece?” David also asked Thom to try and distill the answer down to a sentence or two, similar to a thesis statement. Thom later told me that he had never been asked this question by a designer before and thought it was a very useful exercise. The question that David asked is now one that I will ask myself when taking on any new project. I will also try to incorporate this question into my interactions with designers and collaborators.

Trust your gut

Towards the end of our rehearsal process we began shortening our days to focus on running the play. I was asked to bring forward 1-3 notes for discussion at the end of each day. The first few discussions went well, Thom thought my notes were valuable observations and a few of them were passed along during our notes sessions with the team. Then, as rehearsals continued I started to feel that I was second-guessing myself. I would notice something during a scene, overthink it, and then write down an entirely different observation. This became frustrating when we went into the notes sessions and I learned that, in most cases, my first instinct was correct. After spending half of my lunch break pacing and trying to figure out why I was encountering this and what to do to fix it, Thom and I had a great conversation. What emerged from this conversation was that I needed to learn to follow my instincts. What I had been experiencing was actually two different observations entering my consciousness about the work happening on stage. This is fine, but part of the art of directing is figuring out which of these observations are notes and how to deliver those notes to the team to achieve the desired outcome.

I want to close my final blog post with a story about dress rehearsal. Prior to the dress rehearsal no one from the general public had seen our work. The audience had mostly been the creative team and Theatre New Brunswick’s office staff. We had done about six full run-throughs of the play at this point and we were pretty proud of our work and all we had accomplished in such a short time. However, we did not yet know how people would receive the play. Ten teenagers from Theatre New Brunswick’s theatre school were invited to watch our dress rehearsal and they sat excited in the house waiting for the play to begin. Throughout the play I was watching and listening to their responses; they were completely glued to the action the entire time. At the act break and at the end of the performance Thom and I sat with them while Thom asked them about what they saw. They were bursting with ideas, questions, and theories. Thom and I listened as they dissected what they had just experienced. Hearing their reactions to the play was a great reminder of why we make theatre. After the theatre school students went home we began our notes session but instead of delivering his own notes Thom read back to the team all of the observations, questions, and compliments from our young audience. This was one of the most powerful moments of the entire experience for me. I could tell that our work had inspired a new generation of theatre-makers. I also really respect how Thom recognized the value of the words these young people shared with us enough to spend our last note session before opening night expressing their thoughts instead of his own. The effect it had on the team was also tremendous; it boosted everyone’s confidence and injected the energy our young audience projected back into the performers.

I learned so much while working on Fortune of Wolves with Thomas Morgan Jones and the rest of the creative team. I made some really valuable connections with seasoned theatre artists. I feel excited and full of inspiration for whatever comes next.

Related Reading:

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2018.

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Stephanie Graham

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Stephanie Graham is training in artistic direction with Mitchell Marcus at Musical Stage Company in Toronto


(November 8, 2017)  I started as the Intern Artistic Director at the Musical Stage Company in early July.

On my first day, I attended a meeting with Artistic Director, Mitchell Marcus and Associate Artistic Director, Kevin Wong at the Regent Park School of Music to have a post mortem on their inaugural Make Me A Song program. This is an incredible initiative that pairs musical theatre composers and lyricists with the choirs at the Regent Park School of Music. Through a creative collaboration process with the students, the writers compose songs for the choirs based on the students’ ideas to be performed later in the year. Like most of you, I was not aware of this program and was so thrilled to hear that they will be rolling it out again in 2017-18. I cannot wait to hear the outcome in the spring.

Besides attending weekly staff meetings (which are always so collaborative) and board meetings (which are also so collaborative), I was able to sit on the panel for the auditions for the children of Fun Home and for the Syd and Shirley Banks Prize. I also attended the pitches for the Dan Fund musicals. It was truly overwhelming how much talent we have in Toronto and in Canada.


The Ambassador Event at the Jazz Bistro, highlighting the work of Britta Johnson, was a fantastic evening. As a donor, this is a fun evening to attend and learn more about the company and the artists that are featured in the season. 


After the dress rehearsal of each Musical Stage Company show, the staff goes out to share thoughts and ideas. The mainstage programming, education and outreach initiatives keeps our small staff of eight (including me) very busy so it was nice to be together outside of the office.


Once Life After opened, I assisted in coordinating the volunteers at Canadian Stage and hosting some of the pre-show chats. What a great way to connect with our audience. The success of Life After has all of us in the musical theatre community thrilled that the young Canadian voice of Britta Johnson was supported not only by other artists, but packed houses at Canadian Stage. 

I went to New York to see the new musical presentations at NAMT and was able to connect with other attendees about our Crescendo series and Life After. With the success of Come From Away, the Americans seem to be paying a little more attention to us. This is exciting for Canadian musicals. Check out the blog post that Associate Artistic Director, Kevin Wong and I did about our experience at NAMT

Even though I have worked with the Musical Stage Company as a director/choreographer for One Song Glory, the choreographer of The Wild Party and Grey Gardens, this experience has opened my eyes to the excellent leadership that Mitchell Marcus provides both artistically and administratively. His knowledge in both these areas make him an exceptional arts leader in Canada.

As I come up to the end of the first half of my internship, I realize how very proud I am to be associated with the company in awe of the work they do in addition to their mainstage programming. It is a lot to digest, but I am very much enjoying changing my thinking from project based work to strategic and long-term planning.

Thank you so much to Theatre Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council. This experience has been both eye opening and satisfied my thirst for knowledge in the area of arts leadership.

Related Reading:

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2018.


Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Carly Chamberlain

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Carly Chamberlain will train in artistic direction with Franco Boni at The Theatre Centre in Toronto

(December 6, 2017)  A big part of the reason I want to develop my skills in artistic direction is because I want to be a part of the revolution. Our context as theatremakers has changed significantly since the genesis of Toronto’s mainstay institutions. We’re in a challenging and potentially exciting time for thinking about the way we do things and how they might need to change / adapt / evolve in order to survive (not to mention thinking about letting some things die.) AND we’re at a point where it seems like MAYBE we’re FINALLY ready to no longer accept the idea that all our artistic leaders need to all look and behave the same.

In my directing work, and now as I immerse myself in artistic direction, I spend a lot of time thinking about these things, and thinking about a different kind of leadership. I mean, if I want to be an agent of change, what sense does it make to model myself after the kinds of leaders I think need changing? I want to frame my potential leadership as advocacy rather than salesmanship; collaboration rather than dictatorship. When I looked at my interests and values in this way, it dawned on me that there was really one person that would be an ideal fit for mentorship.

Franco Boni has tremendous vision and leadership, but I have also always had the sense that those skills were in service of something greater than himself. The Theatre Centre is a community space; a hub for long term creative residencies, as well as a social and work home for artists and Queen West locals. 

At the Doras this year, amidst The Theatre Centre cleaning up with a number of awards, Franco took his opportunity onstage to draw attention to the urgent need for support for 401 Richmond. To me this was a small but significant moment that lived in contrast to the bravado of other leaders in attendance that night. It was a civic-minded act that speaks to his and The Theatre Centre’s values. The Theatre Centre is a space that helps me hold onto my belief that art can mean something and do something beyond creating a commodity, and Franco is the kind of leader I aspire to be. So needless to say I feel very grateful that he said yes to me following him around for the next five months!

In the coming months, I will be joining him through the progress of a number of projects focusing on curation and residency, as well as the ways in which he and The Theatre Centre engage with both the artistic and local communities. My hope is to develop a more nuanced understanding of the kinds of considerations that go into the decision-making here, as well as developing skills and ways of understanding and thinking that will support my independent producing and directing work. 

I’m especially pleased that the support of Theatre Ontario and Franco is going to enable to me to develop a personal project during this time. Inspired by The Theatre Centre’s genesis as a group of companies banning together with shared needs, I will be developing what I am currently referring to as an Indie Think Tank. I will be bringing together a small group of artist-producers to see if we can work together on shared problems and questions (big and small) and share our resources. It will be an opportunity to test out the ideas I’m engaging with in real time with my peers, and hopefully move our work forward in a meaningful way. 

As I sit in The Theatre Centre cafe writing this, I feel a kind of tension. It’s hard to know exactly where all of this will lead—but how special and rare to have an opportunity to embark on a learning opportunity with flexibility and possibility. I’m looking forward to many months of asking questions, being challenged, and evolving my goals and interests.

The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2018.

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program: Naomi DuVall

Our Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) offers financial support for unique and flexible training with a chosen mentor in any theatrical discipline (except performance.)

Naomi DuVall trained in puppet design, building and manipulation with Brad Brackenridge at the Nervous System in Peterborough


December 5, 2017

Festivus Rattus Rattus 2035- Presented at The Theatre on King as part of Precarious: Peterborough ArtsWORK Festival

Brad Brackenridge as the Narrator / Festival Elder / Ringmaster

As the show and this mentorship come to a close, I can't help but wish I had more time. I still have much to learn from Brad. This is partly due the last few months being heavily occupied by the responsibilities that come with an unexpected family illness. Happily, I was able to balance these and my mentorship by scaling down some of its more complex/time consuming elements. Instead of constructing a full marionette from scratch, I focused on wood carving technique and sculpted a few small children for use in performance. I did have time to observe Brad build puppets for the Shaw Festival early in my mentorship, gleaning knowledge about their construction and movement through our conversation, contact with the prototype, and reading materials Brad provided me with.
Brad (with members of the company) and
the puppets he worked on for the Shaw Festival

This production marked my first time being involved in more aspects of a professional project than performance. In productions of his I’ve seen, Brad usually has a role on stage in addition to his puppet/set/prop building/design duties. I was given a taste of this and was not only privy to the birth of ideas in design meetings but also got to be on the front line, figuring out how to execute them via construction AND performance techniques. I was given the role of the Pied Piper/A festival attendee-helper. I wore one of the rat-heads that I built. Through this I learned the importance of facial bone structure, eye and ear placement/shape, (i.e. The difference between rats and pigs.) Using a technique and medium that was new to me, I molded paste-sodden burlap over chicken wire that I had bent into a rat skull shape.
Stages of Rat Headery

As the Pied Piper, I got to manipulate two different versions of the same character: One in miniature, dangling from and operated by a long rod, and the other, a life-sized echo of it placed over my body. I had the chance to grow as a puppeteer/performer by being given the challenge of finding the same movement in two totally different styles of puppet. I had to adapt to the essential (for its ability to reach out over and illuminate the whole audience) yet awkwardly long handle on the miniature. Another obstacle overcome was my limited vision in the larger. With practice, perseverance and faith and maybe a touch of echo-location, I managed not to tumble into the audience, Rat-Mayor or live musicians!
(L) Small piper floating above actor heads
(R) Myself as the Piper and Brad as the Rat Mayor. Both blind as bats in our coverings
I admire that Brad uses reclaimed/found materials as much as possible in his work. This style suited the show really well as it took place in a post-apocalyptic version of Peterborough in the year 2035. It was super-interesting to watch him develop and then perfect his four councillor puppets; they began as containers from the recycling box that became bodies, with faces carved from found packing foam and divided at the jaw, and he fed a rod through the center of the top of each head and used it as a lever to lift the top portion, creating movement for speech. I love the look created by taping over the face and added features, then painting over it. Getting to see how the creations were manipulated and sewn into the structure of the show was invaluable and informative to my process.


In my application, I stressed the importance of me being involved in a show from the idea stages all the way through to execution. As a performer who wants to originate their own work, this was sooo important for me to be immersed in. I saw exactly what is required to put an idea up on its shaky legs, then help it breathe and run. Regular meetings, check-ins and deadlines are crucial. Taking inspiration wherever you can find it is an important lesson I retained: a snack brought to one of our meetings ended up finding its way into the script. It was an egg roll filled with pizza toppings from a local restaurant. The restaurant is a unique place and has been around long enough to become part of the local culture and could very well survive in memory after an apocalypse. It was proof that you really can draw from anywhere. A very real, consumable detail of Peterborough that gave a bit more believable weight to the story... and me, as they made a delicious appearance at our festival closing party.


Spending time in the capacity I did with such active, experienced, compassionate and motivated theatre creators, to be able to observe them in action, having the chance to share my input, make suggestions and be involved in the problem-solving and decision-making has altered my plan of approach to creation greatly. In terms of puppetry I was exposed to new mediums to work with and a few different types of design styles [working from real life photos, using varied paper shapes to assemble/mix and match facial features when planning a puppets face, finding inspiration from the natural shape of the medium (i.e. wood). . I realized the importance of working economically and with speed with tight deadlines and that knowing when to cut your losses and start again is key.

Brad's finished carvings vs. the beginning of my little figures contribution

Through this process—the planning, stress of deadlines, getting feedback on how to puppet more effectively and efficiently, making mistakes and figuring out how and when to fix them, abandon and learn from them or embrace them and sharing ideas and even more importantly snacks—I’ve developed a good working rapport with Brad. Good enough for him to invite me to work on his next project; a giant, two-person operated snake he is developing for a stage version of The Jungle Book! Even though the mentorship is technically finished, I hope to keep an eye on Brad’s upcoming projects and seek his advice on mine.

This training has given me confidence and some elementary knowledge/tools to begin biting into bigger, more complicated and formerly intimidating ventures. I plan to continue towards my goal of marionette construction. I’ll practice the skills I’ve learned so far and see where that takes me. Whether I am inspired to write a show around the marionette or incorporate it into the one-woman show I’m working on, or just keep it as a pet remains to be seen. Regardless, I am excited for what the future holds and feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I am deeply thankful to Theatre Ontario for facilitating this whole experience. It has opened up more possibilities for me and forged some wonderful connections. I know I’ve absorbed far more than I’m able to process or convey in this passage, I can't recommend this program enough to theatre folk at any level, please never stop helping art happen!

Rats drowning in the Otonoabee River





Related Reading:


The next application deadline for the Professional Theatre Training Program is March 1, 2018.

Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Monday 18 December 2017

ONstage Openings for the weeks of December 18 and 25

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
A Christmas Story, The Musical at Theatre Sarnia
Photo by John Adair
The next two weeks' openings on Ontario’s stages

In Southwestern Ontario

Dec. 29, Country Superstars at Oh Canada Eh? Productions (Niagara Falls)

In Toronto

Dec. 31, HOOKUP at Bad Dog Theatre Company
Dec. 31, NYE @ The Second City - Featuring "Party Today, Panic Tomorrow" at The Second City

In Eastern Ontario

Dec. 27, Anne of Green Gables at Kanata Theatre (Ottawa)


For all the theatre playing across Ontario, visit Theatre Ontario’s ONstage theatre listings on our website

Friday 15 December 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

  • We are in the final stretch of our Holiday GIVING Tree campaign—sitting at 63% of our campaign goal. Thanks to our many Champion Donors like Theresa Sears and David Switzer who have supported Theatre Ontario for many years.
  • Our office will be closed for the holidays from Thursday, December 21 until Tuesday, January 2, 2018.

Conversation Starters


Migrations


In Case You Missed It

Thursday 14 December 2017

Congratulations to the Youth Theatre Training Program Fall 2017 Grant Recipients

We are excited to announce the latest recipients of training grants through Theatre Ontario’s Youth Theatre Training Program (YTTP). We thank all those who applied to the program.

$19,500 was awarded in total among the following recipients:
  • The AMY Project (Toronto) – Spring Theatre Creation Program
  • Centennial S.S. (Belleville) – Youth Technical Theatre Training
  • Community Arts Guild (Toronto) – TRANSFORMATIONS
  • Paprika Theatre Festival (Toronto) – Paprika Theatre Festival 2017/18
  • Young People’s Theatre (Toronto) – Three Up
Over $38,000 was requested during this application round. The next application deadline for this program is March 15, 2018.


This program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Wednesday 13 December 2017

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities for theatre artists from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

  • Deadline for applications for New Faces (recent theatre grads from other training programs) at Next Generation Showcase 2018 of graduating theatre students is December 15.
  • We are also seeking volunteers for Next Generation Showcase, helping with backstage coordination and ushering.
  • Preparing an OAC application? Get the inside scoop at our “Grant Writing Information Session” free pre-recorded webinar with Pat Bradley of the Ontario Arts Council available on January 9.
  • Learn the techniques and the language to stage human sexuality in a way that is professional, dynamic and focused on storytelling at our “Intimacy for the Stage for Directors” workshop on January 13 in Toronto.
Check out all of our upcoming Career Stream and Creator Stream workshops.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

The Amorous Servant at Odyssey Theatre in summer 2017.
Their Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Theatre
Creators deadline is December 18.
  • Deadline to apply for Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Communities and Schools Projects is December 14.
  • Deadline to apply for The MT Space’s Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators is December 15.
  • Deadline for nominations for the Gina Wilkinson Prize for experienced female artists transitioning into directing is December 15.
  • Deadline for submissions for the Ellen Ross Stuart Opening Doors Award for emerging writers is December 15.
  • Deadline to apply for Odyssey Theatre’s Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators is December 18.
Check out these items, and other postings from our members.
Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Tuesday 12 December 2017

Join Us at Theatre Ontario Next Generation Showcase 2018

We warmly invite Directors, Artistic Directors, Producers, Casting Directors, Agents (EIC signed or TAMAC members), and other Industry Professionals to join us at Theatre Ontario’s Next Generation Showcase of graduating student talent.

When: Sunday, January 14th and Monday, January 15th, 2018
Where: Miles Nadal JCC,Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Learn more about Next Generation and RSVP on our website

Monday 11 December 2017

ONstage Openings for the week of December 11

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
A Christmas Carol at The Grand Theatre (London)
Patrick Monaghan, Ben Campbell
Photo by Claus Andersen

This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages

In Southwestern Ontario

Dec. 15, The Wind in the Willows at Yellow Door Theatre Project (St. Catharines)
Dec. 15, A Christmas Story, The Musical at Theatre Sarnia

In Toronto

Dec. 14, The Tale of a Town – Canada at Theatre Passe Muraille [with a preview on Dec. 13]
Dec. 15, A Very Soulpepper Christmas at Soulpepper Theatre
Dec. 16, Miracle on Mercer Street at The Second City


For all the theatre playing across Ontario, visit Theatre Ontario’s ONstage theatre listings on our website

Friday 8 December 2017

Ontario Off Stage

Theatre Ontario's Holiday GIVING Tree
by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario


Conversation Starters


Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres


Migrations


In Case You Missed It

Wednesday 6 December 2017

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities for theatre artists from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Check out all of our upcoming Career Stream and Creator Stream workshops.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

  • Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa is hosting a Hive workshop for students on “Introduction to Improv” today.
  • Deadline for submissions from professional new generation playwrights under the age of 35 for Driftwood Theatre's Trafalgar 24 is December 11.
  • Deadline for submissions from volunteer directors with production proposals for Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre's 18/19 season is December 11.
    Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre is seeking
    production proposals for the 2018/19 season
  • Deadline to apply for Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Communities and Schools Projects is December 14.
  • Deadline to apply for The MT Space’s Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators is December 15.
  • Deadline for nominations for the Gina Wilkinson Prize for experienced female artists transitioning into directing is December 15.
  • Deadline for submissions for the Ellen Ross Stuart Award for emerging writers is December 15.
Check out these items, and other postings from our members.
Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Tuesday 5 December 2017

Join Us at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Tickets and accommodations for Theatre Ontario Festival 2018 in London will be going on sale on December 15th.

Opening May 16, and running until May 20, our annual Festival is a celebration of community theatre—featuring performances, adjudications, and workshops—bringing together theatre lovers from across the province. Early-bird 4-show packages at a discounted rate of $88 are available until February 1. After that, packages will cost $96. Single tickets are $27 each and Awards Brunch tickets are $35.

Tickets will be available online at www.theatreontariofestival.ca (additional charge for online sales) or you can call the London Community Players Box Office at 519.432.1029 (box office hours are Tuesday to Friday from 11am to 7pm.)  The link will also have information about the Festival schedule and hotel information after December 15th.

Theatre Ontario Festival 2018 is hosted by London Community Players in partnership with Theatre Ontario and the Western Ontario Drama League.

Related reading

Monday 4 December 2017

ONstage Openings for the week of December 4

This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages
ONstage Now Playing in Eastern Ontario
Noises Off at Belleville Theatre Guild

In Central Ontario

Dec. 6, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe at Peterborough Theatre Guild
Dec. 9, A Sherlock Christmas at Lindsay Little Theatre

In Eastern Ontario

Dec. 7, Annie at Suzart Productions (Ottawa)
Dec. 8, A Christmas Carol at National Arts Centre—English Theatre (Ottawa) [with previews from Dec. 5]
Dec. 8, Aladdin at Smiths Falls Community Theatre

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
A Christmas Carol at Elora Community Theatre

In Northeastern Ontario

Dec. 6, King Arthur at Sault Theatre Workshop (Sault Ste. Marie)
Dec. 8, A Christmas Story at Sudbury Theatre Centre [with a preview on Dec. 7]

In Northwestern Ontario

Dec. 8, Miracle on 34th Street at Magnus Theatre (Thunder Bay)

In Toronto

Dec. 7, A Christmas Carol at Soulpepper Theatre
Dec. 8, Peter Pan at Soulpepper Theatre


For all the theatre playing across Ontario, visit Theatre Ontario’s ONstage theatre listings on our website

Thursday 30 November 2017

Seeking "New Faces" to Participate in Next Generation Showcase 2018

Theatre Ontario’s annual Next Generation Showcase, presented in partnership with the Miles Nadal JCC, will take place on January 14th and 15th at the Al Green Theatre.

This unique two-day event provides graduating theatre students the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of industry professionals, including casting directors, artistic directors, independent directors, producers, and agents. Many of the top theatre training programs from Ontario and beyond participate annually, and each year we also provide an opportunity for recent grads from other training programs wishing to pursue their performing careers in Ontario in our NEW FACES category.

To be eligible to apply to "New Faces", you must fulfill the following criteria:
  • You are graduating or have graduated from a full-time theatre training program within the last 3 years;
  • You currently reside, or plan to reside, in Ontario and are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
  • You presently do not have an agent;
Please note:  If you have already participated in the Next Generation Showcase in the past, you are not eligible for NEW FACES participation.

The deadline for application is Friday, December 15th at 12:00 noon

Wednesday 29 November 2017

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities for theatre artists from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

"Propel Your Professional Career Forward" workshop
Check out all of our upcoming Career Stream and Creator Stream workshops.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

  • Deadline to apply for Carousel Players’ Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is November 30.
  • Deadline for submissions for South Simcoe Theatre’s “Four Play: A Showcase of Play Readings” is November 30.
  • Deadline to apply for Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is December 1.
  • Deadline to apply for Buddies in Bad Times’ Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is December 1.
  • Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa is hosting a Hive workshop for students on “Introduction to Improv” on December 6.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.
Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Monday 27 November 2017

ONstage Openings for the week of November 27

ONstage Now Playing in Central Ontario
The Drawer Boy at Huronia Players (Midland)
This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages

In Toronto

Nov. 28, Instant at Young People's Theatre
Nov. 28, Moll at Randolph College for the Performing Arts
Nov. 29, Munsch on the Moon at George Brown Theatre School
Nov. 30, Heisenberg at Canadian Stage [with previews from Nov. 28]
Dec. 1, It's a Wonderful Life at Scarborough Players
Dec. 1, Scenes from the City at Bad Dog Theatre Company
Dec. 2, 7th Cousins at Nightwood Theatre

In Central Ontario

Nov. 30, That December Show - Cinder Ella, Eh! at South Simcoe Theatre (Cookstown)
Dec. 1, The Last Christmas Turkey at Theatre Orangeville [with a preview on Nov. 30]
Dec. 1, Bob's Your Elf at Northumberland Players (Cobourg)
Dec. 2, How to Eat Like a Child and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grown-Up at Northumberland Players (Cobourg)

In Eastern Ontario

Nov. 29, Peter Pan and Wendy at Ottawa Little Theatre
Nov. 30, Blind Date at Great Canadian Theatre Company (Ottawa) [with previews from Nov. 28]
Nov. 30, Noises Off at Belleville Theatre Guild [with a preview on Nov. 28]
Nov. 30, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Domino Theatre (Kingston)
Nov. 30, A Christmas Story at Studio Theatre Perth
Dec. 2, Mistletoe Magic at Upper Canada Playhouse (Morrisburg) [with a preview on Dec. 1]

In South Central Ontario

Nov. 30, The Game's Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays at Theatre Aurora

In Southwestern Ontario

Dec. 1, A Christmas Carol at The Grand Theatre (London) [with previews from Nov. 28]
ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
The Giant's Garden at Kincardine Theatre Guild
Dec. 1, Honk! at Drayton Entertainment: St. Jacobs Country Playhouse [with previews from Nov. 29]
Dec. 1, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Theatre Aquarius (Hamilton) [with previews from Nov. 29]
Dec. 1, Anne of Green Gables at London Community Players [with a preview on Nov. 30]
Dec. 1, A Christmas Carol at Elora Community Theatre (Fergus)
For all the theatre playing across Ontario, visit Theatre Ontario’s ONstage theatre listings on our website

Wednesday 22 November 2017

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities for theatre artists from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Check out all of our upcoming Career Stream and Creator Stream workshops.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

  • Obsidian Theatre Company in Toronto is hosting Darktown – a new community event initiative for young-in-craft and professional Black theatre artists – on November 27.
  • Deadline to apply for Carousel Players’ Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is November 30.
  • Deadline for submissions for South Simcoe Theatre’s “Four Play: A Showcase of Play Readings” is November 30.
  • Deadline to apply for Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is December 1.
  • Deadline to apply for Buddies in Bad Times’ Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is December 1.
Check out these items, and other postings from our members.
Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website