Theatre Ontario's Blog: May 2018

Thursday, 31 May 2018

Welcome to Our New Board Members

New Board members Matthew Willson, Andre Newell, Tim
Dawdy, and Ron Dodson. Not pictured are Raeburn Ferguson
(who was busy at our Introduction to Adjudication course) and
Farzeen Foda (who was unable to attend the AGM in person)

We welcome our newly elected Board members for the 2018 to 2020 two-year terms on our Board of Directors.

Mary Jane Boon was elected to her third term; Annie MacKay and Brenda Worsnop (who were appointees to the Board during the past year) were elected to the balance of their first term (ending in 2019); and we welcome new Board members Tim Dawdy, Ron Dodson, Raeburn Ferguson, Farzeen Foda, Andre Newell, and Matthew Willson who were elected to their first terms.

Meet our newly elected Board members for 2018

They join Bodene Corbitt, Vera N. Held, Eyal Katz, Gil Katz, and Carri Johnson who were elected to two-year terms in 2017.

Meet our current Board of Directors

We also thanked Elley-Ray of Toronto, who had reached her term limit as a member of our Board of Directors; Linda Lloyd-McKenzie and Neil Wiancko who were finishing their two-year terms; and Leah Dietrich who was stepping down from the Board.

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations.

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

We invite youth across the province to apply for our Summer Theatre Intensive Youth Scholarship, sending one youth artist to train at one of our Summer Courses in Stratford free of charge. The application deadline is June 1.
Preparing an OAC application? Get the inside scoop at our free “Grant Writing Information Session” pre-recorded webinar with Pat Bradley of the Ontario Arts Council on June 5.
Learn about the background and impetus behind the Intimacy for the Stage initiative at our “What is Intimacy on Stage? An Introduction to Creating a Safe Space” webinar on June 12 (free for Theatre Ontario members.)
Thinking of producing a show or starting a theatre company? Join us at our “Ready, Set, Show! Foundations of Indie Producing” workshop with Rachel Kennedy and special guest TBA on June 13 in Toronto.
We invite newcomers across the province to apply for our Summer Theatre Intensive Parsai Immigration Scholarship, sending two newcomer artists to train at one of our Summer Courses in Stratford free of charge. The application deadline is June 15.
We invite youth across the province to apply for our Summer Theatre Intensive New Talent Scholarship, aimed at sending a youth artist to train at one of our Summer Courses in Stratford free of charge. The application deadline is June 15.
Take your training to new heights at our Summer Theatre Intensive courses for performers, directors, teachers, and creators, running August 5 to 10, and August 12 to 17 in Stratford. Register by June 22.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Scarborough Theatre Guild's production of The Cemetery Club
They are seeking artistic staff for the 2018/19 season

Deadline for submissions for Nightwood Theatre’s “Write from the Hip” program for emerging women playwrights is May 31.
Deadline for submissions for Canadian Stage's Territorial Tales for storytellers 14-21 has been extended to June 1.
Deadline for applications for artistic staff for the 2018/19 season at Scarborough Theatre Guild community theatre is June 7.

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, 29 May 2018

YAC: Thoughts from the Youth Advisory Committee

Summer Kick-Off Reading list

Summer is finally here (we hope), and with that, comes beaches, road trips, camping, and summer reading lists! We’re here to help. If you’re hoping to develop a new understanding for the industry, relate to theatre professionals, or simply to get inspired, here are a few books you might want to check out.

New Understanding

Audition by Michael Shurtleff

Audition outlines 12 guideposts; how to make a lasting impression, create a good character in a small amount of time, how to interpret a script quickly, to name a few. Essentially, this book has everything you need to know to successfully audition. Great for actors, directors, writers, technicians, and creative artists.

Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus by Marina Calderone

The Actor’s Thesaurus is a great book that breaks down “action-ing” (a technique for analyzing scripts). It gives examples on how to action out a script and then gives a thesaurus of verbs that leads the artist to be even more specific in the breaking down of a scene.

Empty Space by Peter Brook

This book takes different theatrical styles, and develops them into four modes, or points of view on theatre; Deadly, Holy, Rough, and Immediate. A great read for anyone interested in exploring issues facing any theatrical performance.

The Artists’ Compass: A Complete Guide to Building a Life and Living in the Performing Arts by Rachel Moore

Written by the president and CEO of The Music Centre in Los Angeles, Rachel Moore writes about how to make your life as a performer more successful, secure and sustainable. Insight on how to launch your career, and a focus on strong women in leadership.

Getting inspired

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

This book may help you get through some feelings of doubt and artist block on a regular basis. Basically, it is a 12-week course designed to bring out your inner creativity. It allows you to connect to your past, and open yourself up to possibility. Ideal for anyone who wants to feel more fulfilled creatively, whether or not you work in a traditionally ‘creative’ career.

Drama by Raina Telgameier

A fun summer read! This graphic novel is about a girl navigating her life while also set designing her very first show.

Awakening your Ikigai by Ken Mogi

This book illustrates the japanese concept of Ikigai, which basically means “a reason for being.” Ken Mogi explains the concept and talks about waking up every day with happiness and hope. Mogi focuses on five pillars; starting small, releasing yourself, harmony and sustainability, the joy of little things, and being in the here and now.

Other must-reads

Lady Parts by Andrea Martin

This book is a riot. If you like to laugh, like to read fun stories about the early days of SCTV, and if you’ve ever wondered if Andrea Martin is Canadian, this book is for you.

Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theatre by Eddie Shapiro

If you love musical theatre, you need to read this book. Eddie Shapiro interviews twenty of Broadway’s leading women. Laura Benanti, Chita Rivera, Audra McDonald, Patti LuPone, and Sutton Foster are just some of the performers interviewed. This book is funny, interesting, motivational, and inspiring. Check it out!

This is just a short list of some amazing books out there! We hope this will kick off some summer reading, and inspire you to find some great reads on your own! Have any more book ideas? Leave a comment below!

Until next time!

Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)

P.S. Here are a couple links to more reading resources!

https://bookriot.com/author/danielle-bourgon/

http://www.playbill.com/article/11-must-read-and-must-give-theatre-books-of-2017

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/theatre

Learn more about Theatre Ontario's Youth Advisory Committee

Monday, 28 May 2018

ONstage Openings for the week of May 28

This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
Across the Pond at Port Stanley Festival Theatre

In Southwestern Ontario

May 28, The Tempest at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

May 29, The Music Man at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

May 30, Long Day's Journey into Night at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

May 31, An Ideal Husband at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

May 31, O'Flaherty V.C. at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake) [in previews]

May 31, She Kills Monsters at Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre

May 31, The Birds and the Bees at Lighthouse Festival Theatre (Port Dover) [with previews from May 30]

Jun. 1, The Comedy of Errors at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

Jun. 1, The Pigeon King at Blyth Festival [with previews from May 30]

Jun. 2, The Rocky Horror Show at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

Jun. 2, To Kill a Mockingbird at Stratford Festival [currently in previews]

In Toronto

May 29, La Bete at Soulpepper Theatre [currently in previews]

Jun. 1, I Hate Hamlet at Scarborough Players

Jun. 2, 7th Cousins at Nightwood Theatre

In Central Ontario

May 29, Fiddler on the Roof at Cameco Capitol Arts Centre (Port Hope)

May 31, Four Play: A Showcase of Play Readings at South Simcoe Theatre (Cookstown)

May 31, Rabbit Hole at Owen Sound Little Theatre

Jun. 1, An Evening of One Acts at Northumberland Players (Cobourg)

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
The House of Blue Leaves at Guelph Little Theatre

In Eastern Ontario

May 31, Annie Get Your Gun at Belleville Theatre Guild [with a preview on May 29]

Jun. 1, Mamma Mia! at Orpheus Musical Theatre Society (Ottawa)

In Northeastern Ontario

May 30, The Intruder at Gateway Theatre Guild (North Bay)

ICYMI: Check out last week’s openings

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

Friday, 25 May 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Kevin Loring, Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre, gave the keynote address at the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre’s 2018 conference, asking the question “Whose reality are we reflecting in our theatres? (video)”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Season announcements for 2018/19 from Theatre Orangeville (video), Theatre Sarnia, and Nightwood Theatre in Toronto.
Ontario's Fringe Festival season opens on May 29 with the London Fringe Festival.
The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts announced division expansion and additional recognition in the design awards.
The Toronto Theatre Critics Awards for 2018 were announced.

TO Toasts

En Lai Mah and Elizabeth Wong accepting for Jiv Parasram

... to Ruth Howard of Jumblies Theatre, who won the Toronto Arts Foundation Celebration of Cultural Life Award.
... to Jivesh Parasram, a current Professional Theatre Training Program mentor, who won the Emerging Artist Award and published his acceptance speech on his theatre's site.

In Case You Missed It

Theatre Ontario Festival wrapped up last weekend, and you can read the highlights from the Festival adjudications, the Festival Award winners, the Michael Spence Award presentation to Sue Perkins of London (video), and stories about the four participants and their journey to Festival: Elmira Theatre Company, Toronto Irish Players, Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble, and Ottawa Little Theatre.
ONstage Openings this week in Richmond Hill, Port Stanley, Cambridge, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Woodstock, Guelph, Hillsburgh, Toronto, Barrie, Perth, and Gananoque.
Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, scholarships, and more.

You can also receive news from Theatre Ontario every month by email. Our archives are online and the May issue is now available.

Thursday, 24 May 2018

Celebrating Community Theatre Learning Opportunities at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Theatre Ontario Festival features a variety of educational events for the passionate, dedicated community theatre artists. This past year’s highlights included:

Plus, catch-up on all of the social conversation from Theatre Ontario Festival 2018 on Twitter Moments

Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Highlights of the Detailed Adjudication of “Dead Accounts” at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Ottawa Little Theatre's production of Dead Accounts

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Highlights of the detailed adjudication by Maja Ardal of Ottawa Little Theatre’s production of Dead Accounts by Theresa Rebeck (representing EODL, the Eastern Ontario Drama League.)

As always, this is my best effort to record the conversation at the Detailed Adjudication, with apology for any misrepresentations of the ideas of the members of the company and the adjudicator. Corrections and clarifications are always welcome in the comments.

This text moves from high energized comedy to deadly serious text: that collision makes for good theatre
Set features an intense naturalism: a rich, detailed set; impression of a convex mirror with everything stretched; actors skin colour blended with the wall colour; company acknowledged lighting needed tweaking, walls should have been brighter
Fit precisely: stage dimensions were similar to Ottawa Little Theatre; they have a wrap-around cyc at home which they used to fully surround the set
Music needs to have a presence: it must match both the high energy of the play and the crispness of the performances
Because they needed blackouts, they must be earned because we are seeing nothing: How do you “reward” the audience in a blackout? Suggestion was louder music that matched the play’s energy (sound tended to be cloudy and unclear)
Opening scene: Jack is frantic; raises the concern: is this the level we will see all show? Instead, used to establish urgency for character
Jack demonstrated incredibly physical expression; director’s job was to edit the actor who gave more and more; this is expected: actor will work on impulse and director must edit that
What is driving the frantic-ness: Is it a guilty conscience? The adrenaline from doing a terrible thing? Drugs? The most interesting choice is the one driven by circumstance
On the surface text can seem shallow, but the production found depths in it
Lorna carries the theme of the play (e.g. planted a stick and had to wait for it… a metaphor for her relationship with Phil); also embodies the middle-class, the mid-west, tough economic times (living at home)
Applauded the company for not getting sentimental
Barbara represents the generation before (e.g. keeping religion central, etc.)
The company earned the quieter scenes by playing comedy
Finale describes “splitting the kitchen apart”; could not figure out how to drive the execution of that; chose the lighting gobo effect to suggest the trees
What makes Jack come home? Text is unclear (in a positive way) giving opportunity to play—he’s a casualty and a winner; some remarkable writing for this character
Did the play need a natural set? Designer felt you needed to recognize a 1950s home and a safe place for Jack; set also gave the feel of a space for a live-studio-audience sitcom (reflecting some of the tone of the play); details that show Lorna’s influence (e.g. the Keurig machine); working appliances to help the audience experience the kitchen feel (smell the coffee, the toast, etc.)
The sequence when the father is going to the hospital: showed passage of time through a series of blackouts and images of Jenny in the house—challenging to do
Transitions between scenes took a long time; new stage manager for this performance and her first time calling the show
Barbara talking over Lorna on the telephone—well-executed; most of the content itself is not critical (necessary information which was well-communicated), and Barbara dealing with various props helped us connect with what was going on
Phil’s performance demonstrated someone trying to use all his senses to gather information
Use of real food helped with the sensual experience (working freezer, real ice cream, etc.)
Also very Cincinatti-specific—recognizable and authentic (cast member had Ohio in-laws that helped supply props).
Text also has a love of the mid-west that tends to be lookerd down up on from the urban, financial world
Jenny is a challenging character: described so terribly, how do you find the qualities that Jack could love

Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Highlights of the Detailed Adjudication of “Tempting Providence” at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

ELATE's production of Tempting Providence

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Highlights of the detailed adjudication by Maja Ardal of Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble’s production of Tempting Providence by Robert Chafe (representing QUONTA, the northeastern Ontario community theatre association.)

As always, this is my best effort to record the conversation at the Detailed Adjudication, with apology for any misrepresentations of the ideas of the members of the company and the adjudicator. Corrections and clarifications are always welcome in the comments.

Strong opening: no pre-show music, lighting at half for the play`s beginning, the nurse came in as if from abroad
Quickly established the convention that the style will be the transformation of objects into set pieces
Minimalism can make you creative (e.g. particularly liked two chairs with a blanket spread overtop to make the shape of a cradle)
Actors then embody the script
Off the top, the actors seemed unsettled and nervous—breathing exercises are encouraged to help manage that
Costumes were neutral; inspired by images they had seen of other productions: always take the best of what we can find
Goal of actors is to live inside the story, and bring it alive fully
Who is the audience and why are you compelled to tell the story?
For Myra, it was internal – that “other self” you can tell your worst things to
For Angus, an amazing story that his pals need to hear; he clearly had the most fun, adding a twinkle his eye to demonstrate his enjoyment
For Man and Woman, it was the gossipy community
In a moment, actors need to see it, feel it, smell it—experience it; the performers’ nervousness meant that they were “selling it” before “experiencing it”
For example, one quality of Newfoundland is that vigorous, robust smell
Myra states she has no time for emotion; her journey is admitting to her emotion, so she can’t start with emotion
Also, emotion is a by-product of your objective—be careful of trying to show the emotion or letting the emotion be the driver; if you “over deliver” the emotion, it doesn’t give the audience space to appreciate the story
This is a community of denial, and Woman is our first example of that as someone from the community; we saw too much of her breakdown rather than the denial of her breakdown, never let go of your objective and focus on one thing at a time
Woman as Mrs. House: She is testing Myra, putting her through an examination as well, finds out that she’s tough enough (she passes!)
In every scene, always identify who am I here with this person in this moment
Text is lyrical, and Myra brings the lyricism
Angus’ delivery tended to finish a sentence and come to a stop; became a pattern of delivery that the performer needs to be aware of
Be rigorous with your pace: first act was supposed to run 70 minutes, but it actually ran closer to 90 minutes; for example when Man as Alex comes with the news about the baby coming, Myra needs to be rushing (rather than going back to her baking); moving into a tableau could show us the rushing
Pace DOESN’T mean rushing: keep the objective alive, breathe
For actress playing Myra, this was her first major role; she brought presence and charisma, encouraged to keep focusing on what will bring a character alive
Yawning is always another good warm-up technique to wake up the body
When playing a character, voice and face are the last elements: Begin with the spine and pelvic base and think about questions of the body (How long have I worked? Where is my head? Etc)
Actors were seniors, but young people can struggle with physicality just as much
“Our bodies tell the truth when our language doesn’t”
Opening of play: trying to solve challenge of how to bring on the live musician, he came onto the stage as a mummer (part of Newfoundland culture)
Musician responded to actor’s feelings, music was gentle; other option for a live musician is to escalate the tension—music can move forward rather than reflect back
The end of Act One was “divine” (pulling the tooth, selling the marriage proposal)
When miming, consider doing a workshop: sometimes the objects seemed to disappear rather than always be there throughout
Company brought desire and commitment, and will continue to develop craft over time

Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Highlights of the Detailed Adjudication of “Little Gem” at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Toronto Irish Players' production of Little Gem

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Highlights of the detailed adjudication by Maja Ardal of Toronto Irish Players’ production of Little Gem by Elaine Murphy (representing ACT-CO, the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario.)

As always, this is my best effort to record the conversation at the Detailed Adjudication, with apology for any misrepresentations of the ideas of the members of the company and the adjudicator. Corrections and clarifications are always welcome in the comments.

Elaine Murphy’s script is the authentic voices of working class women, love her ear and how she powered the voices into her work
In Ireland, monologue is an art form—in the pub, over coffee
This production was taken from an intimate environment (the Alumnae Theatre in Toronto) to a spacious environment (the Palace Theatre in London)
Entirely direct address, which means you need to answer the question: Who are they talking to?
Lovely set, felt airy, includes sketches of the unseen men from the play
Three defined areas for each women
Pre-show music was gently playing: Irish fusion soundscape; sound designer took play’s tag line of “birth, death and salsa” and sought out Celtic salsa
The music playing quietly invited us in: created the expectation of an experience of intimacy
Cyc created opportunities for colour
Actors need to not feel rushed: establish the atmosphere in the opening moments
The play functions as 3 one-person shows: fundamentals in a one-person show are the clear journey, take time to digest… how much did they break down the text?
Also provides opportunities to create other characters
All three start in a place of desperation (e.g. Kay has “an itch”)
Challenging to act someone else’s stream of consciousness, with its digressions and the dilemmas that pop up in the text
Amber’s opening monologue is challenging: mentions 15 characters; don’t always depend on just the text to find the characters, body language can help us find them too
Lorraine’s journey is compelling, and the more of a freaked out mess she is at the beginning, the more we will enjoy it—opportunities are to let us hear the voices of the other characters (e.g. the customer, the HR person, etc.)
The clarity of the text helped us immerse ourselves in the Irish culture, slang, etc.
Irish are brilliant at “trouble” and making it funny
Difficulty in one-person play is the characters have things done to themselves, they are not affecting each other in the moment
Physical moments like the salsa dancing helped us to see what another character was like
Plays has been seen both with and without an intermission; text doesn’t define it either way
How do we feel closer to this work: follow the play by seeing every detail, the brightness of the lighting presented challenges (e.g. didn’t see the pregnancy test scene on the toilet), the dramatics and the colour can create a perfect mood
The D.S. area had blue tips side-lighting, but 50% of the dimensional lighting did not work; it was a technical problem that the designer could not overcome while trying to adapt from the original space to this theatre; the set was set back because the U.S. top lights worked successfully
Always take the risk of stopping the play and living the moment; Murphy goes off on tangents, so always explore every full stop, every period
The stories are also filled with subtle details (e.g. how Kay stole Gem)
Amber’s story has so many voices, hardest to connect (she also has the fewest people in the audience her age), the writing of her character is frantic
Who are they talking to in their direct address? The fourth wall changes throughout the play: sometimes stream of consciousness, talking to themselves, replaying a moment in the present tense; director focus on the flow so it wouldn’t look like stand-up, with movement to keep the play flowing
Identify if the person being address is a friend or enemy; someone intimate or someone like a social worker you are explaining things to; that person may change—even in mid-monologue
This venue had superior cyc lighting than previous venue; gave them the opportunity to make the visuals of the dance club far more significant, and to try and coordinate with the beats in the music
Fundamentally, we felt these three women

Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Highlights of the Detailed Adjudication of “On a First Name Basis” at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Elmira Theatre Company's production of On a First Name Basis

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Highlights of the detailed adjudication by Maja Ardal of Elmira Theatre Company’s production of On a First Name Basis by Norm Foster (representing WODL, the Western Ontario Drama League.)

As always, this is my best effort to record the conversation at the Detailed Adjudication, with apology for any misrepresentations of the ideas of the members of the company and the adjudicator. Corrections and clarifications are always welcome in the comments.

Norm Foster pours ideas, warmth, humour, heart onto the page; writes ordinary people in a way that is relatable
There is so much to mine in a text like this which is literally about two people discovering each other
Interesting décor choices to reflect his sophistication, his travel; particularly taken with the windows suggesting a world beyond this room
Swing doors can be extremely fun on a set
Atmosphere: Used classical pre-show music to set the mood; intention was to set the tone of David and the illusion of the world he has created for himself; classical music brings particular contexts with them—other choices could have been heavier and busier music, or evening bird song, or nothing at all
The two actors demonstrated a familiarity with each other (as actors)
The first act is harder than the second act: the mystery that neither character knows what is going to come from the other person—how does what they say affect me?: always break down the text beat to beat
Lucy seemed to be the character who invited the audience in as the person through whom we access the play; this was not necessarily intentional by the director, David is egotistical and that works for him
David is a character who speaks and then thinks about what he had said; with characters like this, find ways to push past the point of propriety: there are wounds, injuries, bruises between these characters; as well as what will hover in their relationship after the play is over
The tone of irony that Lucy demonstrates: Is this always how she deals with him, or is it a new tactic she’s using for the first time? If it’s not a new tactic, is David discovering (noticing) this for the first time?
When interpreting any text, look for “the ticking clock” that keeps the audience excited, on the edge of their seats
Alcohol, and its influence on characters, is a plot element that audiences will respond to: what does the text say about how they drink (e.g. Lucy can hold her alcohol); how do you show the journey of the alcohol’s increasing influence; what are the moments where tongues have been loosened because of the alcohol
Examine the impact of characters on each other: How do Lucy and David change each other throughout the play?
Physical moves—were they always moving on impulse? Sometimes the intention behind the movement didn’t always read, and how that physical space had changed because of the movement
Some lovely moments of staging—such as Lucy ending up in David’s chair for a climactic revelation
Production’s evolution since previous performance: a feeling that they found the truths more
David’s dance: pure communication of character through body language; when music came on, hips started moving right away
Actors finding the balance between “taking the moment” and feeling like they are long pauses, silences: the audience will fill those moments based on how we read what is going on between them
Challenge of play: two people having a conversations; finding “what makes it dangerous” in the conversation will be what keep the audience hooked in
Finding lovability in David: an unsympathetic character can be compelling; overtly lacks kindness on the surface; he is the walking wounded and has not dealt with his emotional truth
There are explosions of anger in Act 2—these are opportunities in a text to take the characters to the brink
When breaking down the beats: Why did you say that—think about if it’s coming from the belly? The head?

Maja also remarked on the audience’s festive atmosphere in the theatre—the audience didn’t want to be anywhere else but in there.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival 2018