Congratulations to Domino Theatre

Congratulations to Domino Theatre from Kingston, whose production of Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass was awarded the Elsie for Outstanding Festival Production at Theatre Ontario Festival 2011 in Richmond Hill.

The full list of awards and nominations is available on the Theatre Ontario website.  You can also read the Festival Awards Brunch live-blog transcript.

Adjudication of Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Highlights and my reflections from this morning’s detailed adjudication by Jane Carnwath of Theatre Windsor’s presentation of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

• This was a gripping, well-realized production
• Director Jeff Bastien's orchestration of the pacing, and the variety of the pacing, was quite beautiful; this had a jazz beat to it (inspired by some of his research into Edward Albee and his writing habits)
• Audience cannot become comfortable watching this show, and they didn’t
• Act titles set tone: Act 1 “Fun and Games” needed to be funny, needed to establish the ground rules; Act 2 “Walpurgisnacht” as the ante goes up and up; Act 3 “The Exorcism” requires ritual
• Theatre is action: how one action triggers another action, be careful about abstractions that cannot be played; get beyond the analysis to the action—what does the character want?
• Lots of marvellous detail
• Lighting was a bit dim, particularly in the area around the bar; adapted from a much shallower stage, part of the problem was caused by the front-of-house safety lights, but some of it was directorial choice; unfortunately moments at the bar were lost because the actors couldn’t be seen
• Niki Richardson, who played Martha, wore a wig; she did feel that it gave her a tangible, physical way to access the character; but the difficulty was that it made her look younger (as opposed to a character who wanted to look younger) and the bangs sometimes hid her face
• Costume choices were excellent, but Martha’s dress read a bit “prom” rather than seductress, bra straps were visible
• Spine of the play: Who is afraid to live without illusion? George’s actions are necessary to achieve that goal; driven by the intense love between these characters; the baggage turns it toxic
• Moment-to-moment work was very clear and very well-shaped
• Rhythm of the play is naturalistic
• Martha had a wonderful physical aggressiveness
• Chris Lanspeary, as George, kept finding fresh ways to approach familiar speeches; sometimes he would get upstaged, caused in part by the placement of the furniture
• Sean Ireland, who played Nick, had to step into the role for this run; credited especially for his work during the “mounting her” sequence with George where he physically invades George’s space, a wonderful moment exerting power
• Nick’s drunkenness was subtly, carefully plotted over the run of the show; evolved beautifully
• Level problems for a significant sound cue, as it was hard to hear the music that George chose for the dancing
• The challenge for any actor playing George is finding the vulnerability and pain; those are the qualities that “level the playing field” so it is conceivable that Martha could win
• As a tactic, yelling is powerful because it allows for an emotional release, but balance it with quieter moments
• Find the obstacle, find something to struggle against; if there is no struggle, if a character doesn’t care about what is happening in a given circumstance, then why should an audience care?
• Daniela Piccinin played Honey; her vocal choice was initially jarring but became extremely effective over the course of the play (as one of my friend’s remarked to me: Can you imagine being married to that voice?); wonderful characterization
• Terrific execution of the stage combat
• Discussed the choice of how to approach the requiem: is it more powerful to read it or to say it?
• Beautifully sustained physicality in the final moment

Festival Awards

Since it was such a hit last year, we're trying another Festival Awards live-blog from the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts for those of you who cannot attend.  We'll be going live at noon on Sunday May 22, although the awards won't begin until after the brunch, probably around 1pm.  But keep your browser up so you can be part of the excitement!

Visit the Festival 2011 Awards live-blog on the Theatre Ontario website.

Adjudication of Trying

Highlights and my reflections from this morning’s detailed adjudication by Jane Carnwath of Domino Theatre’s presentation of Trying.

• Play was chosen by the theatre, director Penny Nash applied to direct it because the loved the script
• A two-hander, and you had to know you could find two people who could inhabit the roles
• Characters bring an enormous amount of social and emotional baggage
• One challenge of the text is that from the point of view of a story arc, not much “happens”
• Moved from the Baby Grand Theatre in Kingston—one member of the company said that the entire building could probably fit on the stage of the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
• But the width was comparable, their home stage was much shallower
• Set design by Grant Buckler used symmetrical beams to define the walls of the space; “nitpicky comment” was that the beams could have used a darker shade in order to reflect the age of the office, would also help tone down any focus that they might draw
• The width meant that the furniture was far apart; sometimes the sparks between the characters “had to fly a little too far”
• William Morrow played Judge Francis Biddle, hearing his rich, deep voice at the adjudication made me appreciate the impressive vocal and accent work as he found the character’s mid-Atlantic pitch
• Sound designer Michael Gourgon decided that since the text clearly placed the period of the show (1967-1968), he could focus on theme and tone rather than trying to evoke the era; reflected the two-person structure by choosing duets of cellos and violins, some baroque some modern, matching the tone and the prominence of the respective instruments to the tone of the scene; the choices were sensitive and not intrusive
• Lighting design was by David L. Smith, a professional member of the Theatre Ontario Talent Bank: the space was well-lit, the one opportunity that was identified was more sense of the light sources
• William Morrow described how he physically inhabited the role of an 83-year-old man (since he is much younger); observations particularly of a neighbour who has rheumatoid arthritis, he would practice the walk for long stretches in order to “build muscle memory” when he stepped onto the stage
• With a cast of two (the other being Naomi Ballance as Sarah “with an H”), Jane’s “let’s try something” adjudication approach meant that they were kept up on their feet a lot; one area that Jane explored with them was eye-line connections, and one could change the status of the characters by changing where the eyes were looking—often the person who is not looking at the other would gain status in the moment (and kudos to the properties person who produced the letter opener from her handbag needed for the exercise!)
• Logistics of exits in-between scenes—sometimes, when an exit is described with particular significance (in this text, it’s a door to a bathroom where she is directed to go if she wants to cry), using that exit even during a scene change can have unintentional impact
• A wonderful illustration of a scene earning its laugh: “Lace your skates and get on the ice”
• Playwrights often come from a very different place from actors and directors when they write the text
• Actor struggled with how much Biddle reveals to Sarah throughout the play, challenge of how much he can share, too much is inappropriate for this kind of man; agreed that this is a valid struggle for any actor playing this role, recognized that humour can be used as a technique to temper those revelations, it doesn’t make him seem weak, it keeps him in control of the revelation, while also building trust between the characters
• The sound effect of the stairs off-stage was a wonderful illustration of a production making a discovery beyond a simple description in the text; the sounds of the characters on the stairs punctuated the physical changes to the characters; the fact that pregnant Sarah on the stairs in the final scene sounds very similar to the physically frail Biddle on the stairs in early scenes reminds us that both the ending/taking of life and the beginning/giving of life takes an enormous physical toll on us
• The production did an excellent job exploring how breaking physical boundaries can show a growing connection between characters
• Biddle can be a difficult man to like; it was to the actors’ credit that his performance showed no judgement or commentary on him (a theme previously explored in the Thursday afternoon workshop when we discussed Hedda Gabler and the fact that no actor playing Hedda should ever think that she’s a monster; you must not judge the characters)
• They did a wonderful job in shaping the unseen character of Catherine, Biddle’s wife; the actors and director made sure that she was a well-defined, vibrant, consistent person
• Lovely costumes (designed by Claudia Wade): Sarah’s colour reflected her youth and her sense of hope; Biddle is defined by his struggle to maintain his dignity (how he looks clearly matters), he still tries to dress formally, but there is an inevitable shabbiness
• Scene changes are logistical challenges, actors are changing costumes and time is passing so a stage crew is necessary; there was enough light and choreography to keep it interesting nonetheless

Tonight Theatre Windsor presents Edward Albee’s classic Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, the final presentation of this week’s Theatre Ontario Festival 2011. Tomorrow, we will be presenting the Festival Awards at the Performing Arts Centre immediately after the adjudication, and I will be live-blogging. My blog of the final adjudication will be published when I am suitably recovered.

Adjudication of Balconville

Highlights and my musings from this morning’s detailed adjudication by Jane Carnwath of Espanola Little Theatre’s presentation of Balconville.

• This was a very brave and innovative production
• Director Walter Maskel chose the play; he had read it a long time ago, and liked it as an exploration of social, economic, political issues that still had good comedy
• Espanola had been auditioning a different play, but based on the strong francophone talent that came out, Walter thought this was an opportunity to do Balconville; four of the nine cast members spoke French as their first language
• With the significant Franco-Ontarian population in northeastern Ontario, there was a natural fit for audiences
• Production achieved a detailed exploration of character, finding the nuances and connectedness in them
• Central question was the dark comedy: could the production find more of the darkness in the text?
• Feedback at their previous adjudication was that it had been too dark
• Personally, this is something I have always struggled with during this process: in an educational Festival with multiple “tiers”, how does one make best use of the feedback that you receive from adjudicators, how much opportunity is there for further exploration, how does one integrate an educational process into one where there is also an obligation to perform
• Discussion around what the play is about and the central conflict in it: these are characters who are fighting against The System; when people feel powerless, they try to find someone over whom they can exert some power
• As an actor, always make the high stakes choice: rather than “be uncomfortable” try “be afraid, be angry”
• The higher stakes choice gives the actor a more interesting place to come from; look for ways to raise the stakes through more difficult objectives: “I want to avoid…” is an easier goal than something like “I want to demolish…”
• Discussion around the suggestion of incest in the text; Walter had consulted with the playwright David Fennario who said that it hadn’t been his intention to suggest it, even though it has appeared in many subsequent interpretations of the play
• Festival logistics are always a challenge for the participating productions: Fennario uses the song “Hot Child In The City” throughout the play (and the characters need to compete to be heard over it), it didn’t have that volume during the performance; the companies move into the space and have to set sound levels in an empty theatre, it’s always difficult to achieve the desired effect without a preview
• The lighting poses similar challenges; in Espanola they have about 8-9 feet of ceiling and twelve lighting instruments—Walter (who also designed the lights) had an opportunity to use cyc lighting, and would have loved a couple of days to play; the priority has to be “Can I see them? Can I hear them?”
• Explorations lead to some wonderful discoveries of unscripted moments; reinforced yesterday’s workshop theme of the benefits of “a playground”
• Jane likes to get actors on their feet to do exercises during her adjudications to illustrate points: how can one reinforce the through-line with simpler or stronger choices?
• Tremendous praise for the two first-timers in the cast: Raymond Landry as Paquette and Jessica Lajoie as Diane
• Wonderful use of silence between characters; silence can be a risky choice, but is also a powerful one
• Set design by Richard Gamelin and Walter was excellent; called for multiple levels but had to adapt the setting to a single storey due to the space in Espanola—gave them an opportunity to surround the home of the French family with the homes of the English families, reflecting the theme of Quebec within North America
• Discussion about the set dressing; used laundry lines to help define the characters and fill the stage, but they also were used functionally by characters—therefore does the laundry need to change to reflect the passage of time over the course of play?
• The company did their own costumes; particular highlight was the costuming choice for Cecile going to church which clearly established what that experience meant for her
• The cast worked extremely well as a team; during the climactic fire, the staging was clearly challenging to choreograph and rehearse, yet executed wonderfully
• Likewise, the transitions between scenes were well-choreographed, and never felt like a break
• Final moment of “the world in flames, what are we going to do?” is a very Brecht-ian moment; so that the effect would not be jarring to the audience, they made a good choice to establish the convention earlier in the show (during Bolduc’s political announcements)
• Closed with a fun curtain call

This afternoon features Playwright-in-Person Emil Sher at The Curtain Club, and tonight Domino Theatre from Kingston takes the stage at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts with Joanna McClelland Glass’ play Trying, as Theatre Ontario Festival 2011 continues.

Directing: You And Your Actors

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Is the Director a Teacher? Dictator? Confidant? Therapist? Facilitator? Cheerleader? Social Convenor? Guru? The answer to these questions was the topic of Jane Carnwath’s Adjudicator’s Workshop “You And Your Actors” on Thursday afternoon at Theatre Ontario Festival 2011.

Jane used this workshop as a launching point for an open discussion on the role of a director beyond the functions of the role—how can a director work best with actors to achieve the best possible production?

The consensus seemed to be that the director needs to create an environment where the actor has freedom to explore, but within boundaries that the director establishes and manages. The director’s challenges is to try and understand why an actor behaves a certain way under certain circumstances, so that they can help maintain that environment of trust.

The metaphor that Jane frequently used was a playground, an open but safe place where actors can explore limits, knowing that they wouldn’t be subject to ridicule through embarrassment or hurt. It requires an emotional intelligence on the part of the director to be able to gauge that. The actor needs to know that the director is an ally. That doesn’t mean changing the status of the relationship, but the actor needs to be able to know that anything goes, that whatever risks s/he takes.

Using a brief scene from Judith Thompson’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler as a launching point, the workshop participants simulated a first read-through and what the director would want to do in those circumstances. This lead to a discussion of how the director can ask questions that drive action in an actor (as opposed to questions that drive thought in an actor)—What do you want? What’s stopping you? It doesn’t matter if the actor is necessarily making the right choices (yet), what matters is encouraging the actor to make strong choices. Directors shouldn’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”—it’s one of three answers you have (“Yes” and “no” are the others) and is better than a dithering director who shifts between them.

The workshop then got into problem-solving around specific situations. Jane circulated a lengthy list of situations that a director may encounter during rehearsal. (I’ll publish it after the Festival.) She freely admitted that she didn’t have the precise solution for many of them, but they opened up discussion for all of the participants to explore, and to consider their own responses in those circumstances.

My take on the answer to the opening question? Maybe all of them, at various times, depending on the needs of the actor. Building an environment of trust requires flexibility by the director—the person who shoulders the blame in all circumstances.

Adjudication of Suds: Lessons Learned On Imagination, Bubble Machines, and Underwear

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

My musings from this morning’s detailed adjudication of Whitby Courthouse Theatre’s presentation of Suds

• Having the adjudicator and company on the stage of The Curtain Club, with the Festival attendees sitting in the auditorium, makes it much easier to hear the dialogue throughout the adjudication
• A shame that director Mike Trites wasn’t able to attend due to work commitments; theatre depends on choices and those decisions form the core for Jane Carnwath’s dialogue with the company; it would have been interesting to hear him talk, as Jane observed he clearly has “kept his childlike imagination” in crafting this production
• Commendations to the team of Director, Choreographer Tara Forbes, and Musical Directors Eric Brydges & Janice Brydges for how the music, dancing and staging brought the text to life
• When this production moved from the Whitby Courthouse Theatre to the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, the stage size doubled; “there were some modifications that had to be made,” admitted Ian Handscomb, Set Designer
• Highlight of the set was definitely the wall dryers which spun in beat with the dancing, and also functioned as a magical source of props—and even an entrance
• They chose to take advantage of the Centre’s fly gallery which they didn’t have in their own space
• Heather Gibb, who played Cindy, was dancing despite wearing a back-brace
• The lighting design by Kevin Arbour helped convey some of the magic of the story (the story features two guardian angels); when lighting a comedy, always consider how brightness can serve the comedy by “opening up” the performers and the connection with the audience
• The choreography choices favoured a lot of front and centre presentation to the audience; one topic for exploration during rehearsal is trying more singing to each other, especially when the lyrics of the songs are about making connections between characters
• Lovely palette choice for the costumes designed by Valerie Skinner; topic for discussion is the choice of how to costume the character of Mrs. Halo—they chose a “spangly” route but what are the opportunities in making her more frumpy?
• First discussion of underwear: “I was impressed by the mileage you got out of a pair of boxer shorts” – Jane Carnwath; never underestimate the power of a good prop
• The musical directors created some sophisticated harmonies; the cast members had to be versatile and jump between soprano, alto and bass lines
• “You don’t necessarily have to have a wonderful voice, you have to commit to selling the song, and this was a wonderful sales job”
• “Legitimate theatre”: a new term for me that some use to refer to non-musical theatre?
• Something I found myself wondering about the show’s characters that I should have asked during the Q&A: Ultimately, what makes the difference between an archetype and a stereotype? Where is the boundary in distinguishing between the use of these terms for characters? It’s always a distinction of quality; does it simply reflect greater reflection by the writers, actors, etc.?
• Perhaps the greatest potential in this text (and what this production found) was how it evokes a period when popular music was coming into its own as a cultural force
• The script refers to multiple “Finales”; one can divine the authors’ intention is to build and build and build to an over-the-top conclusion—and thus, bubble machines!
• But that also reflects that this is a text that wants to “jolly up” the audience constantly; a comparison was made to a hugely-popular big budget musical that is not “a happy show” but seems to want to have that happy finale
• Interesting Q&A discussion about how many people knew the songs in the show (audible shock when one cast member admitted she didn’t previously know “Where The Boys Are”); I think it speaks very much to different generations and what we all grew up with (about 75% of the songs were familiar to me based on what my parents listened to while I was growing up)
• More discussion about underwear: apparently the company had an extremely difficult time finding affordable period bras for the women, especially when there is a line in the script about bullet bras; apparently the costume designer experimented wearing cones made out of cardboard for a day, and assured the cast that they were “lovely”
• I was interested in exploring how one finds the subtext in a song; I’ve heard of people doing songs as monologues as a rehearsal technique; cast member Donna Lajeunesse, who is an experienced musical theatre performer, described it as a natural process for her, building on what Jane calls the “hinges” from text to song; Jane also observed that the music itself is also an expression of text that needs to be explored
• That relationship between director, musical director, choreographer and how they collaborate on interpretation is something that fascinates me; I need to try it

Also, an example of the networking value of Festival: the company from Kingston, who are building a new facility, were particularly interested to see how The Curtain Club provides flexible accessible seating to the patrons and their removable seats.

The Theatre Ontario Festival continues this afternoon with Jane’s Adjudicator’s Workshop at The Curtain Club, and tonight Espanola Little Theatre takes the stage at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts with the bilingual comedy Balconville by David Fennario.  ELT represents QUONTA, the northeastern Ontario region extending from North Bay to Timiskaming to Timmins to Sault Ste. Marie.

Thoughts After The Party - Festival Day 1

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

• Congratulations to Whitby Courthouse Theatre on a successful kick-off to Festival; as described by adjudicator Jane Carnwath, Suds is "a laundry line on which to hang the songs" but the company brought a commitment to the characters, the songs, and the stakes that made it a delightful way to start a week of celebrations
• My personal highlights: Donna Lajeunesse singing "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me"; the comic choreography for "The Locomotion"; Jason Butler-Burns' shape-shifting versatility to perform the role of Everyone Else; well-deployed bubble machines
• I'm a fan of Jane's expectations as Festival Adjudicator: clarity, high stakes, commitment to connections between characters - looking forwarding to hearing more at the detailed adjudications
• She also highlighted something I hadn't noticed myself: all four shows this week are period pieces, plays reflecting on the past
• The Curtain Club is my home theatre so I'm admittedly biased, but the volunteers are an enthusiastic group; their theatre is a jewel; their chefs are wonderful
• The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts makes 600 seats feel very intimate
• Grassroots was an idea conceived at a Christmas party, and is a wonderful initiative by Playwrights Canada Press - scripts that premiered in places away from major centres like Elmira and Kincardine and Haliburton are reaching new audiences that they might have never otherwise seen; it was also great to have all of the authors on hand for the launch
• Very proud of the turnout from the Town of Richmond Hill's Council at the Opening Ceremonies: Mayor Dave Barrow, Regional Councillors Vito Spatafora and Brenda Hogg, Town Councillors Greg Beros, Nick Papa, and Carmine Perrelli whose ward is the home of The Curtain Club and has been an enthusiastic booster of The Club in his brief time in office; with cultural planning a priority on the Town's agenda, they got to meet with theatre-goers from across the province and see how their commitment to culture is vital and can have such a significant impact
• Julianne Snepsts, President of the Theatre Ontario Board, needs to keep bringing her five-month old son Duke to our events and meetings because he is adorable

Opening Day at the Theatre Ontario Festival

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Although the official Opening Ceremony isn’t until this evening, the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival kicked-off “unofficially” at 8am this morning, with the arrival of Whitby Courthouse Theatre at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.

Working with the theatre staff and Festival Stage Managers Steve Hetherington and Rob Mather, WCT has have ten hours to load-in, set-up, and be ready to perform. They are presenting the musical Suds by Steve Gundersen, Bryan Scott & Melissa Gilb. Their production of this “rocking 60s musical soap opera”, won the Best Production award in the Musical category at the 2010-2011 ACT-CO Festival.

As is tradition, the opening production is from the Festival host region. Whitby Courthouse Theatre represents ACT-CO, the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario. ACT-CO represents over 40 community theatres in an area across the Greater Toronto Area from Halton to Durham, and north to Muskoka, Simcoe and Dufferin. This is WCT’s second consecutive year as the ACT-CO representative; last year they travelled to London with their production of Norm Foster’s The Long Weekend.

Festival-goers are arriving in Richmond Hill from across the province--a map marking the hometowns of all the visitors will be on display throughout the week. Old friends gather and new acquaintances are made. The Theatre Ontario Festival is one of the best networking events for community theatres to share experiences and discuss new ideas.

The Opening Ceremony is tonight at 6pm at The Curtain Club. The Curtain Club has been presenting community theatre in Richmond Hill for over 55 years, with nearly forty of those years in their recently-renovated space at Newkirk and Elgin Mills Road. The Club will be the hub for this week’s adjudications, workshops, and receptions.

As part of the Opening Ceremony, we will be launching Grassroots, an anthology of original full-length scripts that premiered at Ontario community theatres, edited by Theatre Ontario and published by Playwrights Canada Press. The five playwrights featured in the anthology—Kristin Shepherd, Michael Grant, J. Michael Fay, Joan Burrows, and Sandy Conrad—will all be on-hand for the festivities.

And with the formal opening, the celebrants will travel to the Centre for Performing Arts for tonight’s performance, launching an exciting week of theatre.

Join Us at Theatre Ontario Festival 2011

On May 18 to 22, the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival travels to Richmond Hill.  Are we going to see you there?

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals across the province.  The Festival brings together theatre lovers from all over Ontario, and is an excellent learning experience, with adjudications, workshops, networking, and play readings by Canadian writers.  It's also a celebration of community theatre: awards recognizing outstanding achievements, and lots of parties!

The networking starts with the Festival organization itself.  The Festival is a partnership between Theatre Ontario, the local regional association (ACT-CO, the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario), and the host group.  This year’s host company is The Curtain Club, a community theatre with over 55 years of history presenting outstanding theatre in the Town of Richmond Hill.

This year’s line-up of productions features the musical comedy Suds by Steve Gundersen, Bryan Scott & Melinda Gilb, the classic Canadian comedy Balconville by David Fennario, the new Canadian triumph Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass, and the 20th century masterpiece Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee.  These four outstanding productions from Whitby, Espanola, Kingston, and Windsor take the stage at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.  Tickets are available at 905.787.8811.

At the opening reception on Wednesday night at The Curtain Club, we will be launching Grassroots: Original Plays From Ontario Community Theatres, our partnership with Playwrights Canada Press to publish a collection of full-length scripts that premiered on our province’s community theatre stages.  After each performance, we’ll be returning to The Curtain Club for the Green Room receptions.

Beginning Thursday morning through to Sunday, there will be a detailed adjudication of the previous night’s performance at 10am.  Our adjudicator is Jane Carnwath; previously she adjudicated our 2005 Festival in Belleville.  Thursday afternoon features her Adjudicator’s Workshop: “Directing: Working With Actors” at 2pm; and on Friday afternoon, playwright Emil Sher will be our Playwright-in-Person, reading from his work, also at 2pm.  Saturday afternoon at 11:30am, Theatre Ontario will hold its AGM.  All of these events are at The Curtain Club.

On Thursday and Saturday afternoon, heritage buffs can take advantage of tours of the historic parts of Richmond Hill, a Town whose roots date back to the 18th century.

On Sunday morning at noon, we will be recognizing outstanding achievements from the productions at the Festival awards brunch.  We will also be presenting the 2011 Maggie Bassett Award to Diana Belshaw.  Doors open at 11:30am.  Our Festival awards live-blog in 2010 was a big hit…stay-tuned for news about our plans for 2011.

And while Jane adjudicates this year's productions, a new generation of adjudicators will be taking part in our Introduction to Adjudication course lead by Ron Cameron-Lewis.

All of your Festival 2011 event information can be found at the Official Festival website www.tofestival2011.ca.  We look forward to seeing you in Richmond Hill!

Theatre Ontario Presents 2011 Maggie Bassett Award to Diana Belshaw

Theatre Ontario is thrilled to announce that the 2011 Maggie Bassett Award shall be presented to Diana Belshaw.  The award, for a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in Ontario, recognizes Diana’s vision, passion and natural fight for excellence.

As Co-ordinator of the Theatre Performance Program at Humber College since 2000, Diana has established what Andy McKim, Artistic Director of Theatre Passe Muraille, calls a “jewel in our Ontario stable of conservatory acting programs.”  Humber’s program is recognized for the quality of its graduates, its strong connections to the professional theatre sector and its artists, and its attention to developing students’ entrepreneurial skills—needed by today’s professional artists.  As her colleague Paul de Jong, the program’s Head of Voice, describes, “she wanted to train actor/creators—artists who had the tools to articulate, produce and promote their own artistic vision for the world.”

In the 1990s, as Professional Theatre Coordinator at Theatre Ontario, she developed Showcase—the presentation of the graduates from post-secondary theatre programs before an invited audience of artistic directors, freelance directors, casting and talent agents.  Diana also helped found the Acting and Modelling Information Service, an organization that was instrumental in developing the Entertainment Industry Coalition’s Code of Ethics for agents, to deal with the problems of unethical talent, modelling and background agencies.

As an actor and director for over forty years, she has worked at theatres across Canada including Blyth Festival, the National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Necessary Angel, Centaur Theatre, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Persephone Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, and Vancouver Playhouse.

The award will be presented to Diana on May 22nd in Richmond Hill at the awards brunch for the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival.  “The nominations for this year's Maggie Bassett Award were all of an exceptionally high calibre,” said Leonard McHardy, Chair of the Maggie Bassett Award Jury.  “The unanimous choice of Diana Belshaw to receive the Award recognizes her passionate vision which contributes to the creation of a vibrant and nurturing environment which connects both theatre and theatre artists to the community.”

“This award is very special to me for many reasons,” Diana said.  “I have been very blessed by being able to work with artists, educators, administrators, people of all backgrounds and ages, throughout my career—and they continue to teach me how important the theatre is to all of us as a culture and as individuals. The making of theatre embodies and illuminates the very best in all of us. It teaches me humility and privilege daily—humility to serve an art form that gives voice to our common stories, and privilege to have been part of so many theatre communities for almost fifty years! Thank you—and thank you, Theatre Ontario, for linking us together so resolutely for so many years.”

Read more about the Maggie Bassett Award

For information about attending the Awards Brunch, please contact Brandon Moore at brandon@theatreontario.org or 416.408.4556 x.15.

Announcing Our Festival Adjudicator's Workshop

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce our Adjudicator’s Workshop for the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival.  Adjudicator Jane Carnwath will lead a workshop on “Directing: Working With Actors” on Thursday, May 19 at 2pm at The Curtain Club in Richmond Hill.

Jane’s workshop will cover:

• How to convey your vision, how to listen to theirs
• How to determine what each actor needs from you to achieve his/her potential in the role
• What to do when the moment isn't working
• What’s he really asking? – decoding actor anxiety, etc.
• Dealing with resistance, actors who’d rather talk than do, other interpersonal challenges

The workshop is free for Festival attendees.

For more information about Theatre Ontario Festival 2011, visit the Festival website.

Festival 2011 Brings Together Four Outstanding Productions From Across Ontario

Theatre Ontario is thrilled to announce the full line-up of plays for the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival, our celebration of Ontario’s community theatres, running May 18 to 22 in Richmond Hill.  The week will feature two Canadian plays—one a classic from the 1970s; the other a recent smash, plus a rollicking musical comedy, and one of the classics of American theatre.

7 Days In Ontario Theatre

From Us

• We’re grateful for the responses so far to our survey of the Ontario theatre sector; this is a terrific opportunity to work with us as we build a stronger Theatre Ontario—take this opportunity to have your say
• Our second Theatre Ontario Festival production was chosen: Theatre Windsor will represent the Western Ontario Drama League on May 21 with their production of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee; the final two productions will be known after the weekend of April 2-3

Conversations

• Last Friday, I was part of a Twitter chat, organized by Praxis Theatre—participants from across Canada (and a few from the United States) came together under the #auddev hash-tag to make connections and have a good conversation about a variety of issues

From The Wire

• Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People announced their 2011-12 season, which includes a significant change to the theatre: beginning July 1st, Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People will return to the name it was given in 1966 by founder Susan Douglas Rubes—Young Peoples Theatre (YPT) [link is a PDF file]
• A memorial for actor Peter Donaldson will be held at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival next month – join in the celebration of the life of this remarkable man.  Date is Sunday, April 17, 2 pm at the Festival Theatre, 55 Queen Street, Stratford.  A tribute page can be found on the Festival’s website – please share your memories of Peter

What’s New On The Bulletin Board

• Nightwood Theatre in Toronto is hosting “Go Ahead! Produce It Yourself: A Masterclass with Julie Tepperman and Jacoba Knaapen” on April 26 and 28
• The Annual Business for the Arts Awards honour and celebrate the contributions of Canada's foremost business leaders and companies to the arts.  Recognize your business partners in grand fashion.  Nominations are now open, and due April 15th

Check out all the latest postings of workshops, classified ads, recognition opportunities and more from Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board

Remember, if you can’t always follow us on our blog, we also have a monthly enewsletter with all of our news, discussions, and more.  The March issue is now available in the archives.

Assembled  by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Learning how to adjudicate

There is just over two weeks left to get in your application for our “Introduction to Adjudication” course.

Adjudication brings together theatre professionals with the community and secondary school theatre sectors with the goal of expanding knowledge and artistic excellence.  Under the leadership of Ron Cameron-Lewis, Theatre Ontario's “Introduction to Adjudication” course combines a mix of theory, personal experience, and practical application.  Held in conjunction with the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival in Richmond Hill (May 18 to 22), the course also gives participants an opportunity to practice adjudication skills at one of Ontario’s community theatres.

For more information, please visit our “Introduction to Adjudication” page on the Theatre Ontario website.  The deadline for applications is April 4.

Emil Sher Reading at Theatre Ontario Festival 2011

Theatre Ontario is pleased to welcome Emil Sher as our Playwright-In-Person at the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival in Richmond Hill.

Emil Sher has written for stage and screen.  His stage works include Mourning Dove, Sanctuary, Derailed, and the acclaimed adaptation of Hana’s Suitcase.  Two of Emil’s works are being presented in spring 2011 in Toronto: an adaptation of Edward the ‘Crazy Man’ for Workman Arts, and the story for A World to Shake, a ballet by Ballet Jorgen Canada.

Current works-in-progress include Conviction, a commissioned play about wrongful convictions for Toronto’s Studio 180; Alia and the Book of Ashes for Seattle Children’s Theatre; and Girl in Field, Dusk, a portrait of a medicated psychiatrist.

Emil will be reading from his works on Friday, May 20 at 2pm at The Curtain Club theatre in Richmond Hill.  Admission is free and open to the public.

Playwright-In-Person brings playwrights from across the province for readings at the annual Theatre Ontario Festival.  It is made possible by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, administered by the Playwrights Guild of Canada.  Recent playwrights include Maja Ardal, Douglas Bowie, Carl Cashin, David S. Craig, Norm Foster, Florence Gibson, Paul Ledoux, Yvette Nolan, and Keith Roulston.

Training new adjudicators

In 2010, Theatre Ontario ran its first “Introduction to Adjudication” course in over twenty years.  Due to popular demand, we are bringing the course back for 2011.

Lead by Ron Cameron-Lewis, who work as an adjudicator is well-known around the province, the course  combines a mix of theory, personal experience, and practical application.  Held in conjunction with the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival in Richmond Hill in May 2011, it culminates with the opportunity to practice adjudication skills at one of Ontario’s community theatres.

As one of last year’s participants said, “the course gave a clear indication of what adjudication is, and whether or not it’s something I want to pursue.”

For more information, please visit our “Introduction to Adjudication” page on the Theatre Ontario website.

Festival 2011 Tickets Available On November 15

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce that tickets for the 2011 Festival in Richmond Hill will be going on sale Monday, November 15.

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals across the province.  The Festival brings together theatre lovers from all over Ontario, and is an excellent learning experience, with adjudications, workshops, networking and play readings by Canadian writers.  It's also a celebration of community theatre, with awards recognizing outstanding achievements and lots of parties!

Visit the Theatre Ontario website for more information about Festival 2011

Theatre Ontario Announces Plays In New Anthology To Be Published By Playwrights Canada Press

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the contents of the new anthology of Canadian plays to be published by Playwrights Canada Press.  Grassroots: Original Plays from Ontario Community Theatres is a collection of five full-length plays originally premiered by community theatres in Ontario. Playwrights Canada Press has previously published two anthologies of one-act plays selected by Theatre Ontario. This is the first collaboration on an anthology of full-length plays by the two organizations.

Theatre Ontario Welcomes Jane Carnwath As Festival 2011 Adjudicator

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce that Jane Carnwath will be the adjudicator for the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival in Richmond Hill.

"I'm delighted to be adjudicating the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival," said Jane." I look forward to connecting—and reconnecting—with like-minded people to indulge our passion for theatre."

Director, writer, adjudicator—Jane has worked and taught in all aspects of the theatre. An MFA in theatre from York University, she was Professor of Acting in the Music Theatre Program at Sheridan College for ten years. For several years she was Program Director of the Alumnae Theatre in Toronto.  Her most recent directing credits include After You by Dave Carley, Homeward Bound by Elliot Hayes, and Pride And Prejudice, all for the Alumnae Theatre. She's currently directing a production of Hedda Gabler, adapted by Judith Thompson, also for the Alumnae, opening November 2010.  She works with community theatre groups as production consultant and acting instructor. She taught a directing intensive at Theatre Ontario Summer Courses for a number of years. Jane has adjudicated for WODL, EODL, QUONTA and ACT-CO, as well as the Theatre Saskatchewan Festival. In 2005 she adjudicated the Theatre Ontario Festival in Belleville.

Theatre Ontario Festival 2011 will be held in Richmond Hill from May 18 to 22, 2011.  Co-hosted by Theatre Ontario, The Curtain Club, and the Association of Community Theatres of Central Ontario, the festival will be held at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.