Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 opens Wednesday in Richmond Hill—showcasing outstanding community theatre performances, and bringing together artists from across Ontario to share knowledge and to celebrate.
• Strengthen your communications skills as an adjudicator—Join us at our “The Adjudicator’s Voice” workshop with Annette G. Procunier on May 18 in Richmond Hill.
• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our “Voice Over” workshop with Elley-Ray on May 25 in Toronto.
• Develop your blueprint for a career in acting—Join us for an honest discussion about the business of acting at our “Success in Show Business” workshop with Andre Newell on June 3 in Toronto.
• Get your promo on the screens of the right people (...using as little money as possible)—Join us at our “Social Media for Producers” workshop with Jenna Warriner on June 10 in Toronto.
• Our Summer Theatre Intensive features courses for performers, creators, directors, and music directors, running August 4 to 9 in Kingston.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for submissions for Scarborough Theatre Guild community theatre’s artistic staff for the 19/20 season is May 15.
• Deadline for submissions for The Oakville Players community theatre’s directors for the 19/20 season is May 15.
• Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) is convening the arts community around a four-day event, The Gathering: Celebrating 10 years of showcasing, convening and supporting equity and pluralism in the Arts. The event begins May 21.
• Deadline for applications for the Toronto Arts Council’s Indigenous Arts & Culture Partnership Fund is May 24.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Toronto Irish Players community theatre invites applications from directors for their 19/20 season.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Annette G. Procunier will be leading Theatre Ontario's
"The Adjudicator's Voice" workshop on May 18

• Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 opens May 15 in Richmond Hill—showcasing outstanding community theatre performances, and bringing together artists from across Ontario to share knowledge and to celebrate.
• Strengthen your communications skills as an adjudicator—Join us at our “The Adjudicator’s Voice” workshop with Annette G. Procunier on May 18 in Richmond Hill.
• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our “Voice Over” workshop with Elley-Ray on May 25 in Toronto.
• Our Annual General Meeting will be held on May 27 in Toronto.
• Develop your blueprint for a career in acting—Join us for an honest discussion about the business of acting at our “Success in Show Business” workshop with Andre Newell on June 3 in Toronto.
• Our Summer Theatre Intensive features courses for performers, creators, directors, and music directors, running August 4 to 9 in Kingston.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for applications for Odyssey Theatre’s Youth Apprenticeship Program in Ottawa is May 10.
• Shaw Festival’s Triple Threat Performances—The Basics workshop for teens is on May 11 in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
• Deadline for submissions for Scarborough Theatre Guild community theatre’s artistic staff for the 19/20 season is May 15.
• Deadline for submissions for The Oakville Players community theatre’s directors for the 19/20 season is May 15.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) is convening the arts community around a  four-day event, The Gathering: Celebrating 10 years of showcasing, convening and supporting equity and pluralism in the Arts.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Deadline for early-bird registrations rates for our Summer Theatre Intensive is today. Courses for performers, creators, directors, and musical directors run August 4 to 9 in Kingston.
• Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 opens May 15 in Richmond Hill—showcasing outstanding community theatre performances, and bringing together artists from across Ontario to share knowledge and to celebrate.
• Strengthen your communications skills as an adjudicator—Join us at our “The Adjudicator’s Voice” workshop with Annette G. Procunier on May 18 in Richmond Hill.
• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our “Voice Over” workshop with Elley-Ray on May 25 in Toronto.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for applications for Ontario Arts Council’s Northern Arts Projects grants is May 2.
• Deadline for applications for The Wuchien Michael Than Foundation’s Theatre Project Grants for development and production of works by Asian-Canadian playwrights is May 3.
• Deadline for submissions for 2020 Canadian Stage Shakespeare in High Park is May 3.
• The Shaw Festival’s Spoken Word workshop for teens is on May 4.
• Deadline for applications for Odyssey Theatre’s Youth Apprenticeship Program in Ottawa is May 10.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Gain experience in the world of video game voiceover to prepare for auditions at our “Video Game Voice Over” workshop with Ellen Dubin on April 27.
• What does an agent do and why should you have one?  Join us at our “Ask an Agent” workshop with Michael Jackson of Seventh House Talent on April 29 in Toronto.
• Deadline for early-bird registrations rates for our Summer Theatre Intensive is May 1. Courses for performers, creators, directors, and musical directors run August 4 to 9 in Kingston.
• One-person show actors and directors: Make clarity, continuity and imagery the main thrust of your performance. Join us at our “The Story’s The Thing!” workshop with Marylyn Peringer on May 4 in Toronto.
• Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 opens May 15 in Richmond Hill—showcasing outstanding community theatre performances, and bringing together artists from across Ontario to share knowledge and to celebrate.
• Strengthen your communications skills as an adjudicator—Join us at our “The Adjudicator’s Voice” workshop with Annette G. Procunier on May 18 in Richmond Hill.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Scarborough Theatre Guild's production of The Mousetrap.
Deadline for submissions from directors
for their 19/20 season is April 30.
Photo by Julie Adams

• The Ottawa School of Theatre is hosting a Meisner Technique Intensive with Chadwick Allen from April 26 to 28.
• Deadline for submissions from directors for Scarborough Theatre Guild community theatre’s 19/20 season is April 30.
• Deadline for applications for Ontario Arts Council’s Northern Arts Projects grants is May 2.
• Deadline for applications for The Wuchien Michael Than Foundation’s Theatre Project Grants for development and production of works by Asian-Canadian playwrights is May 3.
• Deadline for submissions for 2020 Canadian Stage Shakespeare in High Park is May 3.

New on The Bulletin Board

• The Oakville Players community theatre invites submissions for directors for their 19/20 season.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Introducing Professional Development Workshop for Adjudicators

As part of Theatre Ontario’s Adjudicator Professional Development series, we are excited to offer a new workshop for Ontario’s adjudicators “The Adjudicator’s Voice: How to Say What You Mean Without Saying What You Think”, lead by Annette G. Procunier.

Suitable for both emerging adjudicators and for established adjudicators interested in enhancing their skills, this workshop will help adjudicators with the art of critique and strengthening their communications.

Adjudicators at the workshop will:

• Explore style, language, content and focus in establishing rapport and creating an environment for learning
• Discuss public versus private adjudication
• Discuss how to engage participants in dialogue without allowing them to take control of the situation
• Discuss professional judgement versus personal opinion

As an adjudicator, our instructor has participated in festivals in Europe, Canada, Japan and the United States having judged more than 125 festivals in 30 years including Theatre Ontario Festival, and festivals for QUONTA and EODL. She has adjudicated the World Theatre Festival in Monaco for IATA and the national festival for the American Association of Community Theatre four times. She is the author of Do You See What I See? on adjudication.

The workshop is being held on Saturday May 18 in Richmond Hill. This is during the Theatre Ontario Festival, and gives participants an opportunity to also attend performances and Festival adjudications, and to meet with members of the community theatre sector from across Ontario.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario’s “Adjudicator’s Voice” workshop

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Adam Paolazza. (Photo by Graham Isador from Intermission)

• Intermission’s latest “What I Wish I’d Known” by Graham Isador profiles Adam Paolozza—about to open Paolozzapedia at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto—sharing the advice he’d give the younger version of himself.
• Diane Ragsdale explores the value of “artistic leader discretionary funds” to support a new diverse generation of leaders.
• Scott Harman examines “consent, power, and trauma in the acting classroom” on HowlRound.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The lineup for QUONTA Festival 2019 in Sault Ste. Marie – celebrating community theatre in northeastern Ontario – has been announced on the Festival’s Facebook page.

Migrations

• Andrea Donaldson is the new Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre.
• Sara Meurling is stepping down as Executive Director of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT).

TO Toasts

• ... to long-time Theatre Ontario Talent Bank adjudicator and theatre instructor Ron Cameron-Lewis and his husband Lloyd – how their 50 years together was recognized by the Canadian government (as reported by Rachel Levy-McLaughlin in Xtra.)

In Case You Missed It

• ONstage Openings for the next two weeks in Ottawa, North Bay, Whitby, Markham, Aylmer, Tillsonburg, London, Fergus, Woodstock, Niagara, Toronto, Barrie, Midland, Orangeville, and Kincardine.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, grant deadlines, calls for submission, community events, and more.

Join Us at Theatre Ontario Festival 2019

Our annual Theatre Ontario Festival returns to Richmond Hill—and welcomes one of Canada’s most acclaimed actors, RH Thomson, as our Festival Honorary Chair. Tickets and accommodations are now on sale.

Opening May 15, and running until May 19, our annual Festival is a celebration of community theatre—featuring performances, adjudications, workshops, awards, and parties that bring together theatre lovers from across the province. The Festival is hosted by The Curtain Club, with performances at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (RHCPA), the venue of Theatre Ontario Festival 2011. Early-bird passes at a discounted rate are available until January 31.

We are thrilled to welcome Richmond Hill-born actor RH Thomson as our Festival Honorary Chair. In 2015, Canadian stage and screen actor RH Thomson was awarded the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement and the ACTRA Award of Excellence. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010 and has been given an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College, University of Toronto. He has appeared in theatres across Canada and has filmed in Canada, the US, Greece and the Czech Republic. He has earned Gemini, Genie, Dora and Merritt awards for his work and recently directed The Crucible at Theatre Calgary and is performing in The Message at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. He is currently playing Matthew Cuthbert in the CBC/NETFLIX series Anne with an E for which he received the Canadian Screen Award. As well as being an advocate for the arts, he has worked on many history / education / arts projects. For the First World War Centenary, he built the multi lingual project The World Remembers-Le Monde Se Souvient, an international WWI Commemoration with installations across Canada and in eight other nations - www.theworldremembers.ca.

“Theatre Ontario is part of theatre’s essential nutrients since live theatre can only thrive with live participation,” said RH Thomson. “Seducing people away from their screens in order to enter the spaces where they can explore the art form called theatre is one of our main challenges. Festivals, like Theatre Ontario’s, is one of the ways we can do that.”

The Festival Hotel is the "Holiday Inn Express and Suites Toronto-Markham" in Richmond Hill. Festival guests will receive preferred rates.

For booking information of tickets and accommodations, visit www.theatreontariofestival.ca.

Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 is hosted by The Curtain Club, in partnership with Theatre Ontario and the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario.

For 65 years, The Curtain Club has provided quality theatre at an affordable price to the citizens of Richmond Hill, Ontario and has been recognized as a centre for developing artistic appreciation, creativity, personal growth, and friendship.

Related reading

• Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival
• Meet Carolee Mason, our Festival Adjudicator
• New to Festival? Catch-up on stories from Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Ontario Off Stage

Mikaela Davies and Elissa Horscroft in conversation with
Keira Loughran at foldA from the Stratford Festival.
Photo by Michael Wheeler
Image from spiderwebshow.ca

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• SpiderWebShow has completes its series from the conversations at their inaugural Festival of Digital Art (foldA)—exploring possible futures for our practice.
• Respectful Workplaces in the Arts, the anti-harassment project from the Cultural Human Resources Council, has a new online home.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The Western Ontario Drama League’s Pre-Festival Adjudication Schedule for the Fall and Winter has been published on their website.
• The Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario has also announced their ACT-CO Festival adjudication schedule for 2018/19.

Migrations

• Kelly Thornton is leaving as Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre in Toronto to become Artistic Director of Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba (FB post, with a warning to hockey fans of a potentially disturbing image...)

TO Toasts

• ... to the 2018 Tom Hendry Awards Short Lists from Playwrights Guild of Canada.
• ... to the finalists for the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for English Drama.
• ... and to the shortlist for the Siminovitch Prize, honouring designers.

In Case You Missed It

• Meet our Youth Advisory Committee’s mentors for Emergence 2.0.
• Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program, features projects in directing, writing and producing, and artistic direction.
• ONstage Openings this week in Oshawa, Drayton, Aylmer, St. Jacobs, and Toronto.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, webinars, and more.

Welcome Carolee Mason as Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 Adjudicator

Carolee Mason

Theatre Ontario welcomes Carolee Mason as adjudicator for Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 in Richmond Hill. Carolee most recently adjudicated as the Western Ontario Drama League Festival preliminary adjudicator in 2017/18 and the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario (ACT-CO) Festival in 2015/16. This will be her first time adjudicating Theatre Ontario Festival, and marks the first Theatre Ontario Festival adjudicated by a graduate of Theatre Ontario’s Adjudicator Training Program, initiated in 2010.

Carolee has taught in the Theatre Department at Brock University, instructed practicing teachers and teacher candidates with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and has been the teacher/director of generations of high school drama students and countless community theatre groups. She is a frequent workshop leader with the Council of Drama and Dance Educators of Ontario, and has presented for drama educators internationally with the American Alliance of Theatre Educators and the International Drama and Education Association.

“Creative collaboration is one of the most engaging of human endeavours,” said Carolee. “Couple that with the spirit of community and discovery at the Theatre Ontario Festival, and the experience is heady! I am thrilled to adjudicate the 2019 Festival, to foster learning, and to celebrate achievements with my theatre colleagues from around the province.”

Learn more about Carolee Mason

Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 will be held in Richmond Hill from May 15 to 19, 2019 and is co-hosted by Theatre Ontario, The Curtain Club, and the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario Festival

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Professional development and networking for adjudicators of all experience levels—join us at our Adjudicators Symposium on September 22 in Toronto.
• Promote your performance to your audience—Join us at our “Marketing on a Dime” workshop with Izad Etemadi on September 24 in Toronto.
• Could Theatre Ontario be your next professional challenge? We are seeking an Executive Director and applications are due on September 28.
• 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” workshop with Siobhan Richardson (of Intimacy Directors International) on September 29 in Toronto.
• Do you need financial support for professional mentorship in your career? Seeking funding for that career-changing/career-accelerating opportunity?  The deadline for applications for our Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1.
• What does an agent do and why should you have one? Join us at our “Ask an Agent” workshop with Michael L. Jackson on October 1 in Toronto.
• Preparing an Ontario Arts Council application? Get the inside scoop at our free Grant Writing Information recorded webinar with Pat Bradley, available on October 2.
• 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 Andrea Scott on October 10 in Toronto.
• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our “Voice Over” workshop with Elley-Ray on October 13 in Toronto.
• Does your organization want to undertake an accessible, unique youth training project, led by professional theatre artists? The deadline for applications for our Youth Theatre Training Program is October 15.
• Discussion, mentorship and connections for youth, by youth—join us at “Emergence 2.0” from our Youth Advisory Committee on October 15 in Toronto.
• Does your Theatre for Young Audiences show need an audience? Join us at our “Bring Your Show to Schools” workshop with Tim Whalley of Prologue to the Performing Arts on October 15 via live webinar.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Shaw Festival's Play by Play

• Deadline to apply to the Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Arts Projects and Ontario Arts Presenters Projects is today.
• Deadline to apply for Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grants is today.
• The Shaw Festival’s “Play by Play” event for theatre lovers begins September 26 in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Grey Wellington Theatre Guild and SPARC – Supporting Performing Arts in Rural Communities – are hosting a “Regional Hub Mini-Symposium” community event in Harriston. Register by October 8 for the October 20 event.
• Jumblies Theatre in Toronto is hosting their next Artfare Essentials training beginning October 28.
• The 2019 AITA/IATA International Amateur Theatre Festival will be held in Saint John, New Brunswick from August 26 to September 1. The deadline for submissions is October 31, and the theme of the festival is Diversity.
• South Simcoe Theatre in Cookstown is seeking submissions of new plays for their Four Play: A Showcase of Play Readings series. The deadline is November 30.
• Great Canadian Theatre Company invites submissions for their OAC Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators; their funding priorities are playwrights and collectives based in, or who originate from, Ottawa and the National Capital Region. The deadline is December 7.
• The MT Space invites submissions for their OAC Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators; their funding priorities are collectives / projects that will be developed by collectives; and creators who are working on non-script based physical forms. The deadline is December 7.
• Theatre Direct invites submissions for their OAC Recommender Grants for Theatre Creators; their funding priority is work aimed at young audiences, in its early stages of research and development. The deadline is December 17.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Donate in support of your favourite team and Theatre Ontario at our 3rd Annual Bowl-a-Thon on September 15.

  

  Theatre Ontario's Bowl-a-Thon

• Answers to your FAQs about the business of acting—join us at our “Launching Your Career” workshop with Rachel Kennedy and guest Carly Chamberlain on September 19 in Toronto.
• Professional development and networking for adjudicators of all experience levels—join us at our Adjudicators Symposium on September 22 in Toronto.
• Promote your performance to your audience—Join us at our “Marketing on a Dime” workshop with Izad Etemadi on September 24 in Toronto.
• Could Theatre Ontario be your next professional challenge? We are seeking an Executive Director and applications are due on September 28.
• 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” workshop with Siobhan Richardson on September 29 in Toronto.
• Do you need financial support for professional mentorship in your career? Seeking funding for that career-changing/career-accelerating opportunity?  The deadline for our Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1.
• What does an agent do and why should you have one? Join us at our “Ask an Agent” workshop with Michael L. Jackson on October 1 in Toronto.
• Preparing an Ontario Arts Council application? Get the inside scoop at our free Grant Writing Information recorded webinar with Pat Bradley, available on October 2.
• Thinking of producing a show or starting a theatre company? Join us at our “Ready, Set, Show! Foundations of Indie Producing” workshop on October 10 in Toronto.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline to apply to the Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Communities and Schools Projects grant is September 13 and for Indigenous Arts Projects and Ontario Arts Presenters Projects is September 19.
• Port Stanley Festival Theatre’s Playwrights Festival of free public readings, part of their new play development program, is on September 14 and 15.
• Deadline to apply for Theatre Artist Residencies at Festival Players of Prince Edward County is September 15.
• Deadline to apply for Ontario Trillium Foundation Capital Grants is September 19.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Learn about the background and impetus behind the Intimacy for the Stage initiative at our free “What is Intimacy for the Stage?” recorded webinar with Siobhan Richardson, available on September 12.
• Donate in support of your favourite team and Theatre Ontario at our 3rd Annual Bowl-a-Thon on September 15.
• Answers to your FAQs about the business of acting—join us at our “Launching Your Career” workshop with Rachel Kennedy and guest Carly Chamberlain on September 19 in Toronto.
• Professional development and networking for adjudicators of all experience levels—join us at our Adjudicators Symposium on September 22 in Toronto.

  

  Adjudication at Theatre Ontario Festival
  Our Adjudicators Symposium is on Sep 22 

• Promote your performance to your audience—Join us at our “Marketing on a Dime” workshop with Izad Etemadi on September 24 in Toronto.
• 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” workshop with Siobhan Richardson on September 29 in Toronto.
• Do you need financial support for professional mentorship in your career? Seeking funding for that career-changing/career-accelerating opportunity?  The deadline for our Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1.
• What does an agent do and why should you have one? Join us for our “Ask an Agent” workshop with Michael L. Jackson on October 1 in Toronto.
• Preparing an Ontario Arts Council application? Get the inside scoop at our free Grant Writing Information recorded webinar with Pat Bradley, available on October 2.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for submissions of scripts and proposals for Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival in Toronto is today.
• Deadline to register for Young People’s Theatre’s “Artist Educators Training” is September 7.
• Deadline to apply to the National Theatre School’s call for submissions for Artistic Leadership Residencies is September 11.
• Deadline to apply to the Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Communities and Schools Projects grant is September 13.
• Port Stanley Festival Theatre’s Playwrights Festival of free public readings, part of their new play development program, is on September 14 and 15.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Thousand Islands Playhouse now invites submissions for their Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant, with funding priorities to artists originating in Eastern Ontario, and exploring the history of their region or dealing with themes relevant to their community. The deadline is October 5.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

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

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Intimacy for the Stage workshop
at Theatre Ontario

• Preparing an Ontario Arts Council application? Get the inside scoop at our free Grant Writing Information recorded webinar with Pat Bradley, available on September 5.
• Learn about the background and impetus behind the Intimacy for the Stage initiative at our free What is Intimacy for the Stage? recorded webinar with Siobhan Richardson, available on September 12.
• Answers to your FAQs about the business of acting—Join us at our “Launching Your Career” workshop with Rachel Kennedy and guest Carly Chamberlain on September 19 in Toronto.
• Professional development and networking for adjudicators of all experience levels—Join us at our Adjudicators Symposium on September 22 in Toronto.
• Promote your performance to your audience—Join us at our “Marketing on a Dime” workshop with Izad Etemadi on September 24 in Toronto.
• 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” workshop with Siobhan Richardson on September 29 in Toronto.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline to apply for Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Artists in Communities and Schools Projects is today.
• Deadline to register for the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Capital Grants program is today.
• Deadline to register for George F. Walker’s next Acting Workshop series is September 1.
• The next Theatre by the Bay "Barrie Theatre Lab" is on September 3.
• Deadline for submissions of scripts and proposals for Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival in Toronto is September 5.

New on The Bulletin Board

• The National Theatre School invites submissions for their Artistic Leadership Residencies, for artists with at least 8 years of professional practice and be on a trajectory to assume the role of Artistic Director in the near future. The application deadline is September 11.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Join Us at the Theatre Ontario Adjudicators Symposium

Adjudication at Theatre Ontario Festival 2018

Registrations are now open for our annual Adjudicators Symposium, running Saturday, September 22, 2018, from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Theatre Ontario office in Toronto.

The Symposium will open with a discussion of the past year of adjudication. Adjudicators who were engaged at community theatre festivals in 2017/18 are invited to share their experiences during the season.

In the “Adjudication Techniques Roundtable”, we will discuss techniques and practices in a variety of areas of adjudication. Participants will suggest topics for conversation.

This year’s Symposium will also feature a “Meet the Engagers” panel with representatives from Ontario community theatre festivals.

Join us at Theatre Ontario’s Adjudicators Symposium

Save the Date for the Theatre Ontario Adjudicators Symposium

Annette G. Procunier leading a Detailed
Adjudication at Theatre Ontario Festival 2017

Mark your calendars!  We've booked the date for our next Theatre Ontario Adjudicators Symposium – it will be Saturday, September 22, 2018, from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Theatre Ontario office in Toronto.

The Symposium is one of Theatre Ontario’s professional development and networking events for adjudicators of all experience levels. Adjudicators discuss techniques, approaches and strategies for public and detailed adjudications; and their adjudication experiences during the past year. This year’s Symposium will feature a “Meet the Engagers” panel with representatives from community theatre festivals.

Registration will open in late July.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario’s Adjudicators Symposium

Save the Date for Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 in Richmond Hill

Theatre Ontario Festival is an annual destination for theatre-lovers from across the province. Next year we travel to Richmond Hill for Theatre Ontario Festival 2019, running May 15 to 19, 2019. Festival will be hosted by The Curtain Club, in partnership with Theatre Ontario and the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario (ACT-CO). The Curtain Club previously hosted Festivals in Richmond Hill (2011) and Newmarket (1999).

Theatre Ontario Festival showcases outstanding community theatre productions from across the province, chosen from regional festivals that run from October 2018 to March 2019. Achievements in community theatre are celebrated with artistic awards, and with the Michael Spence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Community Theatre.

Festival also features detailed adjudications open to all Festival attendees, workshops, and play readings that bring together Canadian playwrights and communities. Festival is one of the province’s premiere educational experiences for dedicated community theatre artists.

Find out more about the Theatre Ontario Festival experience by reading about Festival 2018

Seeking Community Theatres Willing to Host Trial Adjudications

Theatre Ontario's 2018 Introduction to Adjudication class

At Theatre Ontario Festival 2018 in London, we completed our fourth “Introduction to Adjudication” course. Now the students, fresh off their intensive study of adjudication techniques, are looking for opportunities to practice their skills.

We are now looking for community theatres willing to host these Trial Adjudications. There are some administrative requirements for theatres: we need seats and space—and most importantly we need an enthusiastic, open-minded attitude. If you think this is a fit for your community theatre, let us know!

Learn more about Theatre Ontario’s Trial Adjudications program

Welcome to Our Newest Members of the Talent Bank of Adjudicators and Instructors

The Theatre Ontario Talent Bank of Adjudicators and Instructors is a program to match organizations (particularly community theatres and educational organizations) with professional theatre teachers and trainers for workshops, adjudications, and short-term consulting contracts.

We are pleased to welcome the newest addition to our Talent Bank for 2018.

Lee Bolton (Instructor of Administration and Audience Development)

Lee has three decades’ experience in Canadian theatre. She trained as a theatre maker at York University and the University of Leeds, and has been Artistic Director of Second Mile Theatre (Toronto) Yukon Educational Theatre (Whitehorse) and Silk Purse Theatre (Vancouver and Saint John). Lee has taught acting and movement to aspiring professionals at Vancouver’s William Davis Centre, and in workshops to groups including seniors, children, prison inmates and business professionals. As a theatre maker, she is best known for Larger the Life: The Musical which has been performed in Vancouver and Toronto and toured in British Columbia and Yukon. She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab and a veteran of the Vancouver, San Francisco, Fundy and Island Fringe Festivals.

Janet Kish (new in the category of Adjudicator – already a member as an Instructor of Acting and Instructor of Directing Drama)

Joseph Joubert wrote "To teach is to learn twice." This certainly rings true for Janet who has had the privilege of working as a theatre educator for well over three decades. During this time, she has worked with thousands of students exploring the art of acting, directing, theatre design and playwriting. She herself has directed, written and produced dozens of plays over the years. Since retiring from the classroom in 2012, Janet has gone on to working freelance as a dramaturg and mentor with CSARN, an adjudicator for the National Theatre School Drama Festival (Formerly Sears), a drama workshop leader, a jurist for playwriting competitions and a social media content writer for various theatre groups. Her most recent directorial works include The Penelopiad (Theatre Mowat), Antigone (Alumnae Theatre), and With Love and a Major Organ (MDS Canadian Play Festival). Her last script The Kiss was chosen to be one of the plays to be showcased at the Newmarket National Play Festival in 2018. Janet’s other true loves include travel and photography.

Gerrard Morrison (Instructor of Directing Drama)

Gerrard is a theatre graduate of Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. as well as a graduate of the Drama in Education Program at the University of Lethbridge, AB. He is a veteran writer, performer as well as theatre educator. Gerrard has worked in all areas of media and theatre arts, specifically directing, writing, performance, and design. He also has experience in radio, film and television, most notably ATV’s Shantytown, winner of two Gold Medal Can-Pro Awards. Gerrard has been a dramatic arts specialist for more than forty years, twenty-five of which were dedicate to Drama in Education in the province of Ontario. He is pleased to continue to inspire and be inspired by the dramatic arts community.

Steve Russell (Adjudicator)

Steve is an experienced actor and director. He has studied at University of Western Ontario, the Banff Centre, the University of Toronto and Second City. He taught Secondary School drama for 30 years and directed three productions (one-act, full-length and musicals) each year. He later became an Additional Qualification Instructor, teaching drama teachers how to teach drama. He has published a book on dramatic arts assessment and was a lead writer of the Ontario Drama curriculum and resources. Steve was the Arts Consultant for his school board, and President of the Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators (CODE). His favourite roles were Shrek, in Shrek the Musical and King Arthur in Spamalot. His experiences doing lighting, make-up, sound, mask making, set design, construction and stage management along with his expertise in assessment and onstage make him a uniquely qualified adjudicator.

If you are interested in hiring an adjudicator or workshop leader from Theatre Ontario’s Talent Bank, you can browse our listings online and contact us to be connected with the right instructor for your needs.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario’s Talent Bank of Adjudicators and Instructors

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