Theatre Ontario's Blog: newsletter

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Friday, 22 February 2019

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Kim Arnold and Fran Perkins from the 2018 ELATE
Festival production of Tempting Providence by Robert Chafe

Shocking news out of Elliot Lake where the auditorium roof collapsed at the Lester B. Pearson Theatre, prior to a dress rehearsal performance by ELATE, the local community theatre. Thankfully, there were no injuries. ELATE was last year’s debutantes at Theatre Ontario Festival as QUONTA representative from northeastern Ontario. Those of us who also remember the Algo Centre Mall collapse (which happened during an ELATE performance in one of the mall’s community spaces) know how traumatic this will be for the community.
We were sad to hear the news of the passing of Mallory Gilbert, former General Manager of Tarragon Theatre. She was an icon in Canadian theatre, and had been honoured with many of our community’s highest accolades.

Conversation Starters

Brad Lepp, Director of Communications for Soulpepper, wrote for PACT about how to leverage your Board of Directors for advocacy.
The Musical Stage Company’s Syd & Shirley Banks Prize for Emerging Musical Theatre Artists is one of our province’s most interesting professional development opportunities. Michelle Bouey, one of the 2018/19 recipients, reflected on her experience.

Friday, 18 January 2019

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Bernadette Hardaker, General Manager of Theatre Orangeville, shared on the PACT blog how they made the arts an election issue in last year’s provincial and municipal elections as we look ahead to this year’s federal election.
Videos from the livestream of the 2018 SPARC Symposium (Supporting Performing Arts in Rural Communities) held in Cobalt are now available on their YouTube channel.
Emma Stenning (new Executive Director of Soulpepper) and Naomi Campbell (new Artistic Director of Luminato) had a conversation on HowlRound as part of the series on transitions in theatre leadership – “We Can’t Work in Isolation.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Nightwood Theatre's production of Grace by Jane Doe
Rose Napoli and Michaela Washburn. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

Jane Doe wrote for Intermission Magazine about the process of writing Grace (now on stage from Nightwood Theatre) and the experience of processing trauma.
Orpheus Musical Theatre Society in Ottawa announced their 2019/2020 season.
“Do you work during the wintertime?” The staff of Blyth Festival answered this question from their community.
Submissions are now open for the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s 2019 Tom Hendry Awards.

Friday, 16 November 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

The federal government is permanently lifting the cap on the Endowment Incentives component of the Canadian Cultural Investment Fund. Shelley Stevenson from the Stratford Festival wrote on the PACT blog about the multi-pronged approach to advocacy in this area.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Gateway Theatre Guild in North Bay is supporting the development of arts in their community through a development bursary towards participation in the city’s ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival.
The Musical Stage Company announced LAUNCH PAD, a new program that makes a strategic investment in Canadian musical theatre writers and collaborators, offering a 10-month residency for musical theatre composers, lyricists and book-writers to navigate a full developmental process.
Theatre on the Ridge in Port Perry announced their 2019 summer season.
Actor Douglas Rain, one of the pioneers of the Stratford Festival, died at 90.

TO Toasts

... to Sandra Houston, former Theatre Ontario Board Member, who was honoured with the 2018 Community Recognition Award for Performing Arts from the city of Sault Ste. Marie.
... to the award recipients and honourable mentions at the Eastern Ontario Drama League One-Act Play Festival. We’ll share the full list when it is available from EODL.

Friday, 26 October 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

The Musical Stage Company's production
of Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life.
Photo by Dahlia Katz

Conversation Starters

Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Women’s Caucus introduced the inaugural release of The SureFire List, a community-generated resource of shows by women or trans-femmes.
As part of HowlRound’s series on “Leadership in Transition”, May Antaki spoke with Brendan Healy, the new Artistic Director of Canadian Stage.
Designing an Immersive Musical – Nick Blais shared his experience being part of the design team for The Musical Stage Company’s production of Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Four new 2019 Ontario Summer Theatre season announcements from The Foster Festival in St. Catharines, Blyth Festival, Port Stanley Festival Theatre, and the Gravenhurst Opera House.
The Ontario Arts Council has released “The status of women in the Canadian arts and cultural industries: Research review 2010-2018”, synthesizing existing research on the status of women in the arts in Ontario and Canada.

Migrations

Lisa Marie DiLiberto is the new Artistic Producer of Theatre Direct in Toronto.

TO Toasts

... to former Board and Staff member Barry Freeman who was one of the recipients of a Nathan Cohen Award for excellence in critical writing from the Canadian Theatre Critics Association. While celebrating the accomplishment, the University of Toronto Press has made Barry's Canadian Theatre Review article available for free.

Friday, 21 September 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Theatre Orangeville's production of The Birds and The Bees.
They are celebrating their 25th year this season.

The Cultural Human Resources Council has introduced the “Workplace Harassment and Violence” tool, part of their Respectful Workplaces in the Arts project.
Theatre Orangeville is celebrating their 25th year.
ArtsVote Toronto is hosting a Mayoral Arts Debate on Monday September 24.
A pair of stories from Robin De Angelis of CBC News highlighting some of successes and challenges facing the Sudbury arts community, including the Sudbury Theatre Centre, in "the State of the Arts" series (Part 1 and Part 2)

Friday, 24 August 2018

Ontario Off Stage

Alastair Forbes and Sophia Fabiilli in the Thousand
Islands Playhouse production of The Canadian.
Photo by Randy deKleine-Stimpson

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Thousand Islands Playhouse wrapped up their series “From Page to Stage: Creating The Canadian”, first with Part 3 by set and costume designer Anna Treusch about her process for designing the show, and then in Part 4, actor Sophia Fabiilli wrote about her “Top 10 Reasons Why Farce Is Harder Than It Looks.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

The Stratford Festival has introduced their 2019 season.
WorkInCulture is conducting a survey—“MakingItWork”—of Ontario’s creativity community workforce: add your voice to their research.

Migrations

Helen Wagenaar is retiring as Administrative Director of Lighthouse Festival Theatre. Congratulations to Nicole Campbell (a member of the Ontario Summer Theatre Executive Committee) who will be taking on the role.

Friday, 20 July 2018

Ontario Off Stage

Kim Renders
(From the Kingstonist)

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of Kim Renders this week. Kim was a long-time member of Theatre Ontario’s Talent Bank as an instructor of acting, directing, writing, and youth theatre. She was among the founders of Nightwood Theatre in Toronto (Artistic Director Kelly Thornton wrote an excellent tribute) and was most recently a professor in the Dan School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University in Kingston—the university remembered her significant legacy and Cris Vilela wrote a tribute for Kingstonist, including how her passing is being recognized at this week’s Storefront Fringe Festival. In 2006, we recognized her contribution to professional, community and educational theatre in our province with our Maggie Bassett Award.

Conversation Starters

Thousand Islands Playhouse is blogging the world premiere of their production The Canadian as "From Page to Stage" - with playwright Jason Hall exploring "writing farce" in Part 1.
Theatres working to build community can find inspiration in the Toronto Fringe Festival hosting a Canadian citizenship ceremony (as reported on Intermission.)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Seeking to use the work of playwrights digitally? Members of the Playwrights Guild of Canada now have the tools for contracts in the digital realm, with their new Digital Recording Rights Guidelines.

Migrations

Brendan Healy will be the new Artistic Director of Canadian Stage (PDF).

Friday, 15 June 2018

Ontario Off Stage

The 2018 Ontario Summer Theatre season is underway!
From The Shaw Festival
Stephen Fry in Mythos: A Trilogy - Gods. Heroes. Men.
Photo by David Cooper.

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Profiling Ontario Summer Theatre (OST) 2018—“If laughter is the best medicine, you will have your measure and more” at The Foster Festival in St. Catharines; “Welcome to the Team” introducing new OST member Guild Festival Theatre in Toronto; fellow new OST member Tweed & Company in Hastings County "celebrates their 10th anniversary with a huge 2018 season"; and it’s and “The Perfect Intermission from Life!” at The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The World Cup is kicking off—and Good Tickle Brain has you covered with the Shakespeare World Cup. (For the ancestors - Go King Lear! For the in-laws - Go Macbeth!)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Season announcement for 18/19 from Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto.
Janet Sellery of Sellery Health and Safety, a long-time Theatre Ontario member, has been appointed to the newly-launched Advisory Council for the Event Safety Alliance, a non-profit trade association of live event industry professionals committed to eliminating unsafe behaviors and conditions throughout the event industry. Congratulations Janet!

Migrations

TO Toasts

... to Gillian Gallow, who was awarded the 2018 Virginia and Myrtle Cooper Award in Costume Design.

Friday, 25 May 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

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

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

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

TO Toasts

En Lai Mah and Elizabeth Wong accepting for Jiv Parasram

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

In Case You Missed It

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

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

Friday, 20 April 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Equity in Theatre Symposium

Rebecca Burton, the Membership and Professional Contracts Manager at Playwrights Guild of Canada, spoke on HowlRound with Elana Gartner, the founding co-chair of the International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP) 50/50 Applause Award, about the state of gender parity in Canadian theatre.
Aaron Jan – in the midst of a Professional Theatre Training Program project training in dramaturgy with Marjorie Chan at Cahoots Theatre – made a Chinese Chicken Salad as part of their “Cooking Up Colonialism” series (YouTube video).
Two letters to the editor from Ontarians for the Arts by our Executive Director, Bruce Pitkin, about the People for Education report on arts education – published in both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail (scroll down to “In praise of the arts”)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Young People’s Theatre in Toronto has received $13.8 million pledge from the Government of Ontario in support of their “Room for Imagination” facility project (PDF).

TO Toasts

... to the recipients and nominees at the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario Festival Awards Gala.
... and to the recipients and nominees at the Eastern Ontario Drama League (EODL) Awards Brunch. (listings coming soon!)
... to Lily Baird of Kingston, a former member of our Board of Directors and Community Theatre Committee, who was honoured with a lifetime membership by EODL.
... to the finalists for the Toronto Arts Foundation 2018 Awards.

Friday, 23 March 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

“Arts Action Now” is Ontarians for the Arts primary activism vehicle. They are looking for insightful, knowledgeable and proactive community leaders to volunteer as arts advocates and meet with local MPPs and candidates.
March 20th marked the World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People, and Pablo Felices-Luna wrote a Canadian message to celebrate the occasion, published on the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres website.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

The Grand Theatre in London has announced their 2018/19 season.
After twenty years, Dr. Ian McLennan marked his final production at Thorneloe University in Sudbury with a production of Macbeth (autoplay video.)
The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport announced the recipients of Celebrate Ontario 2018 grants.

TO Toasts

... to Tanja Jacobs, this year’s recipient of the Gina Wilkinson Prize for an emerging female artist transitioning into directing.

Friday, 16 February 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Update on 401 Richmond

The Toronto City Council approved the “Creative Co-Location Facilities” tax class for cultural hubs and creative spaces like our home at 401 Richmond. Thanks to everyone who spoke out in support of this initiative.
Murray Whyte, the Toronto Star’s Visual Arts Critic, wrote an opinion piece “Toronto’s new property tax subclass is a limited gesture but a first step toward the city we want.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

The City of Toronto also made a $2 million increase to arts funding in the city. This brings the city to a $25 per capita rate, a target set in 2003. The arts community held several deputations to Council about the need for this increase.

In Case You Missed It

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

Friday, 19 January 2018

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

It's a week after Next Generation Showcase, and starting next we'll have some of the stories from the event. We start with a big thank-you to our volunteers, our supporters, and our staff.

Conversation Starters

The video playlist from Generator’s “Who Is a Monster” Urgent Exchange from January 6 are now available on their new YouTube channel.
Intermission shared their 10 most popular articles from 2017. Of interest, the Top 2 both deal with boundaries in theatre.
Holly L. Derr writes about “Greenturgy”—“excavating environmental concerns embedded in the dramatic canon and new works, using stories to reconnect people to their physical world.” (from HowlRound)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Mitchell Marcus reflects on A Year in Review for The Musical Stage Company in Toronto.

Migrations

Daiene Vernile, MPP for Kitchener Centre, is the new Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. (Eleanor McMahon has moved on to become President of the Treasury Board and Minister Responsible for Digital Government.)
Keith Jackson is the new General Manager of A Company of Fools in Ottawa.

Friday, 15 December 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

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

Conversation Starters

Pratt Homes has sponsored the Barrie downtown theatre, and now the citizens of Barrie are being invited to rename the building as a public space.

Migrations

Rebecca Ballarin (our former Professional Theatre and Education Manager) is the new Network Coordinator for SPARC, Supporting Performing Arts in Rural Communities.

Friday, 17 November 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Generator in Toronto has launched the Artist Producer Resource – a “wiki-textbook-YouTube” hybrid online resource as a one-stop-shop for indie producers to freely and remotely access collective resources, knowledge, templates and tools.
The Weesageechak experience at Native Earth from the point of view of Frances Koncan, a “Not-Yet-Established Artist”. (From Intermission)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

2018 Summer Season announcements from The Foster Festival in St. Catharines and the Blyth Festival.
The Metcalf Foundation has chosen five companies to participate in their 2017 Creative Strategies Incubator (CrSI) for audience engagement and community development—Young People’s Theatre, Aluna Theatre, the Toronto Fringe, Le théâtre français de Toronto, and the Canadian Opera Company.
Can a theatre program help rehabilitation Ontario prisoners? Ontario Theatre and Rehabilitation through Arts in Corrections (OnTRAC) was profiled in the Toronto Star.
ArtsBuild Ontario has a few subsidized spaces left for the Asset Planner for the Arts, for venues tackling capital forecasts.
The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) in partnership with the Friends of the Arts network is meeting with 32 Toronto City Councillors on November 23rd to discuss the ongoing cultural importance and continuing financial impact of arts and culture in Toronto.
Playwrights Guild of Canada has announced the CASA Award to support and mentor women playwrights living in South Africa.

TO Toasts

... to the award recipients and honourable mentions at the Eastern Ontario Drama League’s One-Act Festival.
... to the recipients of the Capital Critics Circle theatre awards, including Festival 2017 Host Ottawa Little Theatre, recipients of Best Production Community for Other Desert Cities.

In Case You Missed It

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

Friday, 27 October 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Cole Alvis (an alum of our Professional Theatre Training Program) and Falen Johnson describe their process programming Soulpepper Theatre’s Guswenta Gathering, and “clearing a path for Indigenous artists.” (From Intermission)
Andrew Taylor observes that arts organizations don’t really have missions—it’s the missions that come before the organizations. (From The Artful Manager)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Tom Hendry is heading out to his namesake awards
from Playwrights Guild of Canada

The Ontario Arts Council is hosting a “Cross-Province Check-in” to answer questions about OAC funding and future plans to support Ontario’s arts sector. Sessions are being held in 16 communities across the province.
Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Awards on Sunday night are “sold” out—but they do have a waiting list for cancellations.
As St. Marys Community Players prepares for their opening of Man of La Mancha, their props master Ray Doerksen shared some of their prop-making work.
Sad to hear of the passing of Paulette Gagnon, a former Executive Director of the Association des theaters francophones du Canada.

Migrations

Matthew Jocelyn is stepping down as Artistic and General Director of Canadian Stage.

In Case You Missed It

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

Friday, 22 September 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Friday, 18 August 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Brian Postalian writes in Intermission about “documenting non-traditional theatre” (and with an interesting digression about whether we have the capacity to document any theatre).
Aaron Sawyer and Terri Lynne Hudson wrote for HowlRound about their “Access Auditions” for performers who are d/Deaf and Disabled.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Summer Theatre Intensive Speaker Series with Cameron Porteous
Photo by Bill Chan Photography

We are hosting an Open House with Off the Wall Stratford Artists Alliance today (August 18) from 2 to 4pm at Factory163 (163 King Street, Stratford.) Meet the teachers and students as we celebrate the successful completion of our first theatre training partnership at our Summer Theatre Intensive.

In Case You Missed It

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

Friday, 4 August 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Owais Lightwala of Why Not Theatre in Toronto shared in Intermission what they learned from their “Pay What You Can Afford” pricing experiment for Prince Hamlet.
Ruth Zamoyta shared some of the conversation from an APASO (Association of a Performing Arts Service Organizations) panel on “Arts Service Organizations and Arts Journalists: Working Together” to "fill the void" in arts journalism.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Driftwood Theatre's production of Othello
Christopher Darroch, Jordin Hall
Photo by Dahlia Katz

CTV News Northern Ontario looked at the theatre community in Sudbury, where both the professional Sudbury Theatre Centre and the community Theatre Cambrian are facing serious financial challenges (and includes an interview with recent Professional Theatre Training Program recipient Alessandro Costantini, Artistic Director of Yes Theatre.)
How is the rainy summer affecting some of our outdoor theatres? Karen Fricker checked in with Driftwood Theatre, Canadian Stage, and Shakespeare in the Ruff.
Sad to share the news of the passing of Chris O’Brien of Timmins – an institution in Northeastern Ontario community theatre.
The Shaw Festival announced that they would recognize one of their former Artistic Directors with the Christopher Newton Interns Program.
The final two openings of Ontario’s Fringe Festival summer is coming up this week with the openings of the On the Edge Fringe in North Bay (August 8) and the Fringe North International Fringe Festival in Sault Ste. Marie (August 10.)

Friday, 16 June 2017

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

Our Double Your Donation Matching Campaign kicks off today!
The latest on the situation at 401 Richmond for us, and many of our fellow arts organizations: “Time running out for deal to save 401 Richmond” from the Toronto Star.

Conversation Starters

Franco Boni talks about the role of theatre in a community in this Ontario Presents video, highlighting their work at the Theatre Centre.
Cathy Taylor, Executive Director of the Ontario Nonprofit Network writes about the importance of workplace legislation in the not-for-profit sector.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Next week marks the next Ontario Fringe Festival opening: the Storefront Fringe Festival in Kingston opens June 23.

Migrations

TO Toasts

... to the recipients of the Hamilton Arts Awards: Claire Calnan (Executive Director of the Hamilton Fringe) who won the Arts Innovation Award, Anna Chatteron who won the Theatre Award (with Rex Emerson Jackson selected as Emerging Artist.)