Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Theatre Ontario Festival 2017 opens on May 17 in Ottawa—featuring performances, adjudications, playwright readings, workshops, and celebrations of community theatre.
• Answers to your FAQ’s about the business of acting at our Launching Your Career workshop with Rachel Kennedy and guest Karen Knox on May 24 in Toronto. 
• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our Voice Over workshop with Elley-Ray on May 27 in Toronto.
• Summer Theatre Intensive 2017 in partnership with Off the Wall Stratford Artists Alliance, features week-long courses starting August 6 and August 13 for performers, directors, and playwrights. Register by June 23.
• Learn how Google Analytics can help grow your business. Camp Tech’s most popular workshops Intermediate Google Analytics (May 23) and Intro to Google Analytics (Jun 14) can tell you how your audience is finding you, which content is getting viewed most often and help you configure simple goals for your website. Other upcoming workshops at Camp Tech include Social Media Basics (Jun 6). Learn more about Theatre Ontario member discounts at CampTech through our partnership with the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for nominations for Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Awards is today.
• Great Canadian Theatre Company’s The Hive in Ottawa is hosting a Playwriting and Dramaturgy workshop on May 18.
• Deadline for applications to participate in Young People’s Theatre’s In the Moment: An Intergenerational Training Opportunity for Emerging and Experienced Actors is May 19.
• “The Intersection: Safer / Braver Spaces” from the Paprika Festival in Toronto is on May 20.
• Shaw Festival’s “Stage Skills for Adults: Voice and Speech” workshop is on May 26.

New on The Bulletin Board

• The Musical Stage Company is hosting their 2nd Annual Tony Awards Viewing Party on June 11.

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

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

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

ONstage Openings for the week of May 15

ONstage Now Playing in Toronto
Man of La Mancha at Scarborough Music Theatre

This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages

May 17 - Theatre Ontario Festival 2017 hosted by Ottawa Little Theatre

In Toronto

May 17 - Onegin at The Musical Stage Company

May 17 - (re)Birth: e.e. cummings in Song at Soulpepper Theatre

May 18 - Anything to Declare? at Stage Centre Productions

In Central Ontario

May 18 - One Actmanship: My Narrator / The Death of Me at Kincardine Theatre Guild

In Eastern Ontario

May 16 - Treasure Island at Kanata Theatre (Ottawa)

In Southwestern Ontario

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
Fun Home at Calithumpian Theatre Company
Zoë Brown, Elena Reyes, Lo Nielsen
Photo by Jackie Nobe

May 15 - The School for Scandal at Stratford Festival [in previews]

May 18 - Marathon of Hope: The Musical at Drayton Entertainment: Dunfield Theatre Cambridge [with previews from May 15]

May 19 - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Drayton Entertainment: Drayton Festival Theatre [with previews from May 17]

May 20 - 1979 at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake) [in previews]

ICYMI: Check out last week’s openings

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

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Ontario Summer Theatre member Lighthouse Festival Theatre

Conversation Starters

• The Ontario Summer Theatres have started blogging for 2017. First up: find out what to expect with Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s season in Port Dover.
• With Mother’s Day this Sunday, and Father’s Day a month away, here is “Dear Stage Parents… Thank You” by Brad Pontius.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• One of the unanticipated challenges of Theatre Ontario Festival: Sault Theatre Workshop prepares with a replacement actor stepping into one of the roles.
• All kinds of news from Playwrights Canada Press—including their upcoming stop at Theatre Ontario Festival in Ottawa with Playwright-in-Person Erin Shields.
• Young People’s Theatre in Toronto has announced their 2017/18 season (PDF).
• Meet Wuchien Michael Than, whose Ontario Arts Foundation Fund supports opportunities for the creation, development of Asian-Canadian theatre, and developing new works by Asian-Canadian playwrights. 

TO Toasts

• ... to the finalists for the MARTYs—the Mississauga Arts Council Awards, including Theatre Arts finalists City Centre Musical Productions and Theatre Unlimited Performing Arts.

In Case You Missed It

• Laura Philipps updates us on how the Theatre Ontario Youth Advisory Committee is “learning from our network.”
• Youth Theatre Training Program grant recipients for Spring 2017.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board featuring opportunities across the province including Theatre Ontario Festival, Launching Your Career workshop, Voice Over workshop, Summer Theatre Intensive, grants, youth training, community theatre directing, non-professional actor training, nominations deadline, and more.
• ONstage Openings this week in London, Aylmer, Sarnia, Toronto, Cornwall, and North Bay.

YAC Update: Learning from Our Network

Alex Rand and Laura Philipps at INDIE X

by Laura Philipps, Co-Chair, Youth Advisory Committee

The Theatre Ontario Youth Advisory Committee has been learning a lot in April, attending our first conferences as a group and meeting community partners.

On April 8, Co-Chairs Alex Rand and Laura Philipps attended INDIE X at 918 Bathurst Cultural Centre. We had a chance to meet other young artists in an informal setting and participate in workshops about producing, marketing and interdisciplinary collaboration. The keynote address from Marjorie Chan examined how “theatre is hard” and made us all reflect: why do we do it?

INDIE X from the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts

Theatre is a space for expression, collaboration and learning. YAC member Julia Voradek Hunter works with The AMY (Artists Mentoring Youth) Project, a performing arts training program for women and non-binary youth. Their testimonial-style development process provides a space for participants to try out different identities and express themselves. Their workshop production of Almeida (the Glorious) demonstrated just how impactful theatre can be to make young people proud of their place in the world. The AMY Project is a finalist for one of the Toronto Arts Foundation Signature Awards, The Youth for Arts award to be announced May 17.

The Youth Advisory Committee is committed to increasing access to opportunities for youth interested in a career in theatre. Our network of young artists is excited for the future where all of Ontario’s youth can see themselves represented onstage. Our first task is understanding how and why some youth are not getting a chance to share their voices on stage.

Alex and Laura at "Beyond Representation"

We participated in the Modern Times Stage symposium Beyond Representation: Cultural Diversity as Theatrical Practice April 9 - 11. Helping backstage gave us a behind the scenes look at how a conference is organized. It inspired us to think creatively about the format of our event, and highlighted the essential role of a youth voice in cultural conversations. YAC member Davinder Malhi reflects:

The Beyond Representation symposium gave me a greater understanding of what diversity as practice truly means. This symposium dissected the ideas of diversity beyond traditional and stereotypical boundaries, and it challenged the participants by presenting new thoughts and ideas surrounding difference on stage. The active use of discussion through panels and presentations provided a strong foundation for further conversation and theoretical stimulation. This event was a strong launching point for the development of difference on stage, and I truly believe it left all attendees with a stronger understanding of the value and importance of diversity within the art world.

This month we are looking forward to attending Paprika Festival’s The Intersection on May 20. It will be the first youth-focused conference we attend and a chance to meet more of our peers. On the same day, YAC member Norah Paton will represent the Youth Advisory Committee at Theatre Ontario AGM in Ottawa. We hope to see you there!

Members of the Theatre Ontario Youth Advisory Committee

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Theatre Ontario Festival 2017 opens on May 17 in Ottawa—featuring performances, adjudications, playwright readings, workshops, and celebrations of community theatre.
• Answers to your FAQ’s about the business of acting at our Launching Your Career workshop with Rachel Kennedy and guest Karen Knox on May 24 in Toronto. 
• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our Voice Over workshop with Elley-Ray on May 27 in Toronto.
• Summer Theatre Intensive 2017 in partnership with Off the Wall Stratford Artists Alliance, features week-long courses starting August 6 and August 13 for performers, directors, and playwrights. Register by June 23.
• Learn how Google Analytics can help grow your business. Camp Tech’s most popular workshops Intermediate Google Analytics (May 23) and Intro to Google Analytics (Jun 14) can tell you how your audience is finding you, which content is getting viewed most often and help you configure simple goals for your website. Other upcoming workshops at Camp Tech are: Social Media Advanced (May 16); and Social Media Basics (Jun 6). Learn more about Theatre Ontario member discounts at CampTech through our partnership with the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

"Territorial Tales" at Canadian Stage in Toronto

• Deadline for applications for Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Artists in Schools grants is today.
• Canadian Stage invites applications for Territorial Tales, a creative launching pad for young storytellers ages 14-21 in Toronto. The application deadline is May 12.
• Deadline for applications to direct at NAGs Players community theatre is May 15.
• Convergence Theatre and Outside the March are auditioning on May 15 for “The Passionate Players Program”, an opportunity for non-professional actors to work with their professional artists and receiving training in voice, movement, character work, and script analysis. The program runs July 3 to 16.
• Deadline for nominations for Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Awards is May 16.
• Deadline for applications to participate in Young People’s Theatre’s In the Moment: An Intergenerational Training Opportunity for Emerging and Experienced Actors is May 19.

New on The Bulletin Board

• ArtsBuild Ontario is hosting “Using Data to Find your Renter Audience” free webinar on May 31.

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

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

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