ONstage Openings for the week of November 27

ONstage Now Playing in Central Ontario
The Drawer Boy at Huronia Players (Midland)

This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages

In Toronto

Nov. 28, Instant at Young People's Theatre

Nov. 28, Moll at Randolph College for the Performing Arts

Nov. 29, Munsch on the Moon at George Brown Theatre School

Nov. 30, Heisenberg at Canadian Stage [with previews from Nov. 28]

Dec. 1, It's a Wonderful Life at Scarborough Players

Dec. 1, Scenes from the City at Bad Dog Theatre Company

Dec. 2, 7th Cousins at Nightwood Theatre

In Central Ontario

Nov. 30, That December Show - Cinder Ella, Eh! at South Simcoe Theatre (Cookstown)

Dec. 1, The Last Christmas Turkey at Theatre Orangeville [with a preview on Nov. 30]

Dec. 1, Bob's Your Elf at Northumberland Players (Cobourg)

Dec. 2, How to Eat Like a Child and Other Lessons in Not Being a Grown-Up at Northumberland Players (Cobourg)

In Eastern Ontario

Nov. 29, Peter Pan and Wendy at Ottawa Little Theatre

Nov. 30, Blind Date at Great Canadian Theatre Company (Ottawa) [with previews from Nov. 28]

Nov. 30, Noises Off at Belleville Theatre Guild [with a preview on Nov. 28]

Nov. 30, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Domino Theatre (Kingston)

Nov. 30, A Christmas Story at Studio Theatre Perth

Dec. 2, Mistletoe Magic at Upper Canada Playhouse (Morrisburg) [with a preview on Dec. 1]

In South Central Ontario

Nov. 30, The Game's Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays at Theatre Aurora

In Southwestern Ontario

Dec. 1, A Christmas Carol at The Grand Theatre (London) [with previews from Nov. 28]

ONstage Now Playing in Southwestern Ontario
The Giant's Garden at Kincardine Theatre Guild

Dec. 1, Honk! at Drayton Entertainment: St. Jacobs Country Playhouse [with previews from Nov. 29]

Dec. 1, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Theatre Aquarius (Hamilton) [with previews from Nov. 29]

Dec. 1, Anne of Green Gables at London Community Players [with a preview on Nov. 30]

Dec. 1, A Christmas Carol at Elora Community Theatre (Fergus)

ICYMI: Check out last week’s openings

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

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Upcoming opportunities for theatre artists from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Be the voice of youth in theatre today – apply to join our 2018 Youth Advisory Committee. The application deadline is November 24.

  

  Theatre Ontario's 2017 Youth Advisory Committee

• Are stress and anxiety sabotaging your career? Join us at our “Act Bravely: Practical Strategies to Conquer Stage Fright” workshop with Jorie Morrow on November 27 in Toronto.
• Learn different approaches to getting your play produced at our “Playwright’s Guide to Getting Produced” workshop with David S. Craig on November 28 in Toronto.
• Need help developing your long-term career goals? Join us at our “Propel Your Professional Career Forward” workshop with Vera N. Held on December 4 in Toronto.
• Preparing an OAC application? Get the inside scoop at our “Grant Writing Information Session” free pre-recorded webinar with Pat Bradley of the Ontario Arts Council available on December 4.
• Do you have a musical theatre or play property that you would like to produce commercially? Join us at our “Making Your Pitch: Selling Your Idea to a Producer” workshop with Aubrey Dan, Frank Scardino, and Peter Lamb on December 12 in Toronto, and the deadline to apply is December 6.
• Thinking of producing a show or starting a theatre company? Join us at our “Ready, Set, Show! Foundations of Indie Producing” workshop with Rachel Kennedy and special guest Deanna Choi on December 13 in Toronto.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Obsidian Theatre Company in Toronto is hosting Darktown – a new community event initiative for young-in-craft and professional Black theatre artists – on November 27.
• Deadline to apply for Carousel Players’ Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is November 30.
• Deadline for submissions for South Simcoe Theatre’s “Four Play: A Showcase of Play Readings” is November 30.
• Deadline to apply for Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is December 1.
• Deadline to apply for Buddies in Bad Times’ Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grant for Theatre Creators is December 1.

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

Celebrating Legendary Commitment to Community Theatre

Our Michael Spence Award recognizes outstanding contribution, generosity of spirit, involvement, and legendary commitment to community theatre in a region. The award is presented annually within the region that is hosting the Theatre Ontario Festival.

In 2018, the award will be presented to someone in the Western Ontario region of Ontario community theatre. The deadline for nominations to be received by Theatre Ontario is January 31.

We caught up with two past recipients of the Michael Spence Award from the Western Ontario Drama League region to find out how they are continuing to contribute to theatre in their community and region.

Bev Dietrich (Elmira) was awarded the Michael Spence Award in 2014

Bev Dietrich

Has it been four years already? It just seems like yesterday that I received that phone call from Brandon and expressed to him my total disbelief in a few choice words. Four years later I can truly say that it is still an honour!

Theatre is still a big part of my life. In the past two years I have moved on up and now sit on the Board for both my home theatre and with the Western Ontario Drama League.  At WODL I serve as Area Vice President for Waterloo Region and Wellington County. I represent five different community theatre groups. My duties include introducing the travelling adjudicator, sitting in on the adjudications, and reporting on the group’s activities to the WODL board.

At Elmira Theatre Company (ETC), I sit on the executive as the VP of Productions. All things “production” fall under my umbrella which include the play reading committee and chairing the technical production committee. I recently worked with a standing committee re-writing our theatre by-laws that were passed at our AGM in September. Over the summer I re-organized the theatre archives (10 banker boxes in total) and helped with our prop storage re-organization. I am also our membership chairperson, so I keep track of the membership forms, who paid and hasn’t and of course “the active membership list.” Two years ago I wrote an article “The Show Must Go On: The History of Elmira Theatre Company” which was published in the Waterloo Historical Society Volume 102.

I’m producing our in-festival production of On a First Name Basis by Norm Foster in 2018 as well as our spring production of Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. We are going to do this production in the round, which is exciting and a first for our theatre company.

This past year I retired from my day job and have found time for activities that don’t relate to theatre but at the same time I even have more time for theatre now!

Lawrie Bonanno (Burlington) was awarded the Michael Spence Award in 2012

Lawrie Bonanno

I am acting as Vice President of Theatre Burlington this year. I continue as business administrator for Theatre Burlington—dealing with the city as the Drama Centre is a city-owned building—looking after any problems that might crop up, overseeing purchases, organizing cleaners and general purchases that are required to keep everyone happy (like providing tea and coffee!) Last year we installed a whole new updated lighting system in the Drama Centre with the aid of an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant.

I looks after the awards for Burlington. I also make and supply all the awards that are given out at the Western Ontario Drama League (WODL) Festival each year. I am also Chair of the Life Memberships for both Burlington and WODL.

Learn more about Theatre Ontario’s Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre

ONstage Openings for the week of November 20

ONstage Now Playing in Toronto
Quiet Courage at Amicus Productions
Photo by Dave Fitzpatrick

This week’s openings on Ontario’s stages

In Southwestern Ontario

Nov. 23, It's Morning Now at Players' Guild of Hamilton

Nov. 23, Once Upon a Mattress at Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre

Nov. 24, Beauty and the Beast at Drayton Entertainment: Dunfield Theatre Cambridge [with previews from Nov. 22]

Nov. 24, Bob's Your Elf at Cambridge Community Players

Nov. 24, A Dickens of a Christmas at Theatre Woodstock
Nov. 24, Saving Sleeping Beauty at Guelph Little Theatre

Nov. 25, A Christmas Carol at Shaw Festival (Niagara-on-the-Lake) [currently in previews]

In Toronto

Nov. 21, Cake at Theatre Passe Muraille [currently in previews]

Nov. 23, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Sweater at The Second City [with previews from Nov. 20]

Nov. 23, Born Yesterday at Stage Centre Productions

ONstage Now Playing in Toronto
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
at Hart House Theatre
(Front) Vanessa Campbell, Amy Swift, Kevin Forster
(Back) John Wamsley, Erin Humphry, Braelyn Guppy, Hugh Ritchie
Photo by Scott Gorman

Nov. 23, Pygmalion at Alexander Showcase Theatre

Nov. 25, Unholy from Nightwood Theatre at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre [with previews from Nov. 23]

In Eastern Ontario

Nov. 23, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Bottle Tree Productions (Kingston)

In Northeastern Ontario

Nov. 22, 1837: The Farmers' Revolt at Gateway Theatre Guild (North Bay)
Nov. 24, It's a Wonderful Life at Take Two Theatre (Timmins)

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

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

• Our Youuth Advisory Committee hosted an application info session on Facebook on Sunday.
• Congratulations to the Professional Theatre Training Program grant recipients for Fall 2017.
• Ontario Summer Theatre has had a busy fall with their general auditions and the annual meeting.
• ONstage Openings this week in Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Burlington, London, Harriston, Embro, Hillsburgh, Toronto, Kincardine, Port Hope, Midland, Brockville, Ottawa, and Sudbury.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, grant deadlines, volunteer opportunities, and more.

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