Announcing our Theatre Ontario 2010 Summer Courses

We're thrilled to announce the line-up of summer courses for our 2010 Summer Theatre Intensive.

It features a returning favourite course (Make 'Em Laugh: Comedy Performance Skills For Actors with Heather Dick) and a returning favourite instructor (John P. Kelly will be teaching our introduction to directing course, which he's calling "Who's The Boss Here Anyway?")  This year, our popular advanced scene study course will be lead by the renowned Shaw Festival Artistic Director Emeritus Christopher Newton.  And we're unveiling a new Advanced Directing course that we call "Directors Symposium" featuring five professional directors.  Read all about the Summer Theatre Intensive on the Theatre Ontario website.

Space Still Remaining In Tax Workshop on March 3

We still have some spaces available in our March 3 workshop on "Taxes For Theatre Artists."  This workshop is focused on the needs of individual artists during this tax season.  Read about the workshop on the Theatre Ontario website.

Self-Start Scheduled For March 24

Our next "Self-Start: The Basics Of Producing" workshop has been scheduled for March 24 at 2pm.  If you want to do a show but have never produced before, and if you want to know what questions to ask first, this session is for you! Self-Start is a practical seminar facilitated by Tim Chapman, Professional Theatre Coordinator.  Read about the workshop on the Theatre Ontario website.

The Bulletin Board

New this week...

Canadian Stage Company (Toronto) is inviting applications for the 2010 Festival of Ideas and Creation.  Focus this year is adaptation and translation.  Deadline is March 5.

Ottawa Little Theatre is holding a costume design workshop with Julia Tribe, focusing on period design, on March 27 and 28.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival is holding a directing workshop with Lee Wilson for novice and experienced amateur directors on March 28.

Bancroft Village Playhouse is planning to begin a summer theatre program in 2011, and is looking for expressions of interest.

Playwrights Guild of Canada is holding a Post-Secondary Playwriting Competition.  Deadline for submissions is April 1.

Upcoming this week...

Puppetmongers Theatre (Toronto) hosting a workshop on Halogen Shadow Exploration on February 27 to 28.

Scarborough Theatre Guild (Toronto) deadline for call for directors is February 28.

Visit The Bulletin Board on the Theatre Ontario website.

Helping to Subsidize Training For Youth

In every class that Judy Silver taught, there was always at least one deserving youth scholar who - not being able to afford the tuition - was invited to "come anyway."  That's the spirit behind Theatre Ontario's Judy Silver Scholarship Fund.

Created in 1998, the Judy Silver Scholarship Fund was established in her memory by her friends and colleagues in order to support young people who wish to attend the Theatre Ontario Youth Courses.  In 2010, students who wish to attend our Youth Scene Study Program in Toronto or Ottawa can apply for a scholarship from the fund.

For information on how to apply, or how to donate to the program, please visit the Judy Silver Scholarship Fund page on the Theatre Ontario website.

Recommended Reading

Mark Leiren-Young's piece on the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and the B.C. arts evicerations has been circulating.  If you haven't read it yet, you should.

John M. Morrison of the Guardian shares an approach to an audience talkback that was more of a workshop than a Q&A...a particularly fascinating way to engage with your audience at a level beyond "How do the actors remember all those lines?"

Andrew Taylor writes about a Seattle theatre's membership model for selling tickets...a structure akin to Netflix.

Script Assessment for New and Emerging Playwrights

Theatre Ontario is introducing a new Script Assessment service to assist new and emerging playwrights in the development of their skills and art. Theatre Ontario arranges for any playscript to receive an honest and qualified assessment with constructive feedback from an established professional playwright.

For more information about the service, and how to apply, please visit the Theatre Ontario website.

Weekend Retreat Training Opportunity For Community Theatres

Theatre Ontario has been working on creating new formats for technical courses for community theatres.  These types of courses are frequently requested, but we have often been unable to offer them during our Summer Courses in a way that is economically feasible.

Therefore, we are offering two courses in a new format to community theatres in an attempt to address your needs in a more effective way--our Weekend Retreat workshops.

The Bulletin Board

The Bulletin Board is a place where the public can gather to check notices posted by our theatre members.

New this week...Workshop on Halogen Shadow Exploration at Puppetmongers Theatre in Toronto.

Coming up this week...Voice And Speech Workshop at Ottawa Little Theatre, Voice And Movement Workshop at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

Visit The Bulletin Board on the Theatre Ontario website.

Recommended Reading

Responses to J. Kelly Nestruck's Globe article contrasting Toronto and Chicago as world-class performing arts cities from Michael Wheeler and Amanda Campbell

Mark Fisher in the Guardian looks at the National Theatre of Scotland and wonders if there is a minimum standard for something to be called "theatre"

Nancy Kenny encounters an interesting obstacle in her playwriting: how do you name your characters?

And for anyone thinking about our Professional Theatre Training Program, some reflections on mentorship by ahdri zhina mandiela.

The Bulletin Board

Like in the early days of the Theatre Ontario office, The Bulletin Board is a place where the public can gather to check notices posted by our theatre members. It's still a work-in-progress.

New this week...Voice and Movement Intensive for Theatre Professionals at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival; a Call For Directors at Scarborough Theatre Guild in Toronto; and Busting Out! - theatre training for girls aged 12 to 16 at Nightwood Theatre in Toronto.

Visit The Bulletin Board on the Theatre Ontario website.

Stage Management Training For Community Theatres

We are pleased to announce a second course as part of our Weekend Retreat in Orillia on May 7 to May 9.  "Leader Of The Pack: Stage Management For Community Theatres" brings the high calibre of Winston Morgan and Janelle Rainville's "S.M. The Arts" training for professionals to a community theatre setting.

Read all about the course on the Theatre Ontario website.

Recommended Reading

First, here's Kelly Nestruck's piece from Saturday's Globe and Mail contrasting the theatre scenes in Chicago and Toronto.  (Featuring a cameo appearance by Spaced...Out?, our 2001 study on the needs of small and mid-sized performing and visual arts organizations in Ontario.)

Kris Joseph takes readers through the tricky process of integrating film and theatre for promotional purposes and the hurdles theirin.  Fascinating reading.

Chris Wilkinson of the Guardian wonders if audiences are just too old and whether or not it matters.

And thanks to Obsidian Theatre for pointing me to Ben Brantley's observation that performers are too old too.

The Bulletin Board

Like in the early days of the Theatre Ontario office, The Bulletin Board is a place where the public can gather to check notices posted by our theatre members. It's still a work-in-progress.

For information on show listings, studios and trainers, and audition notices, visit the Theatre Ontario website.

Call For Applications For The Youth Theatre Training Program

Theatre Ontario is now inviting applications for the March 15, 2010 deadline for the Youth Theatre Training Program (YTTP), funded by the Ontario Arts Council.

The YTTP provides training dollars to fund accessible theatre programs involving youth aged 14 to 21. YTTP assists Ontario organizations that wish to undertake projects providing training to youth in various theatrical skills and disciplines, lead by professional theatre artists.

Read all about the Youth Theatre Training Program on the Theatre Ontario website, the most recent training activities funded by this program, and some testimonials about past programs.

Announcing an Anthology of Community Theatre Plays

Theatre Ontario is pleased to partner with Playwrights Canada Press to publish an anthology of plays that have premiered at Ontario's community theatres, and written by Ontario playwrights.  The anthology will be launched at the 2011 Theatre Ontario Festival.

The submission deadline is March 31.  Read the detailed submission guidelines (on the Theatre Ontario website.)

Nominate an Ontario Theatre Leader for 2010 Maggie Bassett Award

Theatre Ontario is now inviting nominations for the 2010 Maggie Bassett Award.  This award is presented for a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in Ontario.

The four main criteria for the award are:

• A significant contribution – the recipient's impact is measurable provincially (or beyond);
• A sustained contribution – the recipient should have a proven body of work and/or have made a continuous effort over a period of years (more than five);
• An unselfish contribution – recipient's history should encompass work and activity both paid and voluntary;
• Involvement – recipient should have been involved in more than one area of theatre (professional, community, educational.)

For more information on the award criteria, past recipients, nomination deadline and procedures, please visit the Maggie Bassett Award page (on the Theatre Ontario website.)

Recommended Reading

Christine Horne interviews Susan Coyne.  Susan had the challenging role of replacing Christine after Christine fired herself.  It all makes a lot of sense, really.

Michael Wheeler writes about a (now past) workshop on approaching public funding bodies, but it's Brendan Gall's comment that has particular resonance for me.

Linda Holmes of NPR pointed me to an article from the Orange County Register.  The arts have somehow marooned themselves on an island surrounded by perceptions of elitism, classism and intellectual snobbery.

Theresa Rebeck comments on the decline of new American playwriting because of Broadway being beholden to "star-driven revivals."  Rather the opposite problem we have here where in Canada, where we are focused so much on new play development, that the Canadian canon often gets neglected.