Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Dan Watson (a past recipient of our Professional Theatre Training Program grant) writes for #CdnTimes on the SpiderWebShow about making stages accessible—not just at a physical level but at a process level.
• With Come from Away about to open in Toronto on its way to Broadway, Trevor Patt (one of the original cast members from Sheridan College in Oakville) shares his experience with the production.
• A new video is out from the Ontario Arts Council on the importance of Indigenous arts protocols.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

The Franco Boni Theatre at The Theatre Centre
Photo by Dahlia Katz

• The Theatre Centre in Toronto completed its $6.2 million capital campaign, including a gift that sees their mainspace theatre named after Artistic Director Franco Boni.
• Do you work with temporary stages? Janet Sellery from Sellery Health and Safety reports on proposed changes to the Building Code by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
• Acting Up Stage Company’s One Song Glory showcase (funded by our Youth Theatre Training Program) is coming up on November 20 in Toronto.
• The Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa has launched The Hive, a new mentorship initiative for high school and university students focusing on the behind-the-scenes of theatre production.
• The Grand Theatre in London has launched their new New Play Development Program—COMPASS.
• The Ontario Nonprofit Network invites charities to support Imagine Canada’s call to action, telling the Federal Government to amend the Income Tax Act to focus on charitable purposes, not activities.

Migrations

• Brett Christopher is the new General Manager of Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque. (PDF)

TO Toasts

• ... to the winners and honourable mentions at the Eastern Ontario Drama League One-Act Play Festival in Perth, including hosts Studio Theatre Productions who won the Outstanding Production award. (Full Festival awards results will be coming soon from EODL.)
• ... to the award winners for the 2015-16 Capital Critics Circle Awards.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program, featuring training in directing and artistic direction.
• Meet some of the past recipients of our Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre: Arlene Watson of Ottawa, Beth McMaster of Peterborough, and Margaret Shearman of Merrickville.
• Stories from our Youth Theatre Training Program, featuring “Touching Ground: Building Up” at Jumblies Theatre.
• ONstage Openings in Markham, Oshawa, Richmond Hill, Kitchener, Goderich, Niagara Falls, Sarnia, Hamilton, Harriston, Burlington, Embro, Toronto, Kincardine, Cobourg, Barrie, Lindsay, and Ottawa.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board featuring the call for our Youth Advisory Committee, acting and producing workshops, and the call for proposals for our Summer Theatre Intensive.

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