Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• For World Theatre Day last Monday, our Youth Advisory Committee celebrated the day by inviting conversation on three ideas: “Youth voices are essential because…”, “The biggest challenge for young artists is…”, “We support our young artists by…”  We have shared some of the tweets in Twitter Moments, and the youth of The Grand Theatre in London even made a video.
• Torquil Campbell sent out a series of World Theatre Day tweets “discouraging a career in theatre whatsoever… until it banishes unions, stops charging outrageous prices, and starts changing its arcane culture.”  Joshua Hind responded observing “If theatre has a problem, it’s definitely not that some people are paid too well.”
• Is our problem in Ontario that we’ve spent too little time articulating any of the benefits of the arts? Jini Stolk examines the question in “The scope of our impact” on the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Creative Trust Research Fellowship site.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The National Arts Centre has announced how their National Creation Fund will invest $3 million a year in 15 to 20 compelling and ambitious new Canadian works in theatre, dance and music—works that have strong artistic teams and strong producing partners, and that are likely to have national and international impact.
• Kelly Nestruck’s Canadian Theatre Opening Night Directory is accepting submissions of professional productions through to August 2018.  He uses it “to plan his Ontario reviewing schedule, but also for trips elsewhere and recommending freelance.”

In Case You Missed It

• Browsing Our Bulletin Board featuring opportunities across the province including free recorder webinars (grant writing), workshops (foundations of indie producing, director/dramaturge collaborations, propelling your professional career forward) and community theatreo pportunities for producers, directors, and designers. 
• ONstage Openings this week in Toronto, Owen Sound, Cobourg, Ottawa, Belleville, Brampton, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Markham, Sarnia, and Woodstock—with many more shows now playing in communities across Ontario.