Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• The latest of edition of Graham Isador’s “What I Wish I’d Known” series in Intermission features Augusto Bitter—one of our mentors from our 2018 Youth Advisory Committee’s Emergence 2.0—and reflections on "the delicious challenge of a single performer transforming and holding an audience’s attention.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts celebrated their 10th birthday. We look forward to returning to the RHCPA for Theatre Ontario Festival from May 15 to 19.
• Great Canadian Theatre Company and SpiderWebShow Performance are celebrating World Theatre Day on March 27 with a livestreaming performance of Behavior by Darrah Teitel on HowlRound TV.
• The latest addition to Respectful Workplaces in the Arts from the Cultural Human Resources Council is a guide for “Reporting and Investigating Mechanisms.”

In Case You Missed It

• Introducing our new workshop for Adjudicators, “The Adjudicator’s Voice.”
• ONstage Openings this week in Oakville, Cambridge, Toronto, Cookstown, Kingston and Ottawa.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's Long Table

• Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is hosting a Long Table in Toronto on March 4 on “Free Speech and Accountability.” The provocation for the table will be: “Within our diverse, evolving and intergenerational queer and artistic communities, how do we engage with the tension between freedom of speech and accountability, dissent and respect?”
• “So let’s stop the “talk” about more representation on our stages and in our industry and let’s just do it.” – from Akosua Amo-Adem in Intermission, in rehearsal for School Girls; Or The African Mean Girls Play opening in Toronto.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The line-up for the Western Ontario Drama League Festival in celebration of community theatre in southwestern Ontario has been announced.
• WODL Festival hosts Guelph Little Theatre were awarded an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant in support of upgrading their main stage and lighting system.
• Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto announced their 2019 Summer/Fall season. 

Migrations

• Marjorie Chan is leaving as Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre in Toronto.
• Clayton Lee is the new Rhubarb Festival Director at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto.
• David Abel is the new Managing Director of the National Arts Centre—English Theatre in Ottawa.
• Franco Boni is leaving The Theatre Centre in Toronto to become Artistic and Executive Director of PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program in production management, directing, and projection design.
• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program in administration, lighting design, and artistic direction.
• ONstage Openings this week in Aurora, Toronto, Ottawa, Milford, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, courses, grant deadlines, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Adam Paolazza. (Photo by Graham Isador from Intermission)

• Intermission’s latest “What I Wish I’d Known” by Graham Isador profiles Adam Paolozza—about to open Paolozzapedia at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto—sharing the advice he’d give the younger version of himself.
• Diane Ragsdale explores the value of “artistic leader discretionary funds” to support a new diverse generation of leaders.
• Scott Harman examines “consent, power, and trauma in the acting classroom” on HowlRound.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The lineup for QUONTA Festival 2019 in Sault Ste. Marie – celebrating community theatre in northeastern Ontario – has been announced on the Festival’s Facebook page.

Migrations

• Andrea Donaldson is the new Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre.
• Sara Meurling is stepping down as Executive Director of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT).

TO Toasts

• ... to long-time Theatre Ontario Talent Bank adjudicator and theatre instructor Ron Cameron-Lewis and his husband Lloyd – how their 50 years together was recognized by the Canadian government (as reported by Rachel Levy-McLaughlin in Xtra.)

In Case You Missed It

• ONstage Openings for the next two weeks in Ottawa, North Bay, Whitby, Markham, Aylmer, Tillsonburg, London, Fergus, Woodstock, Niagara, Toronto, Barrie, Midland, Orangeville, and Kincardine.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, grant deadlines, calls for submission, community events, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• In the new Intermission series “What I Wish I’d Known”, Graham Isador asks theatre artists what advice they’d give younger versions of themselves. The question is a jumping off point for larger conversations about the artist’s work. The first article featured Michael Healey and the question “If you could tell the theatre school version of yourself the success you’d go on to have in the industry how do you think they’d react?”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Kempenfelt Community Players in Barrie announced their 19/20 season (FB post).
• Beginning in Winter 2020, The Musical Stage Company will take up residency for one production each year at the historic Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto.
• The cast of Owen Sound Little Theatre’s production of Shorthanded had the opportunity to perform the national anthem before an Ontario Hockey League game between the Owen Sound Attack and the Kitchener Rangers (FB video).
• The Professional Association of Canadian Theatre shared some tips for “Resolving Employee Conflict” for theatre managers.

Migrations

• Sherrie Johnson is the new Executive Director of Crow’s Theatre in Toronto.

TO Toasts

Calithumpian Theatre Company's production of Hir by Taylor Mac
Ingrid Blekys, Zoe Bernard, Rob Deman, Deighton Thomas
Photo by Jackie Noble

• ... to the winners of the Brickenden Awards, including London Community Players and Calithumpian Theatre. The awards honour independent and community theatre in London.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from Next Generation Showcase: Andrew Pritchard of Canadore College describes his “weekend to remember.”
• ONstage Openings this week in Owen Sound, Belleville, Ottawa, Oshawa, Sarnia, Waterloo, Hamilton, London, Elmira, Burlington, and Toronto.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, courses, grant deadlines, calls for submission, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Kim Liao wrote for LitHub about how she sets “rejection goals” as writer, proposing that you should aim for “100 rejections a year.”

Soulpepper Theatre's production of Rose
Sabryn Rock, Hailey Gillis, Raquel Duffy, and Rose Ensemble
Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• With Rose opening this week at Soulpepper Theatre, Robert Cushman profiled the show’s composer / musical director / co-librettist and “prime mover” Mike Ross for Intermission’s Spotlight series.

Migrations

• Jennifer Tarver is leaving as Artistic Director of Necessary Angel Theatre.

TO Toasts

• ... to the recipients of Ontario Arts Council Recommender Grants from Cahoots Theatre.

In Case You Missed It

• Celebrating Emerging Storytellers at our 25th Next Generation Showcase.
• Meet our Youth Advisory Committee for 2019.
• ONstage Openings this week in Toronto, Orangeville, Ottawa, Aurora, Oakville, Richmond Hill, Guelph, and London.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, calls for submission, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Bernadette Hardaker, General Manager of Theatre Orangeville, shared on the PACT blog how they made the arts an election issue in last year’s provincial and municipal elections as we look ahead to this year’s federal election.
• Videos from the livestream of the 2018 SPARC Symposium (Supporting Performing Arts in Rural Communities) held in Cobalt are now available on their YouTube channel.
• Emma Stenning (new Executive Director of Soulpepper) and Naomi Campbell (new Artistic Director of Luminato) had a conversation on HowlRound as part of the series on transitions in theatre leadership – “We Can’t Work in Isolation.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

Nightwood Theatre's production of Grace by Jane Doe
Rose Napoli and Michaela Washburn. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

• Jane Doe wrote for Intermission Magazine about the process of writing Grace (now on stage from Nightwood Theatre) and the experience of processing trauma.
• Orpheus Musical Theatre Society in Ottawa announced their 2019/2020 season.
• “Do you work during the wintertime?” The staff of Blyth Festival answered this question from their community.
• Submissions are now open for the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s 2019 Tom Hendry Awards.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program, featuring training projects in administration and managing direction, artistic producing, lighting design, general management, and dramaturgy.
• We’re inviting applications to our Professional Theatre Training Program and Youth Theatre Training Program for the March 1 deadline. Note that we are implementing new deadlines for these programs throughout 2019 and 2020, and have changed our applicant eligibility requirements.
• ONstage Openings this week in Toronto, Cobourg, Peterborough, Kingston, Perth, and Oshawa.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, calls for nominations, and more.

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

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is leading action to ask the Government of Ontario to reverse the cancellation of a promised $15 million disbursement to the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). The OTF has been a significant supporter for strengthening Ontario’s communities—including the activities of many arts organizations. You can learn more on the ONN’s “Take Action” page.
• Jenna Warriner—who will be leading our upcoming workshops on “Social Media for Producers” (January 21) and “Social Media for Actors—Instagram and Twitter” (February 27)—wrote a guide for actors about dealing with trolls for ACTRA Toronto’s “Performers Online” site.
• As always, the “Most Popular Articles of the Year” round-up from Intermission is always an opportunity to catch-up on good conversations you may have missed.
• A fascinating story out of the U.S. via #2amt: How an Austin, Texas playwright’s final play “might have died with him, but a community joined together to ensure its survival.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• As part of their audience engagement for their upcoming production of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls, the Alumnae Theatre Company has been introducing their audience to the characters who appear in the opening scene of the play. (From that link you can scroll backwards through their entire series.)

Migrations

• Susan Ferley in the new Artistic Director and Mike Forrester is the new Managing Director of the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.
• Catriona Leger is leaving as Artistic Director of A Company of Fools in Ottawa.

In Case You Missed It

• Welcome to our Next Generation Showcase 2019 Panels.
• ONstage Openings this week in Toronto, Orangeville, and Ottawa.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

Theatre Passe Muraille's Artistic Director search
includes community input as part of the process.

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto is inviting community input as part of their Artistic Director search.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto introduced their 2019 Emerging Creators Unit, partnering with b current performing arts.
• CTV London profiled Blyth Festival’s upcoming 2019 production about the story of St. Thomas’s Jumbo the Elephant (autoplay video).

Migrations

• Monica Esteves is the new Executive Director of Canadian Stage (PDF). 

In Case You Missed It

• Welcome to Costin Manu, our new Executive Director of Theatre Ontario.
• Welcome to RH Thomson as Theatre Ontario Festival 2019 Honorary Chair.
• Congratulations to the Fall 2018 Youth Theatre Training Program grant recipients.
• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program featuring projects in directing.
• ONstage Openings this week in Toronto, Peterborough, and Cobourg.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including calls for submission, prizes, grant deadlines, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• The federal government is permanently lifting the cap on the Endowment Incentives component of the Canadian Cultural Investment Fund. Shelley Stevenson from the Stratford Festival wrote on the PACT blog about the multi-pronged approach to advocacy in this area.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Gateway Theatre Guild in North Bay is supporting the development of arts in their community through a development bursary towards participation in the city’s ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival.
• The Musical Stage Company announced LAUNCH PAD, a new program that makes a strategic investment in Canadian musical theatre writers and collaborators, offering a 10-month residency for musical theatre composers, lyricists and book-writers to navigate a full developmental process.
• Theatre on the Ridge in Port Perry announced their 2019 summer season.
• Actor Douglas Rain, one of the pioneers of the Stratford Festival, died at 90.

TO Toasts

• ... to Sandra Houston, former Theatre Ontario Board Member, who was honoured with the 2018 Community Recognition Award for Performing Arts from the city of Sault Ste. Marie.
• ... to the award recipients and honourable mentions at the Eastern Ontario Drama League One-Act Play Festival. We’ll share the full list when it is available from EODL.

In Case You Missed It

• Deanna Galati reflects on our Youth Advisory Committee’s work in 2018, including Emergence 2.0.
• Congratulations to our Fall 2018 Professional Theatre Training Program grant recipients.
• ONstage Openings this week in London, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto, Port Hope, Cookstown, Midland, Ottawa, Perth, Markham, Richmond Hill, Burlington and touring.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops 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.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Closing a theatre company – Scott Artley wrote on HowlRound about “The Final Act—Sunsetting a Nonprofit Arts Organization” and the decision to shutdown.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Got Your Back Canada, the grassroots alliance of artists committed to making safe places for creation in the entertainment industry, is conducting an “Actor Training Experience Survey” for anyone who has taken actor training in Canada at any time. There is also a questionnaire for instructors. 

TO Toasts

Playwrights Guild of Canada's Tom Hendry Awards

• ... to Jordan Tannahill and Playwrights Canada Press, recipients of the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama—English.
• ... to the recipients of Playwrights Guild of Canada’s 2018 Tom Hendry Awards, including Matthew Mackenzie who was awarded the Carol Bolt Award for best work premiered in the past year, and Damien Atkins (our Theatre Ontario Festival Playwright-in-Person in 2015) who won the Stage West Comedy Award.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program – Featuring training projects in directing, artistic producing, dramaturgy, and artistic direction.
• Stories from Ontario Summer Theatre – Raeburn Ferguson finished her first week at Theatre Ontario at the Ontario Summer Theatre Annual General Meeting for professional development and strengthening connections.
• ONstage Openings this week in Oshawa, Tillsonburg, St. Marys, London, Elmira, Toronto, Ottawa, and North Bay.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, grant deadlines, playwright calls for submission, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

The Musical Stage Company's production
of Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life.
Photo by Dahlia Katz

Conversation Starters

• Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Women’s Caucus introduced the inaugural release of The SureFire List, a community-generated resource of shows by women or trans-femmes.
• As part of HowlRound’s series on “Leadership in Transition”, May Antaki spoke with Brendan Healy, the new Artistic Director of Canadian Stage.
• Designing an Immersive Musical – Nick Blais shared his experience being part of the design team for The Musical Stage Company’s production of Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Four new 2019 Ontario Summer Theatre season announcements from The Foster Festival in St. Catharines, Blyth Festival, Port Stanley Festival Theatre, and the Gravenhurst Opera House.
• The Ontario Arts Council has released “The status of women in the Canadian arts and cultural industries: Research review 2010-2018”, synthesizing existing research on the status of women in the arts in Ontario and Canada.

Migrations

• Lisa Marie DiLiberto is the new Artistic Producer of Theatre Direct in Toronto.

TO Toasts

• ... to former Board and Staff member Barry Freeman who was one of the recipients of a Nathan Cohen Award for excellence in critical writing from the Canadian Theatre Critics Association. While celebrating the accomplishment, the University of Toronto Press has made Barry's Canadian Theatre Review article available for free.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Summer Theatre Intensive: Cassel Miles was learning to love again at Learning to Love Your Monologue.
• ONstage Openings this week in Sault Ste. Marie, Aurora, Beaverton, Richmond Hill, Waterloo, Sarnia, London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Sudbury.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, and more.

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

Ontario Off Stage

Raeburn Ferguson

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

• We regret to announce that Rachel Kennedy is leaving as Professional Theatre and Education Manager, but we are excited to welcome Raeburn Ferguson who will be joining our staff.

Conversation Starters

• Alicia Richardson—Driftwood Theatre’s Playwright in Residence—reflects on how she “kills her inner critic.”
• The Ontario Nonprofit Network has released a report “Women’s Voices—Stories about Working in Ontario’s Nonprofit Sector” based on the stories of 730 women sharing with what it was like to work in Ontario's nonprofit sector and provided recommendations for change.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Orpheus Musical Theatre’s production of The Last Five Years lost several performances due to the long power outages many in Ottawa suffered following the tornado on September 21. Thanks to the Gladstone who graciously offered their space, the production will go on three more times.

Migrations

• Weyni Mengesha is the new Artistic Director of Soulpepper in Toronto.
• Jack Brezina is stepping down as President of Highlands Summer Festival in Haliburton. 

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from Our Summer Theatre Intensive—“Plot—It Builds Character” from Jackie Mahoney.
• ONstage Openings this week in Belleville, Perth, Morrisburg, Smiths Falls, Constance Bay, Guelph, London, Cambridge, Woodstock, Toronto, and Orangeville; and next week in Ottawa, Kingston, Milford, Mississauga, Toronto, Millbrook, Cobourg, and Port Hope.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, grant deadlines, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

Mikaela Davies and Elissa Horscroft in conversation with
Keira Loughran at foldA from the Stratford Festival.
Photo by Michael Wheeler
Image from spiderwebshow.ca

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• SpiderWebShow has completes its series from the conversations at their inaugural Festival of Digital Art (foldA)—exploring possible futures for our practice.
• Respectful Workplaces in the Arts, the anti-harassment project from the Cultural Human Resources Council, has a new online home.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The Western Ontario Drama League’s Pre-Festival Adjudication Schedule for the Fall and Winter has been published on their website.
• The Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario has also announced their ACT-CO Festival adjudication schedule for 2018/19.

Migrations

• Kelly Thornton is leaving as Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre in Toronto to become Artistic Director of Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba (FB post, with a warning to hockey fans of a potentially disturbing image...)

TO Toasts

• ... to the 2018 Tom Hendry Awards Short Lists from Playwrights Guild of Canada.
• ... to the finalists for the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for English Drama.
• ... and to the shortlist for the Siminovitch Prize, honouring designers.

In Case You Missed It

• Meet our Youth Advisory Committee’s mentors for Emergence 2.0.
• Stories from the Professional Theatre Training Program, features projects in directing, writing and producing, and artistic direction.
• ONstage Openings this week in Oshawa, Drayton, Aylmer, St. Jacobs, and Toronto.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, webinars, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Gertrude and Alice at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto

• When Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto decided to bring Gertrude and Alice back to the stage, they decided to take advantage of “the rare and wonderful opportunity to continue the creative process, rather than simply reproduce what had been done the last time.”
• “Performing and Parenting” was a great series that ran in Intermission back in 2016—having seen more than one conversation on the topic pop-up recently on social media (stimulated by a recent article on HowlRound), I thought it would worthwhile to share it again.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The Ontario Arts Council has issued new policies on alternative services for applicants with accessibility needs, including Deaf persons and persons with disabilities, people with limited internet access, and Indigenous persons who wish to submit an oral application.
• Drayton Entertainment has announced their 2019 season for their venues across the province.

Migrations

• Naomi Campbell is the new Artistic Director of Luminato in Toronto (PDF)

TO Toasts

• ... to Monica Garrido, recipient of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre’s Queer Emerging Artist Award for 2018.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Summer Theatre Intensive: Robin Bennett continues to find new things to learn after thirteen years of attending the summer courses.
• ONstage Openings this week in Richmond Hill, Burlington, Grand Bend, St. Jacobs, Toronto, Gravenhurst, Penetanguishene, and Ottawa.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, professional development events, job postings, grant deadlines, public readings, calls for artist residencies, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Kate Werneburg wrote for Intermission about “theatre in the park” and how we share public space with people who are not housed.

David Parry receiving our Michael Spence Award in 2017

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Studio Theatre Perth has named their new volunteer appreciation award in honour of David and Patricia Parry. David is a past recipient of our Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre in the province.
• Nightwood Theatre in Toronto has unveiled their lineup of “the most exciting emerging female playwrights in the city” for their Groundswell Festival 2018.
• Ontario Culture Days is coming up on September 28, 29 and 30.  Among the theatre events registered at press time are an open rehearsal with The MT Space in Waterloo, an hour backstage before call at Burl-Oak Theatre Group in Oakville, a youth company rehearsal and tour at Georgetown Little Theatre, a live radio show at Grey Wellington Theatre Guild in Harriston.

Migrations

• Emma Stenning is the new Executive Director of Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto.

In Case You Missed It

• ONstage Opening this week in Toronto—and with many more shows now playing in communities across Ontario.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, grant deadlines, calls for submissions, pre-recorded webinars, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

Alastair Forbes and Sophia Fabiilli in the Thousand
Islands Playhouse production of The Canadian.
Photo by Randy deKleine-Stimpson

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Thousand Islands Playhouse wrapped up their series “From Page to Stage: Creating The Canadian”, first with Part 3 by set and costume designer Anna Treusch about her process for designing the show, and then in Part 4, actor Sophia Fabiilli wrote about her “Top 10 Reasons Why Farce Is Harder Than It Looks.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The Stratford Festival has introduced their 2019 season.
• WorkInCulture is conducting a survey—“MakingItWork”—of Ontario’s creativity community workforce: add your voice to their research.

Migrations

• Helen Wagenaar is retiring as Administrative Director of Lighthouse Festival Theatre. Congratulations to Nicole Campbell (a member of the Ontario Summer Theatre Executive Committee) who will be taking on the role.

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program, featuring training projects in directing, arts management, community-engaged theatre, and artistic direction.
• Stories from our Summer Theatre Intensive: The Art of Stage Combat by Mahlet Tesfu.
• ONstage Openings this week in Picton, Constance Bay, Gananoque, Drayton, and Port Stanley.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, free webinars, grant deadlines, and more.

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

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque

• In Part 2 of the Thousand Islands Playhouse blog series “From Page to Stage: Creating the Canadian”, Rob Kempson talks about his role as a director in developing this world premiere production.
• Alicia Richardson shares the story of how she became the Playwright-in-Residence at Driftwood Theatre.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Looking ahead to the next Ontario Fringe Festival as we move north to Fringe North, opening August 9 in Sault Ste. Marie.
• The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that the sections of the Income Tax Act that restricted registered charities political activities to be unconstitutional. Imagine Canada, the national umbrella for the charitable and non-profit sector, described this decision as a golden opportunity to work with the government on modernizing charity law in Canada.
• The Stratford Festival will be making an appearance on the July 31st episode of The Amazing Race Canada—featuring a “dramatic, skill-testing, on-stage challenge” for the competitors.

In Case You Missed It

• “Emerging in the Industry”—a resource for new and emerging artists from our Youth Advisory Committee.
• Applications are now open for our Professional Theatre Training Program.
• ONstage Openings this week in Port Perry, Drayton, Port Stanley, Grand Bend, Penetanguishene, Haliburton, Orillia, Wellington, Ottawa, and Gananoque.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including playwright readings, grant deadlines, courses, theatre labs, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

Kim Renders
(From the Kingstonist)

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of Kim Renders this week. Kim was a long-time member of Theatre Ontario’s Talent Bank as an instructor of acting, directing, writing, and youth theatre. She was among the founders of Nightwood Theatre in Toronto (Artistic Director Kelly Thornton wrote an excellent tribute) and was most recently a professor in the Dan School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University in Kingston—the university remembered her significant legacy and Cris Vilela wrote a tribute for Kingstonist, including how her passing is being recognized at this week’s Storefront Fringe Festival. In 2006, we recognized her contribution to professional, community and educational theatre in our province with our Maggie Bassett Award.

Conversation Starters

• Thousand Islands Playhouse is blogging the world premiere of their production The Canadian as "From Page to Stage" - with playwright Jason Hall exploring "writing farce" in Part 1.
• Theatres working to build community can find inspiration in the Toronto Fringe Festival hosting a Canadian citizenship ceremony (as reported on Intermission.)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Seeking to use the work of playwrights digitally? Members of the Playwrights Guild of Canada now have the tools for contracts in the digital realm, with their new Digital Recording Rights Guidelines.

Migrations

• Brendan Healy will be the new Artistic Director of Canadian Stage (PDF).

In Case You Missed It

• Stories from our Professional Theatre Training Program, featuring training projects in artistic direction, writing and producing, directing, designing for opera, and arts management.
• Welcome to Marie Beath Badian and Kat Sandler as Playwrights-in-Person at our Summer Theatre Intensive.
• ONstage Openings this week in Port Perry, St. Jacobs, St. Catharines, Port Dover, Haliburton, Gravenhurst, Barrie and Perth.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including intensive courses, grant deadlines, and more.

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

Ontario Off Stage

Port Stanley Festival Theatre from Ontario Summer Theatre
Buying the Farm
Shannon McCracken, Jeff Culbert, Matthew Gorman
Photo by Phil Bell, Shutter Studios

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Ontario Summer Theatre profiles featuring Port Stanley Festival Theatre (“Celebrating 40 years”), Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg (“It’s a Happy 35th Anniversary”), Stone Fence Theatre in the Ottawa Valley ("I Come from the Valley! Tales and Times of Joan Finnigan") and Thousand Islands Playhouse in Gananoque (“Canada’s Dockside Theatre”).

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Next week marks a busy week of Ontario Fringe Festival openings—both the Hamilton Fringe and the Windsor-Walkerville Fringe both open on July 19, and then Kingston’s Storefront Fringe Festival opens on July 20.
• Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto announced their 18/19 season.

In Case You Missed It

• ONstage Openings this week in Thunder Bay, Port Perry, Cambridge, Grand Bend, Toronto, Port Hope, Haliburton, Ottawa, and on tour.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including intensive courses, workshops, and more.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

From Theatre Ontario

Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council for the wonderful news that they are increasing their financial support to Theatre Ontario as we continue to nurture community, create opportunities to benefit the community, and strive to be agents of change.

Conversation Starters

Mary Pitt and Clive Walton in Gravenhurst Opera House's
production of Souvenir - part of Ontario Summer Theatre 2018
Photo by Larry Carroll

• Profiles from Ontario Summer Theatre (OST) 2018—Lighthouse Festival Theatre’s season, “You won’t believe who is coming to play in The County this summer!” from Festival Players of Prince Edward County, and “Hello from Krista and Dave!” at the Gravenhurst Opera House.
• Toronto was host for the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas Conference in June, and Ontario’s theatre community was well-represented among the panelists. Several sessions were live-streamed, and videos are available from HowlRound.
• Generator in Toronto is hosting their annual #UrgentExchange at the Toronto Fringe Festival on July 10. This year’s talk will be about the relationship between “precarity” in the industry and the mental health of the people in the industry.

In Case You Missed It

• Save the date for our Adjudicators Symposium professional development and networking event.
• ONstage Openings this week in Perth, Morrisburg, Gananoque, Port Perry, Port Stanley, Fergus, Grand Bend, Toronto, Millbrook, Penetanguishene, Orillia, and Peterborough.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including summer courses, grant deadlines, community theatre directing opportunities, calls for submissions, workshops, residencies, and more.