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

Other Side of the Game at Cahoots Theatre and Obsidian Theatre
Photo by Dahlia Katz

• Playwright Amanda Parris describes her experience capturing “Toronto’s soundscape” and finding the authentic voices of her young Black residents of the west-end for Other Side of the Game from Cahoots Theatre and Obsidian Theatre. (Artist Perspective from Intermission).
• Kevin Wong and Stephanie Graham from The Musical Stage Company shared their experience attending the National Alliance for Musical Theatre 29th Annual Festival of New Musicals—which included a performance of Prom Queen (which started at the Canadian Musical Theatre Project at Sheridan.)

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• 2018 Summer Season announcements from Ontario Summer Theatre members 4th Line Theatre (Millbrook) and Port Stanley Festival Theatre. 
• Sudbury Theatre Centre receives $200,000 in emergency funding from the City.
• Are you ready for Bill 148?  The highlight of the “Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act” is the increase to minimum wage, but the Ontario Nonprofit Network points out five things that theatres and other non-profits need to consider about the impact of this Act on their activities.

TO Toasts

• ... to the winners of the 2017 Prix Rideau Awards for Ottawa professional theatre, including Odyssey Theatre who won Outstanding Production (Anglophone) for The Servant of Two Masters.
• ... to the winners of the 2017 Tom Hendry Awards, including Kate Hennig, winner of the Carol Bolt Award for Best Work premiered in the past year, for The Virgin Trial.
• ... to Hiro Kanagawa and Playwrights Canada Press, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language Drama for Indian Arm.

In Case You Missed It

• Save the Date – Our final fundraising campaign of 2017 kicks off on Tuesday, November 28th as part of Giving Tuesday.
• ONstage Openings this week in Georgetown, London, Elmira, Toronto, Barrie, Cookstown, Peterborough, Ottawa, and Constance Bay.
• Browsing Our Bulletin Board, including workshops, webinars, grant deadlines, residency opportunities, and more.

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.

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

Reframed from Acting Up Stage Company
at the Art Gallery of Ontario

• The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport has released the core elements of Ontario’s draft Culture Strategy. Feedback is invited until May 13.
• Mitchell Marcus shares how Acting Up Stage Company brought three new musical theatre commissions into the Art Gallery of Ontario.
• Olivia Vanderwal, a volunteer with the Hamilton Arts Council, shares three components that make up a meaningful volunteer experience.
• “Building a better Mikado” – minus the yellowface, from Diep Tran on American Theatre.

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• Ontario’s Fringe Theatre season kicks off next week with the Windsor-Walkerville Fringe Festival, opening May 6.
• Larry Cornies writes in the London Free Press about how the City of London owes a debt of gratitude to outgoing Grand Theatre Artistic Director Susan Ferley.

TO Toasts

• ... to all of the award winners and honourable mentions from QUONTA Festival 2016, now posted on their Facebook page (with Adjudicator’s Awards listed here.)

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Please note our holiday hours: We will be closing at noon on Wednesday, December 23, and opening at 9am on Monday, January 4. Theatre Ontario wishes everyone a very happy holiday and all the best for 2016!

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Preparing an OAC application? Get the inside scoop at our Grant Writing Information Recorded Webinar with Pat Bradley of the Ontario Arts Council available on January 5
• The deadline to apply to our Talent Bank of Theatre Instructors is January 15
• Volunteer at the 2016 Next Generation Showcase on January 17 and 18
• Are auditions making you feel overwhelmed, underprepared, or simply in need of further training?  Join us at our Auditioning Masterclass with Anna Migliarisi, starting January 23
• The deadline for nominations for the Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre in Northeastern Ontario is January 29

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for submissions for Acting Up Stage Company’s Ontario Arts Council Theatre Creators’ Reserve Program is December 28.
• Deadline for submissions to Direct at East Side Players in Toronto is January 4.
• Deadline for applications for Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grants and Capital Grants is January 6.
• Ottawa Valley Creative Arts Open Studio’s "Social Scripts" program starts January 8, funded by the Youth Theatre Training Program.
• Deadline for submissions for Sudbury Theatre Centre’s Ontario Arts Council Theatre Creators’ Reserve Program is January 8.
• Deadline for submissions for Burl-Oak Theatre Group’s Page to Stage Student One-Act Playwriting Contest (for Halton area secondary school students) is January 8.
• The Estelle Craig ACT II Studio theatre program for adults 50+ is holding an Information Day on January 8.

New on The Bulletin Board

• b current invites submissions for the rock.paper.sistahz 14th Theatre Festival in May 2016, from emerging and established artists, as well as art facilitators, who identify as black, indigenous, or people of colour. The application deadline is January 11.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of funding opportunities, workshops, calls for submission, awards, and more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access auditions and job postings on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Deadline to apply for New Faces at Next Generation Showcase is December 11
• The deadline to apply to our Talent Bank of Theatre Instructors is January 15
• The deadline for nominations for the Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre in Northeastern Ontario is January 29

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• The final Ontario Cultural Strategy Town Hall is in Windsor on December 3.
• Deadline to apply for Great Canadian Theatre Company’s Theatre Creators Reserve is December 4.
• Deadline to apply for Theatre Aquarius’ Theatre Creators Reserve is December 4.
• The Kick and Push Festival in Kingston invites applications for their 2016 Festival.  The deadline is December 4.
• The Toronto Arts Council is holding an information session on the Long-Term Project Grants for Dance and Theatre program on December 7.
• Deadline to apply for Thousand Islands Playhouse 2016 Playwrights’ Unit is December 11.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Acting Up Stage Company invites applications for their Theatre Creators Reserve.  Funding priorities are works that use music to illuminate the human condition, where the music is integral to the emotional journey of the character and the storytelling. Preference is also given to works written by teams who specialize in each area (book, music, lyrics.) Deadline is December 28.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of funding opportunities, workshops, calls for submission, awards, and more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access auditions and job postings on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Audition Talk Back with Nina Lee Aquino, Alana Hibbert, and Kawa Ada – Nail your next audition with advice on preparation, etiquette, and expectations – September 14 at 6pm in Toronto.

  

  Career Stream and Creator Stream
  workshops at Theatre Ontario

• Launching Your Career workshop with Rebecca Ballarin and special guest Joseph Recinos – Get answers to your FAQs about the business of acting – September 21 at 3pm in Toronto.
• Reciprocal Agreements between CAEA and ACTRA with Arden R. Ryshpan (CAEA) and Indra Escobar (ACTRA) – Learn how the new agreement affects you – September 21 at 6pm in Toronto.
• Adjudicators Symposium – Professional development and networking – September 26 at 10am in Toronto.
• Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur workshop with Rebecca Ballarin and special guest Scott Dermody – Planning on producing a show or starting a theatre company? Start here – September 28 at 3pm in Toronto.
• Grant Writing Information Session free recorded webinar with Pat Bradley (Ontario Arts Council) – Preparing an application to the Ontario Arts Council? Get the inside scoop – September 29 at 6pm.
• Do you need financial support for professional development or a "change of direction" in your career? The next application deadline for our Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1.
• Are you seeking funding for a unique youth theatre training project?  The next application deadline for our Youth Theatre Training Program is October 15.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for applications for Acting Up Stage Company’s Noteworthy intensive for composers, lyricists, and playwrights is today.
• Deadline for Canada Council grants for Leadership for Change: Grants for Organizational Development is September 10; deadline for Grants to Theatre Artists: Individual Creation, Playwright-in-Residency, Artist-in-Residency and Professional Development; Theatre: Project Grants to Service Organizations; Artist and Community Collaboration Program in Theatre; Theatre Production Project Grants for Emerging Artists; and Theatre Production Project Grants for Established Artists is September 15.
• Deadline to apply for GCTC’s Emerging Actors Unit in Ottawa is September 11.
• Theatre Ontario is seeking a volunteer to teach theatre techniques in a classroom setting for an institution with the goal of improving literacy and communication skills.  The deadline is September 14.
• Deadline for Ontario Arts Council grants for Aboriginal Artists in the Communities, Aboriginal Arts Projects, Deaf and Disability Arts Projects, National and International Touring, and Ontario Touring is September 15.
• Helen Donnelly’s Discover Your Clown course in Toronto starts September 16.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Curtain Call Players in Toronto invites the community to their Annual General Meeting on September 20.
• Carousel Players in St. Catharines invites applications for Theatre Creators Reserve grants.  They recommend projects creating works for children, youth, and families.  Artists of diverse cultural and community backgrounds, including the Niagara region, are encouraged to apply with their development projects.  The deadline is November 16.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of funding opportunities, workshops, calls for submission, awards, and more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access auditions and job postings on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Audition Talk Back with Nina Lee Aquino, Alana Hibbert, and Kawa Ada – You’re your next audition with advice on preparation, etiquette, and expectations – September 14 at 6pm in Toronto
• Launching Your Career workshop with Rebecca Ballarin and special guest Joseph Recinos – Get answers to your FAQs about the business of acting – September 21 at 3pm in Toronto
• Reciprocal Agreements between CAEA and ACTRA with Arden R. Ryshpan (CAEA) and Indra Escobar (ACTRA) – Learn how the new agreement affects you – September 21 at 6pm in Toronto
• Adjudicators Symposium – Professional development and networking – September 26 at 10am in Toronto
• Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur workshop with Rebecca Ballarin and special guest Scott Dermody – Planning on producing a show or starting a theatre company? Start here – September 28 at 3pm in Toronto
• Grant Writing Information Session free recorded webinar with Pat Bradley (Ontario Arts Council) – Preparing an application to the Ontario Arts Council? Get the inside scoop – September 29 at 6pm
• Do you need financial support for professional development or a "change of direction" in your career? The next application deadline for our Professional Theatre Training Program is October 1

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

Alumnae Theatre's New Ideas Festival.
Submissions are due September 5.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for script submissions for Alumnae Theatre’s New Ideas Festival is September 5.
• Toronto Irish Players has extended the call for directors (non-paying) for Shadow of a Gunman until September 7.
• Deadline for applications for Acting Up Stage Company’s Noteworthy intensive for composers, lyricists, and playwrights is September 9.
• Deadline for Canada Council grants for Leadership for Change: Grants for Organizational Development is September 10.
• Deadline to apply for GCTC’s Emerging Actors Unit in Ottawa is September 11.

New on The Bulletin Board

• ArtsBuild Ontario has announced their next Learn It | Build It | Manage It workshops for facility managers: Sudbury on October 6 and 7, Town of Blue Mountains on November 4 and 5, and Orillia on November 17 and 18.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of funding opportunities, workshops, calls for submission, awards, and more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access auditions and job postings on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Community Theatre and Communications Manager

Conversation Starters

• Our Ontario Summer Theatre blogger has made her first two trips of the year, travelling to Campbellford to visit Westben Arts Festival Theatre, and to Perth to visit the Classic Theatre Festival and see Barefoot in the Park.

  

  Rachel Fischer and William Vickers in
  Barefoot in the Park at Classic Theatre Festival in Perth

• Mitchell Marcus, Artistic Producer of Acting Up Stage Company, poses a good question: What will make the great Canadian musical Canadian?
• I’ve been impressed with some of the more nuanced conversations emerging from the latest “cell phones in theatres” brouhaha.  Among my favourites: Scott Walters writes on The Clyde Fitch Report about the history of theatre etiquette (“We’ve made the theatrical experience so fraught with the rules of etiquette that nobody wants to venture into a theatre”) with a call to “overcome the distraction of the age by being so compelling that people can't look away.”
• Rob Weinert-Kendt writes in American Theatre about how “it is theatre’s blessing and curse that it shares space with all of humanity—even humans with cell phones.”
• Meanwhile, Travis Bedard suggests that eliminating rules, standards, and controls isn’t welcome an audience—it’s fearing that they’re going to leave, and suggests an approach where “the rules are clear and low friction.”

Behind the Scenes at Ontario’s Theatres

• The inaugural Kick & Push Festival has opened in Kingston, focused on site-specific and immersive theatre, and based on an idea by Theatre Kingston artistic producer Brett Christopher (and includes Blue Canoe Productions among the participating companies.)
• Carolyn Wilson, an alumnus of our Summer Theatre Intensive and now Artistic Director of Durham Shoestring Performers in Oshawa, was profiled in a recent issue of Oshawa This Week.
• Take Two Theatre in Timmins was featured on CTV News Northern Ontario on the occasion of their 30th anniversary.
• A blast from the past—the Ontario Arts Council has a great podcast featuring Pat Bradley talking with Nancy Kenny about their theatre grant programs.
• The OAC has also prepared a video on preparing effective support material.
• Our friends at Playwrights Guild of Canada are running a fun “anti-social media meets Miracle on 34th Street” campaign to bring Tom Stoppard to Toronto for a Canadian literary community super conference.

Migrations

• Evalyn Parry is the new Artist Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.
• Antoni Cimolino has had his contract as Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival extended to 2022.

In Case You Missed It

• Recent Professional Theatre Training Program Project profiles featuring Emma Mackenzie Hillier (training in dramaturgy with Bob White at the Stratford Festival), Catherine Ballachey (training in dramaturgy with Laurie Steven at Odyssey Theatre), and Jasmine Chen (training in outreach with Marjorie Chan at Cahoots Theatre.)
• We unveiled our new four-year strategic plan and staffing changes.

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

Browsing Our Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

Courses and Workshops from Theatre Ontario, including
"Launching Your Career" on February 2

• Music Rights for Your Theatre webinar on January 12 (free for Theatre Ontario members): Using music in your performance or thinking of creating a musical revue? Learn your licensing obligations with both SOCAN and Re:Sound
• Next Generation Showcase of graduating post-secondary theatre students is coming up on January 18 and 19 - Applications for New Faces are due on January 12, and RSVPs from Directors, Artistic Directors, Producers, Casting Directors, Agents EIC signed or TAMAC members, and other Industry Professionals are due on January 14.  We are also seeking volunteers to help out on the 18th and 19th.
• Deadline for nominations for Theatre Ontario’s Michael Spence Award for Contribution to Community Theatre is January 31, honouring outstanding contributions to community theatre in the central Ontario region
• Launching Your Career webinar on February 2 (free for Theatre Ontario members, excluding a materials fee): Answers to your FAQs about the business of acting
• Free Grant Writing Information Session webinar on February 2: Looking for tips and must-dos for preparing an application to the Ontario Arts Council?

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for proposals for Staging Our Histories of performances focusing on alternative ways of knowing and sharing history is January 9
• Deadline for applications for Ontario Arts Council grants for Aboriginal Artists in Schools and Artists in Education is January 15

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of funding opportunities, workshops, calls for submission, awards, and more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access auditions and job postings on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Behind The Scenes At Ontario’s Theatres

• Buddies In Bad Times Theatre was notified that the Rhubarb Festival would not receive project funding from Canadian Heritage’s Building Communities Through Art and Heritage program.  Most troubling, there was no clear indication of why they did not meet the criteria for funding
• The writing team (composer Scott Christian, lyricist Wade Bogert-O’Brien, book writer Kevin Shea) of A Misfortune, premiering next month at the Toronto Fringe Festival’s Next Stage Festival, shared a playlist of the music that inspired their writing on Acting Up Stage Company’s Musical Notes

 

All The Ladies by Sasha Kleinplatz
from Buddies In Bad Times' Rhubarb Festival 2013

Conversation Starters

• Jacob Zimmer argued on Minor Expletives & Better Questions that the Buddies’ Rhubarb Festival news was a case of “community” and “engagement” being turned against art outside the mainstream, and asks a question nobody seems to know how to answer
• “Our job is not to give people what they want but what they need”—is it a false and unhelpful comparison as argued by Nina Simon on Museum 2.0?  Or does it require clear distinctions as argued by Diane Ragsdale on Jumper?
• In Edmonton, the Theatre Network production of Colleen Murphy’s new play Pig Girl inspired by the serial murders in British Columbia of sex workers (mostly native women), triggered a significant debate on race, voice, respect, and artistic freedom—and the morality of storytelling
• Holger Syme wonders on dispositio if we have a problem with actor training in Canada?

Migrations

• Trevor Lundy is the new General Manager of Oshawa Little Theatre

TO Toasts

• Congratulations to all of the recipients of the Capital Critics Circle Awards, including John P. Kelly (Talent Bank member and director of best professional theatre production November from Seven-Thirty Productions), Ottawa Little Theatre (Best community theatre production for Steel Magnolias), Rona Waddington (past Shaw Intern Director and winner of best director—professional for St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival’s Hamlet) and Joan Sullivan Eady (past Festival best director and winner of best director—community for OLT’s All My Sons)

Ontario Off Stage

by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator

Conversations

• Brendan Healy, Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, explores the question “why theatre?”
• How Canada is “holding its own” in new musical theatre development, from Acting Up Stage Company’s Musical Notes
• Gwydion Suilebhan explains the difference between waterfall and agile software development, and the benefit of applying that thinking to the way we create theatre and run theatre institutions on HowlRound
• Why children’s theatre matters: yes, we need to educate children to be able bridges, but we also need to educate them to imagine the bridge in the first place, and to create a different kind of bridge, and to ask whether we need to build a bridge at all
• Life lessons that the CEO of Twitter learned studying improv at The Second City
• I came back from holidays to an overflowing inbox of emails and notifications.  But among the mix of valuable messages, pointless garbage, and everything in-between, was a notification of a blog post by Sue Edworthy that in turn pointed me to a Globe and Mail article from Ivor Tossell on why email is broken.  While I don’t agree that all email is the enemy, I do think we need to challenge ourselves constantly on what we may be doing to contribute to our shared problem, and how we can be part of the solution

From The Wire

• Etobicoke Musical Production has had to cancel their November  production of Bye Bye Birdie as their performance facility, the Toronto District School Board’s Burnhamthorpe Auditorium, has been closed indefinitely due to safety issues; they had no other viable performance facility and all their production sets and equipment were in the theatre
• Unrelated: two new Health and Safety Guidelines for the Live Performance Industry in Ontario have been published by the Ministry of Labour—Application of Industrial/Construction Regulations and Flame Effects
• The Metcalf Foundation has engaged db 3rd Sector Consultancy to “study the feasibility of creating a shared platform for the arts and explore the greater potential for the arts community to share high quality administrative services”—and they want your input

TO Toasts

David Yee receiving the Carol Bolt Award from Playwrights Guild of Canada

• To the winners of the 2013 Tom Hendry Awards from Playwrights Guild of Canada, including David Yee who won the Carol Bolt Award for carried away on the crest of a wave, to Irene Sankoff & David Hein for Best Musical in Development for Come From Away (that aforementioned “Canada holding its own” show), and to Lucas Foss for Best Comedy in Development for Little Voices
• To Chris Abraham, Artistic Director of Crow’s Theatre, winner of the Siminovitch Prize, and to Mitchell Cushman, Artistic Director of Outside The March and Associate Artistic Director of Crow’s Theatre who Chris named to receive the protégé prize
• To the nominees for the Capital Critics Circle awards in Ottawa, including member theatres Great Canadian Theatre Company, St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, Ottawa Little Theatre, Kanata Theatre, and Orpheus Musical Theatre Society nominated in their respective Best Production categories for professional and community theatre.  The awards are December 2
• To Michael Hennessy, Talent Bank member, honoured with the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s Cultural Advisory Board 2013 Community Recreation Award for Performing Arts

In Case You Missed It

• Tom Mackan receives Theatre Ontario’s 2013 Maggie Bassett Award
• Join us on December 3 for GivingTuesday
• Training a new generation of adjudicators

Today is Arts Day in the City, and we send best wishes to our colleagues at the Toronto Alliance for Performing Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, and everyone participating in bringing this important message.

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Do you know an outstanding student who has made a commitment to the drama/theatre community in his or her school?  Teachers and schools can honour those students with Theatre Ontario's Certificate of Excellence—with commencement season approaching, now is a terrific time for recognition.

Workshops from Theatre Ontario

• Under New Management: Transitioning to the New Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and Ontario’s Not-For-Profit Corporations Act, 2010, with Sarah Farrell, on May 28 at 2:00pm in Toronto – Do you know how the new not-for-profit corporation acts are going to affect your theatre company?  With new laws for both provincially-incorporated and federally-incorporated not-for-profits, theatres may find they need new letters patent, supplementary letters patent, and by-laws, and may have other significant administrative requirements to meet.
• Self-Start: The Basics of Producing, with Tim Chapman, on June 5 at 2:00pm in Toronto – If you want to do a show but have never produced professionally 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.
• Business Basics: An Introduction to Planning for Artists, with Diane Davy, on June 11 at 3:00pm in Toronto – Planning your work & working your plan!  Your plan is your future, and whether you are a theatre company or an individual artist-entrepreneur, you will benefit by developing a clear business plan for your organization or your career.

Check out all of our upcoming courses and workshops, including the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, our summer courses, and more.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Nominations for the Patrick Conner Award from Theatre Rusticle, honouring individuals in the areas of the performing arts and sustainable/green living, are due today
• Nominations for Ottawa Little Theatre’s Cornerstone Project, honouring outstanding past volunteers, are also due today
• Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Lyric Writing for Theatre workshop for individuals interested in the basic principles of writing lyrics for theatre starts May 21
• Toronto Arts Council and Tarragon Theatre are hosting a grant writing workshop for playwrights on May 29, registration deadline is May 22

New on The Bulletin Board

• Aluna Theatre’s next free Aluna Café is on May 27 in Oakville and will explore The Orgy by Colombian playwright Enrique Buenaventura
• Great Canadian Theatre Company is now inviting submissions for undercurrents 2014, showcasing the best independent theatre from Ottawa and across the country.  Submission deadline is July 5

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of workshops, calls for submission, free community events, funding opportunities, awards, and much more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Workshops from Theatre Ontario

• PTTP Talkback and Mixer on April 8 in Toronto – Looking to further or change your career?  Develop a new skill?  Mentoring through Theatre Ontario’s Professional Theatre Training Program—funded by the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario—is a valuable way of learning from experienced professionals, benefiting from one-to-one guidance, making valuable connections and expanding your network and enhancing your career opportunities.  Come meet with past recipients Laura Nanni, Peter Pasyk, Tanisha Taitt, and Tim Chapman, our Professional Theatre Coordinator (and a past recipient himself.)
• Self-Start: The Basics of Producing on April 10 in Toronto – If you want to do a show but have never produced professionally 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.
• Directors Intensive on April 20 to 21 in Toronto – This two-day workshop is designed for experienced directors in both the community theatre and professional realms.  The intensive will concentrate on the art of making the work as specific as possible; exploring how to get what the playwright intended onto the stage in a simple and detailed fashion.
• Check out all of our upcoming courses and workshops, including accessibility, design, financial literary, our summer courses, and more.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts has extended the deadline for nominations for the Dora Ancillary Awards (Silver Ticket Award; Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award, honouring excellence and ambassadorship for the arts; George Luscombe Award for Mentorship in Theatre; Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration; and Pauline McGibbon Award for Unique Talents and Potential for Excellence) to April 8
• The next Toronto Fringe Festival “Tent Talk in the Lab” is on April 10 at 11:15am—the topic is The Business of Auditioning, with a panel of Joanne Williams (Canadian Stage), Cara Gee (actor), and Pam Winter (Gary Goddard Agency)

New on The Bulletin Board

• Magnetic North Theatre Festival is holding a Masterclass in Devising in the Landscape with Wildworks (UK) in Ottawa on June 3 to 7; the application deadline is April 19
• Playwrights Guild of Canada has announced two new workshops for aspiring musical theatre writers: An Introduction to the Craft of Writing for the Musical Theatre (Or - All the Rules You Can Decide to Ignore Later!), with Jim Betts (beginning on May 4) and Lyric Writing for Theatre (beginning on May 21)
• Magnetic North Theatre Festival is inviting artists to participate in the Artists Marketplace, a networking and promotional event as part of the Festival in Ottawa on June 11

Check out these items, and other postings from our members of workshops, calls for submission, funding opportunities, community events, awards, and much more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Browsing The Bulletin Board

We still have a few spaces available in our Getting Started for Actors workshop on January 30

You can also still RSVP for tomorrow’s free Grant Writing Information Session in Burlington for Playwrights and Theatre Artists

And Save-the-Date for Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting on May 25

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Acting Up Stage Company’s Noteworthy program—for composers and playwrights looking for the chance to explore musical collaboration, and for completed or ‘work-in-progress’ original Canadian musicals that are looking for further development and/or production—has application deadlines of January 25
• Peterborough Theatre Guild is hosting an acting workshop with Randy Read, “Beginning Steps in Taking It Off The Page” starting January 27
• TAPA is hosting a workshop on "Let's Talk Traffic" on January 31, registration deadline is January 28
• Deadline for nominations for the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers is January 31

Check out these items—and all our postings of workshops, calls for submission, opportunities for recognition, and much more—on Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Today is the deadline for Canadian Stage’s 2012 Festival of Ideas and Creation – seeking performance pieces for which innovative music or sound is integral
• Theatre Passe Muraille has extended the deadline for submissions to the Guerilla Theatre projects as part of its Theatre Beyond Walls program (projects that can be performed outside of TPM) – the deadline is now December 8
• And TPM’s next Pitch Blitz is scheduled for December 13 and December 14
• Deadlines for Ontario Arts Council Theatre Creator’s Reserve in the next month: Tarragon Theatre (Dec. 15), Theatre Direct (Dec. 15), Jumblies Theatre (Dec. 30) and Young People’s Theatre (Jan. 3)

New on The Bulletin Board

• The Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration is now inviting nominations for its Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers – the deadline is January 31

Check out all the latest postings from Theatre Ontario’s Bulletin Board on our website

7 Days In Ontario Theatre

Conversations

• Following Arts Day on Parliament Hill, Michael Wheeler at Praxis Theatre poses a challenging question: “Should artists be grateful for a 5% cut from Harper?”
• On HowlRound, Polly Carl observes how the general decline of public discourse has specifically impacted the conversations among artists and institutions

From The Wire

• Spotlight on Goderich: A Variety Show is taking place at the Huron County Playhouse on Nov. 20, a fundraising event for tornado relief; the theatre community is coming together on this with Drayton Entertainment, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Shaw Festival, Blyth Festival, The Grand Theatre, Starbright Christmas, Theatre Aquarius, Victoria Playhouse Petrolia, Theatre Orangeville, Lighthouse Festival Theatre, and others involved
• Theatre Action—Ontario’s francophone theatre association—is hosting regional meetings this month in Toronto (Nov. 5), Ottawa (Nov. 19) and Sudbury (Nov. 26)
• On Nov. 9, The City of Toronto Mayor’s Task Force on the Arts and Theatre is inviting participation in public consultations with reference to the future of Toronto’s three civic theatres: the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, and the Toronto Centre for the Arts
• Sheridan College announced the establishment of the Canadian Music Theatre Project, an incubator for the development of new musical theatre works by Canadian and international composers, lyricists and book-writers
• The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is inviting comments on its proposed Guidance on Arts Organizations and Charitable Registration

TO Toasts

• Playwrights Canada Press awarded the 2011 Carol Bolt Award for Playwrights to Anusree Roy

Assembled by Brandon Moore, Communications Coordinator