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Upcoming opportunities from Theatre Ontario, from our members, and from other arts service organizations.

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Want to know the secrets to a successful voice acting career? Join us at our “Voice Over” workshop with Elley-Ray on January 26 in Toronto.
• Promote your performance to your audience – Join us at our “Marketing on a Dime” workshop with Izad Etemadi on January 28 in Toronto.
• Deadline for nominations for our Michael Spence Award for Contribution in the Central Ontario community theatre region is January 31.
• Thinking of producing a show or starting a theatre company? Join us at our “Ready, Set, Show! Foundations of Indie Producing” workshop with Raeburn Ferguson on February 13 at 3pm in Toronto.
• Preparing an OAC application? Get the inside scoop at our “Grant Writing Information Session” pre-recorded webinar with Pat Bradley of the Ontario Arts Council, available on February 18.
• Have questions related to filing your tax return? Join us at our “Taxes for Theatre Artists” workshop with Sam Marinucci on February 20 at 3pm in Toronto.

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Artist-Educator Training at Young People's Theatre
Photo by Ali Sultani

• The MT Space’s dance workshops with Rock Bottom Performance run January 24 to 26 in Kitchener.
• Shadowpath Theatre’s Winter Workshops on “Improve Your Improv”, “Scene Writing 101” and “Creativity, Core and More” are on January 27 in Richmond Hill.
• Deadline for submissions from directors, musical directors, choreographers, stage managers, and producers for Theatre Aurora community theatre 2019/2020 season is January 31.
• Deadline for applications for Ontario Arts Council’s “Theatre Projects” grants is February 1.
• Deadline for applications for ArtReach’s “Youth Arts Projects” grants is February 1.
• Young People’s Theatre’s “Artist Educators Training Part Two: Creating Engagement” course runs February 7 to 8 in Toronto, with a registration deadline of February 1.
• Nightwood Theatre’s Young Innovators invites submissions from female, non-binary or trans creators from all artistic disciplines for their Fem-pocalypse cabaret. Submission deadline is February 1.
• Deadline for submissions from directors for East Side Players community theatre 2019/2020 season in Toronto is February 1.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Scarborough Theatre Guild community theatre invites applications from directors for their 2019/2020 season.

Check out these items, and other postings from our members.

• Grants
• Calls for Submission and Nominations
• Workshops at Ontario Theatres and Other Arts Service Organizations
• Adult Continuing Education and Training Studio Programs
• Youth Training Programs
• Volunteer and Non-Paying Positions
• Community Events and Conferences

Theatre Ontario individual members can also access Auditions, Job Postings and Discount Ticket Offers on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

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 free 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, under-prepared, 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.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Sudbury Theatre Centre invites submissions for their Ontario Arts Council Theatre Creators’ Reserve Program, with funding priority given to creators working in Northern Ontario for the development of new regional work. The application deadline is January 8.
• Odyssey Theatre in Ottawa is hosting a workshop on “Physical Theatre and Mask: for performers, running January 15 to 17.
• Odyssey Theatre also invites submissions for their Ontario Arts Council Theatre Creators’ Reserve Program, with funding priority given to projects that incorporate a discipline related to masked theatre. The application deadline is January 18.
• ArtsBuild Ontario has a new date for their Dollars to $ense Energy Conservation Workshop in Toronto: February 10.

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

Between Panic and Possibility: Doing Physical Theatre with Jim Warren

by Ann Robertson

Third in a series of posts from participants at this year’s Summer Theatre Intensive

"Creativity for the clown lies in the space between the panic and the possibility." These are the words that keep reverberating for me after completing the week-long Theatre Ontario Summer Theatre Intensive 2015 course on Physical Theatre and Text with Jim Warren.

The description for this course indicated that we would be working with Mask and Clown, which interested me as I had not had much experience with either of these techniques. Like many actors, I tend to be very cerebral and am inclined to "hide behind" a play script and the character revealed in the text. I wanted to learn techniques for acting from and with my body, instead of from my head.

Physical Theatre and Text at the Summer Theatre Intensive

We started each day with connecting to each other and to our own bodies, in an attempt to become more aware of how we used our bodies—such as in a simple, everyday activity like walking. When asked to exaggerate the features of our "normal" walk, I found that my usual long stride began to take on some Inspector Clouseau-type characteristics and I could feel some hints of that absurd character starting to emerge!

The work with the Character Masks was challenging but also enlightening and exhilarating. The masks that Jim provided us with were the wonderfully evocative Basel character masks originally developed and used by the legendary Jacques LeCoq. After choosing and donning one of the Masks, we were encouraged to "sit in stillness", to wait "beyond it being uncomfortable", to LET something happen. What a concept for somebody like me who has a great need to MAKE things happen!

As we continued to work with the Masks, Jim demonstrated how they forced us to keep our actions—such as saying good-bye to somebody we loved—“simple and slow", and free from unnecessary embellishment. It was clear—as we each took our turn—that the simplest gestures are the most eloquent.

And, who knew that my instinctively choosing one of these Masks, picking up a baseball cap and a fly swatter from the floor (thanks, Leslie!) would release in me a happy, carefree and slightly "pesky" 9-year old boy?! It was about this time that I began to get a sense of what Jim meant when he said that "creativity for the Clown lies in that space between the panic and the possibility."

Jim Warren leading the Physical Theatre and Text class

As we continued to work with other Clown techniques, we learned more about how to stay in that space and make contact with an audience. As Jim told us, the Clown can't wait to have a conversation with the audience, can't wait to tell them the story, whatever that story happens to be. And he encouraged us to explore and find the basis of our own Clown character in ourselves, in our own bodies.

We finished up the week by applying the techniques we had learned in 2 different enactments of the Mechanicals' Pyramus and Thisbe play in Midsummer Night's Dream. It was great fun to perform and to watch, particularly to see each person in the course beginning to express their own Clown character.

It was a great week and a great course.  And, I relish continuing to discover and develop my own "inner Clown"!

Related Reading

• Part One: Building Your Actor’s Toolkit
• Part Two: Directions on Directing
• Theatre Ontario’s Summer Theatre Intensive on Storify
• Learn more about Theatre Ontario’s annual Summer Theatre Intensive

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Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Deadline for applications for Theatre Ontario and Why Not Theatre's International Creators Scholarship is March 13
• Deadline for applications for Theatre Ontario’s Youth Theatre Training Program grants is March 16
• Social Media as a Professional Tool for Individual Artists workshop on March 16 with Seb FoxAllen: Can your social media presence get you work?
• Unleashing Your Inner Entrepreneur recorded webinar on March 18 with Erin Keating and Scott Dermody: Thinking of producing a show or starting a theatre company?
• Artist as Entrepreneur Boot Camp workshops on March 28 in partnership with STAF: Learn necessary skills to produce creative works in a one-day session covering promoting theatre on social media, leveraging your online presence, getting a grip on grant writing, and participating in a mock grant jury

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Canada's National Voice Intensive led by David Smukler.
The application deadline is March 15.

• Deadline for emerging artists to register for Canadian Stage’s workshop on taxes led by Rova Epp of Artbooks is March 12.
• Deadline to apply for Canada’s National Voice Intensive, led by Artistic Director (and long-time Talent Bank member) David Smukler is March 15.
• Deadline for Ontario Arts Council grant applications for Theatre Organizations and Multi and Inter-Arts Projects is March 17.

New on The Bulletin Board

• Nightwood Theatre is holding two masterclasses: Writers Ink with Maja Ardal (a member of Theatre Ontario’s Talent Bank) on April 11 and 12 for anyone interested in playwriting; and an Audition Techniques Masterclass with Kelly Thornton and Michelle Alexander on April 25 and 26 for emerging and professional actors.
• The Paprika Festival is launching The Intersection, a one-day conference for the new generation of artists consisting of education, professional networking, dinner, and debate—all happening on May 1

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 The Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Free upcoming Webinars for Small Budget Arts Organizations include Accessibility Ontario (AODA) today at 1pm and the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act on October 30
• The Managing Your Career Boot Camp is on October 18: Learn the business of being an artist in a one-day session
• You can also sign-up for individual workshops from the Boot Camp: Building Your Brand as an Artist with Edward Power, Social Media as a Professional Tool with Seb FoxAllen, We want you… now sign! Contract Law for Actor with Derrick Chua, and Ask an Agent: Everything you’ve always wanted to know… with Alicia Jeffery
• Grant Writing Information Session for Theatre Individuals and Groups on October 28 in London with Pat Bradley: a free workshop for anyone looking for tips and must-dos for preparing an application to the Ontario Arts Council
• Audition Talk Back: How to Get It Right, with our panel of Joanne Williams, Elley-Ray, and Andrew Lamb is on November 3: Preparation, Etiquette & Expectations
• Bridging the Gap, from Theatre Ontario’s Youth Advisory Committee, is on November 15—sharing perspectives, knowledge and experience, connecting, networking and collaborating

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

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline to apply for Canada Council’s Theatre International program is today
• Deadline to apply for Tarragon Theatre’s OAC Theatre Creators Reserve is October 17
• Deadline for submissions for Ottawa Little Theatre’s 74th National One-Act Playwriting Competition is October 17
• The next Shaw Festival Theatre School for youth in grades 3 to 12 starts on October 18
• Colin Bruce Anthes of Twitches and Itches Theatre in St. Catharines (and a past recipient of the Theatre Ontario / Why Not Theatre International Creators Scholarship) holds a free weekly jam session on techniques for physical ensemble theatre creation; the session on October 19 will be a Viewpoints-specific intensive based on techniques Colin learned at SITI Company

  

  Twitches and Itches Theatre's "Weekly Jam Session" on
  physical ensemble theatre creation techniques in St. Catharines

• London Community Players is hosting a lecture/demonstration with Brian Brockenshire on October 19 to benefit producers, directors, stage managers, props people, actors, and any others who may be involved with, or in the vicinity of staged violence and theatrical weapons
• Deadline to apply to Theatre InspiraTO’s Playwriting Academy is October 23
• Shaw Festival’s next Teachers Day for professional educators is October 24

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 The Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Financial Basics for Artists free workshop with Vernal Banton of JVS Toronto is on May 27 in Toronto
• Crazy Canucks! Building Good Character weekend intensive with Ken Gass is on May 31 to June 1 in Toronto
• Playwriting: Idea to First Draft workshop with Lindsay Price is on May 31 in Toronto
• Playwriting: How to Self-Edit and Critique workshop with Lindsay Price is on June 1 in Toronto
• Self-Producing: The Basics workshop with Mairin Smit and guest producer Scott Dermody is on June 9 in Toronto
• Theatre Ontario invites applications for the position of Education Assistant, a Summer Experience Position for youth; the application deadline is June 16
• Culture Days Information Session free webinar for theatres, performing arts troupes, and theatre artists on June 16 at 7:30pm
• Deadline to apply for the Neil Munro Intern Directors Project at the Shaw Festival is June 20

Check out all of our upcoming courses and workshops, including our Summer Theatre Intensive

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Play by Play at the Shaw Festival
Photo by Cosmo Condina Photography

• The Shaw Festival’s first Play by Play event for theatre lovers wanting to go behind the scenes starts May 28—with the next session beginning July 16
• Deadline to apply for Canadian Stage’s Awakening the Connections workshop with Melinda Little is May 30
• Deadline for nominations for Business for the Arts’ Canadian Arts and Business Awards for Corporate Champions, Cultural Champions (corporate and arts leadership), and Community Impact, is May 30
• Canadian Arts Marketing, Development and Ticketing Conference starts May 30

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, job postings, and volunteer opportunities on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Our next Community Theatre Discussion Forums are in North Bay on April 12 and in Peterborough on April 26
• Our next Grant Writing Information Session with Pat Bradley of the Ontario Arts Council will be in Ottawa on April 14
• Building Your Brand as an Artist workshop with Edward Power: Would you love for your acting career to pay for your desired lifestyle? Would you love for industry professionals to trust your work and appreciate the service you provide? Would you love your craft to inspire people? Join us on April 14 in Toronto
• Transitioning from Stage to Set workshop with Edward Power and special guests: Thinking of taking your theatre career to the big screen? Looking to inspire people through different mediums? Join us on April 14 in Toronto
• Self-Producing: The Basics workshop with Mairin Smit and Guest Producer Scott Dermody: Thinking of producing a show or starting a theatre company? Join us on April 16 in Toronto
• The early-bird registration deadline for the discount rate on our Summer Theatre Intensive is May 1
• Theatre Ontario Festival 2014 in Sarnia runs from May 14 to 18

Check out all of our upcoming courses and workshops, including Getting Started for Actors and our Summer Theatre Intensive

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Canadian Stage's workshop:
"The Silent Performer" with Viktor Lukawski

• Canadian Stage's "The Silent Performer" movement and physical theatre workshop with Viktor Lukawski, free for emerging arts professionals and theatre students runs April 4 and 5
• Ottawa Little Theatre is holding a Scenic Design Workshop Series: Three workshops over three days—take all 3, take one, or mix and match.  The workshops begin with Introduction to the Art of Set Design on April 5
• Culture Days @ The Library is a program that provides free venues via the Toronto Public Library to Toronto-based artists and cultural groups wishing to be part of Culture Days on September 26 to 28.  Artists wishing to apply are encouraged to attend "The SCOOP – Creative Networking: Connecting Artists with Space & Funds" on April 9 from 5:30pm to 8:15pm at Lillian H. Smith Branch (239 College St., east of Spadina)

New on The Bulletin Board

• The deadline for the Arts and Letters Club’s 2014 New Playwrights Award (for full-time secondary or post-secondary students) has been extended to April 15
• The deadline for three Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts Dora Ancillary Awards (Silver Ticket Award, Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Administration, and the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award) has been extended to April 17
• SummerWorks Leadership Intensive Program (S.L.I.P) is a unique professional training intensive for emerging artists, placing a specific focus on the business of arts professionalism. This two-week program coinciding with the SummerWorks Performance Festival will take place August 5-17; deadline to apply is April 21
• ArtsBuild Ontario is holding a Dollars to $ense Energy Conservation Training workshop on May 7—available both in-person in Toronto and via live-stream
• Playwrights Guild of Canada invites submissions for the Tom Hendry Awards: the Carol Bolt Award for Playwrights (given annually to a member of PGC who has premiered an original play within the past year),the Stage West Pechet Family Comedy Award (for a new comedy by a PGC-member, which has not yet had a premiere production), and the Stage West Pechet Family Musical Award (for a new musical work by a PGC-member, which has not yet had a premiere production).  Each award offers a prize of $5000.  The submission deadline (including PGC membership application) is May 16

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

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Deadline for nominations for our 2014-2015 Board of Directors is today
• Ontario Summer Theatre is hiring a Content Writer / Blogger - application deadline is March 14
• Deadline for applications for the Youth Theatre Training Program, offering financial support for programs led by professional theatre artists, which deliver accessible training to young people, is March 17
• Learn how to create the life that you deserve: Join us at our “Overcoming the ‘Starving Artist’ Syndrome” workshop with Lisa Phillips on March 30 in Toronto
• Our next Community Theatre Discussion Forums are in North Bay on April 12 and Peterborough on April 26

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• Deadline for nominations for PACT’s Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award, honouring outstanding leadership in the Canadian theatre community, is today
• The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival has a number of free workshops and events this week, including the LOT Lounge Series of panels, an on-stage physicality workshop, and an intro to sketch comedy workshop
• Ontario Arts Council deadlines for Theatre Organizations and Multi and Integrated Arts is March 17

New on The Bulletin Board

• Natural Resources Canada has worked with ArtsBuild Ontario to customize a workshop specifically for arts facilities on Energy Conservation on March 26 - available both in-person in Toronto and live-streamed.
• The City of Toronto invites applications for the Culture Build Investment Program, providing matching funds to assist the City's not-for-profit cultural sector with financing for state of good repair capital projects. The program also provides funding for feasibility studies for projects that meet the criteria.  The application deadline is April 14.
• The Patrick Conner Award Committee is pleased to announce its Call for Submissions for the 2nd Annual Award. The award honours long-time collaborator Patrick Conner who passed away in December 2012, and seeks to carve a space to acknowledge the costs of integrity, honesty, generosity and belief.  The award straddles and unifies two worlds that were essential to Patrick: (i) theatre and (ii) sustainable living, including the sustainability of food production in our environment. This annual award honours two individuals from either or both of these disciplines with a cash prize of $2,500 each.  The deadline for applications is April 15.
• CCI - Ontario Presenting Network is pleased to announce that showcase submissions for Ontario Contact 2014 are now open.  This year Ontario Contact takes place from November 6 to 8 in Midland, Ontario.  Artists from different disciplines are invited to apply.  Deadline is April 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, job postings, and volunteer opportunities on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Coming Up from Theatre Ontario

• Deadline for nominations for our 2014-2015 Board of Directors is March 12
• Deadline for applications for the Youth Theatre Training Program, offering financial support for programs led by professional theatre artists, which deliver accessible training to young people, is March 17

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Buddies In Bad Times' Pride Cab

• Application deadline for Buddies In Bad Times’ PrideCab for queer youth interested in collaborative creation is March 7
• "Dissecting the Audition with the Double Divas" runs March 8 and 9
• Deadline for nominations for PACT’s Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award, honouring outstanding leadership in the Canadian theatre community, is March 12

New on The Bulletin Board

• The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival has a number of free workshops and events, including the panels that make up the LOT Lounge Series, a panel featuring the creators of Slings & Arrows, an on-stage physicality workshop, and an intro to sketch comedy workshop; running March 9 to 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, job postings, and volunteer opportunities on our Theatre Ontario Individual Member Resources on our website

Browsing The Bulletin Board

We’re pleased to announce our first Fall workshops

• Proposal Writing: Creative Approaches to Creative Proposals, with Denise Bolduc on September 9 at 4pm in Toronto – A workshop for individuals and theatre organizations applying for funding and sponsorships: Change the grant-writing nightmare to a positive creative experience by learning relevant tools and valuable information to improve your chances of success.  Just in time for the Canada Council Granting Deadline on September 15!
• Playwriting: Idea to First Draft, with Lindsay Price on September 14 in Toronto – A workshop for emerging playwrights: Sometimes the hardest step in the playwriting process is the first. Where do I find inspiration? How do I develop an idea? What if my idea fizzles out halfway through?
• Playwriting: How to Self-Edit and Critique, with Lindsay Price on September 15 in Toronto – A workshop for emerging plays: Plays are not written in the first draft. Plays come to life in rewrites. But re-write how? What if we don't know how to move our work forward? What if we don't know how to critique our own work? What if we aren't sure how to process feedback from others? This workshop offers tools and techniques for playwrights who have a play “under construction.”
• Smart Marketing: Adapting to the New Reality, with Cheryl Ewing on September 21 in Toronto – What do your patrons expect from their night at the theatre?  How can you help them to meet their expectations?  How do you use your existing audience to help you find a new audience?  Find out in the full-day workshop

We’re also still accepting registrations for our Summer Theatre Intensive courses in acting and directing.

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

Melissa Hood prepares for Praxis Theatre's Section 98 at HATCH 2010

• Deadline to apply to Harbourfront Centre’s HATCH 2014 residency is July 12.  HATCH 2014 is being guest-curated by HATCH alumni Michael Wheeler and Aislinn Rose of Praxis Theatre.  The program is for Toronto-area artists and companies, with particular interest in projects that experiment with how social media can be used artistically in creation and performance
• York University’s Physical Approaches to Theatre: Techniques of Suzuki and Ohta starts July 15
• Deadline to apply to the City of Toronto Cultural Services Culture Build Investment Program—funding shovel-ready infrastructure repair projects for small and medium-sized cultural facilities—is July 15
• Next in the Young Associates Summer Seminar series—Sumac Basics: Getting Started is on July 17

New on The Bulletin Board

• Jumblies Theatre is bringing their community-engaged art workshops to Sudbury—The Art of Community runs August 8 to 10, and Oral History and Art-Making runs September 26 to 29

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