Book Your Tickets for Theatre Ontario Festival 2012

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce that tickets for the 2012 Festival in Sault Ste. Marie are now on sale.  Tickets can be ordered from the Theatre SMC website, your online Festival destination.  Festival 2012 runs from May 16 to May 20.

We’re pleased to announce that Jack Wetherall will be our Honourary Chair for Festival 2012.  Jack has been a theatre artist for over forty years, beginning with performances in Sault Theatre Workshop’s The Boyfriend and Look Homeward Angel.  After graduating from York University’s Glendon College he went directly to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.  His career has spanned Broadway, television, the Metropolitan Opera, and dozens of regional theatres across North America.  He has also taught acting and directing for many years at NYU, Princeton, Williamstown, UCLA, Chicago’s Center Theatre and his own studio in New York City.  He presently teaches at the Stella Adler Acting Conservatory, and divides his time between New York and Sault Ste. Marie.  “I believe community is the source from which all theatre springs,” said Jack.  “How wonderful to be part of an event that celebrates community theatre and for me to reconnect with the rogues and rascals that set me on this journey I am still on.”

We’re also pleased to have Tianna Nori as our Event Emcee.  Tianna is a graduate of St. Mary’s College where she was an active member of Theatre SMC. She is currently pursuing a budding career in Toronto, hosting the TV series Last Bride Standing, and a recent starring role in the film Clean Break.  For more information on Tianna Nori, you can visit her website www.tiannanori.com.  Tianna will be a visible and vocal presence throughout the Festival.  "I am really excited about the opportunity to participate in Theatre Ontario Festival 2012," said Tianna, "especially since it is taking place in the Sault this year which gives me the chance to go back home where my passion for acting was born while working with Theatre SMC and Sault Theatre Workshop."

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is:

• a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals, bringing together theatre lovers from across the province
• an educational experience featuring adjudications, workshops, networking, and play readings by Canadian writers
• a celebration of community theatre, with awards recognizing outstanding achievements, and with lots of parties!

Visit the Theatre Ontario website for more information about the Theatre Ontario Festival

ONstage Openings for the week of January 30

In South Central Ontario
Feb. 2, To Kill A Mockingbird at Oshawa Little Theatre

In Southwestern Ontario
Feb. 2, The Devil's Disciple at Owen Sound Little Theatre
Feb. 3, Picasso At The Lapin Agile at Guelph Little Theatre

In Toronto
Feb. 2, Goldilocks and the Three Bears at NAGs Players

In Eastern Ontario
Feb. 1, The Grandkid at Theatre Kingston
Feb. 2, Wait Until Dark at Belleville Theatre Guild
Feb. 3, The Music Man at Seaway Valley Theatre Company (Cornwall)

For all the theatre currently playing across Ontario, and information for theatres on how to add/update your listing, visit the ONstage theatre listings on the Theatre Ontario website.

Browsing The Bulletin Board

Upcoming on The Bulletin Board

• OAC Theatre Creators Reserve deadline for Port Stanley Festival Theatre (January 31)
• Deadline to apply for Theatre Inspirato’s Playwriting Mentoring Project is January 31
• Deadline for the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration is also January 31
• Shakespeare Week course on performing Shakespeare begins Feb. 6 at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival

New on The Bulletin Board

• PACT has unveiled their Winter professional development workshops
• Essential Collective Theatre in Niagara is inviting new play submissions for their 2012 Wine & Readings; deadline is March 23
• The Ontario Arts Council has announced an Aboriginal Arts Leadership award; submission deadline is April 2
• 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook has opened their New Play Competition; deadline is April 20

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

Thank You To Our Donors

Theatre Ontario thanks everyone who has supported us with donations as we launched our 40th Anniversary celebration.  Your contribution creates and sustains a vibrant and dynamic theatre community in our province, through Theatre Ontario.

It’s not too late to join in!  We invite you to be part of our milestone “40 for 40” celebration, where your donation will create mentorships, workshops, networks, and resources that develop our communities now and in the future.  Make your donation to Theatre Ontario today!

Celebrating Milestones

By Anne Mooney, Community Theatre Coordinator

This is my first blog post, so a few comments and introductions are in order.  So many of you have been extremely generous in your congratulatory notes and I thank everyone for their kind words.  I hope I can live up to your good wishes.

I have had a few people send emails not realizing we had met before.  Some of you may remember me by my maiden name, Annie Reaume.

I am very excited to be the latest in a line of fine Community Theatre Coordinators.  Through my years in community theatre, I have had the privilege of meeting many vibrant and effective Coordinators.  If I started to name them all, I am sure I would forget someone, so let me only say, thank you for your inspiration and support of theatre in Ontario and I hope I can follow in your example.

With this being Theatre Ontario’s 40th anniversary year, I have been thinking a lot about 2012 and the many milestones that are being celebrated this year.

It all started when I was asked when the first WODL festival occurred.  A little quick research and a sudden epiphany and there it was.  Three of our present community theatre regions can trace their origins to the first meetings for creation of the Dominion Drama Festival, specifically the meeting of October 29, 1932 at Rideau Hall.  The Governor General at the time was the driving force for the creation of an all-Canada theatrical festival.  During those first meetings, three regions for preliminary adjudications were created the Western Ontario region, the Central Ontario region, and the Eastern Ontario region.  These three regions are the birthright of the present day Western Ontario Drama League(WODL), Eastern Ontario Drama League(EODL) and the Association of Community Theatres of Central Ontario (ACT-CO).  Happy 80th birthday.

In 1957, CODL was split into two and QUONTA was born.  QUONTA had a large celebration for their 50th anniversary in 2007, but, as someone who knows–the 55th is also a milestone year.  I look forward to celebrating with them at their festival in March in Elliot Lake.

Several communities are hosting Festivals this year in conjunction with special milestone birthdays.  Traditionally, Theatre Sarnia hosts the WODL Festival every five years on their -5 and -0 anniversaries.  This year is their 85th.  One of the driving forces behind the creation of WODL and the DDF was D. Park Jamieson of Sarnia, a prominent member of Sarnia Little Theatre.  To this day he is immortalized in WODL; the Best Production award presented yearly at the WODL Festival is the D. Park Jamieson Award.  This year’s festival is March 12th to the 17th.  WODL is my home region and I have been at many festivals there.  St. Patrick’s Day traditionally has a green theme.  I wonder what will be happening at this year’s Festival Ball on St. Patrick’s Day?

Ottawa Little Theatre is hosting the EODL festival on  April 11th to 15th.  OLT is one of our oldest continuing community theatres as this is their 100th anniversary year.  Sometimes I have difficulty remembering last week, imagine having 100 years of history to celebrate.

Our culminating community theatre festival, the aptly named Theatre Ontario Festival is being hosted by Theatre SMC in Sault Ste. Marie.  Not only is this the 40th anniversary of Theatre Ontario, but Sault Ste. Marie is celebrating their 100th anniversary as a city.  The Festival Committee is partnering with the City to be included as part of their joint anniversary celebrations.  Theatre Ontario Festival occurs in May.

As you can see, community theatre in Ontario has a lot to celebrate.  We celebrate our theatres every year at our festivals, at our opening nights, at our closing night parties.  We celebrate all the time.  But sometimes, we should take a moment to step back and celebrate our history and our place in our home communities.  Milestone years are the perfect time to remember our amazing accomplishments. 

The Festival and community theatres I have mentioned above are merely the tip of the iceberg.  As I go forward with my new position as Community Theatre Coordinator, please let me know about your milestones and I don’t mean, just those big anniversaries.  How about the small accomplishments?  It’s our first show of the season or we’re so new, we are celebrating that we got our third show off the ground!  I would love to celebrate with you and share your accomplishments throughout the province.

Isn’t Community Theatre worth celebrating!