Call for Directors: New Ideas Festvial 2009, Alumnae Theatre

Alumnae Theatre Company’s New Ideas Festival
CALL FOR DIRECTORS

The New Ideas Festival is a juried, three-week festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre, with a new program of plays each week, and a staged reading on Saturdays at noon. It runs from March 11 – 28, 2009.

We are seeking directors — new and experienced — to join us in the development of new Canadian theatre. The plays have a running time of between five and forty-five minutes, and rehearsals typically start in late January/early February for a March run. It’s an excellent and exciting opportunity to work one-on-one with a playwright, and to work in the beautiful Studio Theatre at Alumnae.

The New Ideas Festival:

• Began in 1989 as one of the few juried theatre festivals in Toronto.
• Encourages playwrights to stay involved in the project throughout the rehearsal process.
• Is part of the Alumnae Theatre, a not-for-profit and non-union company, which actively encourages diversity in its casting and membership.
• Is focused on development and community. It does not charge entry fees to participants, or pay fees, royalties or a box office share to participants.
• Provides dramaturgical support to assist in script development.
• Provides Directors, Stage Managers, technical and front of house staff with rehearsal space and publicity.

Alumnae Theatre Company retains creative discretion over the festival as a whole.

Directors must:

• Not be a member of CAEA or ACTRA, as the Alumnae is a non-professional company. Cast and crew lists are submitted to both unions for review. Union involvement is reserved for members in good standing.
• Follow all production guidelines established by the New Ideas Festival.
• Be prepared to develop the project/script through the collaborative and dramaturgical process that New Ideas is designed to offer.
• Keep technical requirements of the project to a minimum: the focus will be on script development, not production values. The Festival provides only limited access to costumes and props.

Meet and Greet:
We don’t want you to dive into this unprepared and uninformed so we’re hosting a Meet and Greet. This is an opportunity for you to hear the playwrights talk about their scripts, to introduce yourself to both the writers and the production team, and to eat cookies. Bring your questions, bring copies of your résumé, and — most importantly — book Wednesday November 12th at 7pm off on your calendar right now.

To attend the Meet and Greet please RSVP by Monday November 3, 2008 to:

new.ideas.festival@gmail.com (this is preferred) or,

NEW IDEAS FESTIVAL — Call for Directors
Alumnae Theatre Company
70 Berkeley Street, Toronto, ON M5A 2W6
Check out http://www.alumnaetheatre.com for more details.

Call for nominations: Molson Prizes and John G. Diefenbaker Award, Canada Council for the Arts

Call for nominations: Molson Prizes and John G. Diefenbaker Award

Molson Prizes
The Canada Council for the Arts and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada are accepting nominations for the 2009 Molson Prizes. The two Molson Prizes are worth $50,000 each. One is awarded annually in the arts, and the other in the humanities or social sciences.

• Eligibility criteria, forms and nomination procedures: http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/molson/
John G. Diefenbaker Award
You may also be interested in nominating a candidate for the John G. Diefenbaker Award. The award, worth $75,000, is given annually to enable a German scholar to spend time in Canada.

• Eligibility criteria, forms and nomination procedures: http://www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes/john_g_diefenbaker/

Deadline
We invite you to submit nominations for these prestigious prizes and also ask for your help in publicizing this call for nominations. Nomination forms and support documentation must be postmarked no later than 1 December 2008.

We look forward to receiving your nominations.

Endowments & Prizes Section
Canada Council for the Arts

Announcement: Changes to the Metcalf Foundation’s Performing Arts Program and Deadlines for 2009, Community Meetings Announced

Changes to the Metcalf Foundation’s Performing Arts Program and Deadlines for 2009

Community Meetings Announced

The Metcalf Foundation seeks to strengthen the performing arts community by investing in innovative ideas and dedicated individuals. While many funding programs focus on infrastructure, artistic activity, or capital investment, the Metcalf Foundation invests in original, creative ideas grounded in strong planning and strategic rigour, which address an organization’s challenges or take advantage of emerging opportunities. In addition to our work supporting creative ideas, the Foundation is also interested in nurturing leadership through the provision of professional development opportunities for both new and established practitioners in the performing arts. Our grants extend over one- to three-year periods, because we recognize that it takes time to implement new ideas and to develop an individual’s skills and experience. We believe that strategic investment in these areas will ultimately create a more sustainable and successful arts environment for creators and their communities.

In order to enhance our response to changing needs in the community and our evaluation of projects funded in the past, the Foundation is introducing some changes to our Performing Arts Program for 2009.

Strategic Initiatives

Through the Strategic Initiatives program, the Foundation intends to encourage performing arts organizations as they develop creative and ambitious new approaches to their challenges or ideas that advance their work. The Foundation recognizes that the capacity to develop creative, powerful, and ambitious ideas for addressing challenges exists in arts organizations of any size. For that reason, grant eligibility will no longer be tied to the size of an applicant’s budget (in the past, small and mid-sized companies were eligible to apply for an annual grant equal to 5% of their annual operating revenue). In 2009, the program guidelines will read:

All applicants may request between $25,000 and $75,000 per year, for a three-year period, representing a total investment from the Foundation between $75,000 and $225,000.

Applicants should know, however, that the Foundation will carefully assess an organization’s capacity to undertake the proposed initiative and the implications of a substantial budget increase for a small organization.

Since grant size is no longer predicated by the applicant’s operating budget, the Foundation has also been able to expand our eligibility criteria to the program, which had been limited to organizations with annual operating budgets under $3 million. In 2009, the program guidelines will read:

Professional theatre, dance, music, and opera organizations in Toronto, which have been in operation for at least three years, have charitable status, and have operating budgets under $4 million, are eligible to apply.

Senior Artists and Administrators

The Foundation recognizes that senior practitioners in the performing arts have made enormous contributions to the success of the sector in Ontario. In most cases, their work has been carried out under challenging circumstances – with limited resources and in a difficult and rapidly changing environment – and this has resulted in stress, burnout, or attrition. We believe that investing in the health and productivity of the people who work in the arts is essential to the continued success of the field.

Nonetheless, the Foundation’s program supporting professional development activity for senior artists and administrators is under review, as we believe that there may be stronger ways for us to invest in this important part of the sector. For that reason, the Foundation will not be operating our Senior Artists and Administrators program in 2009, while we investigate alternate ways of supporting these individuals.

Internships

The Foundation’s internship program will continue, in 2009, to be operated according to the same criteria as it was in 2008.

Community Meetings

Michael Jones, Performing Arts Program Director at the Metcalf Foundation will be holding a series of community meetings to discuss the changes to our Performing Arts Program in mid November. These meetings are scheduled for:

Tuesday, November 11; beginning at 4:00 pm
Dancemakers, Michael J. Baker Studio; 55 Mill Street, The Cannery, Studio 314

Thursday, November 13; beginning at 10:00 am
Arraymusic; 60 Atlantic Avenue, Studio 218

Monday, November 17; beginning at 1:00 pm
Tarragon Theatre; 30 Bridgman Avenue

Members of the performing arts community are welcome to attend any of these sessions. In order for us to know how many people to expect, please RSVP to Michael Jones at 416-926-0366 X 25 or mjones@metcalffoundation.com.

2009 Deadlines

Application deadlines for 2009 have been set as follows.

Strategic Initiatives
Round 1: letters of interest due December 15, 2008 (full applications will be due from chosen organizations by January 26, 2009)
Round 2: letters of interest due March 30, 2009 (full applications will be due from chosen organizations by May 4, 2009)

Professional Development: Internships
Round 1: applications due April 27, 2009
Round 2: applications due October 19, 2009

For detailed deadlines or full program guidelines, please visit our website at www.metcalffoundation.com.

Call for Submissions: Toronto Fringe Lottery Details & CAFF Lottery Details, Toronto Fringe Festival

Toronto Fringe Lottery Details

It’s almost that time again – the 2009 Fringe Lottery Applications are going online in early November at www.fringetoronto.com. This year, we’ll be drawing for 148 slots in 11 categories – USA 90 (1 slot) & 60 (2 slots) minutes, International 90 (1 slot) & 60 (2 slots) minutes, National 90 (1 slot) & 60 (11 slots) minutes, Ontario 90 (13 slots) & 60 (59 slots) minutes, Kids Venue (8 slots), and the second ever Dance Initiative (1 National/International slot, 7 Ontario slots). We’ll also be announcing the winners of the CAFF Touring Lottery and the winner of this year’s New Play Contest. Last year we had an astonishing 501 entries, and we’re counting on even stiffer odds this year – are you up for it? Stay tuned for details on the lottery party, which will be held in January. Good luck!

Announcement: Artscape Wychwood Barns Launch November 20

Below please find press release relating to the exciting public opening of the Artscape Wychwood Barns on November 20.

Arts and culture, environmental leadership, heritage preservation, urban agriculture and affordable housing have been brought together in a dynamic mix at this 60,000 sq. ft. multifaceted complex that represents a new generation of community centres designed to enable creativity and foster a strong sense of community.

Press Kit and interviews available upon request.

***
Historic Site Transformed
Artscape Wychwood Barns Officially Opens
November 20, 2008

Toronto, November 3, 2008… The transformation of the historic Wychwood TTC streetcar repair barns located in Toronto’s St. Clair and Christie neighbourhood into the Artscape Wychwood Barns is almost complete. The Official Opening Ceremonies and public launch will take place on Thursday, November 20 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm at the Barns, 76 Wychwood Avenue, with a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by an open house.

The multi-faceted Artscape Wychwood Barns showcases a new generation of community centres where arts and culture, environmental leadership, heritage preservation, urban agriculture and affordable housing are brought together to foster a strong sense of community and collaboration. Following in the wake of the newly-renovated Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Conservatory of Music and Royal Ontario Museum, the Barns are leading the second wave of cultural renaissance development in Toronto and are an example of what can happen when community-builders work hard to put visionary ideas into practice.

The $21.2 million project restores a unique architectural gem in Toronto’s landscape and provides 60,000 square feet of affordable space in four barns for artists, environmentalists and people working in the fields of education, urban agriculture and food security. The Artscape Wychwood Barns includes:

• 26 units of social housing for artists and their families,
• 15 affordable artist work studio spaces,
• 13 offices for non-profit arts and environmental organizations
• performance, rehearsal and event spaces
• a community art gallery,
• year-round temperate greenhouse,
• sheltered garden,
• compost demonstration site
• outdoor bake oven
• and is surrounded by a 127,000 sq. ft. new City park that includes a children’s play area, an open sports field with a natural ice rink in winter, a fenced in off-leash dog area, and a beach volley ball court

In January 2004, Artscape was selected by the City of Toronto to spearhead the redevelopment of the former TTC barns, built between 1913 and 1921, and derelict since the 1980s. The vision for the Barns was drawn from the aspirations of local community members as they imagined how to integrate a beautiful old industrial building into a 21st century park. In addition to local community involvement, Artscape worked with Toronto City Councillor Joe Mihevc, as well as Joe Lobko, lead consultant and architect of du Toit Architects Ltd., on the adaptive re-use of this former streetcar repair facility.

The Artscape Wychwood Barns have been carefully planned to be a model of financial and environmental sustainability. The Barns provide extensive community resources and programs while generating the revenue to pay for its operating expenses. Heating and cooling are drawn from the earth’s energy, toilets are flushed with rainwater and many other environmental technologies will help make the Barns the first LEED (Leadership on Energy and Environmental Design) certified heritage building in Canada.

In solidifying plans for the launch, President and CEO of Artscape Tim Jones stated, “The Artscape Wychwood Barns is a victory for the community. Artscape helped forge an aspirational vision for the project that transformed a derelict piece of real estate into a vibrant and resilient community that will strengthen the local economy, enrich the social fabric and promote a cleaner, greener environment.

“For almost 30 years, the Wychwood Barns sat as an underutilized, derelict site in the heart of a dynamic residential neighbourhood. On a snowy night in 2001, City Councillor Joe Mihevc invited Artscape to a community meeting to discuss the future of the Barns and ask our help in making something happen. It has been an epic journey punctuated by late night meetings, passionate debate, heroic determination and unbelievable generosity.

“The Barns are an extraordinary effort in city-building that simply could not have happened without the support of thousands of local residents, all levels of government, as well as dozens of foundation, corporations and individual donors.”

Artscape Wychwood Barns Funders and Partners

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
Developer and Operator: Artscape
Lead Consultant and Architect: Joe Lobko at du Toit Architects Ltd.
Construction Manager: The Dalton Company Ltd.
Structural Consultant: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd.
Mechanical, Electrical & Sustainability Consultant: Stantec Consulting Ltd.
Landscape Architect: The Planning Partnership
Heritage Architect: E.R.A. Architects Inc.
Co-developer and Operator of the Green Barn: The Stop Community Food Centre

ARTSCAPE WYCHWOOD BARNS FUNDERS
City of Toronto, Government of Canada
Canadian Heritage – Cultural Spaces Canada
Canada Ontario Affordable Housing Program
Ontario Ministry of Culture
George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation
Hamilton Community Foundation – The Young Fund
TD Bank Financial Group
City of Toronto – Culture Division,
Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund
Ontario Trillium Foundation
McCarthy Tétrault
The McLean Foundation
Toronto Atmospheric Fund
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
ING Direct
Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation
Toronto Hydro Corporation
Charles H. Ivey Foundation

Established in 1986, Artscape is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to culture-led regeneration and city-building through the arts. Artscape’s work includes developing and managing creative buildings, building creative neighbourhoods, and designing strategies and tools to advance creative cities. Artscape’s work connects people, places, and ideas with the intention of making cultural, economic, social, and environmental progress. Projects are designed to generate an exchange of value between creative people and a broader group of partners and stakeholders. Previously, Artscape played a catalytic role in the revitalization of the Distillery Historic District, West Queen West, and Liberty Village as well as creating Artscape Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands.

Artscape Wychwood Barns Official Opening Ceremony
Thursday November 20, 3:30-5:30pm
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Artscape Wychwood Barns
76 Wychwood Avenue
The public can rsvp online at http://www.artscape.eventbrite.com or call 416-392-1038×13.

For more information please visit http://www.torontoartscape.on.ca

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Media refer:
Dianne Weinrib / Savi Pannu, DW Communications 416.703.5479 dw@dwcommunications.net

Announcement: Cirque du Soleil invites Canadian Artists to Participate in Canada’s Cultural Program at Expo 2010 Shanghai, in China

For immediate release

Cirque du Soleil invites Canadian Artists to Participate in Canada’s Cultural Program at Expo 2010 Shanghai, in China

Montreal, October 27, 2008 – Expo 2010 will take place from May 1 to October 31, 2010 in Shanghai, China. Cirque du Soleil on behalf of the Government of Canada is proud to be the producer of the Canada Pavilion’s cultural program for Expo 2010. Inspired by the theme “The Living City: inclusive, sustainable, creative”, this program will showcase a wide diversity of artists, works and productions from various disciplines such as dance, music, theatre, literature, visual arts and media arts. In order to reflect the dynamism of Canadian culture, Cirque du Soleil is now inviting emerging as well as renowned artists, from across Canada, to apply for inclusion in the programming. This competition will take place from October 27 to December 15, 2008.

“It’s an opportunity for us to ensure the visibility of our artistic community by offering them an exceptional showcase in China”, said Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil. During Expo 2010 in Shanghai, the Canada Pavilion expects to welcome about 5.5 million visitors, an average of 30 000 per day.

The Canada Council for the Arts will join Cirque du Soleil in the evaluation and selection process. The Canada Council for the Arts exists to ensure that Canadian artists and citizens have a distinctive voice on the national and international stage and is recognized for its commitment to artistic expression and cultural and regional diversity. The Council respects artistic excellence and employs transparent assessment methods to determine comparative merit in a national context. As such, the Canada Council for the Arts is a partner of choice.

All Canadian artists are invited to visit the Web site
www.cirquedusoleil.com/Shanghai2010 for information on how to submit their completed application for Canada’s cultural program at Expo 2010 Shanghai. The Web site also includes the eligibility criteria and the criteria that will be used to evaluate applications. The criteria were established by Cirque du Soleil after consultation with the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts.

About Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil is primarily a creative content provider for a wide variety of unique projects. In addition to shows, the company, which has its International Headquarters in Montréal, extends its creative talent to other spheres of activity. While maintaining stringent standards of artistic quality and originality, Cirque du Soleil brings to innovative projects the same energy and spirit that characterize each of its shows.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.

To find out more about the One Drop Foundation, visit www.onedrop.org.

About Expo 2010 Shanghai
Expo 2010 whose theme will be Better City, Better Life, offers an international forum to discuss issues of global importance relating to urban living and sustainable development, including the impact on resources and the environment. Over 70 million visitors are expected at this event.

Information:
Tania Orméjuste
Cirque du Soleil
+ 1 514 723-7646, poste 8335
tania.ormejuste@cirquedusoleil.com

Job Posting: Arts and Entertainment Program Manager, Pride Toronto

Arts and Entertainment Program Manager

Position Overview

Pride Toronto is a not-for-profit organization that produces Pride Week, an annual arts and cultural festival celebrating Toronto’s LGBTTIQ2S* communities. Attracting over a million visitors each year, Pride Week is one of Toronto’s eight signature events, one of the largest arts and cultural festivals in Canada, and one of the largest Pride’s in the world.

We seek a dynamic and creative Arts and Entertainment Program Manager with a strong knowledge of the LGBTTIQ2S arts and cultural community in Toronto and across North America, and a sincere passion for Pride Week and all that it represents.
* Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, 2-Spirited.

Arts & Entertainment Program Overview
A week-long festival, Pride Week features a three day street festival with nine stages of live music, performance and DJs, and additional week-long arts and cultural activities including literary, comedy, and other multi-disciplinary events. Under the direction of the A&E Program Manager, the festival’s A&E activities are developed and managed by five year-round volunteer A&E committees (3 Programming Committees, Artist Relations and Hospitality Committee, Production and Technical Committee). Each committee is led by two Committee Coordinators (year-round senior level volunteers) who manage its activities and members.

General Responsibilities:
• Working within the mandate set by the Board, you will conceptualize and articulate an artistic and programming vision for the festival.
• Within the parameters set by the Board, work with the Associate Director (AD) to further refine the A&E program and artistic vision for the organization, making recommendations for long term goals and opportunities for growth and development.
• Develop and maintain relationships with artists and cultural producers, relevant organizations and festivals, creating opportunities for partnerships and cooperative efforts.
• Assist the AD in developing grant applications and reports as requested.
• Attend monthly Pride Planning meetings for all Pride Toronto personnel (staff and volunteer)
• Attend staff meetings as directed by the AD
• Support the Volunteer Program Manager in selecting the appropriate volunteers to staff all A&E Committees, set the parameters for the recruitment criteria, and attend all selection committee meetings as required (on an ad hoc basis – mostly in the fall of the year)
• As directed by the AD, ensure that all sponsorship related obligations that impact on the A&E program are fulfilled appropriately.
• Provide a detailed year-end report outlining all the activities of the A&E program during the year and recommendations for further development of the program.

Managing the Arts and Entertainment Program and Committees:
• Develop working parameters and mandates for each A&E committee.
• In conjunction with the A&E Committee Coordinators and with support from the Volunteer Program Manager, develop an annual work plan for each committee, outlining their goals, tasks, responsibilities and timelines.
• With day to day support from the Volunteer Program Manager, manage the annual work plan to ensure that tasks are completed on time, and work with the staff to provide the appropriate support, resources and leadership to assist the committees in carrying out their work
• Chair and manage regular meetings (at least once a month) with all A&E Committee Coordinators, providing the necessary leadership to coordinate their efforts to produce one cohesive week of programming.
• As directed by the AD, manage the budget for the A&E program and oversee the use of funds by each committee.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of the A&E database, ensuring that each committee is keeping accurate records and statistics and provides monthly reports
• Oversee all contracts negotiated by the committees to ensure they are negotiated in a fair and transparent manner consistent with the policies, values and approved budget parameters of Pride Toronto and that all of Pride Toronto’s contractual obligations are fulfilled.
• Collect and manage the signing of the contracts in an appropriate and timely fashion, ensuring that all contracts are signed by the ED and necessary personnel, and are documented properly.
• Provide the finance manager with a list of all payments to be made to artists and other personnel in a timely manner for cheque processing, and ensure that all artists are compensated in a timely manner.
• Oversee all A&E activities during the week-long event, ensuring the smooth running of all A&E commitments.

Artist Promotion:
• Ensure that all biographical and promotional material is collected by the appropriate A&E Committees in a timely fashion and distributed to Pride Toronto’s Media Partners as needed and in a timely fashion, as directed by the AD.
• Work with the appropriate Pride Toronto (non A& E) committees to create a template for promoting artists in the pride guide, on the website, through advertising and other promotional means, ensuring that the content provided is accurate, appropriate and delivered on time.
• Work with the appropriate A&E Committees and Pride Toronto’s Promotional partners to arrange interviews for artists prior to and during the event and ensure that they are appropriately executed.

Qualifications:
• Demonstrated experience in arts and cultural management, production and programming
• Strong knowledge of the LGBTTIQ2S arts and cultural activities and community in Toronto and beyond
• Solid knowledge of staging, production, and technical needs for outdoor concerts and live performances. • Previous experience managing artist and production contracts
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, problem solving and mediation/mentoring skills.
• Demonstrated leadership, people management and team building skills
• Impeccable organizational, time management and coordination skills
• Ability to work within a flexible schedule, including some evenings and week-ends.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, work independently and effectively lead and a team of volunteers.
• Not-for-profit experience an asset
• Grant-writing experience an asset
• Creative, out of the box thinker

Position Type: Full Time
Deadline: October 31, 2008, 5pm
For this position, we will be conducting interviews as we receive applications. Please submit your application as soon as possible!
Start Date: As Soon As Possible
Compensation: CDN $38,000 – $42,000 plus a competitive benefits package.

Apply To:
Chair, Arts and Entertainment Program Manager Selection Committee
Mail: Pride Toronto, 65 Wellesley St. E., Suite 501, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1G7
Email: office@pridetoronto.com Fax: 416.927.7433
(Note: include cover letter and resume in one document)