Internship: Summer Family Programs Volunteer Intern, Canadian Stage Company

The Canadian Stage Company is now accepting applications for the (volunteer) position of SUMMER FAMILY PROGRAMS VOLUNTEER INTERN.

Based in Toronto, The Canadian Stage Company develops and produces the best in Canadian and international contemporary theatre and is Canada’s largest contemporary theatre company.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Artistic and Audience Development and the Interim Community Relations Manager, this Intern position offers an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge in developing and leading programs that cultivate artistic opportunities in community settings for youth and families, associated with the Canadian Stage TD Dream in High Park. This position also offers opportunities to develop experience in the marketing, communications and outreach activities for community initiatives.

Responsibilities include:

• Assisting with the Facilitation of Summer Youth and Community Programs in Program Sessions
• Assisting with the communication and evaluation of programs offered.
• Assisting with the co-ordination of Youth and Community Programming throughout the summer

The Intern will have opportunities to participate in program planning, communication and execution, including attending program sessions.   The internship offers numerous opportunities to develop administrative, communication and leadership skills in the implementation of new initiatives.

Start Date: June 29, 2009 – End Date: September 6, 2009

The Canadian Stage Company Youth Programs Intern must commit to at least 10 hrs per week.  Schedule can be flexible. Must be available July 1st and Sunday evenings throughout the summer.

Minimum requirements:

• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
• Interest in youth arts programming, family-friendly programming, communications and outreach
• Experience in leadership roles and desire to improve leadership skills
• Ability to work well individually and as part of a team
• Previous office administration experience and previous creation experience are an asset
• Self-starter. Full training will be provided but in some cases the successful candidate will be asked to work independently on assigned projects.
• High computer proficiency (MS Word & Excel experience preferred, e-mail and internet)
• Being enrolled in a course of study that involves interning at an arts organization is considered an asset but not required.

In addition to the many benefits of The Canadian Stage Company’s Intern Program which include information sessions with staff members of their choice, the successful candidate will also be assisting artists or administrators who are engaged with the youth programs of the Company.  The intern will also receive free tickets to Canadian Stage productions and will be invited to readings, workshops and other artistic development initiatives.  We strive to make our intern positions as valuable an experience as possible.

Please submit cover letter, résumé and 3 (phone) references by June 19, 2009 by email only, (attach documents in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat)
Attention: SUMMER YOUTH AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS INTERN
Canadian Stage Company

e-mail: bobmccarthy@canstage.com

www.canstage.com

Please note in your cover letter where you saw this intern posting. We thank everyone who applies for their interest, but only candidates selected for an interview are contacted. No telephone inquiries please. All applications are considered confidential.
Canadian Stage Company is an equal opportunity employer.

Internship: Volunteer Resources Intern, The Canadian Stage Company

The Canadian Stage Company is accepting applications for the (volunteer) position of Volunteer Resources Intern.

Based in Toronto, The Canadian Stage Company is Canada’s largest contemporary theatre company, committed to developing and producing the best in theatre on a national and international level. As a non-profit company, The Canadian Stage Company relies on volunteers to help it achieve its vision.

Reporting to the Manager of Volunteer Resources, the Volunteer Resources Intern duties will include:

• Assist with scheduling and rewarding volunteers for The Canadian Stage Company, using excel and an access database. (Full training provided).
• Input all volunteer information into Access database and assist in maintaining accurate records on behalf of all Canadian Stage Company volunteers.
• Assist with volunteer recruitment, including initiating new ideas to expand diversity of volunteer base.
• Responsible for organizing a themed Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.
• Responsible for organizing a themed event for all intern alumni and past and current intern supervisors in celebration of 100 interns graduating from our formal internship program.
• Assist as needed with various administrative work.
• Assist a youth volunteer planning group to do community centre talks to recruit volunteers.
• Opportunity to curate, organize, and promote a Free Learning Series open to the general public.
• Create a series of PowerPoint presentations to train staff about intern program.
• Assist in designing and implementing secondary and post-secondary strategic plan for student recruitment. The outcomes would be increased number of youth volunteering for Canadian Stage Berkeley ushering and bar serving.

Minimum requirements:

• Computer proficient (Access and Excel experience is an asset)
• Some events and promotions background is a strong asset
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Detail oriented
• Excellent interpersonal skills and oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work well individually and as part of a team
• An interest in being mentored to manage volunteer and intern programs with a strong focus on diversity
• Self-starter. Full training will be provided but in some cases successful candidate will be asked to work independently on assigned projects.
• Some public relations or volunteer coordination writing experience is an asset, but not necessary.

Days and Times: Two weekdays, (negotiable), 10 am to 5 pm
Start Date: June 22, 2009 (negotiable)
End Date: September 8, 2009 (negotiable)

Rewards: Volunteer Interns are considered staff by The Canadian Stage Company. Interns are eligible to attend plays and play readings, workshops, discount tickets to other theatres, and you will be part of a dynamic office environment. In addition, we offer Information Interviews, Goals Planning and Progress Reports during the Intern Term, as well as internal job postings and Intern Alumni events after successful completion of the Internship.

To apply:
We require a CV and cover letter and 3 references to consider applicants for an Intern. First priority will be given to interns who include a cover letter with their CV.
An interview is required, only those candidates chosen for interviews will be contacted.
The Canadian Stage Company is an equal opportunity employer.

Deadline to apply: Wed June 17th, 2009
Apply by email only to:
Attention: Bob McCarthy
Manager of Volunteer Resources and Interns
bobmccarthy@canstage.com
www.canstage.com

Please note in your cover letter where you saw this INTERN posting. We thank everyone who applies for their interest, but only candidates selected for an interview are contacted. No telephone inquiries please. All applications are considered confidential.

Internship: Canadian Stage TD Dream in High Park Intern, Canadian Stage Company

The Canadian Stage Company is accepting applications for the (volunteer) position of Canadian Stage TD Dream in High Park Intern.

Based in Toronto, The Canadian Stage Company is Canada’s largest contemporary theatre company, committed to developing and producing the best in theatre on a national and international level.
As a non-profit company, The Canadian Stage Company relies on volunteers to help it achieve its vision.

Reporting to the Dream in High Park Volunteer Coordinator, the Intern duties will include:

• Administrative help for the Dream Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator involving inputting into an Access database to pull volunteer reports for CanStage TD Dream In High Park
• Community outreach involving recruitment and training of new Dream volunteers
• Successful candidate will need to assist with the coordination of volunteers
• Assist with coordinating volunteer rewards up to and including a Volunteer Appreciation BBQ in August
• Once a week the Intern will be asked to coordinate the volunteers at the Dream site
• Maintaining a database of volunteer information
• Filing, photocopying, assist with mail outs to Dream volunteers as needed
• Assist with Dream in High Park volunteer recruitment and training
• Assist with the coordination of volunteer resources projects, including education sessions for volunteers and communications with volunteers.
• Letter-writing and memo-writing involved
• Other administration help as required by the Dream Volunteer Coordinator

Minimum requirements:

• Must be able to work independently as a team-oriented problem-solver. This is a fast-paced multi-tasking position
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and oral and written communication skills
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Detail oriented
• Ability to work well individually and as part of a team
• Self-starter. Full training will be provided but in some cases successful candidate will be asked to work independently on assigned projects.
• Computer proficient in Word, Excel, email

Days and Times: Minimum of two weekday shifts a week required, at least one day a start-time of 11 or 11:30 am until 5:30 pm, another day a start time of 3pm until 9pm
Start Date: June 21st, 2009 (mandatory, for volunteer training session)
End Date: September 7th, 2009 (Labour Day)

Rewards: Volunteer Interns are considered staff by The Canadian Stage Company. You will be eligible to attend plays and play readings, workshops, discount tickets to other theatres, and you will be part of a dynamic office environment. In addition, we offer Information Interviews, Goals Planning and Progress Reports during the Intern Term, as well as internal job postings after successful completion of the Intern programme.

To apply:
We require a CV to consider applicants for the Internship. First priority will be given to interns who include a note of interest with their CV.
An interview is required, only those candidates chosen for interviews will be contacted.

Deadline to apply:   Wednesday June 17th, 2009
Apply by email only to:
Attention: Bob McCarthy
Manager of Volunteer Resources and Interns
bobmccarthy@canstage.com
www.canstage.com

Please note in your cover letter where you saw this INTERN posting. We thank everyone who applies for their interest, but only candidates selected for an interview are contacted. No telephone inquiries please. All applications are considered confidential.
The Canadian Stage Company is an equal opportunity employer.

Event: The Sixth Annual Cooking Fire Festival, Dufferin Grove Park

The Sixth Annual Cooking Fire Theatre Festival is a week-long performance extravaganza celebrating theatre, food and public space in Toronto’s Dufferin Grove Park. From June 17-21, local, national and international theatre companies will present original work that promises to delight, entice, and inspire. Each evening, returning hosts Le Trouvères will lead the audience from site to site throughout the park to see performances ranging from the love story of an old man and a beautiful pigeon to a comic meditation on going on a journey. Delicious organic meals will be served to the audience over cooking fires and from Dufferin Grove Park’s two wood-fired outdoor community bake ovens. Building on the success of the last five years, this year’s Cooking Fire Theatre Festival will offer the experience of enchanting and challenging theatre, wonderful food and the beginning of summer.

Performances 7:00 PM

Solo Chicken & BoucharDanse (Toronto) Feather and Bill
Every day of the year, Bill puts on his slacks and suspenders and his tweed hat and heads out to the park to feed the pigeons. On what at first seems like an ordinary summer day Bill meets the bird of his dreams, the elegant and impetuous Feather. Through dance, movement, puppetry and clown we watch the blossoming of what could be a life-long love, created by acclaimed artists Lisa Anne Ross and Sylvie Bouchard.

Urban Spine (Toronto) Nurture
Dare these mothers step off of their manicured world onto real grass?  Can they baby-proof the park to their standards?  Will you help them wrap the trees in bubble wrap?  This new piece by environmental theatre company Urban Spine features singing, dancing, bizarre urban legends and a cast of performers who are also new mothers exploring their absurd reactions to real fears.

Théâtre Biscornu (Quebec City) Le Rire Muet
Inspired by silent films from the beginning of the 20th century, this show will make the whole family smile. Featuring three mute characters who find themselves in a bizarre love triangle, Le Rire Muet brings black and white back in style, in a show where misunderstandings arise and laughter abounds!

Satellite Theatre in association with Compagnie Houppz! (Montreal/Strasbourg) Mouving
Three characters wait for a bus.  Of course, it never comes.  Not to be deterred, their imaginations conjure a series of delightfully absurd situations that send the audience to far off places without ever leaving the ground.  This new comedy combines live music, clown and marshmallows to explore humanity’s love affair with the grand voyage.

Zuppa Theatre (Halifax) Very Secret Ceremony
The sun is setting in Dufferin Grove Park. One day is ending and another beginning. In partnership with Halifax’s Verve Mwendo Dance, Very Secret Ceremony is inspired by various dance forms and created specifically for The Cooking Fire Theatre Festival. An end of day performance from the company who brought us Open Theatre Kitchen and Uncle Oscar’s Experiment.

Performances begin 7:00 PM, dinner served from 6:00 PM
Dufferin Grove Park (2 blocks south of Dufferin and Bloor)
Admission is pay-what-you-can ($10 suggested donation)
www.cookingfire.ca
Festival info line: 416-655-4841

Call for Submissions: Evolution Fund, The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival

The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival is the largest theatre event in the city and is part of a worldwide phenomenon. In major cities across the globe, Fringe Festivals have created a supportive environment for independent artists to dream, play and push new aesthetic boundaries. The Toronto Fringe is the starting point for many successful artistic careers and remains committed to its unjuried mandate and focus on accessibility to artists and audiences alike.

Objective
The Evolution Fund was created to further the Fringe’s role as a cornerstone for independent theatre artists in Canada. It is no-strings-attached funding designed to encourage independent companies to take the next step in self-production.

Applicant Eligibility
To be eligible for the Evolution Fund, a company must:

• Have produced a play in the Toronto Fringe in the last 5 years
• Be planning to remount that play within 18 months of the application deadline
• Not be producing that play in partnership with a larger theatre company (e.g. – “in association” and co-productions with)

Other notes:

• Successful candidates may defer receipt of the payment for up to 6 months should production plans change
• Should the production not be undertaken within the allotted time, all funds must be reimbursed to the Fringe

Value of Funding
The maximum amount you may apply for is $2500. Depending on the merit of the project, the Evolution Fund committee may award applicants all or part of the total sum they ask for.

Application Procedures
If you wish to apply for the Evolution Fund, you must submit a completed application form along with:

• A one page description of your project and its Fringe history
• Support materials, as available and relevant to your proposal, including:
• CVs, bios or profiles of participating artists and key personnel.
• Press kit with reviews, photos, etc. if available.
• Video documentation of your current or past work if available (VHS or dvd formats).

SUBMISSION NOTE: In order to reduce the number of copies needed for the selection panel, we will be requiring that all support material be submitted digitally where possible. File formats acceptable are PDF, MS Word (Read-Only if possible) or a plain text file.

Completed Application Forms can be submitted in person, by mail or electronically. All digital application files must be submitted on CD or emailed to general@fringetoronto.com by the application deadline.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 24, 2009

For more information please call 416-966-1062 or email general@fringetoronto.com

344 Bloor St. W. Suite 208, Toronto, ON, M5S-3A7, 416-966-1062
® FRINGE and FRINGE FESTIVAL are registered trademarks of The Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals

Event: Festival of Ideas and Creation, Canadian Stage Company

Artist Workshops, Forums, Conferences + Public Play Readings

The Canadian Stage Company’s Festival of Ideas and Creation launches today, June 8, and continues to June 27. The three-week festival focuses on artistic process and exchange and features more than 350 theatre luminaries, emerging artists and youth in over 75 live events, most of them free. Many of the events are open to the public.

The Festival offers professional development opportunities for local and national artists to present new works and evolve their creative processes while offering audiences the opportunity to explore art behind the scenes and participate in the development of new work.

The Festival features: a dynamic line-up of public readings and rehearsals of exciting new theatrical works by senior and emerging artists from across Canada such as two-time Governor General’s Award-winner Judith Thompson, Chalmers Award-winner Ed Roy, many other award-winners and nominees and up-and-coming artists; an In  Conversation Series with stalwarts in the world of live theatre such as two-time Tony Award-winner William Finn and Governor General’s Award and Siminovitch Prize-winner Daniel MacIvor, among others; book launches; backstage tours; youth programming; and artist/industry masterclasses, forums and conferences.

Artists must register by application for artist and industry events. Artist and industry applications and a full schedule of events are available online at canstage.com/festival. For more information or to reserve tickets for public and youth events, call The Canadian Stage Company Box Office at 416-368-3110.

Announcement: Nina Lee Aquino Named New Artistic Director, Cahoots Theatre

The Board of Directors of Cahoots Theatre Projects is pleased to announce that Nina Lee Aquino has been appointed as Artistic Director effective September 8, 2009. Board President Colette Johnson-Vosberg says, “We are ecstatic to have Nina take over the reins. She is someone who can build on Cahoots’ successes, and has the vision to take us to new and exciting places.”

Nina Lee Aquino has worked with Cahoots over the years in a variety of active roles, including playwright-in-residence. She is an accomplished director, dramaturge, and playwright, a founding member and Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Company, former Associate Artistic Director of Factory Theatre, as well as the Artistic Producer of the CrossCurrents Festival. Nina’s zeal for new play creation, dramaturgy and inspiring emerging artists has kept her on the cutting edge of Canadian theatre. She is the editor of Canada’s first Asian-Canadian drama anthology (Playwrights Canada Press, 2009). She is the recipient of the Ken McDougall Award for directing (2004), the Canada Council John Hirsch Prize (2008), and has received Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for Outstanding Direction (Singkil, fu-GEN Theatre Company 2007; People Power, Carlos Bulosan Theatre 2008). Nina co-wrote Miss Orient(ed) and her monologues have been published in Beyond the Pale (Yvette Nolan, ed.) and She Speaks (Judith Thompson, ed.).

She brings both a seasoned understanding of the role of artistic director and a wealth of connections across the Canadian theatre community to her new position at Cahoots. Her passion for developing new work and her dedication to the spirit of interculturalism in theatre ensure the company, under her leadership, will maintain its level of excellence while breaking new ground and blazing new trails through the Canadian theatrical landscape. Nina will remain at fu-GEN as the Outgoing Artistic Director for the 2009-2010 Season, to ensure a smooth and effective transition in leadership.

Under the strong leadership of current Artistic Director Jovanni Sy (appointed in 2004), Cahoots has produced or co-produced six world premieres including three national tours, received four Dora Mavor Moore Awards (with ten total nominations) and a Governor General’s Literary Award nomination for our productions and artists. We have participated in international theatre conferences or workshops in Edinburgh, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. Jovanni will continue to pursue new artistic challenges, beginning with the world premiere of A Taste of Empire as part of Cahoots’ 2009-2010 Season.

The Board and staff of Cahoots extend a warm welcome to Nina, and wish Jovanni tremendous success in all of his future endeavors.

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For more information on Cahoots visit www.cahoots.ca
Get up to the minute information about Cahoots on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CahootsTheatre.

Announcement: Board of Directors Opportunity, HELIX Dance Project

HELIX Dance Project, an incorporated not-for-profit, contemporary/jazz based Dance Company, offers established dancers within Canada the opportunity for professional work, while expanding on the basics of dance and the fundamentals of movement and art. Helix offers a service to which any professional dancer can cultivate, discover, and accomplish a new level of movement and personal success while inspiring younger artists to understand the fusion of unique choreographed pieces based on the musicality of tone and versatility of the body.

Helix was formed to create a new voice in the jazz/contemporary community, one which relates its movement and pieces of work to experiences relative to the public body. The public on the other hand, is given the opportunity to experience a true vision of passion, art, musicality and versatility through groundbreaking choreography and talent →The HELIX Dance Project provides a new tunnel of looking at the basic, simple but fundamentals of life.

Vision:  A respected dance company recognized throughout Ontario, focused in fusing differing art forms to create exciting and innovative dance works and developing aspiring and professional dancers

Mission:  A company on the leading edge of jazz/contemporary dance that consistently creates dance productions:

1. Cultivates choreographic work
2. Provides a performance vehicle for aspiring and professional dancers
3. Educates the public on contemporary jazz dance through concepts related to education, and real life experiences.

CURRENTLY SEEKING: MEMBERS FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR A 2009 – 2010 SEASON
Helix Dance Project is seeking individuals to form an active Board of Directors; monthly meetings to plan and implement the organizations structure and programs.

These include:

• Annual Shows
• Fundraising Objectives and Planning
• Budget projections and alignment
• Networking with community activists, philanthropists and industry members
• Sponsorship Planning

We are looking for members from all walks of life and communities. Meetings will be held within Toronto, on days best suited for members. If you have an interest in Helix Dance Project, we’d love to hear from you.

Please contact Management at:
MOI Artist Management
c/o: Danielle Matte
416.315.7662
dani@moiam.com
(Please include a copy of your resume with your email.)