Announcement: Visual Art Joins The Fringe Festival!, Toronto Fringe Festival

Toronto Fringe Executive Director Gideon Arthurs announced an exciting new addition to this summer’s Toronto Fringe Festival: Visual Fringe, a collection of mini-galleries for independent visual artists to promote, create, and sell their artwork in an immersive environment.

Arthurs explains, “The philosophy of the Toronto Fringe has always been to offer creative opportunities for artists and audiences, making the arts as accessible as possible.  We are enormously excited to welcome eight visual artists to our Festival through the brand new Visual Fringe, located right in the heart of our festival at the Fringe Club.”

Similar to Fringe Theatre, participants in the Visual Fringe are selected through an equal opportunity application process. Arthurs continues, “These artists will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, which means we’re bypassing the traditions that often keep work by emerging or independent visual artists from being seen.”

Registration for the Visual Fringe is now open at www.fringetoronto.com. Each participant keeps 100% of any sales at their gallery, and festival producers have no control over artistic content, allowing artists to take risks, experiment, and challenge spectators with new, innovative creations.

The Visual Fringe will be open each night of the festival from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Located in Honest Ed Alley, behind Honest Ed’s fabled marquee, the Visual Fringe will be a living, breathing, uncensored art happening that brings an unexpected space to life. The Fringe Club also hosts the McAuslan Beer Tent, the Art Wank, food service by local restaurants, and the Fringe Cabaret Stage with free nightly performances. More special programming at the Fringe Club will be announced closer to the festival. Now in its 23rd year, the Toronto Fringe Festival is the city’s largest theatre festival, with over 79,000 attendees last year.

The 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival is July 6-17, 2011

Call for Submissions: Composer-Librettist Laboratory 2011, Tapestry New Opera

The heart and soul of Tapestry’s Creative Development Programme is the Composer-Librettist Laboratory. This unique programme has been carefully honed for composers and writers to test, exercise and develop their collaborative writing and composing skills in the music theatre/opera art form. For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one. Tapestry provides development, guidance and financial support through the often lengthy, but ultimately rewarding, new work creation process.

The Need
Tapestry considers it to be of vital importance for composers and writers working in the music theatre/opera art form to explore the process of collaboration in a creative, non-competitive environment.

The Program

• Initiated in 1995, the Laboratory is an intensive ten day workshop for composers and writers to explore the collaborative process.
• The Composer-Librettist Laboratory provides the opportunity to work with several partners in a short period of time, thereby developing techniques for effective collaboration.
• Throughout the program, writers and composers are partnered with one another, each for a two-day cycle. Dramaturgical support is provided for both writers and composers throughout the process. Through exercises in writing short scenes the working relationship between composer and writer is investigated. Each scene is performed by a resident ensemble of singers and pianists and constructively discussed by the entire group. The partners then change and the process begins anew.
• Dramaturges, music directors and/or composer-librettist teams provide guidance and supplementary education in the form of workshops, readings and inter-disciplinary discussions.

Eligibility / Requirements

• Professional composers and writers who are collaboration-minded, willing to explore new approaches to music theatre/opera creation and able to constructively critique their own and others’ work.
• Composers and writers must agree to enter the Lab as equals, with neither discipline taking precedence over the other.
• The programme is open to participants from Canada and abroad. There is no workshop fee to attend the program however, participants selected will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation.  Lunch is provided daily.
• Participants must be available from August 22^rd to September 1st (inclusive) on a full-time basis.

Guidelines for Submissions
Please do not staple or bind submissions in any way.

• Submissions should be on paper that is 8.5 x 11, single sided.
• Preference for submissions of scores is unbound and copied on 8.5 x 11 paper.
• Preference for excerpts from published works from writers is unbound and copied onto 8.5 x 11 paper.
• Please provide ONE copy of written materials and TWO copies of scores, cd’s and writing samples.

All applicants please submit

• A cover letter that includes your name, address, telephone  number, e-mail address & website (if applicable).
• A resume or CV outlining your professional experience and relevant academic and professional training.
• A one-page description stating your interest in participating and why you would benefit from the program. This may be included as part of the cover letter.
• For applicants who do not yet have a known body of work, a letter of reference from a professional in the field. This may be included in your application or sent under separate cover directly to Tapestry.

Composers – In addition to one copy of #1 through #4 above, please submit:

• Two samples of your work, including scores and recordings, with at least one sample of work written for the voice.
• Two copies of each score & recording are required.

Writers – In addition to one copy of #1 through #4 above, please submit two copies each of:

• Two samples of your work, including an excerpt from a dramatic work for the stage, to a maximum of 20 pages in total.
• Two copies of each sample are required.

Submissions must be postmarked on or before the submission deadline.

Deadline for Submissions April 30 2011. Notification Date approximately six weeks after the submission deadline

Submissions should be directed to the Attention of:

Ms. Susan Worthington, Producing Director
Tapestry New Opera
55 Mill Street, Bldg # 58 Studio 316
Toronto, ON  M5A 3C4

For More Information Please Contact:

Susan Worthington, Producing Director
416 537- 6066 ext 225
liblab@tapestrynewopera.com

For further information about Tapestry – www.tapestrynewopera.com

Applications are not accepted by email or fax.

Event: 18th Annual, Harold Awards

Coming to you live since 1995

It’s the 18th annual

HAROLD AWARDS!

Monday May 2, 2011
the el Mocambo 464 Spadina Avenue

Doors at 7:00, show at 7:30

Drinks! Munchies! Deception!
Don’t Miss Out!!!

Tickets only $10 at the door!!
(please bring a canned good for charity)

for more information visit www.haroldawards.com, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter

Breaking News – yup, May 2nd is also Election Day! May we suggest you go vote then come party with us – we’ll keep you updated on election progress throughout the evening.