Job Posting: Emerging Arts Administrator, New Harlem Productions in partnership with Cahoots Theatre Company

New Harlem Productions in partnership with Cahoots Theatre Company is seeking an emerging arts administrator to work with the company on a one year contract.  This is a training position, suitable for an individual interested in arts administration with ethno-culturally mandated organizations.  The successful candidate will provide administrative support for the company’s artistic, community and professional development activities under the guidance of the Artistic Director.

New Harlem Productions is an intercultural, interdisciplinary organization creating work which advances our craft, elevates our allies and engages with our communities.  Priorities for programming and collaboration include good stories, new stories, true stories, life altering experiences.  Our practises are based on principles of humanity, joyfulness and solidarity.

QUALIFICATIONS

• professional, outgoing and personable disposition
• excellent communication, administrative and time management skills
• passion for the arts

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee the day to day operations of the company including maintaining organizational records, statistics, submission deadlines, outcomes and final reports
• Implement and maintain office procedures for correspondence, filing, computer recordkeeping
• Engage rehearsal and performance space, prepare performer, designer and crew contracts
• Maintain personnel, membership and volunteer records;
• Support the Artistic Director in development of public and private funding proposals
• Review all written material produced in the office
• Review and  administer project budgets in conjunction with Project Coordinators
• Coordinate and support educational and community activities, including  promoting, booking, archiving
• Prepare and distribute quarterly communications for Advisory Committee
• Conduct directed and independent research into opportunities for dissemination of work

Start date and hours negotiable.  This position is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.  Interested applicants please forward a resume and cover letter outlining your interest by June 30, 2011 to:
New Harlem Productions
c/o Cahoots Theatre Company
388 Queen Street East, Unit 3
Toronto, ON  M5A 1T3

Announcement: Exclusive Audition Process with New Ensemble Studio Competition, Canadian Opera Company

For the first time in the history of the Canadian Opera Company, the final auditions for singers seeking to join the Ensemble Studio training program will be made public through the launch of an annual vocal competition.  The inaugural COC Ensemble Studio Competition takes place on Nov. 28, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, with the winners garnering offers of highly-prized positions in the 2012/2013 Ensemble Studio.

“The COC is committed to developing the next generation of Canadian opera stars,” COC General Director Alexander Neef notes.  “Over its 30-year history, the Ensemble Studio has allowed young Canadian artists to receive internationally competitive training while staying in their home country, which we recognize as crucial to the development of the art form in Canada.  With the creation of the Ensemble Studio Competition, the public is invited to be a part of the singers’ professional journeys from the very beginning as it shines a spotlight on emerging artists in a substantial and significant way.”

The Ensemble Studio audition process, open only to Canadian citizens and landed immigrants, takes COC administrators across Canada and into the U.S. for preliminary auditions in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and New York.  The new COC Ensemble Studio Competition is the final round of auditions, with approximately 10 – 15 singers performing in front of a public audience and COC judges, including Alexander Neef, General Director; Roberto Mauro, Artistic Administrator; Sandra Gavinchuk, Music Administrator; and Liz Upchurch, Head of the Ensemble Studio.  Along with guest panellists, they will deliberate on location and announce the competition winners at the conclusion of the event. Ticket information and other details will be released at a later date.

The COC Ensemble Studio Competition is presented in part by the Estate of Horst Dantz & Don Quick and RBC Foundation.

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About the Ensemble Studio
The members of the Ensemble Studio are the COC’s resident artists and are important ambassadors for the company.  Since its inception in 1980, over 150 young professional Canadian singers, opera coaches, stage directors and conductors have acquired their first major professional operatic experience through the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio.  Former members include Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, John Fanning, Wendy Nielsen, David Pomeroy, Joseph Kaiser, Lauren Segal and Krisztina Szabó.

Members of the Ensemble Studio receive a blend of advanced study and practical experience through an individually-tailored, multi-year program, involving understudying and performing mainstage roles, intensive vocal coaching, language and acting studies, and career skills development, as well as participation in masterclasses with internationally-renowned opera professionals.

The Ensemble Studio is generously supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, ARIAS (The Canadian Student Opera Development Fund), in loving memory of Mr. George R. Bishop from his family & friends, John A. Cook Young Artist Development Fund, in honour of Earlaine Collins, in honour of Ninalee Craig, Estate of Horst Dantz and Don Quick, Michael & Lora Gibbens, Ethel Harris, Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation, Peter & Hélène Hunt, Patrick & Barbara Keenan, Hal Jackman Fund at the Ontario Arts Foundation, Jo Lander, Ruby Mercer Fund, George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation, Roger D. Moore Ensemble Studio Endowment Fund, RBC Foundation, Katalin Schäfer, in honour of Colleen Sexsmith, Slaight Family, John Stratton Trust, William & Phyllis Waters, and an anonymous donor.

About the Canadian Opera Company
Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the five largest in North America.  The COC enjoys a loyal audience support-base and one of the highest attendance and subscription rates in North America.  The COC celebrates its 62nd anniversary during the 11/12 season.  Under its leadership team of General Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC is increasingly capturing the opera world’s attention.  The COC maintains its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation by creating new productions within its diverse repertoire, collaborating with leading opera companies and festivals, and attracting the world’s foremost Canadian and international artists.  The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, hailed internationally as one of the finest in the world.  Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects, the Four Seasons Centre opened in 2006, and is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.  For more information on the Canadian Opera Company, please visit its award-winning website, coc.ca.

Announcement: New Website Launced, Playwrights Guild of Canada

Thanks to project funding received from the Ontario Arts Council, Playwrights Guild of Canada launches a new, user-friendly website to members and the general public – www.playwrightsguild.ca. Says Executive Director of PGC, Robin Sokoloski: “This is a landmark occasion for PGC. Our new website will enhance the services of PGC; and make PGC more accessible to its members and the public.”

A visitor to the website will be able to purchase plays directly online, book Canada Council Playwright Readings, obtain amateur production rights and register for events. Additionally, PGC members will have access to their own profile page, making it easier to update their bio, promote their work, list their upcoming productions and connect with other members.

Playwrights Guild of Canada is a registered national arts service association mandated to advance the creative rights and interests of professional Canadian playwrights, promote Canadian plays nationally and internationally, and foster an active, evolving community of writers for the stage.

Audition: The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Hart House Theatre

Hart House Theatre is now accepting submissions for the Toronto Premiere of
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Music and Lyrics by David Nehls
Book by Betsy Kelso
Directed by Will O’Hare
Musical Direction by Kieren MacMillan
Choreography by Ashleigh Powell

Deadline for Submissions: July 8, 2011
(early submissions are encouraged)

Those contacted for auditions will be seen between July 11 – 22, 2011
Performance run: September 23 – October 8, 2011
Non Union, Non Paying

Please send headshots and resumes to: auditions@harthousetheatre.ca

Only those contacted for an audition will be seen.

We strongly encourage actors of all ethnic backgrounds to audition.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
Actors will be asked to perform a two minute comedic monologue and one song from the modern musical era, preferably comedic. (Selections from The Great American Trailer Park Musical are discouraged.)  Please bring sheet music if available.

ABOUT THE PLAY:
The Great American Trailer Park Musical is a tongue-in-cheek, rockabilly romp filled with strip clubs, hysterical pregnancies and dreams of the Ice Capades.  Men collude in death-row hijinks and find love in the bottom of tall-boy beer cans.  Women use a whole lot of hairspray while chain-smoking Camels and opening boxes of donuts with their jewel-encrusted, manicured finger nails.  We’re talkin’ trashy – trailer trashy.  For a list of characters, please visit the show page or audition page at www.harthousetheatre.ca.

ABOUT THE THEATRE:
Hart House Theatre, established in 1919, is the University of Toronto’s Performing Arts Leader.  Since its inception, the theatre’s unique mix of young professionals, alumni, and students has garnered the theatre a reputation as not only a cultural destination for the U of T community but one for all of Toronto.

Call for Submissions: Requests for Proposals, The Palace Grand Theatre Dawson City, Yukon

Parks Canada is inviting Requests for Proposals for evening entertainment at Canada’s most unique and stately Gold Rush theatre, located in the heart of the Klondike goldfields: The Palace Grand Theatre Dawson City, Yukon

Please feel free to contact Rose Margeson (rose.margeson@pc.gc.ca;
ph: 867-993-7237) for a proposal package or for more information.

Event: Reading of Pullyupullus by Tololwa Mollel, Foundry Theatre Company

Tickets: PWYC (Pay What You Can)
Monday May 30th ● 7pm (Doors open at 6:30) ● Detour Bar ● 193 ½ Baldwin Street

Foundry Theatre Company and TD Bank proudly presents the reading of: Pullyupullus by Tololwa Mollel

Play Synopsis:
Inspired by African/ Tanzanian folktale trickster tradition, the trickster hare — a land creature — strikes up an unlikely and forbidden friendship with the dupe hippopotamus — a water creature. Together, they cleverly get rid of their respective rulers and work to resolve implacable differences between land and water creatures.

This story will be presented to the children of St. Josaphat’s Catholic School on May 27th, 2011.

The Writer:
Tololwa Mollel is a children’s author, dramatist and storyteller, who has written sixteen books and several plays as well as stories that he created or adapted for performance. His books, which include award-winning titles such as Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper, Big Boy, and My Rows and Piles of Coins have been published in Canada, the U.S., Australia, England and Tanzania where he was born. His books have been translated into various South African languages and into Korean.

In Tanzania, Mollel was a University lecturer and an actor in a touring company that performed as far as Germany and Sweden. He continued acting in Canada but came to devote himself to writing and to the literary scene in Edmonton, serving as President of the Writers Guild of Alberta in the late 1990s.

The Dramaturg:
Thomas Morgan Jones is a Toronto-based playwright, director, dramaturg, fight and movement choreographer and instructor.  A former Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Direct, recent credits include:  director, Waking the Tightrope (two Dora awards), Theatre Direct; director, Roshni by Anusree Roy, Theatre Passe Muraille; member of the inaugural Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Assistant Director to Marti Maraden on The Winter’s Tale, Director of Troilus and Cressida workshop); Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Jones Roy where he directed Pyaasa (two Dora awards), Letters to my Grandma (two Dora nominations), and Macbeth Reflected.  With Theatre Passe Muraille, Pyaasa and Letters appeared for full runs in Toronto before touring nationally.  Other highlights include three seasons as movement coach with Modern Times Stage Company and six seasons as a company member with The Charlottetown Festival.  He is currently the Playwright-In-Residence at Cahoots Theatre Company where he is creating a new piece titled Sam in Three, is developing a new musical with Canadian composer Nicky Phillips and is co-writing a new play with actor Michelle Polak.   A Full Member of The Playwrights Guild of Canada he lives in the Leslieville area of Toronto with his wonderful wife, Josie.

The Director:
Andrea Donaldson is a director, theatre creator and performer. Directing highlights include Atomic Weight of Happiness for Stand Up Dance, Montparnasse for Groundwater in association with Theatre Passe Muraille (SummerWorks Spotlight Award – Directing), Dora nominated Offensive Fouls for Theatre Direct, Dora nominated The Unfortunate Misadventures of Masha Galinski in Winnipeg, Victoria and twice in Toronto, The Blyth Festival’s Young Company, Howard Barker’s The Possibilities at SummerWorks in Toronto and in Vancouver, and Rob Baker’s Crack in Toronto and Vancouver, as well as her own play Garden at Rhubarb. Andrea is presently developing The Dark, a new work that she initiated as Theatre Direct Canada’s Playwright in Residence, performing and creating Switched with Anna Chatterton, developing and directing Mourning Amsterdam with Michelle Polak and Thomas Morgan Jones and will direct Tyumen, Then by special invitation of The Toronto Fringe Festival.

Click here to learn more about Pullyupullus with Tololwa, Thomas and Andrea in our video series, Forging Ahead.

The company: Foundry Theatre Company is a non-profit charitable organization that produces eight full-length readings, selected by a jury, over the course of its season.  Our main objective is the development of Canadian full-length works that reflect the cultural diversity in Toronto, Ontario and across the nation.

Event: 2011 Registration and Nominations Open, Ontario Tourism Summit

Register before September 3 and take advantage of our Early Bird Registration.

Ontario Tourism Awards
Ontario Tourism Awards open for nominations. Nominate your favourite tourism initiative now.

Welcome Reception
Don’t miss the welcome reception on October 3rd hosted by Tourism Hamilton at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

For more information visit
www.ontariotourismsummit.com

Workshop: Marketing On A Shoestring, Theatre Ontario

Theatre Ontario’s SUMMER THEATRE INTENSIVE – August 10, 2011, Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo

Is it easier to keep your existing audience than to find a new audience?  What do people expect from their night at the theatre?  How can you help them to meet their expectations?  Find the answers at “Marketing On A Shoestring”, a special One-day workshop on Wednesday, August 10, as part of our 2011 Summer Theatre Intensive.

Cheryl Ewing will answer these questions and will guide you through a review of what you are currently doing to help you adapt to the new reality—a world where we are increasingly crunched for time, bombarded with messages and feeling isolated. Taking a look at recent advances in values-based marketing and relationship building, we will consider how we can encourage people to invest in their mental health and attend your theatre in the most cost conscious methods.

This is a special one-day workshop that will be part of our 2011 courses.  It is non-residential, but lunch will be provided, only $113.

Cheryl Ewing has been working in the arts and culture sector for over three decades, primarily in the performing arts. Her experience has been in the not-for-profit, for-profit, municipal and educational sectors as a consultant and administrator. Her client list includes national organizations such as eyeGO to the Arts and the Association of Cultural Executives; the provincial presenting networks—CCI Ontario’s Presenting Network and the Atlantic Presenting Association; project manager for CCI’s Values & Benefits marketing research project; audience development initiatives for Guelph’s River Run Centre and the national project, eyeGO to the Arts; contemporary new music organizations Open Ears Festival and NUMUS Concerts Inc.; and mentor to the tech crew at Waterloo Region’s Integrated Arts Program at Eastwood Collegiate.  She volunteers for JM Drama, Dancetheatre David Earle, Waterloo Dance Project and served on the steering committee of Waterloo Region’s Prosperity Council Creative Enterprises Task Force.  She is a firm believer that the arts and culture sector is essential to the health of a community.

The Theatre Ontario Summer Theatre Intensive runs from August 7 to 13 at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo.  Read about all of our Summer Courses on the Theatre Ontario website. Deadline June 17, 2011

Job Posting: Venue Technician, The Burlington Performing Arts Centre

Beautifully situated in the heart of Southern Ontario, between the waterfront of Lake Ontario and the serene beauty of the Niagara Escarpment, the City of Burlington’s 160,000+ residents make up one of Ontario’s fastest growing communities.  The Burlington Performing Arts Centre will provide an excellent venue to showcase the world’s top talent, and will provide a gathering place for the community of Burlington and surrounding areas.  The Centre will open its doors in the fall of 2011.

THE OPPORTUNITY:
Reporting directly to the Manager, Operations and Facility Sales, and supervised by the Technical Supervisor, Venue Technicians are responsible for the day to day technical operation of all events and programs at The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (The Centre). This position provides technical services to the Technical Department in the areas of Stage Carpentry and Rigging, Lighting and Audio,  to ensure the smooth operations of all events, including operating theatre equipment, equipment maintenance, advancing shows, production staff training, mentoring of community users, Health and Safety.

Incumbents will have strength and experience in one of these as their area of primary expertise, and a secondary strength in one of these as their area of secondary expertise.

PROFILE:
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre is looking for two dynamic professionals with an extensive knowledge of technical theatre and industry standards and who demonstrate a high level of experience and understanding of all facets of technical theatre operations in a road house setting.  Incumbents will have good working knowledge of technical operations in a multiple venue facility.  A thorough understanding of working as part of a team, while working with a wide range of stakeholders from volunteers and community groups to professional artists, is essential. Incumbents will be creative thinkers and strong team players.

QUALIFICATIONS:
The successful candidates will have a related diploma (Technical Theatre).  Related undergraduate degree is beneficial.

Must have a minimum of three to five years of experience working in the following areas:

• One or more of the three areas – Stage Carpentry and Rigging, Stage Lighting, Audio/Video
• Strong organizational skills
• Experience in a road house environment
• Experience in a service-oriented environment

Must have experience working with:

• Theatrical rigging systems; lighting systems and consoles; audio/video systems and digital sound consoles in a theatrical setting
• Ontario OH&S, Fire and Electrical Codes and practices
• Vectorworks, Microsoft Office, Outlook
• Must hold a valid Ontario Class G driver’s license

Considered an asset: First Aid Certification; Fall Arrest Training; Lift Tickets

HOURS OF WORK:
Standard hours of work will be 80 hours bi-weekly on a flexible schedule.  There will be requirements to work flex time with evening and weekend work, or as required by the Manager, Operations and Facility Sales or the Technical Supervisor.

SALARY RANGE:
$51,000-62,000 annual salary plus a comprehensive benefits package

PLEASE SUBMIT covering letter and curriculum vitae as follows:

Electronically:              bpac@burlington.ca   PLEASE PUT VENUE TECHNICIAN in subject line

Fax:                          905-681-6002

Mail:                         1455 Lakeshore Road, Suite 203N, Burlington, ON  L7S 2J1

No phone calls please

CLOSING DATE:              Applications must be received by 3PM June 13, 2011.  Only candidates that are selected for an interview will be contated

Announcement: Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award presented to Philip Akin and protégé Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, Tarragon Theatre

The PACT Communications Centre (PCC) and Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre are proud to present the fourth annual Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award to Philip Akin.

Phillip is an actor and director who has worked in the Canadian theatre community for over thirty years. A founding member of Obsidian Theatre Company, Philip has served as the company’s Artistic Director since 2006. Philip is a widely-regarded advocate of Canadian theatre, championing the art form as a member of many boards of directors and granting juries. Philip has also been called upon to act as a voice for Canadian theatre, a signal of his role as a trustworthy voice of the industry. In the course of his work with Obsidian Theatre, Philip has instituted a number of programs designed to empower and provide opportunities to young artists, including Obsidian Theatre’s Mentor/Apprentice Program and the Playwrights Unit.

In making the Award, the jury members cited Philip’s outstanding contribution to Canadian theatre, particularly the pioneering role he has played in promoting and developing the Black theatre community. Philip has consistently represented marginalised voices with enormous passion and eloquence, supporting underserved communities across the country. Indeed, Philip’s impact stretches far beyond his own company and many of his most significant accomplishments have been achieved against the odds, demonstrating an inspirational level of commitment and resourcefulness.

Philip was thrilled by the unexpected news: “I was so surprised when I picked up the phone and it was Mallory telling me that I had won this award. It was with subsequent sleuthing that I discovered that two former staff members had nominated me without my knowing. What can I say except thank you to them and to the jury; I am honoured beyond belief and proud to have my name alongside the other recipients.”

The $5000 award includes a $1000 portion presented to a protégé chosen by the Award winner, underlining the importance of skills and knowledge transmission in leadership building. The deserving protégé selected by Philip is Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, a director and theatre educator based in Toronto. She is the founding Artistic Director of ift theatre, and has directed shows in the past at AfriCan Theatre Ensemble, Canadian Stage Company, Alumnae Theatre, Summerworks, and Obsidian Theatre. Mumbi participated in the Canadian Stage’s BASH Directors Development Program and was the Apprentice Director for the 2009-2010 season at Obsidian Theatre.

Philip is proud to select a protégé: “I first met Mumbi when she was part of our Mentor/Apprentice Program as an apprentice director and since that time we have stayed in constant contact as she has branched out on her own. She is smart, passionate and caring. Her dedication to her craft is immense and I foresee a bright artistic future for her. I am so pleased to be able to continue to be part of her continuing growth.”

The award, named in honour of Mallory Gilbert – Tarragon Theatre’s General Manager for 34 years and Past President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) – celebrates and recognizes significant and valuable leadership within the Canadian Theatre community. Tarragon thanks Board President Ernest McNee for his generous donation in support of the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award.

The award ceremony took place on May 26th in Barrie, ON during the PACT annual conference, a highly regarded event that brings together theatre professionals from across the country.

In an exceptional collaboration based on their deep appreciation for Mallory’s contribution to both organizations and their shared commitment to leadership in the theatre community, Tarragon Theatre and PACT Communications Centre initiated the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award in 2007. Tarragon Theatre is sponsoring and helping to promote the award; PACT Communications Centre administers the award and its selection process, and hosts the ceremony at the PACT annual conference each spring.