Announcement: Review of the Flying Squad Program, Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council today announced that the October 2012 competition of the Flying Squad program will be suspended while the program undergoes a comprehensive review. The Flying Squad offers grants up to a maximum of $10,000 to arts organizations for organizational or skills development projects.

“The Flying Squad was innovative in its design and intent when it was created in the 1990s and it has had a very positive impact on the milieu. We know, however, that the context for arts organizations has evolved,” said Director and CEO Robert Sirman. “This review is an opportunity to chart a future course that retains the best successes and learnings of the program. Our objective is to benefit the arts sector with a well integrated approach to organizational support.”

“With our financial situation stable for the next three years, we can move forward with this review as part of our ongoing efforts to ensure our programs continue to be relevant, cost-effective and responsive to the changing needs of the community.”

Applications submitted to the April 2012 program deadline will follow the normal assessment process and successful applicants will be funded from the existing budget.

For more information: Caroline Lussier, Head, Dance Section, Arts Disciplines Division at caroline.lussier@canadacouncil.ca

Announcement: Purchase your Industry Series Passes before May 30, 2012 and save!, Magnetic North Theatre Festival

Industry Series passes are available including 4 show passes ($170 before May 30, 2012 or $195 after) or 8-show passes ($275 before May 30, 2012 or $315 after). To purchase Industry Series passes, please call Noree at (403) 294-7598 or visit: http://www.magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/whatson/industry_series.html to download the order form and send it by fax (403-264-3230). You may also reach Noree via email at tickets@magneticnorthfestival.ca.

Announcement: Looking for Flexible Seating Risers, Ship’s Company Theatre

If anyone knows of flexible seating risers for sale (i.e.: flexible risers, for blackbox-type theatre) please contact Matthew at Ship’s Company Theatre.  (902) 254-2003 or mtiffin@shipscompany.com

Event: Peña Annual Fundraiser, Alameda Theatre

Tickets on sale now for Peña: Alameda Theatre’s Annual Fundraiser! Join us in celebrating five years of creating great Canadian Latin American theatre!

2012 Peña: Alameda’s Annual FUNdraiser
Tuesday June 19, 2012
Revival Bar & Restaurant
783 College St.
7pm

Hosted by Martha Chaves featuring SON ACHE, Toronto’s own “Buena Vista Social Club”! Plus a special presentation by the Nueva Voz youth ensemble’s collective creation piece! Our Silent Auction is back, featuring Latin American contemporary artists’ work and other amazing items!

Cash bar. Latin American hors d’œuvres provided by La Tortilleria!

Tickets:

• $50 in advance (includes $30 tax receipt)
• $60 at the door (includes $30 tax receipt)
• $25 Arts Worker/Student tickets (no tax receipt)

PLUS! Our iPad 2 raffle is back! Tickets are on sale now, $10 each or 3 for $25!

Click here for event and raffle tickets! Thanks for supporting Canadian Latin American theatre!

Call for Submissions: Deadline Extended to Friday May 25, 2012, Next Stage Theatre Festival

We have some exciting news…The 6th annual Next Stage Theatre Festival (NSTF) has extended its application date to Friday, May 25th at 5:00pm!!!

The Next stage Theatre Festival is now in its 6th year and was created to encourage artists who have participated in Canadian Association of Fringe Festival (CAFF) member festivals to move beyond the summer production model and showcase their work to a wider audience, including discerning artistic decision makers who could be interested in programming their shows on main stages across the country.  In five years, we have seen incredible success – audiences have grown by more than 130% and more than a third of our productions have gone on to other stages.

NSTF is interested in projects from emerging and established artists from any genre and style who are developing new work and exploring new artistic avenues, and who are challenging traditional definitions of theatre.  Please note we are accepting applications this year for our Ante-Chamber series, performed in the Factory Theatre bar space – these shows should be low-tech and appropriate for a bar venue.
If you are interested in applying please go to http://fringetoronto.com/nstf/nstf_apply.html for rules, regulations and application.

Announcement: Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award presented to Chuck Childs and protégé Adèle Benoit, PACT

The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres is proud to present the fifth annual Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award to Chuck Childs.

Chuck Childs is a production manager and arts administrator who has worked in the Canadian Theatre community for over thirty years. A graduate of the inaugural Ryerson College Theatre program, Chuck then returned to his hometown of Montréal, where he was Production Manager at the Centaur Theatre Company for thirteen seasons before becoming General Manager. A stalwart supporter of both the Canadian theatre community and of PACT, Chuck has chaired PACT committees and negotiating teams and had been called upon to serve as interim treasurer numerous times. In 2005 Chuck helped establish the English Language Arts Network an organization supporting and promoting English-language Artists in Quebec in all disciplines, and is currently serving his second term as President. Chuck has also shared his invaluable knowledge and experience teaching production management at the National Theatre School and lecturing at McGill University and Concordia University, and is frequently consulted by emerging General Managers across the country.

In making the Award, the selection panel cited Chuck’s outstanding contribution to Canadian theatre, particularly his long-term commitment both to English-speaking theatre in Québec as well as to the Canadian theatre community as a whole. Chuck is well known for his passion and optimism, and for the ways in which he moves the theatre community forward. He is a mentor and confidante to theatre professionals across the country, and his longevity in the theatre industry is something his peers and colleagues admire.

Chuck was surprised and flattered to receive this recognition: “To receive an award which was created by this organization to recognize Mallory, whom I have known and hugely respected for over 30 years, is truly an honour. There is nothing so rewarding as receiving recognition from your peers.”

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 Chuck is Adèle Benoit, a theatre administrator based in Montréal. A graduate of the MBA program at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, Adele has worked at Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) in Montréal since 2005. Shortly after starting work at BTW the board of directors invited Adèle to become the General Manager, and has since worked alongside two Artistic Directors: Tyrone Benskin and Quincy Armorer.

Chuck is delighted to select a protégé: “After receiving Mallory’s call the first person I thought of for my protégé was Adèle. She is one of those next generation MBA GM’s, the kind that makes us old guys suspicious or maybe even nervous. But Adèle has impressed me time and time again at meetings and in discussions by her thoughtful comments and “let’s try” attitude. Theatre is in good hands.”

The award, named in honour of Mallory Gilbert – Tarragon Theatre’s General Manager for 34 years and former President of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) – celebrates and recognizes significant and valuable leadership within the Canadian Theatre community.

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.

The award ceremony took place on May 10 in Grand Bend, ON during the PACT annual conference, a highly regarded event that brings together theatre professionals from across the country.

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The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) is a member-driven organization that serves as the collective voice of professional Canadian theatres. For the betterment of Canadian theatre, PACT provides leadership, national representation and a variety of programs and practical assistance to member companies, enabling members to do their own creative work.

Announcement: 2012 Finalists Announced, Toronto Arts Foundation Awards

Today, Toronto Arts Foundation (TAF) announced the fifteen finalists for the 2012 Toronto Arts Foundation Awards, celebrating those individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to Toronto’s vibrant artistic and cultural life.  This year’s nominees were chosen by a stellar multi-disciplinary jury which included Francisco Alvarez, Hilario Duran, John Farrell, Darlene Gilliland, Angela Grabham, Bonnie Kim, Moynan King, Richard Lee, Chris Lorway, Shauna McCabe and Natalyn Tremblay.  Winners of the 2012 Toronto Arts Foundation Awards will be announced on Thursday, June 21, 2012 at the Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch.

 2012 Toronto Arts Foundation Awards Finalists

Arts for Youth Award finalists:
Art Starts, Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre and Supporting Our Youth (SOY)

This $15,000 cash prize established in 2007 by Martha Burns, Jim Fleck and Jim Pitblado, celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging Toronto youth in the arts.  The three finalists will each receive $2,000, made possible by Diana Bennett and Spencer Lanthier.

Toronto Arts and Business Award finalists:
TELUS, The Daniels Corporation and Sun Life Financial

This award celebrates a local business that has made an important contribution to the arts in Toronto through innovative, transformative and entrepreneurial partnerships. Established in 2006, this award is presented in partnership with Business for the Arts, The Toronto Star and Toronto Arts Foundation.

RBC Emerging Artist Award finalists:
Chris Curreri, Daniel Karasik and Sandy Pool

This $7,500 cash prize is presented to an emerging Toronto artist working in any discipline in celebration of current accomplishments and future potential. In addition, finalists will receive $1,000 each. Established in 2006 by RBC Foundation, this award is intended to support the development or completion of new work.

Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition:
Lydia Adams, Alan Davis and Michael M. Koerner

This $10,000 cash prize is presented to an individual, ensemble or organization to recognize creative, performing, administrative, volunteer or philanthropic contributions to Toronto’s musical life. This award was established by the Volunteer Committee of Roy Thomson Hall in 1984 to recognize and thank the community that supported the conception, building and establishment of the new concert hall.  In 2002, the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall asked the TAF to manage the award.

William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Toronto’s Cultural Life:
Patricia Fraser, Mi Young Kim and Jini Stolk

This $5,000 Cash prize is presented to an individual performer, teacher, administrator or creator in any arts discipline, including architecture and design, whose work is a celebration of life through the arts in Toronto. Established in 1996, this award is funded through an endowment made possible by private donors who wished to celebrate and remember the life of William Kilbourn who died in 1995.  Kilbourn was a writer and teacher who spent seven years as a member of Toronto City Council, and served as Toronto Arts Council president from 1982 to 1984.

In addition, each award winner will receive an original work of art commissioned by the Toronto Arts Foundation.  This year TAF has chosen Toronto-based artist An Te Liu, renowned for his sculptures and installations, to create the piece. Also this year, each finalist will be photographed as part of the Finalists Portrait Series. These beautiful stills will be shot by Denise Grant Photography, and will be featured online, courtesy of NOW Magazine.

About Toronto Arts Foundation
A non-profit charitable organization, Toronto Arts Foundation has the exclusive focus and unique strengths to design effective programs which unite art making and city building. TAF leverages the knowledge and experience of its sister organization Toronto Arts Council to spearhead initiatives to strengthen arts accessibility. It seeks to achieve increased social and economic benefits from the arts for our city, increased citizen participation in the arts, increased recognition of Toronto’s artistic excellence and increased financial investment in the arts. Toronto Arts Foundation is powered by a vision, Creative City: Block by Block – a commitment to connect every Toronto neighbourhood to the transformative power of artistic activity. Toronto Arts Foundation is generously supported by the Government of Ontario, Canadian Heritage, The Ontario Trillium Foundation and The Minto Group. For more information on TAF please visit www.torontoartsfoundation.org

The Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch is generously supported by Founding Sponsor RBC, Media Sponsors NOW Magazine and The Toronto Star, and Venue Sponsor Oliver & Bonacini.  For more information on the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards and the Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch please visit www.torontoartsfoundation.org/Our-Programs/Arts-Awards-Lunch

Announcement: Manifestos: Or Everything You’ve ever Wanted to Say about Theatre but Were Afraid to Put in Print, Canadian Theatre Review

CTR 150 / Spring 2012 “Manifestos: Or Everything You’ve ever Wanted to Say about Theatre but Were Afraid to Put in Print” is now available online

In celebration of CTR’s 150th anniversary issue, Views and Reviews editors Natalie Alvarez and Jenn Stephenson stage a coup and take over the entire issue, which they devote entirely to views in the form of manifestos. Leading theatre artists and provocateurs share their manifestos on the state of theatre in Canada.  Their rants and raves, visions and vituperations evoke the halcyon days of the manifesto form as the vehicle of choice for avant-garde auteurs to express their views on the future of the theatre and how the artist ought to proceed. Through creative interrogations of the manifesto form itself and anti-manifestos written in resistance to its formal dictates, contributors from coast to coast enjoin readers to consider the stakes in Canadian theatre today.

The issue features an interactive manifesto by Montreal’s 2boys.tv, as well as featured videos in our online edition of contributors making their manifestos public at sites of their choosing. Contributors include Daniel Brooks, Aluna Theatre’s Beatriz Pizano and Trevor Schwellnus, Waawaate Fobister, Nina Arsenault, Kristine Nutting, Leaky Heaven’s Steven Hill and Michele Valiquette, Ravi Jain and Michael Wheeler, Naomi Campbell, Olivier Choiniere, T.L. Cowan, Jillian Keiley, Zuppa Theatre Company’s Alex McLean, d’bi young anitafrika, Yves Sioui Durand, performance artist Claudia Bernal, Nicholas Hanson, Madeleine Blais-Dahlem, Anand Rajaram, Rebecca Singh, Alex Lazaridis Ferguson, Louis Patrick Leroux, Kathryn Harvey, Sarah Garton Stanley, Jacob Wren, Marcus Youssef, David Yee, and Suitcase in Point Theatre Company.

CTR on any device!
You can now access CTR on your desktop computer and on the most popular devices on the market, including iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android. This enhanced edition offers you easy access and navigation: bookmarking and annotations options, embedded links, audio/ video content and social sharing. You can also clip, save, and print pages. No matter the platform, you can now access Canadian Theatre Review everywhere. Reading CTR has never been better!

For more information about the Canadian Theatre Review or for submissions information, contact:

Canadian Theatre Review
University of Toronto Press, Journals Division
5201 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON M3H 5T8, Canada
Tel: (416) 667-7810 Fax: (416) 667-7881
Fax Toll Free in North America 1-800-221-9985
Email: journals@utpress.utoronto.ca
www.utpjournals.com/ctr

Join us on Facebook  www.facebook.com/utpjournals
Join us for advance notice of tables of contents of forthcoming issues, author and editor commentaries and insights, calls for papers and advice on publishing in our journals. Become a fan and receive free access to articles weekly through UTPJournals focus.

Event: The Festival of Ideas & Creation is Just Around the Corner!, Canadian Stage

We are so excited that next week we will be hosting a dozen outstanding events celebrating music in performance. Reservations are going fast – some pieces are nearly ‘sold out’ so we encourage you to plan ahead and make your reservations today! We’ve included descriptions for all of our incredible festival projects below, and you can also visit us at https://www.canadianstage.com/festival for reservations and additional information.

See you at the Festival!

2012 Festival Line-Up
All events are FREE and take place at The Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley St) unless otherwise stated. Tickets can be reserved online or by calling 416-368-3110. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Art in Leadership, 7:00pm
Reserve seats HERE

Art in Leadership is a community theatre program in partnership with Toronto Community Housing and the Wellesley Community Centre. Youth from St. Jamestown, Regent Park and surrounding areas participate in multi-disciplinary workshops to gain confidence, motivation and leadership skills. Youth present an original piece created during this 12-week program.

Innovators Program, 7:30pm
Reserve seats HERE

Final presentations from the directors, designers and stage managers in this specialized training program for artists under 21.

The Loyalists, 7:45pm – 8:45pm
Presented by Single Thread Theatre Company
Created by Liam Karry, Jonathan Langley, Alex Dault & Lindsey Higgs
Reserve seats HERE

Single Thread Theatre Company gives a sample of their planned epic recreation of the occupation of York, 1813 in this outdoor installation-style performance. Audiences experience the soundscape and music of the historic village and get a chance to interact with the found-space installation and its residents.

The GYM Playoffs, 8:30pm
Reserve seats HERE

The Playoffs is a cabaret-style evening featuring a wide range of short theatrical pieces presented by members of Canadian Stage’s GYM, our emerging artist program.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Noor Over Afghan, 7:30pm
By Anusree Roy and Christiaan Venter, Directed by Sue Miner
Reserve seats HERE

Composer Christiaan Venter and Librettist Anusree Roy share a section from their new opera. Set in Afghanistan, Noor Over Afghan tells the story of Noor and Jaan, two young Afghani sisters. Their life takes a dramatic turn when one sister asks the other to take her place in marriage. As the groom waits outside, the sisters swap places, clothes and jewellery. From that moment on both their lives are changed forever.

Ocean Carving, 8:30pm
Created and Directed by Gein Wong
Reserve seats HERE

Nothing grows stronger than the instinctual desire to protect those you love. Blending live erhu (Chinese violin) music, ambient electronic music, video art projection, movement and theatre, Ocean Carving tells the story of a Toronto woman who left China by jumping into the ocean and swimming away.

In Conversation with Justin Rutledge, 9:30pm
Reserve seats HERE

An intimate evening of words and music with singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge, revealing his unique creation and performance process for recent theatre hits such as Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero and Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. Hear sneak previews of his original songs and learn about his newest project, the upcoming Canadian Stage production of The Arsonists directed by Morris Panych.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Gesture Transmissions, 7:30pm
Choreography by Hari Krishnan, Sound by Debashis Sinha
Reserve seats HERE

Gesture Transmissions is a new performance work for a dancer and musician, based on the highly codified system of mudras, hand positions used in classical South Asian dance forms. Sinha and Krishnan use this system to create gestures that control sound output from radio transmitters and other electronic sound-making objects, blurring the lines between each performer’s role onstage. Part audio performance and part dance, this is an austere, contemporary choreography of movement and sound, firmly rooted in and yet abstracted from south Asian artistic and spiritual practice.

The Loyalists, 7:45pm – 8:45pm
Presented by Single Thread Theatre Company
Created by Liam Karry, Jonathan Langley, Alex Dault and Lindsey Higgs
Reserve seats HERE

Single Thread Theatre Company gives a sample of their epic recreation of the occupation of York, 1813 in this outdoor installation-style performance. Audiences experience the soundscape and music of the historic village and get a chance to interact with the found-space installation and its residents.

Life, Death and the Blues, 8:30pm
By Raoul Bhaneja, Directed by Eda Holmes
Reserve seats HERE

Twenty years a professional actor and twenty years a professional musician, Raoul Bhaneja, a multicultural, multi-tasking, multi-talented extrovert, ventures into the heart of the Blues – a journey that has brought him to the edge and back, featuring a live blues score.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Concord Floral, 7:30pm
Presented by Suburban Beast
Created and Directed by Jordan Tannahill
Reserve seats HERE

An abandoned greenhouse in Vaughan becomes a refuge for ritual and subversion among ten neighbourhood teens. Director Jordan Tannahill fuses the paintings of Toronto’s Kris Knight, Boccaccio’s 14th century plague text The Decameron, and teen garage band DIY to create a raucous sound and image-driven performance that asks where the sacred is in his generation.

The Sparrow Songs, 8:30pm
By Barbara Nichol and Tom Bellman
Reserve seats HERE

The Sparrow Songs: a Country Song-String is a theatrical presentation of the one remaining example of what was thought to be a lost musical genre. The song-string was an after-dinner pastime of the 19th century American West in which participants would – on the spot – string songs together to form a story. Part country concert, part historical artifact, The Sparrow Songs is an evening of previously unheard country tunes, describing the intersecting lives, loves and losses of its characters.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Dive, 8:00pm
Presented by the Mermaid Collective
By Nik Beeson and Richard Sanger, featuring Fides Krucker

Please note: This is a special offsite event at 312 Sackville Street; tickets $20-40. To reserve tickets for this event only, please email dive.mermaidproject@gmail.com or call 416.927.1534.

Dive is an immersive voice salon and sound installation. A mermaid takes you down deep into her watery world. Fides Krucker voices the wild and the divine through a visceral electroacoustic score by composer Nik Beeson; the music for Richard Sanger’s moving and darkly humorous adaptation of Lampedusa’s short story “Lighea”. Additional performances on May 12, 18, and 19.

Event: 40th Anniversary Reading Series at Chapters/Indigo, Playwrights Guild of Canada

Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) is proud to announce a five-day reading series in celebration of its 40th anniversary. Drawing from the organization’s vibrant membership, a lineup has been selected that includes some of the top names in Canada’s theatre scene. The series will run from Monday, April 30th through Friday, May 4th at Chapters/ Indigo (142 John St., Toronto) in the café on the 2nd floor. All readings will start at 6pm. Admission is free.

Monday, April 30th  – Maja Ardal, reading from The Cure for Everything
Maja’s latest work, an adaption of Canada Reads finalist Marina Nemat’s ‘The Prisoner of Tehran’, currently in production at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto.

Tuesday, May 1st  – Drew Taylor Hayden reading from Motorcycles and Sweetgrass and Drunk White Writer on the Floor.
Motorcycles & Sweetgrass was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for fiction in 2010.

Wednesday, May 2nd – Hannah Moscovitch reading from East of Berlin and The Russian Play
Hannah’s work has won multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and she’s been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the Carol Bolt Award among many others.

Thursday, May 3rd – Brad Fraser reading from True Love Lies
Brad Fraser is one of Canada’s best known playwrights, Brad’s plays have won numerous awards including The London Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, The L.A. Critics Award, The Dora Mavor Moore Award, and London’s Time Out Award for Best New Play.

Friday, May 4th – Marcia Johnson reading from Courting Johanna
Marcia has been a theatre artist in Toronto for over 20 years. ‘Courting Johanna’ is based on Alice Munro’s ‘Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage’ (Blyth Festival). The short opera ‘My Mother’s Ring’, for which she wrote the libretto, was nominated for a 2009 Dora Mavor Moore Award.

WHAT: Playwrights Guild of Canada 40th Anniversary Reading Series
WHEN: April 30 to May 4, 2012 at 6 pm.
WHERE: Chapters/ Indigo, 142 John St., Toronto (2nd Floor Café)
ADMISSION: FREE

Playwrights Guild of Canada is a national arts service organization 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.