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Toronto Theatre News
- SPECIAL REPORT: DORA AWARDS 2010 RECIPIENTS
The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) celebrated the 31st
anniversary of the Dora Mavor Moore Awards on Monday, June 28, 2010 at the St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts in the Bluma Appel Theatre...
- 2010 - 2011 SCHEDULE
- After two years & one million tickets sold Toronto's
award-winning JERSEY BOYS to close August 22, 2010
Celebrating two years on stage, one million tickets sold and three Dora Mavor
Moore Awards, the Toronto production of JERSEY BOYS will say "Bye, Bye Baby" to
Toronto on Sunday, August 22, 2010, the date of their second anniversary.
- July 16 - September 4
Stars announced for Canadian premiere of LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I
WORE
Michael Rubinoff and Daryl Roth have announced that Paula Brancati, Lauren
Collins, Wendy Crewson, Cynthia Dale, Andrea Martin, and Louise Pitre are to star in the
Canadian premiere...
- August 5 - 15
THE HIDDEN CAMERAS HEADLINE SUMMERWORKS: Strongest Music Series
line-up marks 20 years of Canadas best arts fest on August 5 to 15
Toronto's 20th annual SummerWorks Theatre Festival kicks-off August 5th with 42 plays,
offsite performances, walking tours, workshops of plays-in-development, youth activities,
and a slew of concerts.
- August 12 to September 5
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S SOUTH PACIFIC
Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC will play at the Four Seasons Centre for
the Performing Arts in Toronto from August 12 to September 5, 2010 as part of Dancap
Productions' inaugural Summer Broadway Series.
- October 21 - March 12, 2011
Project: Humanity, Theatre Passe Muraille and Canadian Stage
announce casting for THE MIDDLE PLACE
Project: Humanity, Theatre Passe Muraille and Canadian Stage announced today
casting for The Middle Place by Toronto playwright Andrew Kushnir, directed by Alan
Dilworth.
- October 21 20
TORONTO GETS A DOUBLE THRILL FROM LEPAGE THIS FALL
This fall, Toronto audiences will have two thrilling opportunities to enjoy the
theatrical genius of Robert Lepage thanks to The Canadian Stage Company and the Sony
Centre for the Performing Arts.
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SPECIAL REPORT: DORA AWARDS 2010 RECIPIENTS |
| The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) celebrated the
31st anniversary of the Dora Mavor Moore Awards on Monday, June 28, 2010 at the St.
Lawrence Centre for the Arts in the Bluma Appel Theatre, hosted for the second year in a
row by CBC Radio personality Jian Ghomeshi of CBC Radio One's flagship arts show, Q. New
this year, the always-fabulous After-Party was even more awesome as it transformed Front
Street into a giant street party in front of the theatre where surprise guest performances
awaited.
Recognizing the outstanding achievements in Toronto's performing arts industry, the
Doras honour the creators of over 200 theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the
following categories: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Dance, Opera and Theatre for
Young Audiences. The Doras are named for Dora Mavor Moore (1888 - 1979), a well-loved
teacher and director who helped establish Canadian professional theatre in the 1930s and
1940s.
AND THE DORA GOES TO
Luminato, Soulpepper, Tarragon and Theatrefront Tie Lead with 4 Awards
Each
- In the General Theatre Production Division:
Soulpepper's PARFUMERIE led with three awards including Outstanding Production
& Direction.
Tarragon's COURAGEOUS and IF WE WERE BIRDS each took two wins including Outstanding New
Play for Courageous and Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role for If We
Were Birds.
In the Independent Theatre Production Division:
Theatrefront's THE MILL led with four awards including Outstanding Production.
DVxT's THE TURN OF THE SCREW captured three wins including Outstanding Direction &
Male and Female Outstanding Performance.
In the Dance Division:
Factory's THIS TIME Scored two awards including Outstanding Original Choreography
and Performance.
In the Opera Division:
Canadian Opera Company's THE NIGHTINGALE AND OTHER SHORT FABLES captured
Outstanding Production.
In Theatre for Young Audiences Division:
Lorraine Kimsa and Roseneath each Scored with Outstanding Production and
Outstanding Performance respectively for IN THIS WORLD and GET YOURSELF HOME SKYLER JAMES.
In the Musical Theatre Division:
BirdLand's ASSASSINS took Outstanding Production; Luminato's THE CHILDREN'S
CRUSADE nabbed Outstanding New Musical/Opera.
OVERALL WINNERS:
Overall, Luminato, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Tarragon Theatre and Theatrefront
in association with the Young Centre tied for top spot with four Dora Mavor Moore Awards
each.
Luminato's were spread over the General Theatre Production (1), Musical Theatre (1) and
Dance divisions (2) while Soulpepper and Tarragon tied in the General Theatre Production
Division and Theatrefront led in the Independent Theatre Production Division.
Following closely with 3 wins each were DVxT Theatre (Independent Theatre Division) and
the Canadian Opera Company (2 in General Theatre and 1 in Opera).
Following are highlights from each division:
GENERAL THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION:
In the General Theatre Production Division, both Soulpepper Theatre Company and
Tarragon Theatre led the field with four Dora Mavor Moore Awards each.
Soulpepper won three for Parfumerie - Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction of a
Play / Musical for Morris Panych, and Outstanding Original Costume Design for Ken
MacDonald - while Diego Matamoros earned Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal
Role for Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.
Tarragon Theatre won two each for Courageous and If We Were Birds. Courageous: Michael
Healey for Outstanding New Play; Maurice Dean Wint for Outstanding Performance in a
Featured Role/Ensemble. If We Were Birds: Tara Rosling for Outstanding Performance by a
Female in a Principal Role; Thomas Ryder Payne for Outstanding Original Sound
Design/Composition.
Healey also received a gift of $5,000 from the Bluma Appel Community Trust, the fifth year
in a row this prize has been donated in Appel's name to the winner of Outstanding New Play
in this division.
Outstanding Touring Production went to Lipsynch (Luminato presents Ex Machina) while
Andrea Lundy won Outstanding Original Lighting Design for Necessary Angel's Hamlet
(presented by Harbourfront Centre's World Stage), the first of two Dora Awards for her
this season - and the only person to win more than one this time out.
The Canadian Opera Company (COC) saw Johannes Debus win Outstanding Musical Direction for
The Flying Dutchman while Opera Atelier's The Marriage of Figaro saw Martha Mann nab
Outstanding Original Costume Design. Outstanding Original Choreography went to Jonathon
Feng Han, Alyssa Xiaoli Wang, Chen Jiao, and Wen Qiqi for Monkey King (a production of
Sight, Sound & Action).
INDEPENDENT THEATRE PRODUCTION DIVISION:
Continuing the tradition of Bluma's Indies, the winners in the Independent
Theatre Production Division all receive a $1,000 cheque from the Bluma Appel Community
Trust in addition to Dora Awards.
In this division, Theatrefront in association with the Young Centre for the Performing
Arts led the way with four Dora Awards for its The Mill: Outstanding Production,
Outstanding Original Set Design for Gillian Gallow, Outstanding Original Costume Design
for Dana Osborne and Outstanding Original Lighting Design for Andrea Lundy (her second for
this year).
DVxT Theatre's The Turn of the Screw followed closely with three Doras: Outstanding
Direction for Vikki Anderson, and both principal acting awards ¬- Outstanding Performance
by a Male in a Principal Role for Clinton Walker and by a Female for Christine Horne.
Donna-Michelle St. Bernard won for Outstanding New Play or New Musical for Gas Girls (New
Harlem Productions) while Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role / Ensemble went to
the Ensemble of Spent (produced by Theatre Smith-Gilmour, Why Not Theatre and Theatre
Run). David Atkinson won Outstanding Original Sound Design / Composition for Keystone
Theatre's The Belle of Winnipeg.
DANCE DIVISION:
In the Dance Division, this time (Factory Theatre presents an adelheid
production) led: Heidi Strauss won Outstanding Original Choreography and Brendan Wyatt,
Outstanding Performance.
Outstanding Production went to Shoot the Moon/Wings of Wax/The Second Person (Luminato
presents Nederlands Dans Theater). Outstanding Original Sound Design/Composition went to
Richard Sacks in collaboration with Red Sky musicians: Tuvshinjargal Damdinjav,
Bat-Orshikh Bazarvaani, Batmend Baasankhuu, Eddy Robinson, Theo McGregor for Tono
(Luminato presents Red Sky Performance in association with Harbourfront Centre).
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES DIVISION:
For the two awards in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division: Outstanding
Production went to In This World (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People presents
Youtheatre) while Natasha Greenblatt earned Outstanding Performance for Get Yourself Home
Skyler James (Roseneath Theatre).
MUSICAL THEATRE DIVISION:
In this new division, the four awards went to: R Murray Schafer for Outstanding
New Musical / Opera for The Children's Crusade (Luminato in association with Soundstreams
Canada); BirdLand Theatre and Talk is Free Theatre for Outstanding Production for
Assassins; Jeff Lillico for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role for The
Light in the Piazza (Acting Up Stage Company) and Louise Pitre for Outstanding Performance
by a Female in a Principal Role for The Toxic Avenger Musical (Dancap Productions Inc.).
OPERA DIVISION:
In the Opera Division, both Dora Awards went to the Canadian Opera Company:
Outstanding Production for The Nightingale and Other Short Fables (Canadian Opera Company
/Festival d'Aix-en-Provence/Opéra national de Lyon in collaboration with Ex Machina) and
Outstanding Performance to Julie Makerov for The Flying Dutchman.
OTHER AWARDS:
The Pauline McGibbon, Silver Ticket and Audience Choice Awards were also handed
out. Production craftsperson Lokki Ma was presented with the 2010 Pauline McGibbon Award.
The $7,000 cash prize and medal designed by Dora de Pédery-Hunt is awarded on behalf of
the Ministry of Culture and the Ontario Arts Council in a three-year cycle to a designer,
director and theatre craftsperson.
The Silver Ticket Award is bestowed upon an individual who has excelled in their career
while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. It was presented to one of the
country's major contributors to Canada's theatrical landscape: Obsidian Theatre Artistic
Director Philip Akin who has worked tirelessly to provide opportunities and guidance for
emerging black artists.
TAPA's Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, co-sponsored by NOW Magazine and
Yonge-Dundas Square, was also handed out. The public was invited to vote online from a
list of Outstanding Production nominees in all divisions; or input their own favourite.
Presented with a commemorative plaque, the Audience Choice Award winner is Mirvish
Productions' Rock of Ages.
For more information on the Dora Awards visit www.tapa.ca |
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Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company Announces 2010-2011
Season
Includes a new Canadian play, an off-Broadway hit and a brand new musical! |
David Eisner and Avery Saltzman, co-Artistic Directors of the Harold
Green Jewish Theatre Company, Toronto's only professional theatre company established to
celebrate, illuminate and share Jewish culture, have announced their 2010-2011
subscription season.
The season opens with a new play by award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen in a
co-production with the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre. Called a "spunky, dark comedy"
by the New York Times, LENIN'S EMBALMERS follows the journey of Boris Zbarsky and Vladimir
Vorobiov, two chemists given the job of embalming the communist leader Vladimir Ilyich
Lenin in 1924. The play uses historical elements to grapple with contemporary questions:
What happens when science and death meet? Can religious beliefs and science live
peacefully together? What role does science play in humanity's obsession with immortality?
The show runs from October 30 - November 21, 2010 at the Al Green Theatre in the Miles
Nadal JCC (750 Spadina Avenue).
With a virtuoso performance by Jim Brochu and direction by three-time Oscar-nominated
actress Piper Laurie, the award-winning, off-Broadway smash ZERO HOUR is a one man show
about iconic Jewish star Zero Mostel. From his scarred youth, to his triumphs in
Rhinoceros, Fiddler on the Roof and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, to
being blacklisted during the McCarthy era, Zero Mostel was a three time Tony Award-winning
star and one of the more colourful characters in the American theatre. The show will run
from March 26 April 16, 2011 at the Al Green Theatre in the Miles Nadal JCC (750
Spadina Avenue).
A world premiere of a new Canadian musical review, TO LIFE is a joyous celebration of the
Jewish life cycle: from birth to bar mitzvah, from marriage to death, told through songs
of the American Jewish musical theatre canon. Conceived by Avery Saltzman and Tim French,
To Life is a journey through Jewish musical theatre in two acts. The first act celebrates
three iconic Jewish performers Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson and
the second "raises a glass to life" using songs culled from the large repertoire
of Jewish-themed musicals. The show runs from May 13 29, 2011 at the Jane Mallett
Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (27 Front Street East).
The 2010-2011 season also sees the return of the CONVERSATIONS ON THE GREEN series. A
one-on-one conversation series hosted by Canadian radio host Ralph Benmergui,
Conversations on the Green features Jewish notables from the world of theatre, art,
literature and politics speaking on how their religion has influenced their life and
chosen profession. Confirmed guests include singer/songwriter Amy Sky (September 20,
2010), lawyer and author Edward Greenspan (December 6, 2010), award-winning theatre
producer David Mirvish (April 6, 2011) and television personality, author and newspaper
columnist Jeanne Beker (May 16, 2011). The series will take place at the Jane Mallett
Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (27 Front Street East). |
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| Guy Mignault, artistic director of Théâtre français de Toronto (TfT),
unveiled the company's 2010/11 season line-up. The season launch took place at 21 College
Street, home to TfT's Centre for Creation. The launch was followed by the official opening
of the subscription campaign and the celebration of World Theatre Day. The 2010/11
season is made up of:
- 4 shows for General Audiences;
- 2 shows for adolescents (Nouvelles Gènèrations) ;
- 2 shows for children (Jeune Public).
The shows will be presented at the Berkeley Street Theatre.
Given their success over the last five years, TfT will once again offer performances
with English surtitles, which, for the first time, will make up 50% of the performances
for General Audiences. All four General Audiences productions will include some
performances with surtitles.
Mercredis Bavardeurs (post-show talks with the actors) are now extended to all
Wednesday night performances.
TFT has further simplified its subscription packages, offering more flexibility and
benefits to subscribers. Before May 1, 2010, subscription prices range from $75 to $154,
depending on the package. TFT encourages customers to save money (up to 40% of
single-ticket prices) by avoiding the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) on every subscription
purchased before May 1, 2010.
To spotlight its 43rd anniversary, TfT is pleased to produce three new pieces:Les Fridolinades by Gratien Gélinas. Following Les Médecins
de Molière in 2009/10, this new work is the second of five co-production projects with
Thétre La Catapulte of Ottawa; directed by Perry Schneiderman, it will also go on
tour throughout Ontario
À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou (Forever Yours, Mary Lou) by Michel
Tremblay. TfT celebrates in its own style 40 years of this great Tremblay classic
L'école des femmes (The School for Wives), Molière's first great
classical comedy. From the great Molière, with eight actors, directed by Diana Leblanc.
OUTSTANDING! During its 2010-2111 season TfT will tour across Canada, from East to
West, with three productions: Une maison face au nord (A North-Facing House) by Jean-Rock
Gaudreault
The play will tour 31 cities in New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Saskatchewan,
British-Columbia and Alberta.
A co-production of Théâtre français de Toronto, Théâtre fLa Rubrique, and Théâtre
du Tandem
Les Médecins de Molière (Molière's Doctors) by Jean-Baptiste
Poquelin, a.k.a. Molière
The play will tour 14 cities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario
and Saskatchewan.
A co-production of Théâtre français de Toronto and Théâtre La Catapulte (Ottawa)
Les Fridolinades by Gratien Gélinas
The play will tour 6 cities in Ontario
A co-production of Théâtre français de Toronto and Théâtre La Catapulte (Ottawa).
www.theatrefrancais.com |
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THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE ANNOUNCES 2010 - 2011 NEW SEASON |
Hard Times
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview September 30, Opens October 5, Closes October 16
This is the play that wonders how far weve come.
Now, what I want is facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts.
Two of Torontos most acclaimed independent theatre companies Puppetmongers
(Tea at the Palace, Cinderella in Muddy York) and the night kitchen (Radio: 30, Big Head
Goes to Bed) join forces to bring you a savagely funny new adaptation of Dickens
satire of laissez-faire capitalism and Utilitarian political philosophy. Using mask and
puppetry, three performers create a world in which the laws of supply and demand are the
sole basis of all human interaction.
Puppetry just doesnt get any better than Ann and Davids work
Puppetry Journal USA
The Middle Place
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview October 21, Opens October 26, Closes November 13
This is the play that makes you spare change.
Playwirght, meet Torontos homeless. In 2007, a young, well-meaning, middle-class
playwright accompanied Project: Humanity into the shelter system to do on-camera
interviews with the residents of a Rexdale youth shelter. The Middle Place is what became
of this unpredictable meeting in the middle. Verbatim from their testimony; this play
gives voice to the unheard and sheds light on the forgotten.
For the first full production since its popular run at SummerWorks 2009, be prepared for
an entertaining and compelling docudrama that deconstructs the stigmas around our
citys homeless youth.
An eye-opening, intelligent and funny piece of verbatim theatre
The Globe and Mail
The Cure for Everything
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview November 10, Opens November 16, Closes December 4
This is the performance that rejoices in the return of Elsa.
The precocious character who won hearts in the Dora Award winning You Fancy Yourself is
back as a teenager in Maja Ardals new play. Its 1962, and Elsas wild new
world of sex and rock and roll, is being rattled by some explosive tension thats
building on the world stage.
Raw, funny emotional and like nothing else you will see
2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Hairline Magazine
Roshni
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview November 18, Opens November 23, Closes December 11
This is the story that makes you beg for more.
Two-time Dora Award-winning Anusree Roy is back with a two-hander that follows the story
of a pair of fearless youths who works as beggars in a Calcutta train station. As they
shine shoes, pick pockets and beg, Chumki dreams of the gift of sight, while King Kumar
dreams of stardom. Some dreams can come true. Some cannot. A story of hope and friendship
in the most dire of circumstances.
Roys performance...is so intense and impassioned...with dashes of humour even
in the darkest moments
Toronto Star
Oh My Irma
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview January 5, Opens January 11, Closes January 29
This is the story that examines her dirty laundry.
This mesmerizing and hilarious piece by new artist Haley McGee follows the journey of a
poet named Mission Bird as she struggles to find out how her mother, Irma, has died. The
clues of a bloody tuxedo shirt, a dog also named Irma and a few whiffs of laundry
detergent are all that Mission Bird needs to solve the case.
[Haley McGees] acting is superb
The Whig Standard
Highway 63: The Fort Mac Show
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview February 3, Opens February 8, Closes February 26
This is the show that fuels you.
Barrels of oil? Or barrels of monkeys? Using a combination of verbatim and improvisation,
the voices of Fort McMurrays transients and locals come alive at a time of major
change. Some of this countrys most exciting theatre creators reveal life at the
northern tip of Highway 63, at the front lines of the worlds largest energy project,
the Athabasca Oil Sands.
...the best performance Ive seen this year.
Vue Weekly
Montparnasse
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Preview March 17, Opens March 22, Closes April 2
This is the story that reveals the naked truth.
Montparnasse invites you to peek behind the canvas and discover the clandestine world of
nude models in 1920s Paris. As Amelia & Margaret leave Canada to enter a world
brimming with Bohemian writers and artists, they are engulfed by their desire for truth,
passion and power.
Pure gold...everything about this show is perfection
Classical 96.3
The Last 15 Seconds
www.passemuraille.on.ca
416-504-7529
Tickets are $15-$35
www.artsboxoffice.ca
Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Ave, M5T 2P3
Preview April 6, Opens April 7, Closes April 16
This is the experience that makes every second count.
Using movement, dance, video, vocals and text, this project explores the topic of
terrorism. It starts from the tragic death of Syrian-American filmmaker Mustapha Akkad and
his daughter Rima in a series of coordinated attacks that hit three prominent hotels in
the Jordanian capital Amman in 2005. The work constructs an imagined physical and verbal
dialogue between Mustapha Akkad and Rawad Jassem Mohammad Abed, the suicide bomber who
carried out the explosion. The work also looks at the imagined lives and memories of both
the victim and his killer as they revisit each others lives after their fatal
encounter.
...Riveting.
Waterloo Region Record
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After two years & one million tickets sold Toronto's
award-winning
JERSEY BOYS to close August 22, 2010 |
Celebrating two years on stage, one
million tickets sold and three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Toronto production of
JERSEY BOYS will say "Bye, Bye Baby" to Toronto on Sunday, August 22, 2010,
the date of their second anniversary.JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli
& The Four Seasons, premiered in Toronto initially as a limited engagement on August
21, 2008. After opening to rave reviews, adding additional performance weeks and
setting box office records, JERSEY BOYS became a resident production on December
12, 2008. Now the longest-running musical in the history of the Toronto Centre for
the Arts, JERSEY BOYS will play its final performance Sunday, August 22 at 7:30pm,
which will be the Company's 830th performance. Tickets to all performances are now
on sale.
"We owe a huge thanks to the City of Toronto," said Aubrey Dan,
President, Dancap Productions. "Toronto embraced JERSEY BOYS from the
start and it was thrilling to see audiences celebrate this incredible story and timeless
music. We are very proud of the accomplishments as we share this great success with
the entire Company of JERSEY BOYS, our partner Dodger Theatricals from New York,
our employees and the Toronto Centre for the Arts. We especially thank the audiences that
came from all over the world who made it all possible."
JERSEY BOYS stars Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi, Jeff Madden as
Frankie Valli, Daniel Robert Sullivan as Tommy DeVito and Quinn VanAntwerp
as Bob Gaudio. The company also comprises: Gabriel Antonacci,
Matthew G. Brown, Matt Cassidy, Jade Elliott,
lodie Gillett,
Steven M. Goldsmith, Bryan Hindle, Victoria Lamond, Aaron MacKenzie,
Adrian Marchuk, W. Joseph Matheson, Timothy Sell, Alison Smyth,
Grant Tilly, Cleopatra Williams and Shawn Wright.
Directed by two-time Tony AwardÆ winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by
Academy Award winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by
Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo. The Canadian production of JERSEY BOYS
is produced by Dancap Productions Inc., Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and
Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group in association with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner. |
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STARS ANNOUNCED FOR CANADIAN PREMIERE OF
LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE ANDREA
MARTIN, LOUISE PITRE, PAULA BRANCATI, CYNTHIA DALE, WENDY CREWSON, LAUREN COLLINS
Tickets on Sale NOW through SEPTEMBER 4 |
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Michael Rubinoff and Daryl Roth have
announced that Paula Brancati, Lauren Collins, Wendy Crewson, Cynthia Dale, Andrea Martin,
and Louise Pitre are to star in the Canadian premiere of the award-winning, New York smash
hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore, an intimate collection of stories by Nora Ephron and
Delia Ephron. This exciting theatrical event at Torontos Panasonic Theatre (651
Yonge St.) features a cast of five that rotates in four-week cycles.
Gemini and Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee Paula Brancati (Degrassi: The Next
Generation, Being Erica), Emmy and Tony Award-winning comedy legend
Andrea Martin (SCTV, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Favorite Year, Fiddler on
the Roof), and Tony nominee / Dora Award winner Louise Pitre (Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables,
Annie Get Your Gun, The Toxic Avenger) will be part of the premiere cast July 16 through
to August 7.
Gemini nominee Lauren Collins (Degrassi: The Next Generation), five-time
Gemini Award winner Wendy Crewson (Away From Her, 24, ReGenesis),
and Dora Award winner / Gemini nominee Cynthia Dale (Stratford Festival leading lady for
10 seasons, Street Legal) will be part of the August cycle that runs August
10-September 4.
Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a
collection of stories based on the best-selling book by Ilene Beckerman, as well as on the
recollections of the Ephrons friends. Like the popular book, it uses clothing and
accessories and the memories they trigger to tell funny and often poignant stories that
all women can relate to.
The producers also announced that the Toronto production will be directed by Karen
Carpenter, the director of the New York production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore that
opened Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre on October 1, 2009 to rave reviews and
continues to play to capacity. New York casts have included Rosie O'Donnell, Kristin
Chenoweth, Jane Lynch, Samantha Bee, Tyne Daly, Rhea Perlman, Carol Kane, Brooke Shields,
Melissa Joan Hart, Fran Drescher, Caroline Rhea and others. A Los Angeles company opened
at the Geffen Playhouse on May 13, 2010; also earning raves, and an extension.
Additional casting will be announced shortly. A portion of the production's proceeds will
benefit the Toronto chapter of Dress for Success. To find out more about the charity,
visit www.dressforsuccess.org/toronto. |
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THE HIDDEN CAMERAS HEADLINE SUMMERWORKS
Strongest Music Series line-up marks 20 years of Canadas best arts fest
August 5-15, LOT Mainstage Theatre |
| Toronto's 20th annual SummerWorks Theatre Festival kicks-off
August 5th with 42 plays, offsite performances, walking tours, workshops of
plays-in-development, youth activities, and a slew of concerts. While being the largest
juried theatre festival in Canada, SummerWorks takes great pride in offering concerts
every night during the ten-day fest. This year, SummerWorks welcomes The Hidden
Cameras for two intimate and theatrical evenings at the LOT Mainstage Theatre, August
5th and 6th.
The Hidden Cameras are one of this country's most theatrically delicious
bands, says Michael Rubenfeld, Artistic Producer of the festival. He adds,
"They're a perfect match for SummerWorks, and I'm really excited to be able to
welcome them onto our stage.
In its third year, the SummerWorks Music Series gives audiences a taste of both
local and national indie rock. The SummerWorks Music Series, sponsored by CBC Radio3
and Exclaim! hosts ten evenings of music featuring some of Canada's best indie
muscians.
All concerts will be held at new SummerWorks venue, The Lower Ossington Theatre (The
LOT). An arts space located at 100A Ossington Avenue. Tickets for LOT main stage shows are
$10 and pay-what-you-can at the Performance in (Lower LOT stage). The Hidden Cameras are
on-sale now at Rotate This, Soundscapes and artsboxoffice.ca |
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RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S SOUTH PACIFIC
directed by BARTLETT SHER
Presented by DANCAP PRODUCTIONS INC.
August 12 to September 5, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts |
Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH
PACIFIC will play at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto from
August 12 to September 5, 2010 as part of Dancap Productions' inaugural Summer Broadway
Series.The National Tour cast of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC will be led
by Jason Howard as Emile de Becque and Carmen Cusack as Nellie Forbush, with Anderson
Davis (Lt. Cable), Matthew Saldivar (Luther Billis), Keala Settle (Bloody Mary), Gerry
Becker (Capt. Brackett), Peter Rini (Cmdr. Harbison), Sumie Maeda (Liat), Rusty Ross
(Professor), Genson Blimline (Stewpot, original 2008 Broadway cast member), Christina
Carrera (Ngana) and CJ Palma (Jerome).
Welsh-born and Toronto-based, Jason Howard developed much of his classical repertoire
with the Edmonton Opera where he recently portrayed the Dutchman in Wagner's Die Fliegende
Hollnder. He has also been performing with the Hamilton Opera since 1994 singing
such roles as the Count in Le nozze di Figaro and Escamillo in Carmen. Other opera
highlights include Capt. Brant in Mourning Becomes Electra at the Chicago Lyric, Seattle
and New York City Operas; Germont in La Traviata at English National, Minnesota and New
York City Operas; Marcello in La BohËme at Covent Garden, Geneva, Paris, Welsh National
Opera, Toulouse; and Wotan in Wagner's Ring Cycle, Strasbourg.
Carmen Cusack, originally from Houston, Texas, spent the last two years playing Elphaba
in Wicked (US National Tour, Chicago and Australia productions). Her many West End credits
include Les Misérables (Fantine; UK, US and Shanghai), The Secret Garden (Rose; Royal
Shakespeare Company), and The Phantom of the Opera (Christine; UK National Tour).
Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific,
Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar
Hammerstein II and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan. Set in an island
paradise during World War II, two parallel love stories bloom amidst the trappings of war,
but then are threatened by the dangers of prejudice. The show's score includes such
classic songs as Some Enchanted Evening, I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair, There
is Nothin' Like A Dame, and A Wonderful Guy.
The lavish new production, presented by Bob Boyett and NETworks Presentations, features
a cast of 34, musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, sets by Michael Yeargan (winner of
the 2008 Tony Award®), costumes by Catherine Zuber (winner of the 2008 Tony AwardÆ),
lighting by Donald Holder (winner of the 2008 Tony AwardÆ), sound by Scott Lehrer (winner
of the 2008 Tony AwardÆ) and music direction by Ted Sperling. A full orchestra of 26
members - the largest orchestra of any touring Broadway production, of which the majority
will be local Toronto musicians - will perform the original orchestrations by Robert
Russell Bennett (winner of a Special 2008 Tony AwardÆ) and dance and incidental music
arranged by Trude Rittmann.
Launched in 2007 by Aubrey Dan, Dancap Productions Inc. is a commercial theatre company
dedicated to producing and presenting the best of Broadway-style theatre created in
collaboration with acclaimed artists and award-winning creative teams based in Toronto,
Canada. Current and upcoming Broadway shows with producing and investment credits include:
The Addams Family, Memphis, West Side Story, A Little Night Music and Come Fly Away. Past
Broadway and international credits include: Wicked, Tom Stoppard's Rock 'n' Roll, [Title
of Show], the Tony AwardÆ winner In The Heights, and JERSEY BOYS; the Tony Award®
winning show still playing on Broadway, the First National Tour, productions in Las Vegas,
the West End, Melbourne and the long-running Dora Award-winner in Toronto. |
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Project:
Humanity, Theatre Passe Muraille and Canadian Stage announce casting for
THE MIDDLE PLACE
Toronto dates kick off Canadian tour |
| Project: Humanity, Theatre Passe Muraille and Canadian Stage announced
today casting for The Middle Place by Toronto playwright Andrew Kushnir, directed
by Alan Dilworth. Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) and Canadian Stage are collaborating
to produce Project: Humanitys The Middle Place as part of their 2010-2011
Seasons. The Middle Place runs October 21 to November 14, 2010, at TPMs
Mainspace and moves to Canadian Stages Berkeley Street Theatre, February 14 to March
12, 2011, before embarking on a tour to Ottawa and Victoria. The Toronto production will
feature four of the original cast of five including Akosua Amo-Adem (who won the
SummerWorks 2009 Award for best new emerging artist for her portrayal), Antonio Cayonne,
Jessica Greenberg and Kevin Walker. Actor/playwright Andrew Kushnir will play himself in
the production for the first time. The five actors bring the extraordinary voices of
sixteen homeless youth, three tireless caseworkers and one outsider (Kushnir) to life in
this disquieting yet hopeful play. The Toronto production marks an exciting collaboration
between Canadian Stage and Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM), joining forces for the first time
in a unique form of play development and presentation a rolling opening. The
pioneering venture affords the playwright the opportunity to continue developing the work
between productions at the two theatres.
A Canadian tour begins immediately following the productions Toronto
dates. The Middle Place heads to the SPARK Festival at Victorias Belfry
Theatre from March 14 to 20, 2011, and then to Ottawas Great Canadian Theatre
Company (GCTC), March 29 to April 17, 2011. The touring cast will feature four of the
Toronto cast with Monica Dottor stepping in for Jessica
The Middle Place is an artful and provocative means of tackling the subject of
youth homelessness. It tells the story of a specific community in Toronto but its
implications reach beyond its point-of-origin, states playwright Andrew Kushnir.
It is not only a Toronto story, it is a Canadian story.
The play speaks to the current social challenges faced by homeless youth across Canada.
Raising The Roof, a national charitable organization devoted to eradicating homelessness
in Canada, estimates that 65,000 youth are homeless or living in homeless shelters
throughout the country at some time during the year. Toronto, according to Youth
Without Shelter (the Toronto-based emergency shelter where The Middle Place
interviews took place), has the largest homeless population in Canada; 28% of
Torontos homeless are youth. The organization also states that youth are among the
most disadvantaged of all homeless people, facing barriers to income support, finishing
high school, paid employment and rental accommodation due to their age. According to the
Greater Victoria Coalition to Solve Homelessness, it is estimated that between 250 and 300
youth are on Victorias streets and according to Ottawas Alliance to End
Homelessness, 464 youth were on Ottawas streets in 2008, up from 365 youth in 2007. |
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TORONTO GETS A
DOUBLE THRILL FROM LEPAGE THIS FALL
October 21 20, Canadian Stage's Bluma Appel Robert Lepage |
| This fall, Toronto audiences will have two thrilling opportunities to
enjoy the theatrical genius of Robert Lepage thanks to The Canadian Stage Company and the
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. The Andersen Project, written and directed by
renowned theatre-maker Robert Lepage and performed by Yves Jacques, will have its Toronto
premiere October 21 to 30, 2010, at Canadian Stage's Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front Street
East. Eonnagata, created and performed by Robert Lepage, internationally acclaimed French
ballerina Sylvie Guillem and award-winning British choreographer Russell Maliphant, will
have its Toronto premiere on November 18 and 19, 2010, at the Sony Centre for the
Performing Arts, 1 Front Street East. The Andersen Project, an Ex Machina production
presented by Canadian Stage is a modern-day, multimedia fairy-tale written and directed by
Robert Lepage. The one-man show performed by Yves Jacques combines cutting-edge technology
and ingenious props to create a world of theatrical illusion. An artist travels to Paris,
at the request of a famed opera house, which has commissioned him to write the libretto
for a children's opera based on fairy-tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The experience
enables him to explore questions of sexual identity, unfulfilled fantasies, a thirst for
recognition and fame. The piece was commissioned by the Kingdom of Denmark in 2005 as part
of their 200th anniversary celebrations of Hans Christian Anderson's birth and
originally starred Lepage. It has since been performed in Canada (in Montreal, Quebec
City, Ottawa and Vancouver), the US, Europe, the UK, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The
Andersen Project will be presented October 21-30, 2010 at Canadian Stage's Bluma Appel
Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, with evening and matinee performances
Eonnagata, an Ex Machina production presented by Sony Centre, tells the story of
Charles de Beaumont, Chevalier déon, an 18th -century French diplomat,
writer, and spy. Daring and unconventional, de Beaumont is believed to be the first spy to
use cross-dressing in order to successfully carry out his missions and, until the day he
died, his true gender was a source of constant speculation. Drawing on the onnagata of
Japanese Kabuki theatre in which male actors play female roles, Eonnagata melds dance and
theatre to probe the mystery of gender and human nature. This remarkable production from
London's acclaimed Sadler's Wells first premiered in 2009 and has since toured France,
Spain and Germany. Created and performed by Robert Lepage, internationally acclaimed
French ballerina Sylvie Guillem and award-winning British choreographer Russell Maliphant,
Eonnagata features lighting by Michael Hulls, spectacular costumes by the late fashion
designer Alexander McQueen, and sound design by Jean-Sébastien Cðté. Eonnagata will be
presented by the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts located at 1 Front Street East,
Toronto, on November 18 and 19, 2010, at 8 p.m. |
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