The Crucible at Soulpepper

More Soulpepper loving today!

Only two more weeks to check out the highly praised piece - The Crucible, downtown in the Distillery District at the Young Centre. Check out the production trailer above and the behind the scenes montage and for tickets please click here!

Brief Show Description:

Salem, Massachusetts, 1692: a small, devout town is thrown into chaos with accusations of witchcraft and spiritual possession. Arthur Miller's explosive account of the famous Salem witch trials caused a sensation with its parallels to the Communist scares of the 1950s, and remains one of his most enduring classics.

Directed by Albert Schultz

Death of a Salesman at Soulpepper

We here at EAP love this show so much and wanted to let you all know that you only have a few more weeks to check it out! This production from Soulpepper is one of my favourite pieces of theatre that I have ever witnessed on a Toronto stage. It is profoundly moving, has jaw dropping acting and is perfectly directed.

To purchase tickets please click here!

Brief Press Release:

Soulpepper's acclaimed and award-winning production of one of Arthur Miller's finest plays returns for a limited engagement. Joseph Ziegler's searing, wrenching portrayal of the prideful, vulnerable Willy Loman justly earned the Dora Award for Outstanding Performance.

Directed by: Albert Schultz

Preview: OBAABERIMA at Buddies

Opening tonight at one of our favourite theatre's in the city is a piece co-created by our girl Evalyn Parry. It sounds truly moving and incredibly candid.

Show Description:

Imprisoned in Canada for committing a violent crime, a young man from Ghana tells his cellmates a story on the eve of his release. Although there is great risk in sharing his tale, he must tell it to be truly free. Through storytelling, dance, and live music, Obaaberima chronicles a young African-Canadian’s journey across continents, genders, races, and sexualities.

For more info or to purchase tickets please CLICK HERE!

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre presents

OBAABERIMA

directed by Evalyn Parry
created and performed by Tawiah M’carthy
live music by Kobena Aquaa-Harrison
set + costumes by Camellia Koo
lighting by Michelle Ramsay
Tickets $20 – $37 | rush tickets + PWYC available for select performances
Shows Tues-Sat 8pm + Sun 2:30pm

Preview: No Great Mischief at Tarragon

Opening last night at midtown's Tarragon Theatre...

Haunted by the stories and songs of their Scottish ancestry, two brothers seek to reconcile their past in this sweeping saga of familial loss and love. A bittersweet rumination on the ties that bind, this evocative memory play takes us from a squalid Kensington Market rooming house in Toronto to Cape Breton’s stormy shores and the deep mines of Elliot Lake.

No Great Mischief premiered at Tarragon Theatre in 2004 and subsequently was presented in Ottawa, Vancouver and Halifax.

No Great Mischief
by David S. Young
adapted from the novel by Alistair MacLeod
directed by Richard Rose

On until October 21st on the Mainstage
TARRAGON THEATRE
30 BRIDGMAN AVENUE

For more info please click here!

It Was the Best of Times. It Was the Worst of Times.

Someone forwarded this to me this morning, and I found it so moving I thought I would share it with all of you.  Be warned tears may flow.  But it is a beautiful example of storytelling and love.

Preview: My Name is Rachel Corrie

On the heels of the dismissal of the Corrie family's civil lawsuit, Hart House Theatre will be presenting the controversial play that explores an extraordinary young woman's singular experience in a region most of us only know from the news. My Name is Rachel Corrie opens on the historic Hart House Theatre stage on Wednesday, October 17th, 2012 for a limited run.

In March 2003, 23 year-old American student, Rachel Corrie, was crushed to death by an Isreali Defense Forces bulldozer in the Gaza Strip while trying to stop the demolition of a Palestinian home. My Name is Rachel Corrie is a controversial, passionate and stunning account of a girl who sought to discover the human impact of her own country's foreign policies on people thousands of miles from her home. Since its sold-out opening in 2005, My Name is Rachel Corrie has acted as a catalyst for discussion and continues to spark heated debate.

Taking on the role of Rachel Corrie is Montreal native Amelia Sargisson. Most recently, Amelia appeared in the premiere of Daniel Karasik's award-winning play Haunted at the 2012 SummerWorks Festival. Other recent credits include bringing to life five characters in the 2012 Toronto FringeKIDS show, Water, and reprising the role Jackie in Daniel Karasik's The Innocents (Tarragon Theatre) which she oringinated at the 2010 SummerWorks Festival. Other highlights include appearing in an adaptation Michel Tremblay's La Duchesse de Langeais (2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, NOW Magazine Outstanding Ensemble); The Madonna Painter (Centaur Theatre); down from heaven (Imago Theatre, Cartes Premières Award for Best Actress); co-creating and performing in The Art of Catching Pigeons by Torchlight (SummerWorks Festival, Spotlight Award). Amelia also spent five seasons performing with Shakespeare-in-the-Park and is currently co-creating The Besetting of Reena Virk with fellow members of the Subtle Vigilance Collective. Amelia is a proud graduate of Ryerson Theatre School.

Award winning director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu returns to Hart House Theatre to direct My Name is Rachel Corrie. She made her inaugural directing debut at the historic theatre with the production of Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf'. Mumbi is the founding Artistic Director of IFT theatre and has worked with Canadian Stage, Volcano Theatre, Obsidian Theatre, DvXT and The AfriCan Theatre Ensemble. Currently, she is working at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as the the Assistant Director for the world premiere of renowned Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor's The Best Brothers. Mumbi is a graduate of the University of Toronto and York University.

U of T's Performing Arts Leader Since 1919 - Hart House Theatre is not only a cultural hub for the University of Toronto but a cultural destination for the city. Under the direction of Artsitic Dorector Jeremy Hutton, we are dedicated to developing dynamic productions for a diverse and discerning modern audience with a roster full of the best emerging theatrical talent this country has to offer. The Art Deco theatre has cultivated and featured some of the country's finest actors, directors, playwrights and designers, including Raymond Massey, Dora Mavor Moore, William Hutt, Donald Sutherland, Norman Jewison, Lorne Michaels, and more recently Andre Sills and Tyrone Savage. Recent productions include The Night of the Iguana, Cabaret, Equus, Jerry Springer: The Opera and Macbeth.

My Name is Rachel Corrie

Taken from the writings of Rachel Corrie
Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner
Directed by: Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
Starring: Amelia Sargisson
Set and Costume Design by: Mariuxi Zambrani
Lighting Design by Sarah Masikka
Video and Sound Design by: David Mesiha

October 17 - 20, 2012
at Hart House Theatre (7 Hart House Circle)

 Performances:
 Wednesday - Saturday at 8PM


Ticket Prices:
 Adults $25; Student & Seniors $15
 $10 Student Tickets every Wednesday
Tickets can be purchased at UofTtix Box Office by phone, 416.978.8849, online at www.uofttix.ca or in person.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: East Danforth Community Association

Danforth East Commmunity Association (DECA) is interested in filling the empty stores along Danforth Avenue between Monarch Park and Main with short-term enterprises.  If you are an artist or social enterprise who would be interested in a pop-up venture then check this out.


DEADLINE:  September 23, 2012


They are  looking for artists and social enterprise projects that:
* Can fill (and vacate) an empty space quickly and easily
* Will add value to the street and the community

If you have an idea for a creative enterprise that could be placed temporarily in an empty store, this is an opportunity for you.  In 200 words or less, write to the DECA about your enterprise or artist venture.

Statements of intent are being accepted NOW for placements in October.  What would YOU do with one free month on the Danforth?

Send your proposals and/or questions to: info@DanforthEastCommunityAssociation.com

PROUD hits the Berkeley Street Theatre

A Canadian Prime Minister attempts to move the country slightly right of centre …. Will he succeed? At what cost?

The third in a trilogy of award-winning plays (Generous, Courageous) about Canadian values by award-winning playwright Michael Healey. Proud is about what we actually want out of our politics, and our politicians. Set in the Prime Minister’s office in the Centre Block of Parliament, it is just after the spring 2011 election but the reality of the play is different from ours. In the play, all the seats won by the NDP in Quebec have gone to the Conservatives. This gives them not only an overwhelming majority in Parliament, but a lot of rookie MPs in the Tory caucus.

One such MP is Jisbella Lyth, from the fictional Quebec riding of Cormier-Lac Poule. A single mother who, up until getting elected was the manager at a St-Hubert franchise, Jisbella nonetheless displays traits that indicate to the Prime Minister that she will be a useful asset to his government. He and his Chief of Staff, Cary Baines, begin to train Jisbella in the various methods and strategies that have made the Conservatives so successful. Their lessons unleash an emotional component that none of them anticipate.

Starts: Sep 20, 2012 Ends: Oct 6, 2012 

Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs, 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto
Monday - Saturday
Times: 2 pm matinee Saturday, evening perfs 8 pm
Cost: $25 - $40 -Monday PWYC
Ticket purchase URL: www.canadianstage.com

Fringe New Play Contest

2013 Fringe New Play Contest

Applications for the 2013 Fringe New Play Contest are now open!

Remember Kim’s Convenience? Remember Help Yourself? These Fringe shows were brought into the spotlight by the Fringe New Play Contest, sponsored by Exclamation Foundation and macIDeas. If you’re a playwright and want to be a household name, the Fringe New Play Contest is the best way to fast-track that success. Even better – this year is Fringe’s 25th Anniversary, so the media attention will be bigger and bolder than ever!

Details are available on the Fringe website.

 First Place Winner will receive the following:

1. A free spot in the 2013 Toronto Fringe Festival.

2. A cash prize of $1250 courtesy of Exclamation Foundation Inc. and macIDeas.

3. Production consultation courtesy of Exclamation Foundation and macIDeas.

 Applications close on Friday October 26th at 5pm, or when 80 applications are received.

Contact    416-966-1062 x 3  
or creation@fringetoronto.com for more information.

This is a great opportunity for a young playwright and we strongly encourage you to enter your work.  Even if it isn't finished.  The Fringe is a development vehicle and a great way to workshop and continue developing your play.

New York Diary

I've been in NY for the past three weeks on non-theatre related business.  But that has not stopped me from checking out what is happening on the scene.  So Saturday night I went to see famed cabaret singer Cait Doyle in her new show Cait Doyle's Hot Mess in Manhattan. The show is in development and just wrapped up a run at the American Theater of Actors on 54th street.  It is not clear what the next step will be.  Some say franchise others have suggested a tour.  But what is clear is that this talented cast and creative

team made a show that was so worth watching that I saw it twice in one day!  The multi-composer show is the result of two plus years of cabaret and development and while there is more development to come the work has paid off.  At the after party, at Jake's Saloon on 10th ave, I told Cait I was looking forward to playing her in the future.  She said, "believe me nobody is looking forward to that as much as me."

I'd thought to spend Monday night at the D-Lounge with some friends.  But after a raucous weekend in the "city" it was time to get back to work. Thankfully New York Theatre Barn is there every Monday working on their newest project Rocket Science.

And we are looking forward to seeing Hard Times at The Cell when we get back to NYC late next week.  Being here and seeing so much development work is really inspiring, and it's making my non-theatre contract that much more bearable.

PS.  Didn't know about these, so thanks for the heads up guys.  

New Canadian Musical Bloodless at Theatre 20 this Fall

Announcement from Theatre 20 -

Toronto premiere for new Canadian musical by Joseph Aragon.  Theatre 20, a new artist-led musical theatre company known for their dedication to evocative Canadian-made and story-driven work, celebrates the first full production in its history, Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare.

This darkly funny and sinfully entertaining musical by Winnipeg playwright Joseph Aragon (Illuminati: The Musical) opens Oct. 12 at Toronto's Panasonic Theatre (previews begin Oct. 9 with press opening Oct. 11) and runs through the 28th of October.

Set against a 19th century backdrop in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bloodless revisits the true story of two serial killers who manage to make crime pay - literally - when they create a successful business selling their victims to medical schools.

Winner of the "Best of Fest" award (2009) at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and the "Harry S. Rintoul" award for Best New Manitoban Play, Bloodless is directed by Theatre 20 Founding Artist and Artistic Director Adam Brazier (Passion, Into The Woods), who made his directorial debut in 2010 with Birdland Theatre's Dora Award-nominated production of Assassins.

Completing the creative team are Musical Director Jason Jestadt and Creative Consultant Colm Wilkinson, Theatre 20 Founding Artist and world-renowned performer best known for originating the role of Jean Valjean in the London cast of Les Misérables. Bloodless set and costumes are designed by Beth Kates and Melanie McNeill respectively, with choreography by Associate Director Linda Garneau. Production consultant is Paul Shaw, stage manager is Carolyn Mykytyshyn with Wilson Wong as assistant stage manager.

Theatre 20 is an artist led, story-driven company with a focus on developing and presenting original Canadian musicals as well as re-imagining existing repertoire from both the national and international canons. It is a not-for-profit, registered charitable organization that has been formed not only to create musical works for the stage but also to play an active and positive role within the community. It aims to nurture the talent of writers and composers and foster the development of young artists through mentorship and education programs.

Theatre 20's Artistic Director is Adam Brazier; Founding Artists include Tamara Bernier Evans, Evan Buliung, Brent Carver, Dan Chameroy, Juan Chioran, Ma-Anne Dionisio, Susan Gilmour, Trish Lindström, David Keeley, Nora McLellan, Louise Pitre, Eliza-Jane Scott, Rosie Shaw, Carly Street, Steven Sutcliffe and Colm Wilkinson.

For more information about Theatre 20, or to inquire about development, education, sponsorship and/or volunteer opportunities, visit theatre20.com.

Soulpepper's The Royal Comedians

On stage now at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts is Soulpepper's production of The Royal Comedians.Russian master Mikhail Bulgakov delves into the opulent world of eighteenth-century France with an extraordinary consideration of the life of French dramatist Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known as Molière. Dramatist, actor, theatre manager, lover, and scoundrel, Molière shrewdly crafts his own legend while battling the forces that hunger for his downfall.  We are very excited about this one as it is a departure from Soulpepper's predominantly 19th century theatrical canon.  There is also a large number of Soulpepper academy students involved.  Critics have been hard on the production but with all of the company's talent and the dramatic and challenging play it is definitely an exciting opportunity for the company.  

Directed by László Marton
Featuring Akosua Amo-Adem, Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster, Raquel Duffy, Rong Fu, Michael Hanrahan, Stuart Hughes, Qasim Khan, Sarah Koehn, Justin Many Fingers, Diego Matamoros, Hannah Miller, Gregory Prest, Harveen Sandhu, Paolo Santalucia, Cliff Saunders, William Webster and Daniel Williston

Click here for ticket information and to see the entire line up for the remainder of the 2012 season.  

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: AMALUNA

Tonight is the night!

AMALUNA the new CIRQUE creation is opening this evening Under the Grand Chapiteau at The Port Lands.

For more info or to purchase tickets please CLICK HERE!!!

See you under the tent tonight. 

September is for Soulpepper

After a fantastic summer of festivals and high octane spectacles we're excited to get back to our theatrical roots, so to speak, at Soulpepper.  The company returns this week from a month long hiatus with five fantastic shows.  We will be featuring all five of them here on the EAP blog, in the next few days.  Among the lineup are Soulpepper favourites Death of a Salesman and The Crucible as well as offerings from Mikhail Bulgakov, David Mamet and Neil Simon.  Tonight is the re-opening of David Mamet's Speed The Plow.  

Speed the Plow utilizes a distinctly Mamet style and gives savage insight into the morals (or lack thereof) involved with producing Hollywood blockbusters. The show sees two executives gamble their integrity for profit, only to be complicated by a surprise dissenting perspective. In Mamet's hands, quaint notions of loyalty, integrity, and straight talk become mere pawns in this scathing comedy.  Like all Mamet shows this is a play for mature audiences only.

We are also really excited about the re-opening of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. In this hilarious comedy the popular vaudeville duo of 'Lewis and Clark' is invited to reunite after 12 years for a television special, it appears to be a can't miss proposition, except for one problem: they can't stand each other. Simon's laugh out loud comedy provides an  insightful look inside what happens when the spotlight shifts away and life crowds in. 

These two very different shows once again demonstrate Soulpepper's remarkable ability to present award winning drama and sidesplitting comedy. They are a truly talented and diverse theatre troupe and continue to be one of EAP's absolute favourite Toronto mainstays.  

Angelwalk presents DIANNE AND ME

Press Release:

Angelwalk Theatre Presents

DIANNE AND ME

September 4, 2012. Toronto, Ontario... Angelwalk Theatre is thrilled to present award-winning actress Elena Juatco in a special one night only showing of Dianne and Me. Written by Ron Fromstein and directed by Luke Brown, this one woman show will take place at The Toronto Centre for the Arts in the Studio Theatre on September 19, 2012.

Emma is an intuitive teenager with a wild imagination, who has life all figured out. That is until something goes wrong and she is forced to rely on the one person she never thought she would: her mother. A moving portrait of mothers, daughters and the sacrifices they make, Dianne and Me is the winner of the 2009 Canadian National Playwriting Award. The powerful solo show was "a must see" at the 2011 Vancouver Fringe Festival and was described by Plank Magazine as "one of the best examples of a solid performance and story".

Vancouver native, Elena Juatco, is an award-winning actress and singer who made her Angelwalk Theatre debut as Marcy in the Dora Award nominated production of I Love You Because. She got her start on the second season of CTV's Canadian Idol, where she placed sixth and went on to work as their season four roving reporter. She has since been seen as Snow White in Ross Petty's Snow White and the Group of Seven, for which she received a Dora Award nomination. She won the 2010 Jessie Award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Christine Colgate inDirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Vancouver Playhouse. Other credits include several leading roles across Canada including Viola in Twelfth Night and Helena in All's Well That Ends Well (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Marcy Park in The 25th Annual County Spelling Bee (Sudbury Theatre Centre); Gabriella Montez in the Canadian premiere of Disney's High School Musical (Neptune); Kim in Miss Saigon and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum (Drayton Entertainment). Most recently, Elena was seen as Maria Elena in the Arts Club's production ofBuddy: The Buddy Holly Story.

Director Luke Brown (Theatre Aquarius' Bittergirl) is the Artistic Associate at Theatre Aquarius. He has overseen the remount of Drayton Entertainment's High School Musical, as well as having worked with Talk is Free Theatre on The Producers in Concert and the workshop of Dear World. Mostrecently, Luke directed the smash-hit Bittergirl for Theatre Aquarius and the world premiere of Blackand Blue for the Hamilton Festival Theatre Company prior to heading to Stage West to work onTuesdays with Morrie starring Jamie Farr. Writer Ron Fromstein is a four-time winner and finalist of the Toronto Fringe 24 Hour Playwriting Competition and three-time winner of the Canadian NationalPlaywriting Competition. His most recent play, One in a Million was part of the 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival.

Dianne and Me is the first in Angelwalk Theatre's new Showcase Series, intended to feature Canadian musical theatre talent in a series of three one-night shows. Up next in the series is from Justin to Kelly featuring Justin Bott (Title of Show, Songs for a New World) and Kelly Holiff (Hairspray, Finding Love in Strange Places) in an intimate and exciting evening of musical bliss on October 3, 2012. The series will wrap up with Villains & Vixens, showcasing the talents of Jayme Armstrong (Angelwalk's Title of Show), Jay Davis (Angelwalk's I Love You Because), Kevin Dennis (Talk Is Free Theatre's Assassins), George Masswohl (Young People's Theatre's Seussical),Adrienne Merrell (Angelwalk's The Last Five Years), and Astrid Van Wieren (Mermaid Parade'sThis Wide Night) in a musical feast of some of Broadway's most infamous Villains and Vixens, performed on February 20, 2013.

Now in its fourth season, Angelwalk Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre company dedicated to producing Off-Broadway musical theatre and providing opportunities for both emerging and established Canadian theatre professionals. Founded in 2009, Angelwalk Theatre has quickly established itself as a leader in producing Off-Broadway musical theatre in Toronto, where it presents two shows annually as a resident company in the Studio Theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

To date, Angelwalk Theatre has produced six Off-Broadway musicals: the world premiere of Off-Broadway On Stage, the Canadian premiere of I Love You Because, the Toronto premieres of  Altar Boyz and [title of show], and two musicals by Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years and Songs for a New World. The company has been nominated for 11 Dora Mavor Moore Awards with its production of Altar Boyz being extended and later remounted.

SHOW DETAILS

Date: September 19, 2012 @ 8 p.m.
Tickets:$25
Discounted Tickets:
Angelwalk Subscribers - $20
Artsworkers - $22

Location: Toronto Centre for the Arts - Studio Theatre
5040 Yonge Street
Box Office: By phone: 416-872-1111
Online: www.angelwalk.ca
In person: Box Office, Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge Street
Website: www.angelwalk.ca