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Year 2007 Media ReleasesFor Immediate Release - January 29, 2007 Theatre Ontario Issues Call For Nominations For 2007-2008 Board Of DirectorsTheatre Ontario is pleased to issue a call for nominations to the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors for 2007-2008. The 2007-2008 Board will be elected at Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting on May 19, 2007 in Newmarket, Ontario. Board members serve two-year terms for a maximum of three terms (six years.) Nominations must be received at the Theatre Ontario office by March 19, 2007 at 5pm. Eight board members are returning for the second year of their term. They are: Julianne Baragar, Katherine Grainger, Marcia Johnson, Mike MacLean, John Mayberry, Bill Meaden, David Nash, and Sean Trofin. Sheena Albanese is returning as North-Western Representative, Margaret Shearman is returning as EODL Representative, and QUONTA will be appointing a new regional representative. Anne Mooney is standing for re-election to a two-year term. Four positions are open and shall be elected for the 2007-08 Board. Theatre Ontario seeks Board Members from any part of the province, who can represent any and all sectors of theatre, and are committed to assisting Theatre Ontario to provide training, information services and resources to theatre practitioners to enhance their knowledge of their art form. The Board also acts as an advocate for issues affecting the theatre and the arts with the provincial government and the municipalities. Click here to download a copy of the Call For Nominations Form. For Immediate Release - January 31, 2007 Theatre Ontario Issues Call For Nominations For 2007 Maggie Bassett AwardTheatre Ontario is pleased to issue a call for nominations for the 2007 Maggie Bassett Award. The Maggie Bassett Award is presented annually to an individual who, over a number of years, has made a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in Ontario. For more information on award criteria, past recipients, nomination deadline and procedures, please visit the Maggie Bassett Award. For Immediate Release - February 7, 2007 Theatre Ontario Presents 2006 Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts to Peter HoneywellTheatre Ontario is pleased to award the 2006 Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts to Peter Honeywell, Executive Director of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa. The award will be presented to Peter on February 12 at the 18th Annual Sweetheart for the Arts luncheon at the National Gallery of Canada. The presentation will be made by Angela Rebeiro, Publisher of Playwrights Canada Press and John Goddard, Executive Director of Theatre Ontario. The Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts is presented annually to an individual or collective who has demonstrated leadership over a long career, a passionate commitment to deepening the scope and broadening the appearance of the arts in Ontario through innovative and practical approaches. "Sandy is delighted with the choice as she has been an admirer of Peter and his strong advocacy across the province," said Angela Rebeiro, Chair of the Sandra Tulloch Selection Committee. Peter Honeywell was born and grew up in Ottawa. He worked as a visual artist specializing in textile design from 1973 to 1988, and exhibited in galleries including Hiberna Gallery, Ottawa, Prime Gallery, Toronto and Mirifique, Montreal. He has played a key role in establishing not-for-profit organizations and arts cooperatives, and has held numerous board and committee positions with community organizations. His involvement with the Council for the Arts in Ottawa began in 1986 when he joined the Board of Directors. He accepted the position of Executive Producer of the Festival of the Arts in 1988 and 1989, and the position of Executive Director in 1990. Over the past eighteen years, Peter has held membership on a variety of municipal advisory panels and committees, including two years as a selection committee member for two City of Ottawa public art projects in collaboration with architects Raymond Moriyama and Moshe Safdie. His most recent municipal appointment has been to the City of Ottawa's Arts Investment Strategy Committee. At the community level, he holds the position of advisor to the Crichton Cultural Community Centre, and volunteers for numerous cultural initiatives and programs. He has worked with community leaders from a wide variety of social services to build the My Ottawa Includes Culture campaign in 2004, and the Imagine Ottawa social forum in 2006. Peter has been active at the provincial level and was elected to the Community Arts Ontario Board from 1995 to 2000, and held the position of Chair from 1998-2000. In 2005 he accepted a position on the Steering Committee for Artscape's Creative Clusters, a provincial-wide cultural facility development program. For more information on the award and past recipients, please visit the Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts. For Immediate Release - February 12, 2007 Theatre Ontario Issues Call For Nominations For 2007 Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the ArtsTheatre Ontario is pleased to issue a call for nominations for the 2007 Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts. The award is presented annually to an individual or a collective who has demonstrated leadership over a long career, and a passionate commitment to deepening the scope and broadening the appeal of the arts in Ontario through innovative and practical initiatives. For more information on award criteria, past recipients, nomination deadline and procedures, please visit the Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts. For Immediate Release - February 15, 2007 Theatre Ontario Festival 2007 Tickets On SaleTheatre Ontario is pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for the 2007 Theatre Ontario Festival in Newmarket. For more information on the festival, please visit Theatre Ontario Festival 2007. For Immediate Release - March 1, 2007 Theatre Ontario Seeks Submissions For One-Act Play AnthologyTheatre Ontario is seeking submissions for a new edition of its one-act play anthology, published by Playwrights Canada Press. The anthology will be launched at the Theatre Ontario Festival held in North Bay in May 2008. For more information on the anthology, submission guidelines, submission requirements, and selection process, please visit One-Act Play Anthology. For Immediate Release - April 3, 2007 Theatre Ontario Announces Productions For Festival 2007 In NewmarketThe Town of Newmarket is gearing up for a week of exciting theatre from across the province. The fabulous Newmarket Theatre will be the site of Theatre Ontario Festival 2007 from May 16 to 20, 2007 beginning with the Opening Ceremonies to be held at 6:00pm on May 16. Festival 2007 is a joint project hosted by Theatre Ontario and the Association of Community Theatres – Central Ontario (ACT-CO), and will celebrate Theatre Ontario’s Anniversary along with ACT-CO's 75th Anniversary. The four community theatre groups participating have been selected as the Outstanding Productions from festivals within their regions and will now compete for the title of Outstanding Production in the Province of Ontario. Curtain time is 8:00pm for all performances.
For more information on the festival, please visit Theatre Ontario Festival 2007. For Immediate Release - April 4, 2007 Notice Of Theatre Ontario's Annual General MeetingThe 2007 Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 11:30am at the Best Western Voyageur Place Hotel, 17565 Yonge Street, Newmarket, Ontario. The meeting is open to all members in good standing; group members may send as many representatives as they wish but are allowed only one vote. If you are a Theatre Ontario member and are unable to attend the Annual General Meeting, you can have another person represent you by proxy. Simply obtain a Proxy form available from Theatre Ontario by calling 416-408-4556 and we'll send it to you by fax or mail. You can also obtain your proxy form by clicking here. Forms may be sent by fax to 416-408-3402. The proxy form must be signed, completed and returned to Theatre Ontario by May 1, 2007. Report of the Nominating Committee There are four positions becoming available on the 2007-2008 Board of Directors. By the published deadline, we have received five nominations for election to the Board. The nominees are:
Biographies of these candidates appear below. The election of Board members will take place during the Annual General Meeting but ballots may be sent in advance to be counted at the AGM. All members in good standing of Theatre Ontario are allowed to vote for up to four of the five candidates. It is allowed for members to vote as both an individual member and as a group representative, but separate ballots must be used. You can obtain a ballot by clicking here. Ballots must be signed by the member. Ballots will be accepted at Theatre Ontario’s office before the close of business (5:00pm) on Friday, May 11, 2007:
Ballots are also accepted:
Biographies of Candidates for Election. Leslie Francombe is newly appointed Managing Director of Theatre Direct Canada. Prior to joining Theatre Direct last November, Leslie was Administrative Director for Carousel Players, another theatre for young audience company from St. Catharines, Ontario. While at Carousel for eight years, Leslie oversaw the successful acquisition and renovation of their studio theatre space in the heart of downtown St. Catharines and managed the company’s numerous touring projects. Leslie spent seven seasons with the Shaw Festival, her last position being that of Education Associate. A graduate of Ryerson Theatre School, Leslie has been active in the arts community, taking part in the PACT/CAEA working group on the rights of Child Performers and promoting arts and culture in the Niagara Region with the St. Catharines and Area Arts Council, and the Arts, Heritage and Culture Committee of the Niagara Region. Leslie now resides in Bloor West Village with her teenage daughter, two cats and one dog. Phil Jones is a Secondary Student Liaison Worker with the Garden River First Nation in Sault Ste. Marie. He has been involved with Sault Theatre Workshop for six years as a producer, actor, set designer, and set builder. He has been a visual artist most of his life, recently turning to soapstone as a medium. His art has been exhibited at St. Joseph Island – Art on the Dock, the Algoma Arts Council display in Station Mall, and as a guest artist for the Elliot Lake Deer Trail festival. He has taught at the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board as a guest instructor for art classes; and spoken at elementary schools about Native drumming, art, legends, cross-cultural teachings and other aspects of Anishinabec culture. He is currently developing a script based on Legends that he hopes to bring to life this summer. Anne Mooney was first elected to the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors in 2005, and is currently the Chair of the Education Committee. She brings a wide range of experience in education, community and semi-professional theatre to this committee. She is a past president of the Western Ontario Drama League and is an award-winning director and actor in community theatre. She has worked with Theatre Kent (Chatham), London Community Players, and Pull-Chain Theatre (Sault Ste. Marie). She has produced and directed plays for the Toronto and London Fringe Festivals with Ride a Wild Horse Productions and her own company, Two Boards and a Passion. She has worked as a high school drama teacher and has been a teacher for the past 28 years. Richard Poore has been the General Manager of the Imperial Oil Centre for the Performing Arts in Sarnia since 1998, reporting to the Board of Directors, and responsible for planning and implementing all aspects of the theatre’s operations. He has been a member of Theatre Sarnia for 35 years, achieving Honorary Life Membership in 2004. He has been an actor, director, producer and set & lighting designer. He was actively involved in the Capitol Theatre Restoration Project from 1995 to 1997. He was a member of the Theatre Ontario Board of Directors from 2002-2005, serving as Vice-President in 2005. Zenon Skrzypczyk is the Artistic Director of Solar Stage Children’s Theatre. Prior to that, he was a teacher of English and Dramatic Arts/Theatre at the Etobicoke School of the Arts in Toronto, serving as Head of Drama for four years. He was co-author of the Dramatic Arts Resource Document for the Etobicoke Board of Education, and was the President of the Etobicoke Dramatic Arts Teachers’ Association. He has also directed for numerous community theatres across the Greater Toronto Area. He served for two years on the Board of Directors for ACT-CO, the Association of Community Theatres—Central Ontario; as President and Technical Director of Main Attraction; and as Vice-President of The Curtain Club in Richmond Hill. For Immediate Release - April 27, 2007 Theatre Ontario Announces PTTP Grant Recipients (Spring 2007)Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the latest recipients of training grants through Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP), funded by the Ontario Arts Council. $19,483 was awarded to the following recipients:
The next application deadline for this program is October 1, 2007. For Immediate Release - April 27, 2007 Theatre Ontario Announces YTTP Grant Recipients (Spring 2007)Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the latest recipients of training grants through Theatre Ontario's Youth Theatre Training Program (YTTP), funded by the Ontario Arts Council. $33,390 was awarded to the following recipients:
The next application deadline for this program is October 15, 2007. For Immediate Release - April 30, 2007 Theatre Ontario Announces 2007 Maggie Bassett Award Recipient Is Yvette NolanEach year Theatre Ontario presents the Maggie Bassett Award, which celebrates the achievements of an Ontario-based theatre artist who has made a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in the province of Ontario. The 2007 Maggie Bassett Award recipient is Yvette Nolan. Yvette Nolan has been the Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts for the past five years. She is a playwright, dramaturg, and director. In 1996, she was the Aboriginal Writer-in-Residence at Brandon University, where she wrote the first draft of Annie Mae's Movement, which was then produced in Whitehorse, Winnipeg, and Halifax. It was produced by Native Earth in 2001 and again in 2006 as part of Honouring Theatre. Her other plays include BLADE, Job's Wife, Video, the libretto Hilda Blake and the radio play Owen. Yvette is the editor of Beyond the Pale: Dramatic Writing from First Nations Writers and Writers of Colour. As a dramaturg, Yvette has worked as the Festival Dramaturg for Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre Spring Festival of New Plays. From 1998 to 2001, Yvette was the president of Playwrights Union of Canada, and of Playwrights Canada Press from 2003 to 2005. Her selected directing credits include: Tales of An Urban Indian (Native Earth), Annie Mae's Movement (Hardly Art, Native Earth), and The Triple Truth (Turtle Gals). In addition to her work with Native Earth, Yvette works with young women writers through Nightwood Theatre's Write From The Hip and Busting Out! programs, and will act as a mentor for Diaspora Dialogues playwrights this coming year. Yvette has acted as one of the moderators on a panel discussion of The Changing Face of Our Theatre for the Theatre Museum of Canada, and sits on Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program committee. Currently the president of the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, a national arts service organization for Aboriginal performing arts, Yvette also served on the advisory committee for The Status of Women in Canadian Theatre report. When told of her selection as this year's recipient, Yvette was astonished. She said, "I am not sure why I am considered dedicated above the call of duty. I suppose it has to do with my big mouth, my constant call for representation of Other – whether that is women, people of colour, First Nations – or perhaps because of my belief that theatre changes people, changes young people, can change the world." One of Yvette's colleagues, Donna-Michelle St. Bernard said, "We love Yvette's unfailing integrity. It shows in her art work, arts management, leadership and teaching. Her values are evident and she refuses to compromise them. She makes difficult choices in difficult situations and says what is necessary, even if it is not always polite" — an appropriate choice for the Maggie Bassett Award, a statuette entitled "Courage." The Maggie Bassett Award is presented annually in honour of the late Maggie Bassett who, as Theatre Ontario's first employee, pioneered dynamic programs that continue to benefit the entire province. Past recipients of this prestigious award include: James Alexander, Patricia Beharriell, Sandy Black, Jack Blacklock, Jeff Burke, Ron Cameron-Lewis, Wayne Fairhead, Richard Howard, Jack Medhurst, Heather McCallum, Kay McKie, Beth McMaster, Dusty Miller, Wilf Pegg, Angela Rebeiro, Virginia Reh, Kim Renders, Jean Roberts, Lib Spry, Dennis Sweeting, Elsie Thomson, Sandra Tulloch, Herman Voaden, Ken Watts, and Herbert Whittaker. For Immediate Release - May 22, 2007 Theatre Ontario Announces Festival 2007 Award WinnersTheatre Ontario Festival 2007 came to a successful close on Sunday. Awards were presented to the best in Ontario community theatre productions, and to six individuals who were recognized for their contribution to community theatre across the province. This year's festival, celebrating the 35th anniversary of Theatre Ontario, was supported by a $19,200 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). Frank Klees, MPP for Oak Ridges, joined OTF representative Helen Ching-Kircher in congratulating Theatre Ontario at the Festival's opening ceremonies on Wednesday night. "We are privileged and proud to have the Theatre Ontario Festival 2007 here in Newmarket delivering such high level performing excellence," said MPP Klees. The Festival, hosted by Theatre Ontario and the Association of Community Theatres of Central Ontario (ACT-CO), represents the finals of an Ontario-wide drama competition, and features four outstanding productions from across the province. Participating in Theatre Ontario Festival 2007 were several hundred people, and four dynamic productions:
Domino Theatre of Kingston was awarded the Elsie for Outstanding Production. Please click here for a full list of award recipients. The OTF grant funded a special staged reading of two plays: Drew Hayden Taylor's 400 Kilometres and Norm Foster's Jenny's House Of Joy, followed by a panel discussion on "Breaking Down Barriers." The grant also funded a workshop for community theatres on recruitment and retention of volunteers, facilitated by Jane Gardner, General Manager of the Blyth Festival, and Cameron Smillie, arts consultant. The five-day festival, chaired by Andrea Emmerton of Theatre Ontario and Maureen Lukie of ACT-CO, also featured a workshop on "Transactional Approach For Actors" led by adjudicator Brian Van Norman; a play reading by Norm Foster (sponsored by The Canada Council for the Arts and Playwrights Guild of Canada); and Theatre Ontario's Annual General Meeting. In recognition of the 35th anniversary, the Michael Spence Awards were also presented at the ceremonies. These awards are given every five years to individuals from each of the five community theatre regions of Ontario for their outstanding contribution to their region within the past thirty-five years. The recipients were Gabe Ferrazzo of Thunder Bay, Val Hadley of Sarnia, Maureen Lukie of Toronto, Beth McMaster of Peterborough, and Kenneth Stephen of Elliot Lake. A sixth Award was presented to Richard Howard of Sault Ste. Marie, as a professional who has contributed both financially and artistically to the development of theatre across the province. Each year, Theatre Ontario also celebrates the achievements of Ontario-based individuals who have made a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in the province, by awarding the Maggie Bassett Award. Yvette Nolan, the recipient of the 2007 Maggie Bassett Award was recognized at Sunday's award ceremony. Theatre Ontario Festival 2008 will be held in North Bay, Ontario. The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives funds from the government’s charity casino initiative. For Immediate Release - June 21, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to welcome it's new Board members for 2007-2008. Lisa Gamelin of Espanola was appointed to a two-year term as QUONTA Representative and Margit Tauchner of Ottawa was appointed to a two-year term as EODL Representative. They join Leslie Francombe of Toronto, Phil Jones of Sault Ste. Marie, and Richard Poore of Sarnia, who were elected to two-year terms at the 2007 Annual General Meeting, and Zenon Skrzypczyk of Toronto who was appointed to the final vacancy on the Board. Anne Mooney of London was re-elected to a second two-year term, and Sheena Albanese of Thunder Bay was appointed to a second two-year term as Northwest Representative. Julianne Baragar, Laura Elkin (ACT-CO Representative), Katherine Grainger, Marcia Johnson, John Mayberry, Bill Meaden (WODL Representative) and Sean Trofin remain as Board members for the second year of their respective two-year terms. The Executive Committee consists of Richard Poore (President), Bill Meaden (Vice-President), Julianne Bargar (Secretary), Leslie Francombe (Treasurer) and Anne Mooney (Member at Large). For Immediate Release - September 7, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to congratulate Geoffrey Brumlik and Laurel Smith who were chosen by the Shaw Festival from over 70 applicants as the two Intern Directors for the 2008 season at the Shaw Festival. Each year, the Shaw Festival hires two Intern Directors for a period of about six months. They look for promising professional directors near the beginning of their careers. Applicants should have a fair bit of professional experience, but probably not in a company as large as the Shaw Festival. The contracts run approximately from mid-March to late August, depending on the production schedule for the particular season. These positions are salaried at an apprentice level, which at The Shaw is between $500 and $600 per week. The Intern Directors work under the mentorship of the Directors of the Academy, which is the Shaw Festival's professional development and public education wing. Each intern is assigned to two or three successive shows as an Assistant Director. One of these shows is usually in the Festival Theatre (860 seats) and another in a smaller one (330 seats). For the most part, being an Assistant Director involves observing the senior directors at work in rehearsal, doing research as required, acting as a sounding board as required. (Getting them coffee is not required.) The Interns also assist the company in educating audiences about theatre in general and the Shaw's productions and programmes in particular. The Intern positions usually have free time built into some portions of the season, so that Interns are free to take Academy classes and pursue other theatrical projects that interest them. Since its inception in 1988, the Directors Projects has been sponsored annually by Sun Life Financial and Theatre Ontario. Past Intern Directors in the Shaw Festival Directors Project are: Paulina Abarca, Conrad Alexandrowicz, Kathryn Allison, Liza Balkan, Richard Beaune, Mark Cassidy, Kelly Daniels, Katrina Dunn, Hans Engel, David Ferry, Andrew Freund, Dennis Garnhum, Todd Hammond, Sally Han, Ann Hodges, Eda Holmes, Heather Inglis, Lise Anne Johnson, Heather Jones-Barker, Paul Lampert, Michel Lefebvre, Nikki Lundmark, Kate Lynch, James MacDonald, Ruth Madoc-Jones, Randy Maertz, Jon Michaelson, Jean Morpurgo, David Oiye, Ian Prinsloo, Gyllian Raby, Karen Rickers, Paul Rivers, Lindsey Robinson, David Savoy, Sandhano Schultze, Glenda Stirling, Colin Taylor, Susan Turnbull, Lezlie Wade, Craig Walker, Lee Wilson, and Richard Wolfe. For Immediate Release - September 14, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to release the results of the ARTSELECTS'07 survey of Ontario provincial parties' responses to areas of concern to the Arts and Culture sector of Ontario. Last July, a committee was formed of representatives from Ontario ASOs (including Theatre Ontario) to survey the registered political parties in Ontario on five key areas of concern to the Arts and Culture sector of Ontario. As of today, we have responses from the Family Coalition Party of Ontario, the Freedom Party of Ontario, the New Democratic Party of Ontario, the Ontario Libertarian Party, the Ontario Liberal Party, and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. As of today's date, we have not received any response from the Green Party of Ontario, the Ontario Provincial Confederation of Regions Party, and the Ontario Communist Party. Please be assured that we have made all reasonable efforts to attract responses from these parties. It was the decision of the PASO group that we would neither "rate" or "grade" the responses, nor edit them. Neither will we, as an umbrella organization, dictate to our members or anyone else, how to use this information. It is instead our hope that the results will be used by the recipients and members of their organizations to assist them in formulating the best way to exercise their political influence and franchise. The survey can be downloaded here in PDF format. For more information please contact John Goddard, Executive Director, Theatre Ontario at 416.408.4556. For Immediate Release - September 28, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the recipients of the Michael Spence Awards for 2007. In 1997, on the 25th anniversary of Theatre Ontario, we inaugurated an award named in honour of our Founding President, Michael Spence. The awards were presented again in 2002 on our 30th anniversary, and with 2007 marking the 35th anniversary, we were delighted to present eleven more Michael Spence Awards. Five awards were presented at the Theatre Ontario Festival in May to individuals from each of the five community theatre regions for their outstanding contribution to their region within the past 35 years. The recipients were: Gabe Ferrazzo, of Thunder Bay, has been involved in all aspects of theatre, both musical and dramatic for more than 25 years. Cambrian Players' slogan "Theatre for the love of it" certainly applies to him. He has designed and built sets, directed at least one play every year, and has been known to act as well. He is always available to help the young, adjudicating drama festivals at the local high school, and using the opportunity to share his experience. His generosity is unfailing, and his love of theatre intense. Val Hadley, of Sarnia, has served on the Board, acted, directed, designed sets and done wardrobe, props and make-up for Theatre Sarnia. Her abilities have led her to direct for several other groups in Ontario and Michigan. In 1992, she joined the board of WODL as Minifest Workshop chairman and is currently training her successor. In choosing plays for Minifest she has frequently acted as a dramaturg, developing many new playwrights. She is known for being helpful, supportive, and encouraging. Maureen Lukie, of Toronto, is described as having the passion, desire and commitment to do an excellent job with any theatrical or administrative activity to which she puts her name. On any given day she can be found painting sets, procuring props and costumes, designing flyers and brochures, while at the same time starring as the lead! She was on the ACT-CO Board for fourteen years, a former Theatre Ontario board member, and is one of the founding members of Amicus Productions. Unselfish with her time and knowledge, she is always looking for ways to improve whatever she takes on. Beth McMaster, of Peterborough, is a founding member of the Peterborough Theatre Guild, and has served for more than 42 years in many capacities. She was co-editor of the PTG's history, published in 1995. Currently Chair of the EODL Foundation Fund-which she helped establish in 1985-she has also chaired One-Act and Full Length festivals in the eastern region, and the Theatre Ontario Festival. Her plays for young audiences have been produced across Ontario and internationally. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and encouragement to a new group, new director, or a new member of PTG. Ken Stephen, of Elliot Lake, has lived and taught there since 1978. He joined QUONTA as a delegate from Ptarmigan Players; he was QUONTA Treasurer for five Presidents (after serving two years as President himself.) He joined Elliot Lake Amateur Theatre Ensemble, directing and serving as a mentor to others. He chaired two QUONTA Festival Committees, and is assembling the committee for 2008. Always a supporter of other groups, he often appears in the audience, invigorating the performers with his distinctive and hearty laugh. A Michael Spence Award was also presented to a professional who has contributed both financially and artistically to the development of theatre across the province. Richard Howard, of Sault Ste. Marie, joined the Theatre Ontario Talent Bank in 1987. In 1991, he founded Pull-Chain Theatre, and ninety productions later, the company is still going strong. He has mentored many actors, both young and old, who have come away from the experience forever changed. For fifteen years, he generously supported the community theatre sector by providing a full scholarship to the Summer Courses for a director whose work was entered in the Festival, and who could benefit from attending a course. Five more Michael Spence Awards will be presented in mid-October, at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival fall meeting, to individuals for their outstanding contribution to the Festival in their region: Gordon Davis, of Elmira, is considered a drama hero in that area. He taught for more than three decades at Elmira D.S.S. where he created one of the strongest drama/theatre programs in the province. He served as a District Rep for many years, hosting District and Regional Festivals, and an Ontario Showcase. Mac Dodge, of St. Catharines-now retired-was the energy that helped create what was then the largest District Festival outside of Toronto. Together with his winning connections with some of the better wineries in the Niagara Peninsula, Mac had winning ways in the creating of a lively team that hosted many District and Regional Festivals, and an Ontario Showcase. Teodoro Dragonieri, of Toronto, single-handedly encouraged many schools in the TDCSB to become part of the Festival family. A strong advocate of drama and the arts being part of all students' education and community, Teo has been an active role model as an artist/teacher while also being involved in the running of the Districts' Festival. Geoff and Carolee Mason, of Perth, are a husband and wife team who have transformed theatre for high school students in the Kingston-St. Lawrence District and beyond with superb organization and artistic excellence. Geoff, with his amazing team at Perth and District C.I has hosted countless District and Regional Showcase Festivals, and will lead the team that hosts the 2008 Ontario Showcase. Carolee has directed award-winning productions over several decades and co-directed the IDEA Youth Theatre Group at the Ottawa IDEA Congress in 2004. Beverly Rumble, of Kirkland Lake, was the District Rep for Timiskaming for many years. During that time, and ever since, she has worked hard to maintain, support and build the Festival in Northern Ontario. She has been a consistent and passionate advocate for drama for all students in our public school system. Congratulations to all the recipients. For Immediate Release - October 17, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the eight scripts chosen for the new one-act play anthology, to be published by Playwrights Canada Press. The plays chosen for the anthology are: These scripts were chosen from the nearly 100 plays submitted for consideration. The members of the selection committee were Joanna Falck, Jan Francies, John Goddard, Katherine Grainger, Marcia Johnson and Paul Ledoux. The first anthology, Seven Short Plays From Theatre Ontario was published in 2002. The new anthology will be launched at the 2008 Theatre Ontario Festival in North Bay. For Immediate Release - October 31, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to issue a call for nominations for the 2008 Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts. The award is presented annually to an individual or a collective who has demonstrated leadership over a long career, and a passionate commitment to deepening the scope and broadening the appeal of the arts in Ontario through innovative and practical initiatives. For more information on award criteria, past recipients, nomination deadline and procedures, please visit the Sandra Tulloch Award for Innovation in the Arts. For Immediate Release - November 13, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce the latest recipients of training grants through Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP), funded by the Ontario Arts Council. $47,200 was awarded to the following recipients: The next application deadline for this program is March 3, 2008. For Immediate Release - November 20, 2007 Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce our annual Showcase of theatre school graduates from across Ontario, and the National Theatre School in Montreal, on January 20 and 21, 2008 at the Jane Mallet Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre, Toronto. We invite artistic directors, freelance directors, casting directors, and talent agents only. Please reserve either at info@theatreontario.org or 416.408.4556 x.10. To inquire, contact Tim Chapman, tim@theatreontario.org. For Immediate Release - November 22, 2007 Theatre Ontario invites applications for the position of Community Theatre Coordinator to begin work in early 2008. This is a part-time employee position. For more information, please visit the job posting. |