Theatre Ontario Festival 2008

North Bay, Ontario
May 14 to 18, 2008

FESTIVAL 2008

The annual Theatre Ontario Festival is a showcase of outstanding community theatre productions chosen from regional festivals across the province.  The Festival brings together theatre lovers from across the province, and is an excellent learning experience, with adjudications, workshops, and play readings.

Hosts

Festival 2008 is co-hosted by Gateway Theatre Guild, QUONTA and Theatre Ontario.  The Festival Co-Chairs are Rex Hiscock and Gabriel Giroux.  The Honourary Festival Chairs are Mayor Vic and First Lady Patty Fedeli.

To contact the Festival Hosts:

Theatre Ontario Festival 2008
P.O. Box 76
Haileybury, ON
POJ 1K0
705.647.6808.

Festival Performance Schedule

All performances are at 8:00pm.  There is a public adjudication in the theatre immediately following the performance.  After each performance, an "After-Glow" celebration is held in the Lakeshore Room of the Best Western.  The Awards Brunch is being held at 11:00am in the Regency Ballroom of the Best Western.  Information on ordering tickets to the performances, "After-Glow" celebrations, and awards brunch can be found below.  The schedule of productions is:

Festival Event Schedule

All of the following events are free to attendees of the Festival. Click here to download a printable copy of the full schedule.

Venue and Box Office

Festival 2008 is being held at Ecole Secondaire Odyssee, 480 Norman Avenue, North Bay.  Click here to download a printable copy of the map.

Tickets are now available by calling the Box Office at 705.647.6808.  Tickets are available for all four shows at $64.00, for three shows (Thursday to Saturday) at $51.00, or for $20.00 each.  Awards brunch tickets are $25.00.  After-glow tickets are $5.00.  The full package is $109.00.

Participant packages of three plays (excluding your performance night) are also available for $51.00, with a full package (including awards brunch and all After-Glow parties) at $91.00.

Adjudicator

The adjudicator for Festival 2008 is John P. Kelly.  John trained many years ago with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and has directed shows all over Ireland, including at the Abbey itself, at Dublin's second theatre The Gate, The Gaiety, The Olympia, The Cork Opera House and, in the Irish language at the National Theatre in Irish in Galway.  More years ago than he cares to count, John began as an actor and director in Community Theatre.  On (eventually) winning the overall circuit prize, he was offered an Irish Arts Council bursary to train professionally and quickly threw in "the day job."  Over the years, he has conducted workshops with ages from four (never again!) to eighty-four (never again!!), for community and professional theatre and has even earned a few cents (eurocents) in personnel training.  He joined the British Guild of Drama Adjudicators in the early 90s and, typically Irish, shortly afterwards co-founded the Irish Adjudicators Association.  He has officiated at all levels including finals in Ireland and Scotland.  Shortly after arriving to live in Ottawa, John formed his own professional theatre company, dedicated to cutting-edge Irish work.  To date, he has directed eight productions with the company (www.seventhirty.ca) and, just recently, was awarded the Best Director of 2007 by the Capital Critics Circle of Ottawa.  John is a friendly animal and answers to John, John P. or Sean!

After each performance, Mr. Kelly will give a public adjudication of the evening's performance.  The following morning, he will give a detailed adjudication.  On Thursday, he will also lead an adjudicator's workshop entitled "Beam Me Up, Scotty! -- The Actor In Space."

Playwright-in-Person

On Friday, we will feature play readings by Keith Roulston.

Keith Roulston co-founded, with James Roy and Anne Chislett, the Blyth Festival in 1975.  He served as General Manager from Fall 1979 to Fall 1983.  He served two terms as president of the Board of Directors, 1975-78 and 1994-1998.  He is also founder and publisher of a community-owned newspaper, the North Huron Citizen.  He is editor and publisher of The Rural Voice, a farm and rural magazine.  He is involved in rural community economic development and was a recipient of a Canada 125 medal.

Keith Roulston's appearance is made possible by a grant from the Canada Council through Playwrights Guild of Canada.

Accommodations

Accommodations are available at the Best Western North Bay.  Rooms are $85/night for a 4-6-day stay, $89/night for a 3-day stay, $93/night for a 2-day stay, or $98 for an overnight stay (all prices include GST and PST).  These rates are available until April 12, 2008.  Please quote "QUONTA" when reserving.  Reservations can be made at 705.474.5800 or 1.800.461.6199.

Awards

On Sunday, Mr. Kelly will present awards in the following categories:

• The Elsie (Outstanding Production)
• Outstanding Director
• Outstanding Performance by a Male
• Outstanding Performance by a Female
• Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Supporting Role
• Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role
• Outstanding Visual Presentation
• Outstanding Technical Achievement
• Outstanding Coordinated Production (chosen by the Festival Stage Manager)
• Outstanding Juvenile
• Outstanding Newcomer (On-Stage)
• Outstanding Newcomer (Off-Stage)
• Outstanding Cameo Performance
• Outstanding Visual Moment
• Outstanding Original Contribution
• Special Adjudicator Awards (5)
• The Perry Short Award