Posts tagged ‘Toronto Fringe Festival’

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June 16, 2013

Sunday Roundup – June 16

It's Always You-poster v1-11x17What kind of a week was it last week? Fringe Fundraisers, shows closing with Atrium and Sister Mary’s a Dyke, getting into the thick of rehearsals for Fringe with It’s Always You: A Musical

Working with Wiggly Dolly Productions and a stellar cast and creative team:  Writer:Dan Redican, Music: Scott White, Director: Sandra Balcovske, Cast: Sheila McCarthy, Dan Redican, Shawn Thompson, Madeleine Redican. Great group of fun talented folks and I’m enjoying working with them.

3 people. Bill, Elaine and Ted. Elaine married Bill and they now have a grown child. Or not. Elaine married Ted and Ted lost his friendship to Bill. Or Bill and Ted stayed friends and both lost Elaine.  Surely there’s one reality where all three managed to live happily ever after?

We’re at the Helen Gardiner, 79 St George Street
Wednesday, July 3, 2013 – 10:00pm -11:30pm
Friday, July 5, 2013 – 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Sunday, July 7, 2013 – 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Monday, July 8, 2013 – 4:30pm – 6:00pm
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 – 8:15pm – 9:45pm
Thursday, July 11, 2013 – 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Friday, July 12, 2013 – 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Value packs for the Fringe are already on sale, and single tickets go on sale the 17th! visit fringetoronto.com!

Anyway – about last week…

Creativity in Oklahoma, Budgets and Breaks

The Shape of Rex, 25 second film contest and a Social Media Workshop

Fringe Fundraiser, Canadian Rep, Cahoots and Saying No

I’m out of the office this week, and so rather than leave you post-less, I dug through the archives for things people really liked when they were originally posted and scheduled them all up for you. Enjoy!

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June 14, 2013

Fringe Fundraiser, Canadian Rep, Cahoots and Saying No

Toronto Fringe Kitchen Party last night, and the back room of CSI Annex got all spiffed up and so did we. Amazing food by Fidel Gastro, adorable entertainment by Liza Live! super cool auction items and 70+ guests. Fantastically fun evening congrats to the Fringe on having something that was just the right amount of elegant, and just the right amount of Fringe.

Very pleased to be working with Canadian Rep Theatre now, we’re doing a little online presence, a little social media, so take a wander over to their Facebook page and give us a like so we can start sharing  a little content with you.

Last weekend to catch the adventures of Abby is Cahoots’ production of Sister Mary’s a Dyke?! over at the Aki Studios. Off you go!

Wandering around Facebook the other day (like you do) and a friend had posted this amazing article – Creative People Say No.  Love this:

Time is the raw material of creation. Wipe away the magic and myth of creating and all that remains is work: the work of becoming expert through study and practice, the work of finding solutions to problems and problems with those solutions, the work of trial and error, the work of thinking and perfecting, the work of creating. Creating consumes. It is all day, every day. It knows neither weekends nor vacations. It is not when we feel like it. It is habit, compulsion, obsession, vocation. The common thread that links creators is how they spend their time. No matter what you read, no matter what they claim, nearly all creators spend nearly all their time on the work of creation. There are few overnight successes and many up-all-night successes.

I’m out of the office next week so rather than leave you blog-post-less, I’ve combed the archives for useful posts people really liked at the time and those will be going up instead – enjoy!

 

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June 12, 2013

The Shape of Rex, 25 second film contest and a Social Media Workshop

shape-of-rex4-660x440

At the Royal last night to see The Shape of Rex – here’s Brian Johnson’s take on it.

Me?

Loved it – and I know so much of the talent involved it was like coming home.  Ryan Hollyman and Monica Dottor and Aviva Armour-Ostroff  and Brett Donohue and Jack Nicholsen and Lorne Cardinal and Layne Coleman at the helm. Wonderful work and I am impressed to my toes with the talent in that movie – heart-wrenching moments and teenagers making you laugh and love and anguish and   – just wonderful work. I agree completely and utterly with Brian’s question not understanding why this film is not being paid the attention it deserves.

I’ve worked with almost all the people I listed up there – and I’ve see numerous pieces Layne has directed. Seeing a film of his is different than a play – with a play you can look at anything happening on stage (including the LX cues) but with this – I felt like with every single shot was Layne telling me personally exactly what he wanted me to look at, and it was beautiful. My heart is happy and full.  It’s only playing for  a couple more nights, best get a ticket and go. Click here for showtimes and info.

Speaking of films – well, videos – got what it takes to tell a Fringe story in 25 seconds?

go ahead and submit – full contest details are here - and take a look at some of the videos already in!

Also I have a workshop coming up in a couple of weeks with Dancer Transition Resource Centre -  ninety minutes of questions and answers and learning about the why and the how of social media for artists. You should maybe come by.

Social Media 101 JUNE 25 2013-page-001

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May 3, 2013

Announcing the Fringe Kitchen Party!

The annual Fringe Fundraiser is upon us! Announcing the FRINGE KITCHEN PARTY!

June 13th at 6:00pm at the Centre for Social Innovation (720 Bathurst St.).
Hosted by MATT BASILE, popular FIDEL GASTRO chef and star of television’s Rebel without a Kitchen, the evening will feature a specially designed four-course meal created, shared and explained by Basile. It’s dinner – with a touch of theatre, and plenty of drinks!
At 9pm the after party begins! Bid on silent auction items, enjoy entertainment and DJ RICKY BIONIX and after dinner, hit the dance floor!

Fringe Kitchen Party: Dinner (6:00pm) (including four-course meal and drinks): $95*
Matt Basile will present each course while sharing insight about building a successful career in the food industry coming from the fringe; from his food truck to his new restaurant that recently opened on Queen St. W.

Fringe Kitchen Party: After-Hours Tickets (from 9 p.m., two drink tickets, dancing): $25

to purchase single tickets, visit
http://fringetoronto.com/

To book a table, please contact Kelly Straughan at 416.966.1062 ext 10 or exec@fringetoronto.com

Kitchen Party Invite-page-001

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May 2, 2013

Applications for the 100, and I visit HotDocs

before we go any further

he 1000

And also Dora Awards set date, hosts, new categories

Now then.

Spent yesterday at HotDocs chaperoning a class from Sir Oliver Mowat  – this is the third time I’ve gotten to spend time with these kids and I like them more and more – smart, curious, askers of good questions. Congrats again Mrs. Morton on these fine folks.
We saw Pussy Riot: a punk prayer and Crash Reel – highly recommend both of them.

Pussy Riot was more than I expected, a great deal of balance on documenting both sides of the story, particularly why the church they protesting in was so important to the community. Balance may seem to be an odd word when referring to an Orthodox priest saying that the definition of pussy is “deranged uterus”, but there you go.

I hadn’t heard of Crash Reel, it’s the story of Kevin Pearce, the snowboarder who suffered a severe brain trauma and the story of his recovery. Worth seeing.

Also worth mentioning is the overall awesomeness of the volunteers we encountered yesterday, so I hopped up to their headquarters yesterday to tell them so. Congrats HotDocs, you’ve got great people herding hundreds of students in an orderly fashion.
Into the day. I’m off to be the voice at the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards tonight, and a reminder that it’s the 9th anniversary show and sale for The Mad Craft Shoppe this weekend.

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January 3, 2013

AWAKE

17751_437969032925560_925273225_nThe Next Stage Festival opened last night to great fanfare with sold out shows, old and new friends and in true Fringe tradition, a packed beer tent. Extremely pleased and proud to be part of this organization and kudos to the Festival staff and volunteers.

Expect Theatre‘s AWAKE opens today. I worked on this show in its Fringe incarnation in 2011, and I’m so very very happy to be working on its new life at Next Stage.  Things have been re-staged, things have been re-written and it’s even better than it was before. Expect Theatre (or as I know them Chris-and-Laura) do remarkable work, and this show is no exception – great article in the Star linked here for your perusal. Final paragraph strikes me:

“The church setting is important,” insists Mullin. “The death of every young person in gang violence is a loss of life, opportunity and hope. We know that the life can’t be brought back, but we want our audiences to leave feeling that the hope and opportunity can be restored.

“That’s the message we feel that our play leaves them with.”

It really does. The cast are without a doubt some of the most talented folks I’ve worked with, and they bring me joy every time I walk into the rehearsal hall. It feels like coming home. We’ve had fun with marketing stuff again as you’ll see at the Festival, and the give and take again has been more give than take and I thank them for that.

Come watch this show. Come see these joyful people. Let them break your heart and then make it whole again.

To read a headline is one thing, to be given hope is another. We’ll see you at the tent.

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December 27, 2012

2012 Round-up

top-10-listI confess that I love year-end lists and round ups.Grat sense of satisfaction in them for me, they’re orderly, I like seeing if I agree or disagree, the whole thing.

I’ve read most of the Toronto culture (theatre) round ups – delighted to report that Proud has held its own Michael Healey was nominated for a Menschie (GridTO) for Proud, Proud made the Star’s top ten list, Maev Beaty made its top five list of artists, Proud made NOW’s top ten list of theatre productions, and Maev made NOW’s top ten list of theatre artists. I am – so very Proud. And maybe a little weepy.

With this in mind I present to you the top ten posts of sueedworthy.ca for 2012.

Dear Rob
Hands down the most popular post of the year, with literally ten times the number of
views as an average post. Given the controversies he’s faced this year, perhaps he’ll see it, read it and take it to heart.
He Said, He Said, She Said, We All Said
More controversy. More on this later.
A Picture Is Worth a K.I.S.S.
A Pinterest post – I think my second. Though I personally still don’t partake in pinning, I absolutely see the value in it for other folks and my clients.
On Family vs Public
More controversy. More on that later.
Can’t See What He-She-They Said for the Words
Word cloud of controversy. More on that later.
I’ll Take Director Fury’s Advice
Still wise words – keeping it simple. Working around things.
Did Churchill Really Say That? Has Anyone Said Anything Since?
Apparently not. Apparently there are no more good quotes about the arts. We should make some.
SWF Seeks Basic Website – must be attractive, clean and open to sharing…
Y’all loved this post. Pure information.
Who Has the Keys to the Customers?
I felt like this was an incredibly practical post that came out of a moment of sheer frustration.
My Thoughts on Starting a Theatre Company
A combination of three ideas/posts in one, all of which occurred in my life at the same time.  These sentences speak to me: “if it is in your heart to start an organization then you HAVE to do it.  The world may need it. But if your heart isn’t in it.  If you aren’t committed.  Don’t even think about starting.” 

So! About that controversy! It was an angry year this year. 2012 – year of anger and hurt feelings. A lot of it. Not without reason. A lot of tempers flaring, and walking away or being sent away and arguments days, weeks, months later. Folks who couldn’t take a side, folks being forced to take sides, folks who wanted to be told what side to be on, and a lot of divisiveness throughout.I said, you said he said she said.

“You know I can’t take sides but-”

This was a public statement, that was a private one, she told me this, I told him that.

Exhausting. I will say some good thought and opinion pieces came out of this year, that we all learned something, somehow, somewhere. I just wish it didn’t take such controversy to bring us all out to the table. A lot of fiercely smart talented people out there – I’d like to hear more from them on other matters.

Tomorrow – kind of another list, but with pictures and things that made me happy. The above list was what you all clicked on the most – tomorrow will be the things that clicked inside of me.

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December 19, 2012

Awake Trailer! 4.48 Psychosis! Graffiti Museum!

PI like trailers for plays – I love trailers for plays that tell me the story behind it. Like video director’s notes. Here’s the one for Awake. The show’s tagline is this is real. It is. Watch the trailer to find out just how real it is.

 

and in the category of very cool…

Call for Submissions: Original Work for 4.48 Pyschosis, Necessary Angel Theatre  one of Canada’s most acclaimed independent producers of original and provocative theatre, is seeking proposals for original work in support of its upcoming production of 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane. Deadline: January 11, 2013.  Necessary Angel will curate a series of original, multi-disciplinary works reflecting on the artist’s relationship with depression. We are seeking work that excavates depression from the perspectives of contemporaries, outsiders and insiders alike. We welcome and are encouraging proposal submissions from visual, literary, dance and spoken word artists. Read more

and finally today…

Remnants of an old brick-firing kiln that remains buried under the parking lot of Evergreen Brick Works will finally get the recognition it deserves, thanks to the StreetARToronto (StART) program. Artists Dan Bergeron and Paul Aloisi created the work—Underground Kiln—to highlight the site’s historic industrial role in city building. Read more

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December 18, 2012

The Fringe is Hiring!

NSTF-Brochure-front-cover-cropped-small1-578x583For such an amazing position:

The Fringe is currently looking to hire the next TD Bank Young Producer:

Through the generous assistance of TD Bank, the Toronto Fringe is seeking a bright, energetic, ambitious, young producer-in-training to become part of the Fringe team from mid-February to the end of July 2013 (total 24 weeks).  The TD Young Producer will work directly with the Executive Director and Managing Director on all aspects of festival preparation.  The position is a full-time, paid internship and is available to candidates 26 years old and younger.

At the Fringe, we believe that the best way to learn is “on the job” and the TD Young Producer will manage their own projects with careful supervision and guidance from senior staff. Read more

A reminder that Next Stage tickets are on sale, in singles or passes, so get on that – you can order online right now and have your holiday shopping done without leaving the house. Or office. Or looking up from your phone as you walk down the street which I will forgive in this instance.

It’s really winding down, isn’t it? I managed to completed my 2013 marketing, operations and financial forecasts yesterday afternoon with only a couple of interruptions. And I’ve started bookmarking articles for the week-in-between, for I am determined that I will make Gmail and Google calendar run at maximum efficiency in 2013.  I also noticed that “the lists” are starting to show up and I can’t wait to see the best ofs, top tens etc. Because I love lists, and I am looking forward to looking and my own stats for the year as well.

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December 2, 2012

Sunday Roundup – December 2

Am pleased to report I have finally kicked this horrifying cold, and am about to begin work with two new clients: The Quickening Theatre and a co-production with Harold Green Jewish Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company. Delighted about both.

Last week:

Fringe Lottery tonight! – so it was, and a great time was had by all with celebrity drawers, 25th anniversary announcements and a birthday!

Fringe Lottery Results and a New Poet Laureate – there they are!

OAC Podcasts, The Arsonists and Cahoots – really hoping the OAC continues with their podcasts. I think it’s a great idea.

It’s a Wonderful Toronto – NTOW am really looking forward to National Theatre of The World’s holiday show

Since it’s been so busy lately, I haven’t mentioned reading and good books as much. Here’s what I’ m currently reading: Let’s Pretend this Never Happened, Jenny Lawson ~ Alligator, Lisa Moore  ~ The Cocktail Waitress, James Cain ~ The News From Spain, Joan Wickersham ~ It Must’ve Been Something I Ate, James Steingarten.(Last one overdue at the library. Eep.)

And this is Slate’s list of Best Books of 2012. I’ve read three of them, and looked at one yesterday in the bookstore.

Also, saw this on The Charlebois Post‘s Facebook page yesterday: From December 22-28 we will be presenting the best photos of the year at CharPo-Toronto, CharPo-Montreal and CharPo-Canada (different photos on each site so check them all out). On December 29 we will announce the finalists for the first CharPR Prize (for best PR) including best photographers. On December 30, 2 runner-up photos will be presented on each site (separate from finalists). On December 31 the best photo of the year for each site will be presented. On January 1 the single Photo of The Year will be announced. Finally, on January 2, the CharPR winners will be announced including best photographer, best PR (small, medium, large and indy).
I’m going to go and look at the photos. And tham do some book balancing. Happy wet Sunday!

 

 

 

 

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