Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival July 2-13, 2008

April 2008 Newsletter

 

Happening at the Fringe
* Fringe Brittania fundraiser tickets now on sale!
* Next Stage Festival 2009 Applications Now Available
* Dance Initiative Update

In The Community
* Fringe Plays Onstage
* Fringe Artists Onstage
* Workshops, Calls for Submission and more
* News & Ticket Offers

Regular Services
* Rehearsal & Performance Spaces
* Art Services & Support
* Websites of Interest
* Sign Up / Contact Us

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McAuslan Brewing

EYE WEEKLY

Metro Newspaper

The Little Paper

Bloor Annex BIA

The Toronto Arts Council

The Ontario Arts Council

The Department of Canadian Heritage

The Ontario Trillium Foundation

The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation
The Catherine and Maxwell Meighan Foundation
The John McKellar Charitable Foundation
The Ed Mirvish Family Charitable Foundation
The Charles Ivey Foundation
The George Lunan Foundation

The Fringe is a member of:
The Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF)
Theatre Ontario
Tourism Toronto
Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA)
Toronto Arts Coalition
Festival and Events Ontario

 

Happening at the Fringe

The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival is delighted to announce a splendid benefit event:

Fringe Brittania

featuring the world-premier theatrical performance of

The Further Adventures of Antoine Feval

written and performed by Chris Gibbs

It is 1896 and Barnaby Gibbs has never been happier. He's found the only way for a man of his ample limitations to do some good in the world, as sidekick to the brilliant detective Antoine Feval, whose keen intellect and uncanny knowledge of the inner workings of the criminal mind are nothing short of incredible.

But Feval has a secret; until recently he was none other than the notorious cat-burglar known as The Rhyming Bandit, and has only just taken his first faltering steps on the road to redemption.

The mystery of a missing workman leads the pair into a dark conspiracy, featuring the most evil man in London and his sinister Canadian henchman, and a plot that threatens our heroes' lives, their friendship, and the safety of the entire world.

In “The Further Adventures of Antoine Feval', the first sequel to the hit of the 2006 Fringe, “Antoine Feval', British comedian Chris Gibbs returns as his own great, great grandfather Barnaby Gibbs, bringing his quick wit, improv skills, and a charming irreverence for the ‘rules' of theatre to an exciting new story about Victorian England's most overlooked detective.

Gibbs' performance as the witless and self-deprecating Barnaby is near flawless. His martini-dry wit is characteristically sharp, in both script and performance, and his comic timing is beautiful.” - CBC on Antoine Feval.

“Gibbs' observations on the show-in-progress add further layers of irony, making this one of the most cleverly written and performed shows I've ever seen at the Fringe.” - EYE WEEKLY on Antoine Feval

Monday the 28th day of April

At Seven O'Clock in the evening

Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson
North of Queen, East of Bathurst 

Fine teas will be brewed and delicate finger sandwiches shall be enjoyed. Preceding and following the performance, items of some worth will be on display and may be procured through a silent-bidding process.

Tickets:  $35.00

Visa, Mastercard & AMEX are accepted. A charitable tax receipt for $20 is provided with each ticket.

Click here to order tickets online

or call 416-966-1062 / email fringe@fringetoronto.com

 

Next Stage Theatre Festival 2009
Applications Now Available

The Next Stage Theatre Festival is now accepting applications for its 2009 festival which will run from January 7 to 18 at the  Factory Mainspace and Studio Theatres.  The application deadline is May 25, 2008 at 11:59 pm.   More information and application forms are available at www.nextstagefestival.com .

The Next Stage Theatre Festival is produced by the Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival and aims to complement the summer Fringe by providing another performance opportunity to promising artists.  The inaugural Next Stage Festival in 2008 was a great success, selling over 4,500 tickets and drawing lively crowds to its heated outdoor beer tent despite the bitter cold of January. 

Unlike the summer Fringe, the Next Stage is a curated event. In 2009, eight companies  (not including any site-specific productions that may be accepted) will be chosen to participate based on the merits of a finished script and past artistic successes. 

Participant Criteria

To be eligible for The Next Stage Theatre Festival, applicants  must have previously produced an artistically successful production in a Canadian Association of Fringe ® Festivals' member festival.

The Festival is interested in projects from emerging and established theatre artists who are developing new work and/or exploring new artistic avenues. Preference will be given to artists who have received artistic or critical success with a previous production and could use this performance opportunity to maintain their artistic momentum.  We welcome applications from artists who are exploring new creative frontiers and/or who are creating in one or more of a variety of genres such as theatre, musicals, opera, movement etc.

Dance Initiative Update

Just in case you missed the announcement last month, here is the lottery results from our first annual Dance Intitiative:

Ontario Category

.maDAM
Artists' Play Collective
Brian Solomon
Collective Heat
Imagiscape
MAC dance (Modern.Artistic.Compulsion)
Michael Caldwell

Canadian/International Category

Solid State Breakdance (Montreal)

The Dance Initiative is a new program developed in cooperation between the Fringe of Toronto and the Dance Umbrella of Ontario.  The Dance Initiative is the creation of eight new dedicated dance performance slots at the Toronto Fringe Festival, to be premiered at the 20th anniversary Fringe, July 2-13, 2008. 

 

In The Community

Fringe Plays Onstage

BELLA DONNA
winner of the 2005 Fringe New Play Contest and a Patron's Pick, will open at: Berkeley Upstairs
May 16 - June 7

Starring Francoise Balthazar, Stephen Sparks, Lindsay McMahon, and Mimi Mekler. Directed by Sue Miner. The play is being produced by Burning Passions Theatre in association with Some Strange Reason Theatreworks.

BELLA DONNA is published by Playwrights Canada Press. It was produced last April at the RCA Theatre in St. John's , directed by Berni Stapleton.

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Yabu no naka: distruthted in Tokyo!
By Ahuri Theatre
TOKYO
April 3 - 6, 2008
For more information call +81.3.5432.1526 or visit http://setagaya-pt.jp

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Fringe Artists Onstage

Join Pam Bustin and her playwright pals Marion de Vries and Victoria Goring at
Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst Street )
As they read from new work and launch Pam's first novel, Mostly Happy in Toronto!
Monday April 14th, 2008
Cash Bar opens at 7:30 pm, Readings at 8:00 pm
This event is open to the public. Everyone is welcome. Admission is free.

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THEATRESPORTS
Bad Dog Theatre, 138 Danforth Avenue (at Broadview)
Saturday evenings at 8pm

Theatresports pits the supremely talented cast against each other in fast and furious short form improv matches. Where the world of improv becomes a delightfully vicious sport!

Tickets $10    Call 416-491-3115     Recommended Age 13 and UP.
For other Bad Dog Theatre improv and comedy show listings visit www.baddogtheatre.com

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Alt.comedy Lounge
The Rivoli presents Mon-night alternative comedy.
Monday Nights at 9pm

SketchComedy Lounge
The Rivoli presents Tuesday night sketch comedy.
Tuesday nights at 9pm

The Rivoli, 332 Queen St. W.
Tickets: PWYC, 416-596-1908
www.altcomedylounge.com

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Workshops, Readings, Forums, Calls For Submission

Hamilton Artists in Schools and Communities
Facilitation Workshop for Theatre Artists and Educators
Accepting applications for 12 participants
in a workshop on facilitating dramatic arts workshops in schools and communities.
Application deadline: monday April 6, 2008

Workshop led by Lisa Marie DiLiberto, Sean Frey and Treasa Levasseur with a guest presentation by Ruth Howard (Jumblies Theatre) and a keynote from the Ontario Arts Council.
Presented by FIXT POINT THEATRE

Workshop includes:
- developing classroom management skills
- building dramatic arts activity resources
- creating lesson plans
- applying for artist education grants
- accessing community arts

April 12, 19, 26. 10am - 6pm at Hamilton 's URBAN THEATRE ( Jackson Square )

There is NO CHARGE to delegates (thanks to Ontario Arts Council)
for more information or to apply please contact: Sean Frey seanfrey@hotmail.com or 416-466-1041

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Fresh Ground New Works Call for Submissions
Deadline: April 18th, 2008 at 5pm.

A maximum of $20,000 each will be awarded to up for five separate projects which fulfill the criteria of a new, collaborative artistic creation incorporating more than one discipline or field. The work must be original, never before presented or performed, and ready for presentation or installation at Harbourfront Centre between April 2009 and May 2010.

For full details, click here

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Urjo Kareda Residency Grant for an Emerging Theatre Artist
Deadline April 25, 2008.

This $10,000 grant is for an emerging professional theatre artist in the field of playwriting, direction, design or the technical arts. The successful applicant will spend up to 20 weeks at the Tarragon Theatre, working in collaboration with an artist or artists in the applicant's chosen field of interest.The residency period will occur between August 2008 and June 2009.

For full details, click here.

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Solo-Show Weekend Intensive
April 25th: 7pm - 10pm
April 26th: & 27th 10am - 4pm

Have you said:
I have an idea for a show, how do I get started?
Where can I do this in a fun and supportive environment?
PLEASE someone kick my butt to write my show!

Using improvisation, writing exercises & character hot-seats, you'll discover:
Your Story & Characters, Themes & Hidden Talents & Marketing ideas!

"Tracey's course literally changed my life. She has the uncanny ability to unlock our expressive gifts." ~ Sandy Lewis, Ph.D.

TRACEY ERIN SMITH is an award-winning actor/writer/instructor at Ryerson University 's Act 2 Studio and Artist in Residence at Retreats throughout the U.S. She studied Solo Theatre with Ann Randolph in New York and her solo shows have won 'Best of the Toronto Fringe' and 'Audience Choice Awards' in New York 's Frigid festival, two years in a row.

FEE: $280 (includes $15 workbook)
Actra & Equity members discounted Fee: $224
*$50.00 deposit required to secure spot

REGISTER: tracey@theburningbush.ca or 416.778.8984

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Call for Submissions: Composer-Librettist Laboratory 2008
Tapestry New Opera Works

Deadline: April 25 2008

The heart and soul of Tapestry's new work creation programme is the Composer-Librettist Laboratory. After ten successive “Lib-Labs”, this programme has been carefully honed for composers and writers to test, exercise and develop their collaborative writing and composing skills in the music theatre/opera art form. For most composers and writers the artistic process is a solitary one. Tapestry provides development, guidance and financial support through the often lengthy, but ultimately rewarding, new work creation process

Full Details Click Here

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Call for Submissions: Intern Directors and the Directors Project, Theatre Ontario/Shaw Festival
Deadline June 27, 2008

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 around $600 per week.

Full details, Click here.

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Gestation Series - Scripts Submissions
Deadline: ongoing

A monthly reading series with a focus on new experimental work

The Cheshire Unicorn presents its exciting monthly experimental script reading sessions called Gestation Series on the first Monday of each month. It is an opportunity for new scripts to be read by actors, where preference is given (but not limited) to scripts which are written for the stage and explore experimental subject matter or way of showing a story. As well, there is a draw for The Birth Canal, where a writer will have a month to write a script on a given topic, which will be presented at the following series.

Playwrights can email your script with a synopsis, character breakdown and your mailing address. You can also give in hard copies on the night of the series for future readings, or arrange to send by snail mail. We accept all types of scripts, although preference is given towards experimental material. Although we accept all lengths, if a script is over 25-30 pages, we may only read the first few scenes, or the equivalent to 25 pages or so.

For more information:
email gestation@cheshireunicorn.com
call 416.726.5085 or join the facebook group (called Gestation Series).
www.cheshireunicorn.com

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News & Ticket Offers

Canadian Opera Company

Opera for a New Age - $20 tickets are available to mainstage performances in the 3C/4C/5C areas for patrons aged 29 and under. Tickets will be available about one week before showtime.

Student Rush - Subject to availability, students may purchase one (1) ticket per valid student photo identification as of 11 a.m. on the day of a performance. Tickets will be sold as best available at a 50 percent discount.

Rush Tickets - Subject to availability, rush tickets are offered in the 3C/4C/5C areas of R. Fraser Elliott Hall at $20 each. Any tickets remaining in other areas of the auditorium may be purchased at a 50 percent discount.

All rush tickets for COC performances are on sale at 11a.m on the day of a performance. Tickets can be purchased in person only, at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office, 145 Queen St. W. , Toronto , and are subject to availability.

For more information please visit www.coc.ca  

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TO TIX - Toronto 's One Stop Ticket Shop

Similar to the Booth in New York 's Times Square, London 's Leicester Square and Vancouver 's downtown tourist information centre, T.O. TIX offers its patrons a wide variety of theatre, dance, opera, comedy, music and special events.  T.O. TIX is also an official outlet for TicketKing, Gray Line Sightseeing, ShopDineTour Toronto, and the Ontario Science Centre.

Located in Yonge-Dundas Square , T.O. TIX's hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, Noon to 6:30PM. Booth sales are in-person only.  T.O. TIX is Toronto 's central ticketing outlet featuring discounted tickets on the day of performance as well as full-price tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, or in-person at the T.O. TIX ticket Booth.

SIGN UP now to receive the T.O.TIX Daily E-Bulletin to find out the best deals on tickets to theatre, dance, opera, comedy, music and special events in Toronto. Visit www.totix.ca today!

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HIP TIX

Hip Tix offers discount tickets for students. With your valid student I.D. card, you can attend select preview performances for most theatre, dance and opera productions across Toronto for only $5!  Find more info on this program at www.goliveto.ca  

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If your company has a special ticket offer or would like to provide a unique offer to Fringe newsletter subscribers please forward more information to fringe@fringetoronto.com

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