For the past couple of years, I’ve discovered some great local theatre at SummerWorks. The festival has unfortunately lost some of its funding for the current year and they are in need of community support; that is YOU!! Here is the message Artistic Producer, Michael Rubenfeld published on their site today:
In 39 days, our Festival will once again light up the Queen West neighbourhood with the best in theatre, music and creative exploration. But after a tremendously productive five year partnership with Heritage Canada, the Festival has just received notice that this partnership is not going to be renewed for the 2011 season.
This loss of 20% of our budget just weeks before opening has created a significant shortfall and left us little time to fill it. And that’s why I’m writing to you.
I hope that you will please consider giving a minimum gift of $21.00 to help us celebrate our 21st season of collaborative art. If you are able, a larger gift will make a significant difference.
I hope you’ll agree that SummerWorks provides a vital service to the Canadian artistic community – introducing professional artists from diverse communities to each other to be inspired by both their similarities and their differences.
Thank you for your support.
Michael Rubenfeld Artistic Producer SummerWorks Theatre Festival
If you have attended SummerWorks before or love local theatre, I suggest you show your support either by donating or sharing this story with your friends and family. You can learn more about SummerWorks and this year’s line up of works here.
Co-founded by Michael MacMillan, Sandra Singer, Jordan Nahmias, and Burzin Contractor in 2010, Open Roof Festival (ORF) is Toronto’s summer outdoor film and music festival produced by culture maverick Marcello Cabezas. Running every Thursday night for 12 weeks from June 16 to September 1, the 2011 season of ORF offers urbanites an al fresco take on top cinema and music from Canada and across the globe, set on the grounds of Toronto’s landmark community brewery, the Amsterdam Brewing Company.
This year, the Oscar®-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop will be ORF’s opening night film. This is the inside story of Street Art… a brutal and revealing account of what happens when fame, money and vandalism collide. Exit Through the Gift Shop follows an eccentric shop-keeper turned amateur film-maker as he attempts to capture many of the world’s most infamous vandals on camera, only to have a British stencil artist named Banksy turn the camcorder back on its owner with wildly unexpected results.
One of the most provocative films about art ever made, Exit Through the Gift Shop is a fascinating study of low-level criminality, comradeship and incompetence. By turns shocking, hilarious and absurd, this is an enthralling modern-day fairytale… with bolt cutters.
Called “relentlessly entertaining” by the New York Times and “a marvelous, one-of-a-kind contraption” by Entertainment Weekly, Exit Through the Gift Shop is sure to keep us captivated. ORF audiences will be treated not only to the Banksy flick, but also to the musical stylings of the festival’s opening night band, Little Black Dress.
The screening takes place this Thursday, June 16. Doors open at 7:30pm at the Amsterdam Brewery located at 21 Bathurst Street (One block south of Front St.). For more information and full listings for this summer’s festival, visit openrooffestival.com, or the ORF Facebook Page
As a special addition to NXNE 2011, film lovers will be treated to the world premiere of Canadian director Mina Shum’s latest short film Hip Hop Mom. A short story told in Shum’s trademark wry humour, Hip Hop Mom is a very funny look at SUV’s, sippy cups, elastic waistband pants and new moms who refuse to let old habits die. The world premiere of Hip Hop Mom will be followed by the full-length feature film Player Hating: A Love Story. These films screen on Saturday June 18th, 8:45pm, at Toronto Underground Cinema.
In celebration of ten years of dynamic music films, NXNE Film is presenting Hall of Fame free screenings on Wednesday June 15th and Thursday June 16th at The Hyatt Regency Hotel, 370 King Street West.
Here are the listing for Free Screen on Wednesday June 15th starting at 12:00pm: • Los Zafiros: Music From The Edge of Time • Unfinished Symphony • Superstonic Sound the Rebel Dread • But We Have the Music • Rolling Like A Stone
Free Screen on Thursday June 16th starting at 12:00pm: • You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk, 1977-1984 • Unauthorized and Proud of It: Todd Loren’s Rock ‘n Roll Comics • Rwanda Rises Up – Song For Africa.
There many other films screenings at this year’s festival. You can find full listings and descriptions for all films at this year’s NXNE Film Festival here. Special Film Festival-only wristbands are available and all NXNE Festival passes and wristbands are now on sale at various music retailers and www.nxne.com.
Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity is set to start tonight, June 10. New partnerships and continuing collaborations infuse the theatre and dance program for the festival’s fifth anniversary edition. “For Luminato’s fifth anniversary, we are tremendously pleased to present several new, Luminato-commissioned works, world premieres, and North American premieres by accomplished local and international talent,” said Janice Price, CEO of Luminato. “The 2011 Festival celebrates the art of storytelling,” said Chris Lorway, Artistic Director of Luminato.
Here are my recommendations of some plays that will be part of this year’s Theatre program at Luminato.
Andromache In Necessary Angel’s new and radical adaptation of Racine’s Andromache, the war has ended in a hail of brutal crimes against women and children. The new leader, Pyhrrus, has become infatuated with a hostage, the recently widowed Andromache. She now faces a sickening dilemma – should she allow her surviving child to be publicly executed by her enemies, or should she sell herself to Pyrrhus? Canadian poet Evie Christie collaborates with director Graham McLaren on a modern adaptation of Andromache that examines how obsessive love and lust leads people to commit unspeakable acts. The world premiere of Luminato-commissioned Andromache will be presented June 10-12 and June 14-19 at The Theatre Centre.
Tout Comme Elle (Just Like Her) The English language premiere of Necessary Angel’s Tout Comme Elle (Just Like Her), commissioned by Luminato, combines song with a rich and poetic text to explore the painful, but necessary separation of mother and daughter. Conceived by acclaimed Québec director Brigitte Haentjens, and featuring a cast of 50 women, Tout Comme Elle (Just Like Her) is a poignant and daring piece of theatre about the inevitability of loss and the eternal nature of love. Tout Comme Elle (Just Like Her) is written by Louise Dupré and translated by Erín Moure. Tout Comme Elle (Just Like Her) will be presented June 14-18 at the Bluma Appel Theatre.
One Thousand and One Nights One Thousand and One Nights brings to the stage one of the world’s greatest folk story cycles. The tales are told by Shahrazad to prevent King Shahrayer from taking terrible daily revenge for his wife’s infidelity. Each night he marries a virgin only to kill her the next morning. Shahrazad prolongs her life by keeping the King engrossed in a labyrinth of stories that never ends – a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of life, love and destiny. One Thousand and One Nights is presented as a two-part theatre piece performed over successive evenings, as well as two-part weekend performances from June 11-19 at The Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Opera Centre.
I also recommend checking out some of the Dance events as well. Here are some suggestions:
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s unique synthesis of neo-classical and modern dance vocabularies has established him as one of the most important – and sought-after – choreographic artists at work today.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a co-production between The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet (UK) and is based on the famous Lewis Carroll book of the same name. The Alice stories have long fascinated and attracted other artists, including choreographers, both for their fantastic effects and the rich psychological and emotional terrain they present. Wheeldon’s ballet seeks to restore the book’s fundamental appeal: Its brilliantly anarchic and unfettered evocation of the imaginative world of childhood. The North American premiere of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland opens at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts will be presented at Luminato from June 10-12.
Confluence Akram Khan and Nitin Sawhney celebrate the union of kindred spirits, and explore the nature of the creative process, in this thrilling fusion of dance, live music, and projection. Akram Khan, noted for his distinctive blend of classical Indian kathak with contemporary dance technique, as well as his collaborations with artists from varying disciplines, is one of the most acclaimed choreographers of his generation in Britain today. Nitin Sawhney—composer, producer, songwriter, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist—is a latter-day Renaissance man who has collaborated with Khan over much of the past decade on such works as kaash, zero degrees, bahok, and, most recently, Vertical Road.
Confluence takes the form of a conversation in motion and music between these two friends and artistic co-creators. Khan and members of his company join Sawhney and his fellow musicians—including the astounding young vocalist Nicki Wells—live on stage to revisit highlights of their past work together, to present a new piece created for the occasion, and to explore the psychological, emotional, and spiritual terrain of the creative journey itself. The North American premiere of Confluence will be presented June 16-18 at the MacMillan Theatre.
The fifth anniversary edition of Luminato takes place from June 10-19, 2011. Tickets for all Luminato 2011 programs please visit www.luminato.com.
CFCWorldwide Short Film Festival (WSFF) announced the winners of the Festival’s 2011 awards. Nine awards and over $90,000 in cash and prizes were presented to Canadian and international filmmakers.
One of only four Canadian festivals accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®, WSFF Canadian award winners are eligible for Genie Awards, while winners of the awards for Best Live-Action Short and Best Animated Short become eligible for the Academy Awards®. “The jury was stunned by the talent and originality found in this year’s competitive programming,” said Eileen Arandiga, Festival Director. “With 95 films in competition, this year’s race for these prestigious awards was more rigorous than ever before.”
The Bravo!FACT Award for Best Canadian Short and a cash prize of $5,000 was captured by director Martin Thibaudeau for COLD BLOOD (SANG FROID) (Canada). The jury remarked: “This deftly-scripted emotional family drama doesn’t waste a single frame and caused the jury’s hearts to beat faster, and eyes to water.”
The Deluxe Award for Best Live Action Short was awarded to Rudi Rosenberg’s AGLAÉE (France) garnering him $2,500 in cash and eligibility for next year’s Academy Awards®. The jury remarked: “This stand-out teenage drama captivated the jury with its outstanding young performances and its truthful portrayal of adolescence, in all its beauty and ugliness. A film directed with brio that is unsettling and above all else, refreshing.”
The Kodak Award for Best Cinematography in a Canadian Short was presented to Cinematographer Ian Lagarde for Annick Blanc’s film NOWHERE ELSEWHERE (AU MILIEU DE NULLE PART AILLEURS) (Canada) long with $2,000 in 35mm stock. The jury remarked: “The film transported us to a world where anxiety meets the naïveté of childhood thanks to a remarkable cinematography which gives a very specific tone to this cinematographic gem.”
The Panasonic Award For Best Documentary Short went to Susan Koenen’s I AM A GIRL!, (Netherlands). The jury remarked: “The winner of Best Documentary Short is a film that tackles a teenager’s challenging transformation, using an effervescent approach to its music, cinematography and symbolism to portray a femininity and innocence that is unexpectedly accurate.” The prize package includes a Camcorder, LCD television, Blu-ray player and a digital stills camera (total package $5,000).
The Best Animated Short honour and a Panasonic digital video camcorder (and Academy Award eligibility) went to Iain Gardner for THE TANNERY (UK). The jury remarked: “This lovely parable about the mysteries of the cycle of life is as beautiful as it is touching. A film that will stay with you long after viewing.”
The Best Experimental Short honour along with a Panasonic digital video camcorder went to Kiitos, Hannes Vartiainen and Pekka Veikkolainen for THE DEATH OF AN INSECT (ERÄÄN HYÖNTEISEN TUHO) (Finland). The jury remarked: “This particular short engaged the jury by its use of various innovative audio and visual techniques which evoked curiosity, wonder, disgust and fascination.”
The Screenplay Giveaway Prize, a package of goods and services worth over $70,000 was awarded to David Widdicombe for his script WAKE.
The TELUS Audience Choice Award honour and a $5,000 cash prize went to Jacob Schuh and Max Lang for THE GRUFFALO (UK, Germany). Chosen out of 275 films in the festival, The Gruffalo captured people’s attention.
This year’s WSFF brought some of the best and most creative short films I’ve seen in a long time. Hope some of you got to see these award winners along with other great films.
