Always a theatre lover Sam realized in middle age that there's more to Toronto theatre than just mainstream and is now in love with one person shows, adores festivals, and quirky venues make her day.
This is the final week of The New Ideas Festival at the Alumnae Theatre. I’m going to miss it – it’s been an interesting three weeks of theatre. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.
The festival consists of three weeks of new plays selected by a jury. There are all kinds of plays; some are very short (5 or 10 minutes), and some are about half an hour. There are also staged readings on Saturdays that are an hour long.
This week’s plays offer the same kind of interesting mix as the past two weeks.
The plays are all presented in the Alumnae Theatre Studio which seats about 80 people. It’s a wide space but not deep, so the performers are very close to the audience. There isn’t much in the way of sets. It’s all very up- close-and-personal.
So what’s in store this week? Something for everyone.
It’s not easy to classify the evening. It’s not a concert, and it’s not a play; it’s a performance of music. As my play partner John said, “It’s Rube Goldberg music”. It’s music you have to watch because so much depends on the sight gags.
The music of Tom Waits is made and played on whatever is at hand. A turkey-baster, a saw, teacups, dominoes, frying pans, a step-ladder, a banjo and spaghetti to make a snare drum, bottles as wind instruments, a suitcase as percussion, balloons, kazoos, a golf club…
Is it too early to tell you about a must-see show at the Toronto Fringe Festival in the summer of 2010? You have to see The Flying Avro Arrow – A Musical at United Steel Workers of America Hall, 25 Cecil Street, south of College, west of St. George. (Note to my editor – I’m dibsing it now!)
This musical was performed as a staged reading during Week Two of The New Ideas Festival at Alumnae Theatre. Before the reading, I had trouble imagining how anyone could write a musical about the Avro Arrow and make it work. Playwright Doug Warwick figured it out. It was terrific – I really enjoyed it. The music worked, and the show was funny.
You can enjoy the show without knowing the Avro Arrow story, but it’s an important part of Canadian history and something we should all know.
Tonight I saw the Week Two performances that are part of this year’s New Ideas Festival at the Alumnae Theatre. This is the first year that I seen anything at the festival, last week I saw Week One. I love The New Ideas Festival! Next week I’m going to see Week Three.
There are 5 plays in Week Two:
CATCHER by Michael Corkett Johnston • Directed by Valary Cook
TIGHTROPE by R. J. Downes • Directed by Kate Fenton
PEARLS by Brenda Somers • Directed by Pam Redfern
SEX ON THE BEACH by Derek Hale • Directed by Kimberley Ann Croscup
SOLEDAD by Tina McCulloch • Directed by Kathryn Malek
Before the show and at intermission we were treated to ENVIA! PERFORMANCE ARTIST by Kelly DuMar • Directed by Jessica Beaulieau.
Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn announced the Canadian Stage 2010-2011 season yesterday to an audience of about 400 people in the Bluma Appel theatre. It’s fascinating that so many people would take the time on a Tuesday morning.
He unveiled the change from The Canadian Stage Company to Canadian Stage yesterday before he announced the new season. Canadian Stage is less cumbersome than the old name but I suspect people will still refer to it as CanStage.
The Canadian Stage 2010-2011 season is definitely not the same old same old. It doesn’t sound easy but it does sound interesting and exciting. “Jocelyn seeks to redefine Canadian Stage as a centre for national and international multi-disciplinary theatre that pushes boundaries, adopts a 21st-century perspective and reflects Toronto’s cultural diversity.” – from the Canadian Stage press release.
This is the final week of The New Ideas Festival at the Alumnae Theatre. I’m going to miss it – it’s been an interesting three weeks of theatre. I’ve enjoyed it immensely.
