All posts by Sonia Borkar

Press Release: $100,000 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre Awarded to Playwright Joan MacLeod. MacLeod chooses Anusree Roy to receive $25,000 as protégé.

From Press Release

TORONTO, November 7, 2011 – BMO Financial Group today announced that Victoria-based playwright Joan MacLeod has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, the largest theatre award in the country. This is the 11th year the Siminovitch Prize has been awarded, with $1.1 million in prizes awarded to enhance the Canadian theatre industry.

Ms. MacLeod was chosen from a short list of six finalists including Robert Chafe (Newfoundland), Jasmine Dubé (Quebec), Greg MacArthur (Alberta/Quebec), Mansel Robinson (Saskatchewan) and Larry Tremblay (Quebec).

“In choosing Joan MacLeod as the winner of the Siminovitch Prize for 2011, the jury wanted to recognize Joan’s unique voice, her masterful storytelling, and the impact that her work has had among audiences in Canada and beyond,” said Maureen Labonté, Jury Chair. “Joan is a master of expressing the profoundest human emotions, putting to paper the vulnerability, the compassion, the weaknesses and strengths of the human spirit. Moreover, as a teacher, mentor, and role model, she has no doubt inspired a generation of new Canadian theatre artists.”  Continue reading Press Release: $100,000 Siminovitch Prize in Theatre Awarded to Playwright Joan MacLeod. MacLeod chooses Anusree Roy to receive $25,000 as protégé. →

Cheap Theatre in Toronto for the Week of October 31, 2011

Five For Twenty (or Less)

This week’s theme for our cheap theatre post is steeped in history. There are five great shows, most of them well under $20, that have a historical connection. There is a show about an 1845 Arctic expedition; another about a city’s arson epidemic originally written in 1953; a 1820s community trying to reach an utopian ideal; a play that is an adaptation from Japanese Roshomon tales and finally there’s a show that’s a combination of eight spooky tales from Ancient Greece and modern times. So grab a partner and plan a fun and cheap night out at the theatre! Continue reading Cheap Theatre in Toronto for the Week of October 31, 2011 →

Eye-Catching Toronto Theatre for the Week of October 31, 2011

Here is what’s going on in Toronto theatre this week. There are several great shows to catch for the week of October 31, 2011: ** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Wayne, our Managing Editor, wish he could exist in multiple parallel universes so he could check them all out.Already covered by MoT  Continue reading Eye-Catching Toronto Theatre for the Week of October 31, 2011 →

Review: Bharati: The Wonder That is India (The Sony Centre & David Mirvish)

I had the great pleasure of watching Bharati on their Diwali opening night at the Sony Centre in Toronto last night. To say I was excited to see this show would be a gross understatement. I grew up addicted to Bollywood movies and obsessed with Indian dance. So please keep that in mind while reading this review.

First of all, I have to say the Sony Centre really knows how to set the mood. Guests were greeted by beautifully adorned hostesses, who looked like Bollywood actresses themselves. There were vendors selling Indian costumes, jewellery, snacks and even a henna artist drawing beautiful patterns on guests’ hands who were already in the Diwali spirit.

Continue reading Review: Bharati: The Wonder That is India (The Sony Centre & David Mirvish) →

Press Release: Soulpepper Announces 15th Anniversary Season

From Press Release

Toronto, ON – October 25, 2011: Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, today announced the 12 plays comprising Soulpepper’s 15th anniversary season, including ten new productions, two remounts, and a revisit, to run in repertory from January to December, 2012. The season includes plays from Canada, Ireland, England, the United States and Russia, and brings Soulpepper to 107 original productions over 15 seasons. The season opens with Soulpepper’s very first original full-length play, continuing the company’s commitment to new works about the city of Toronto as seen in this year’s Window on Toronto and 2009’s Civil Elegies.

“When we initiated the Soulpepper Academy in 2008, the goal was two-fold. Of course we were aiming to equip a new generation of artists with the skill and rigour to approach the world’s great plays, but at the same time we were looking for a younger generation to tell us how we could, should and would define our company’s future. One of the great discoveries of these last few years is the fascination our young artists have had with the city in which they live. It is this energy and passion that we celebrate with our 15th anniversary season opener, Ins Choi’s Kim’s Convenience, directed and designed by three of Ins’ fellow Soulpepper Academy alumni. This very funny, insightful and touching play was written during Ins’ time here at the Academy and marks an astonishing debut for this multi-talented Canadian artist,” said Albert Schultz, Artistic Director. Continue reading Press Release: Soulpepper Announces 15th Anniversary Season →