This year's festival became embroiled in a political controversy that began last year when the Prime Minister's Office wrongly accused the SummerWorks play Homegrown of endorsing terrorism. No one in the PMO had seen the play and no Conservatives later took advantage of the offer to see it courtesy of the festival. When the SummerWorks Festival had all of its 2011 federal funding cut without any reason given just a few weeks ago, many in the media reasonably concluded that it was a politically motivated gesture.
However, the artistic community has rallied behind this important theatre festival. They've donated and raised enough to keep the festival going. Now it's time for audiences to support the festival by getting out to see their impressive lineup of juried plays.
The festival takes place at various downtown venues until Sunday, August 14.
http://www.summerworks.ca/
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SummerWorks Theatre Festival 2011
Toronto, ON —Canada’s largest juried theatre festival returns this August to bring us the most provocative and powerful theatre in the country. The 21st edition, running from August 4th to 14th, features over 40 plays, the Music Series, SummerWalks, Performance Bar, workshops, and a host of free programming.
“We were overwhelmed by the quality of the submissions for this year’s Festival”, says Artistic Producer, Michael Rubenfeld, “With nearly 200 submissions, this was easily our most competitive year to date.”
Theatrical highlights include:
The team that brought us The Russian Play re-connects this year with Little One, by Hannah Moscovitch, directed by Natasha Mytnowych and starring Michelle Monteith. Volcano Theatre’s presentation of Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s, White Rabbit, Red Rabbit.
New plays by Richard Sanger, Nicolas Billon, Matthew Mackenzie, Christopher Stanton and Clifford Cardinal. New work directed by Judith Thompson, Adam Pettle, Kate Lushington, Jovanni Sy, Michael Wheeler, and Layne Coleman.
The festival features exciting new creations by our exceptional theatre talents including: Combat by Claire Calnan and Allison Cummings (tinybird); Flight, by Steven McCarthy, Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman, and Monica Dottor (Company Blonde); and Barbershop, by Theatre de Soleil’s Jeremy James (Paris) and Phillip Mckee.
SummerWorks will see the Toronto premier of Euridyce, by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Kristina Nicoll, and Mr. Marmalade, by Noah Haidle, and starring David Storch.
Notable production companies, Alameda Theatre Comany, Praxis, Birdtown and Swanville, Workman Arts and the red light district bring the festival their unique offerings.
SummerWorks will also present two remounts of the world class productions of Susanna Hood’s, Shudder, directed by Ruth Madoc-Jones and Small Wooden Shoe’s, Perhaps in a Hundred Years, by Jacob Zimmer, Ame Henderson and Chad Dembski.
THE 2011 SUMMERWORKS FULL LINE-UP
| Company Name | Show Title | Playwright / Creator(s) |
LOCAL SERIES 2011 |
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| Birdtown and Swanville | The Physical Ramifications of Attempted Global Domination | Nika Mistruzzi & Aurora Stewart de Peña |
| Common Descent | Hero & Leander | Wade Bogert O’Brien, Scott Christian, Kevin Michael Shea |
| Company Blonde Dance Projects | Flight | Monica Dottor, Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman, Steven McCarthy |
| DeCo. | THIRD FLOOR | Jason Hall / Christine Gresham |
| Dependant Theatre Projects | Stitch | Clifford Cardinal |
| exit.left.productions | other side through you | Cat Main, Georgina Beaty |
| forthcoming | THE SAFE WORD | Nicolas Billon |
| fosta brovaz | Danforth | adam hunter collier |
| Foundry Theatre Company | Little Crickets | Douglas Campbell |
| Hookedinhouse Productions | Hooked | Carolyn Smart/Nicky Guadagni/Layne Coleman |
| hum dansoundart | Shudder | conceived and choreographed by Susanna Hood |
| its a freedom thing productions | dancing to a white boy’s song | mumbi tindyebwa otu |
| James McKee | Brothers | Jeremy James and Philip McKee |
| lemonTree theatre creations | Still Life | created by Company (Jonathan Seinen, Indrit Kasapi, Cole J. Alvis, Alisha Stranges, James MacLean) |
| Long Dark Night Prod | Long Dark Night | Mark Shyzer |
| Lost At Sea Theatre | Oh, Ryan | Shawn DeSouza-Coelho |
| Opus Syndrome | Origami Airplane | Yurika Sase, Philip Nozuka, Flora Quintus, Nico Racicot, Sébastien Heins, Colin Mercer |
| Pedant Productions | Zugzwang | Michael Atlin |
| Pulse Theatre Collective | I’ | David Hersh |
| Pyretic Productions | The Particulars and In General | Matthew MacKenzie |
| Quality Slippers Productions | Exit, pursued by a bear. | Bekky O’Neil |
| snap productions | Hannah and Martin (provisional title) | Richard Sanger |
| The IntrudeAlameda Theatre Company | The Intruder | Amaranta Leyv |
| The Original Norwegian in association with Praxis Theatre | You Should Have Stayed Home | Tommy Taylor, Michael Wheeler, Julian DeZotti |
| The Room | Elora Gorge | Written & Directed by Christopher Stanton |
| The8tre | Euridyce | Sarah Ruhl (writer) , Kristina Nicholl (director) |
| Theatre Crisis | Little One | Hannah Moscovitch (writer), Natasha Mytnowych (director), Michelle Monteith (performer), Kimberly Purtell (lighting designer) |
| Thompson and Fine Presents | Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week (working title) | Lois Fine (writer) Judith Thompson (director) Diane Flacks (actor) |
| tinybird theatre / Sore for Punching You | Combat (working title) | Claire Calnan and Allison Cummings with Adam Underwood |
| twinwerks // zwillingswerk | KASPAR AND THE SEA OF HOUSES (working title) | Felicia Zeller (author) / Birgit Schreyer Duarte (translation) |
| Volcano Theatre | White Rabbit, Red Rabbit | Nassim Soleimanpour |
| What’s-His-Name Productions | All’s Heimer that Ends Heimer | Jay Teitel (writer) / Adam Pettle (director) |
| Winged Centaurus and Whimsical Productions | Lizardboy – A One Man Show | Victor Gomez/ Sheena D. Robertson/ Anne Marie Polistuk |
| Workman Arts | Sunlight On The Rooftop | Writer – K.B Sonne, Director – Kate Lushington |
OFFSITE |
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| Small Wooden Shoe | Perhaps in a Hundred Years | Jacob Zimmer, Ame Henderson, Chad Dembski |
| Outside the March | Mr. Marmalade | Written by Noah Haidle / Directed by Mitchell Cushman / Featuring David Storch and Amy Keating |
| Events in Real Time | Express Yourself | Liz Peterson + Sean O’Neill |
info@summerworks.ca
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