Praxis Theatre is currently on hiatus! Please find co-founders Aislinn Rose and Michael Wheeler at The Theatre Centre and SpiderWebShow, respectively.

Date: 2010 July

July 9, 2010, by
Comment

The Indie Caucus will host a Tent Talk in the Fringe HQ that is the parking lot behind Honest Eds as part of The Toronto Fringe Festival Saturday at 4pm.

The Tent Talk will cover: A history of the Indie Caucus and its dealings with CAEA since 2007, the results from the massive turnout at Theatre Passe Muraille for the Regional Annual General Meeting to address the growing indie theatre crisis in May, and where things stand with the newly created, but thus far completely silent, Independent Theatre Review Committee  created to address these issues.

The event will be moderated by Ontario CAEA CPAG chair Aaron Willis with three panelists:

sprout2Margaret Evans, Praxis Theatre

Franco Boni, Theatre Centre

Julie Tepperman, Convergence Theatre

All of the panelists have been members of the Indie Caucus since its inception, have had multiple dealings with Equity as both member and non-member creators, and will offer insight and advice on what the future holds in this regard for independent artists and what they can do promote positive change within CAEA.

Clearly this issue is incredibly important to all artists at different stages of their careers and there is growing anger and frustration that even after two heavily lopsided votes (96-1 anyone?), the largest turnout ever at a RAGM to address this issue, and the creation of a new committee to look into the problem – NOTHING HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED YET. Despite all of these meetings and votes, practically speaking, it is still 2005.

Below, three CAEA members who are not members of the Indie Caucus, share their hopes and throughts for reform after attending the now-legendary Theatre Passe Muraille RAGM:

Susan Coyne performs in Thistle Project's Peer Gynt. Photo by Lindsay Anne Black

Susan Coyne performs in Thistle Project's Peer Gynt. Photo by Lindsay Anne Black

Susan Coyne

I was surprised, when I was working on an independent theatre show, to hear my young colleagues talk about how reluctant they were to join Equity. They felt that joining Equity would make it too difficult for them to produce and perform their own work. This seemed very strange to me, as a longtime member of CAEA.

At the meeting, I sensed a huge frustration from the artists who spoke about the rules for producing independent theatre in Equity’s jurisdiction.  There seemed to be a disconnect between what the artists were saying and Equity’s description of the problem. For the Equity officers who were at the meeting, the problem was described as a problem of manpower:  given how small the number of Equity artists employed in independent theatre, a lot of people’s time was spent filling out an enormous amount of paper work.  This seemed slightly to miss the point.  Though I can understand that the Equity office may be shortstaffed. I would have liked to see some kind of acknowledgement that though the numbers may be small, this kind of work, with its willingness to take risks and experiment with new ideas, is the well from which we all draw.  We are all, in my experience – inspired, invigorated and challenged by seeing, and participating in independent theatre, and I hope that we can find a way to not only support and encourage these companies and artists, but make it easier for them to do what they do, within Equity.

Marcia JohnsonMarcia Johnson

The Ontario CPAG (Council Policy Advisory Group) Equity meeting was encouraging and inspiring. The turnout at Theatre Passe Muraile was more than respectable. I recognized friends and colleagues who have been doing great work in Toronto for years.
I am grateful to Mark Brownell and his team for putting a positive spin on the event. We were encouraged to think of solutions, not just tell horror stories. Mark did a great job of providing a context and the background for the struggle that a lot of Equity creator-producers face when it comes to working within the rules. His pie chart showed three-percent of work that Equity members do fall under these different creator-producer categories yet the majority of staff hours are used to facilitate them.

VInetta Strombergs chaired a panel featuring Equity members Rebecca Northan, Melissa D’Agostino and Michael Rubenfeld. They shared their obstacles, successes and suggestions. I was also pleased that President Arden Ryshpan and Executive Director Allan Teichman were invited to weigh in. It was all very conciliatory.

We all treated each other with respect and were constructive in our criticism. The many door prizes were a very nice touch. It felt like we were being rewarded for attending and making it all the way through to the end.

I am filled with hope that an easy to manage contract will be developed and not the (in the words of Ross Manson, Volcano Theatre) ad hoc system that exists now.

 performs in Volcano's The Africa Trilogy. Photo by John Lauener

Maev Beaty performs in Volcano's The Africa Trilogy. Photo by John Lauener

Maev Beaty

So I begin with a confession. I have been an Equity member for several years now. I have produced, written, acted, festivaled, deputied, worked under Guest Artist, Co-op and Indie. I have also complained, been denied, been scolded, been furious and yes, I have been helped. But I have also heard of hypocrisies and confusions that made my hair stand on end. So what is the confession? I have never been to a meeting, rally or parade. I have paid my dues and bitched in bars, but I have never actually tried to involve myself in or be an active witness of the actual machinations of CAEA.

But boy do I love Facebook. I really do. I use it for networking, education, alternative news sources, entertainment and reunions. And thanks to Facebook I finally became involved in my Association’s future. I received probably 40 reminders about the big CAEA May 17th meeting from probably 20 different sources. And it worked. I went. And I am so glad I did.

I deeply appreciated how pro-active and transparent the organizers were and how efficiently the evening was handled. As a ‘newbie’, I never felt condescended to or confused. There was minimum complaining and a lot of honesty. In fact, there was a lot of honesty about dishonesty. A major recurring theme of the evening was that producer/members frequently lied on contracts or simply worked outside them. There are many reasons for this course of action, chief among them being the hassle of negotiating the overly complex and confusing contract options, and the feeling that they were being seen as exploitative and suspicious by CAEA staff. This information came out in the evening not as a complaint, but as a clear sign to staff and council that our system is flawed and requires re-examining. Nobody WANTS to lie. But we need to change things so that’s not the easiest solution.

So – what kind of change? There were several suggestions of improvements and adjustments made that night. Below is the short list of the solutions I was most excited by:

  • Eradicate the graduated system that forces companies to have a limited number of times they can use certain contracts before they must use another.
  • Get rid of the quota of CAEA members that must be in your production when the producer/originator of the project is a Member/Engager.
  • Create a menu prototype for contracts, with choosable options for each module and then provide a sample template that matches your chosen contract to help you fill it out. (it could all be done online – colour coded menu pieces that you pick and choose)
  • Create a clear series of riders that could be easily ‘tacked on’ to that contract that deals with issues such as Touring or using dancers, non Equity or International performers without making them join the Association
  • Make the Fringe Waiver applicable to ALL SummerWorks productions.

Change is GOOD. Yes it was my first CAEA meeting but it sure won’t be my last.

July 8, 2010, by
1 comment

The all star crew that make up Tonto's Nephew reunite tonight for one show only

The all star crew that make up Tonto's Nephew, North America's only all first nations sketch comedy troupe, reunite tonight for one show only

ColinMochrie

Do you want Colin Mochrie to make you laugh? Go to Comedy Bar at 9pm!!

International comedy superstar Colin Mochrie will join the sketch comedy troupe Tonto’s Nephew and other Second City alum in a fundraising event to assist the Kawacatoose First Nation tonight.

Last week about 100 people – including elders, pregnant women and children were evacuated to temporary housing after a tornado cut through the area. The community is following a modified version of a flu-pandemic protocol to deal with the displacement and destruction. All proceed from this event will go to support this community.

It’s also going to be really, really, funny.

WHEN: Tonight @ 9pm
WHERE: The Comedy Bar. 945 Bloor Street W. Toronto
WHO: Herbie Barnes, Sid Bobb, Darrell Dennis, Craig Lauzon and Michaela Washburn are Tonto’s Nephews
WHO ELSE: Guest spots by Colin Mochrie, Sandy Jobin-Bevans, Paul Bates, Jan Caruana.
WHAT: Huge laughs. Admission is by donation.

July 7, 2010, by
1 comment

Live tunes, original artwork, sweet patio - good times await at The Press Club next Thursday  July 15

Live tunes, original artwork, sweet patio - good times await at The Press Club on Thursday July 15

Hey remember how much fun it is when Praxis throws a party? No? Refresh your memory with these pics here and here.

This year there are perfromances by Freeman Dre and The Kitchen Party, complete with work by visual artist Andrew Shay Hahn in an event called PRAXIS @ PRESS CLUB.

We’d love to see you there so open up your iCal, or get out your Daytimer, or whatever it is that you do when you decide to go to a place at a certain time – and write us in.  We’ll be there from right after work, till late in the night.

All proceeds go to the ongoing development of Section 98. Exciting new details to be released on this show soon!

Everything you need to know:

Date: Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 6:30pm to Midnight
Tickets: $10 @ door
Location: The Press Club. 850 Dundas Street West, Toronto.
Music by: Freeman Dre and The Kitchen Party MySpace Page
Visual Art by: Andrew Shay Hahn’s Website
Facebook: Event Page

July 6, 2010, by
Comment

Text:

“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
– Mother Teresa

“I know that if I wasn’t scared, something’s wrong, because the thrill is what’s scary.”
– Richard Pryor

Image:

Funny Cat

Sound:

______________________________________________________________________

Jonno Katz in Cactus: The Seduction, Toronto Fringe 2010

Jonno Katz in Cactus: The Seduction, Toronto Fringe 2010

An Australian artist, this is Jonno Katz’s 5th time at the Toronto Fringe Festival, where he is presenting Cactus: The Seduction.

Click here for more information about the show, and here for more about dates and times at the Toronto Fringe.

July 5, 2010, by
Comment

Margaret Evans plays Eugenia "Jim" Watts in Section 98

by Simon Rice and Michael Wheeler

Like any good tyrannical minority government gearing up for a fall election, Praxis is shaking it up! Nothing beats a cabinet shuffle to temporarily boost polling numbers for an independent theatre company.

Kidding… Sort of. We are making some changes at Praxis and they are lateral, but you know in the theatre world lateral means diagonal.

We wouldn’t have the wiggle room to be so obtuse if Margaret Evans, Maggie as we all know her, had not been General Manager of Praxis for the last 2 1/2 years.

Under Maggie’s tenure Praxis produced four shows, the scope of which were our largest thus far, both creatively and budget-wise. She also oversaw the creation of our board of directors, and was steward of the most successful fundraising campaigns in the history of the company.

Despite these skills and accomplishments, her greatest asset is actually as a performer.  Margaret will be retiring from her role as GM of Praxis and will be taking a more front and central role as an actor/creator in our production of Section 98, continuing her work playing Eugenia “Jim” Watts, the legendary 1930s political artist and Spanish Civil War ambulance driver and radio host.

Aislinn Rose - Praxis' new Artistic Producer

Aislinn Rose - Praxis' new Artistic Producer

Continuing in the diagonal tradition, Aislinn Rose will be rewriting the books as Artistic Producer at Praxis. Over the past year she has acted as Script Supervisor on our 2009 Toronto Fringe production of Tim Buck 2, as well as Director of the Open Source Theatre Project for Section 98, presented as part of Harbourfront Centre’s 2010 HATCH season.  As Artistic Producer she will be handling Praxis’ day to day operations as well as developing a new creative project…  More on this soon.

We should also mention that she has a non-Praxis show running right now, Amy Zuch’s Key to Key, which she directs for this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival at the Royal St. George venue until Saturday July 1o.

Welcome everyone to their new diagonal positions!

July 1, 2010, by
1 comment

banner

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

by Mark Aikman

We’ve all been part of the conversation, the one about theatre criticism in Toronto and what works and what doesn’t; the desire to label it all as cartoonish super-vilainry, the exceptions to the rule, and the wonderful discussion we know can be had if only there were a place for it. I was having one of these conversations last month with a few artists at The Hub (don’t worry if you haven’t heard of us… yet) and we decided to put that fancy website of ours to some use.

With Fringe and Summerworks and so much else happening in Toronto this summer, we wanted to create a space for artists and audiences to have a real discussion about the work. Something to redistribute the power and voice of theatre criticism that has become increasingly centralized in this city.

It’s called Constructive Criticism – basically it’s a wiki-critic. Artists can send us info about their show (theatre, dance, performance, anything artistic) and we give them a free listing on our site complete with a discussion board for people to share their thoughts and reactions – and where people involved in the show can have a dialogue with the people who saw it.

We have some simple, and perfectly reasonable (rules) that we expect everyone to follow. They basically boil down to: try to be constructive, even if you didn’t like the show; speak in complete thoughts and sentences; and try not to be a dick about it. And if you don’t follow our rules, we delete your post.

We’re not trying to be mean or to censor anyone, but we are trying to foster an intelligent discussion.

And this is not done to wage a war on print or online journalists. For every idiot out there there are is at least one thoughtful and informed voice to match. All we want is to bring the power of criticism back to the community so that they can become more informed, knowledgeable and critical of the art they engage with. Your show may not be for everyone, but it is the perfect show for someone – and this is the tool we can all use to make those connections happen.

All of the Fringe shows are now up on the site, so check out hubtheatreproject.ca and talk about all the amazing shows you see this summer.

And if you’ve got a problem, a suggestion or just want to say hi – please (drop us a note)[mailto:mark@hubtheatreproject.ca]. This is still new, always growing and we love love love to get feedback.

Happy theatre-going,
-Mark