Homegrown drama unites theatre artists across the country
The proceeds frorm these nation-wide readings will go to the recently de-funded Summerworks Festival
by Michael Wheeler
Today will see over 70 companies across the country join together in readings of the play Homegrown by Catherine Frid, in an impressive display of solidarity amongst Canadian theatre artists.
As one of these 70, it is a heartfelt honour for Praxis Theatre to join our peers from coast-to-coast in an action that supports the notion that art is created within an ecosystem, and that it is a slippery slope down the road towards censorship if a government only forms relationships with artists that support or reinforce its ideological agenda.
Here’s all of the key Homegrown info:
- Kelly Nestruck in the Globe and Mail on why The Heritage Minister’s answers on this question don’t add up
- Today’s new post on The Wrecking Ball Website on which companies are participating where: SEVENTY COMPANIES, TWELVE READINGS, ONE CAUSE
- Analysis of the situation in The National Post by Angela Hickman
- Analysis of the situation here on praxistheatre.com
- Michael Healey’s killer Globe and Mail blog post on why this action is important
- A selection of articles about readings going on in Halifax, Kitchener, Stratford, Edmonton, and Vancouver
As a final note, a tip of the hat to playwright Catherine Frid who didn’t ask for any of this but lends her play to the entire country tonight. And another to event organizer Michael Healey for showing leadership in pursuit of solidarity in a time when we needed both.
Here’s a great blog post from Toronto-based indie powerhouse Studio 180 on community and Summerworks.
Making the executive decision to cut-and-paste this comment from Liberal Member of Parliament Carolyn Bennett on the Globe and Mail website regarding this issue:
“Important commentary. The Minister is concerned about ‘conspiracy theory’ when the truth is ‘evidence-based’. The Conservative Government has consistently treated the Arts as a fluffy unaffordable excess of elites instead of a multibillion dollar industry that like other industries also benefits from ‘stimulus’ and stable and predictable funding. Summerworks is an important juried festival. The Fringe Festival is a lottery. While in high school, our son Ben had his play ‘Indifferent Eyes’ chosen for ‘Summerworks’. It was well reviewed in NOW and EYE and he then went on to graduate in Theatre Arts at York. Funding ‘Summerworks’ is an inexpensive way for the Federal Government to support the writers, directors, actors and actresses that will continue to contribute the Canadian economy and our Canadian identity.
Carolyn Bennett M.P., St. Paul’s”