Photo by Han Soete via Creative Commons

In 2013 Praxis Theatre and The Theatre Centre launch Civil Debates.

Civil Debates is a monthly series that invites two speakers from opposite sides of an argument to debate their perspectives for a live audience. It is also a forum for all attendees to participate and vote on who and what they agree with.

We hope this will be an opportunity to extend the online community we have developed over the years in a face-to-face setting, bringing those conversations into a physical space.  We’re enthused by the intelligent and civil discourse that has developed on praxistheatre.com, particularly in the comments of posts about hot button issues.

This got us thinking – ‘Hey – as a theatre company, shouldn’t we doing this live in a space with human bodies?’

Debate Questions

The topics for the initial four debates will be curated via a gallery installation January 12 and 13 at The Next Stage Festival at Factory Theatre.

A dual system will be used in facilitating participation: Both sticky notes and a laptop will be available to post issues and ideas that people believe would benefit from more debate. These can be posted to topics like: Theatre, Politics, The City, and Whatever. There will also be the opportunity to suggest who you think would be a great debater.

The goal is to emerge with four questions that will inspire compelling debaters to participate in an event that has genuine community interest.

Debate Format

Debates will take place monthly at The Theatre Centre at 1095 Queen St. W (Queen and Dovercourt) in February, March, April and May 2013.

Debate format will be based on the Canadian Parliamentary model with two speakers for either side. Just like the best acting, each debater should have a responsibility to hear the arguments that come before them and respond – not just deliver a prepared statement.

Each debate will have a moderator whose job will be to ensure debaters obey the general rules as well as the speaking format. The formal debate will last around 40 minutes.

At the end of the debate, the floor will be opened to other participants, each of whom can speak for a period of two minutes. All participants, speaking and non, will be provided the opportunity to register their vote on the topic at the conclusion of the evening. These results will be posted back here on praxistheatre.com where further debate and conversation, as always, is encouraged.

Join the Debate

If you are interested in being a debater or moderator, drop us a line via info@praxistheatre.com. Tell us why critical, respectful debate is important in 150 words or less.

Hope to see you in the tent during the final weekend of The Next Stage Festival. This series begins when we get our topics from you.

by Michael Wheeler

Tomorrow, The Theatre Centre will host an official TEDxToronto viewing party. This is a no-cost event with FREE LUNCH to watch and discuss the Ted Talks that will be broadcast live from The Sony Centre.

Anytime from 9am – 5pm you can drop by throughout the various talks. We’re hoping to learn something new, meet other interested people, and just hang out to think and chat about the concepts a day of exploring challenging ideas inspires in us.

The Theatre Centre will also be live-streaming TEDx tweets at the venue and on The Theatre Centre blog for people who want to know what we’re talking/thinking about, but can’t make it.

TEDxToronto Salon Series

Our stream will include tweets using #TEDxToronto as well as our venue specific tag #TEDxTOTC – for if you want to say something specific to The Theatre Centre crowd or experience.

If you ARE coming by at lunch time (noon -1:30pm) – we ask that you register so we know how much food to get. If you aren’t coming at lunch –just drop on by.

You can register by clicking here. Be sure to select “The Theatre Centre Pop-Up” from the pop up menu at the bottom of the page.

Here’s the list of speakers with intro videos.

Here’s the schedule for the day.

Here’s where we’ll be all day long (1095 Queen St West at Dovecourt)

Hope to see you there!

Artist rendering outside

After 33 years in rental spaces across the city, The Theatre Centre will break ground on its permanent home, launching a year-long renovation of the historic Carnegie Library building at 1115 Queen St W on Thursday at 11 am.

This is a big, big deal!

Praxis Theatre extends huge congratulations to the entire Theatre Centre team that has slowly put the pieces together that will allow groundbreaking experimental performance to have a permanent home in the Queen West West area.

Artist rendering inside

It is exciting to think about the decades of boundary-pushing, medium-blending, audience-challenging work to be created in this new home for contemporary performance in Toronto.

Looking forward to being there for the first shovel in ground on this community and industry defining occasion along with The Honourable Michael Chan Ontario Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport; Don McKellar, Actor/Writer/Director, Honourary Chair of The Theatre Centre Capital Campaign; possibly, but unconfirmed His Worship Mayor Rob Ford; and many other friends and colleagues who have been waiting and hoping a long time for this to happen.

If you’re free, come on down so you can bore the crap out of your grandkids with an “I was there when” groundbreaking yarn.

Radix Theatre's Babylonia - Click the image to read the full post on the Theatre Centre Blog

by Aislinn Rose

Free Fall ’12 starts Saturday March 24… have you uploaded your memories yet?

Last month I sat on a Social Media Week panel to talk about the online component I had created for Liza Balkan’s Out The Window, part of Free Fall ’12. Joining me on that panel was Radix Theatre’s Andrew Templeton from Vancouver, to talk about the company’s workshop presentation of Babylonia. From the moment he played the trailer I was enthralled…

Click the image above to read the full post.

Praxis Theatre is involved in two events as part of Social Media Week next week, both of which address the intersection of performance and online technologies.

Although many of these events are now “sold out” for online pre-registration, there is a waiting list available at the venues, half an hour before each event begins that you can get on in person. Because all SMW events are free, it is anticipated that most events will have some people that don’t show up for their free pre-reserved spots.

Oh yeah. Both of these Social Media Week Toronto events are free.

The Online Brain created by Aislinn Rose is part of Liza Balkan's Out The Window at The Theatre Centre. The Line up for Free Fall '12 will be announced at The Drake Hotel on Monday February 13th.

• At The Drake Hotel on 2pm Monday Feb 13 Digital Storytelling and Live Performance.

What are the ways that online technologies can be used in conjunction with performance? How are digital technologies expanding the potential of art forms that have initially been analog based?

Free Fall Festival Co-Curator Michael Wheeler moderates multi-platform artists involved in The Theatre Centre’s FreeFall ’12 – ‘Performance Without A Net’. Panelists will demonstrate, discuss, and debate their mid-process methods and artistic philosophies in this interactive event.

From online “brains” that supplement the material an audience engages with live, to interactive performance that encourages audiences to upload their consciousness online, to cross-city tours that keep a mobile audience connected through social media tools, the parameters and potential of storytelling has expanded in exciting and unexpected ways.

Follow along or participate via #SMWFreeFall.

Panelists:

Jonathan Goldsbie on the use of Twitter in Route 510 Revisited
Aislinn Rose on an Online Brain that complements Liza Balkan’s Out The Window
Andrew Templeton on online platforms and narratives intersecting with Radix Theatre’s Babylonia.

Melissa Hood prepares her notes before a workshop presentation of Open Source Theatre Project

• The very next evening you can find us at 7pm on Tuesday February 14th at Theatre and Online Interactivity at The Fringe Creation Lab at The Centre for Social Innovation Annex
  

Yes, that’s right, it’s the romantic Valentine’s Day activity you’ve been looking for. Set the flowers and chocolates aside and come talk internet, community and theatre.

Praxis Theatre and the Toronto Fringe will co-host a case-study analysis of the work that Praxis makes in tandem with online community building activities, and how that community in turn helps build the work.

A presentation lead by the editors of praxistheatre.com and community members, this conversation aims to not only explore the notion of social media as audience development tool, but also performance development. A conversation for industry professionals, students, producers, media, PR professionals, and industry enthusiasts.

Follow along or participate via #SMWPraxis.