praxistheatre.com is one of five blogs in the Culture and Literature category that have advanced to the final round round of voting in the 2009 Canadian Blog Awards.
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Best of luck to our competition: Mouse-traps and the Moon, North By East West (NxEW), Book Mine Set, and Quick Brown Fox. Make sure to check out all four of these great portals to increased understanding of and interaction with Canadian culture.
As first reported in The Toronto Star, The Harold Green Theatre Company has pulled $50,000 in funding seven weeks befrore the curtain of the Convergance Theatre production of Yichud/Seclusion at Theatre Passe Muraille, after a major funder got a hold of the script and decided “the material might be misconstrued”.
In a scathing article on NOW Daily yesterday, Susan G.Cole called into question the ability of the company to remain artistically relevant in the wake of that decision:
I want to be clear. A Jewish theatre has the right to program material that it believes meets its mandate. Similarly, a gallery has the right to curate what it believes is consistent with its values – and I’ve said as much with relation to the Koffler’s decision to abandon Katz
But if Jewish artistic institutions narrow their vision in such a way that Jewish artists cannot produce thoughtful work probing the situation in Israel or in Orthodox Jewish homes or anywhere inside the Jewish community, exactly what kind of art do they think is going to get produced. And do the folks at Harold Green really think that, after this debacle, Jewish playwrights who matter will even consider affiliating with the theatre?
Maybe it’s time for Jewish theatre artists to establish the company we deserve – the Harold Green Jewish Theatre isn’t cutting it.
Next up for the Harold Green: a December 15th deadline for playwrights to submit to “In The Beginning: A Jewish Playwright Festival” which “aims to open the door for groundbreaking Jewish voices that challenge the Jewish perspective.” Note to playwrights – groundbreaking and challenge may not have the meaning you are used to in this context.
Meanwhile, Passe Muraille and Convergence have managed to salvage their co-production with some amazing fundraising, but they had to cut a full week of rehearsals to make the new smaller budget fly. They’re still fundraising in an effort to get back that key week you need to make good art great.
You can make a donation though Canada Helps here.
(Under Fund/Designation select: Help Convergence Theatre)
Councillors sat at these desks to pass the sign bylaw 25 -16 before investigating how the flux capacitor had caused the warp drive to go offline
By Michael Wheeler
Yep, that’s right: Toronto has a new sign bylaw and it’s a pretty good one. A ten-year battle by public space advocates was passed by an even wider margin they hoped for. It will create more than $10 million for the City of Toronto annually. Their success will likely go down as a famous and glorious moment in grassroots political organizing in Toronto, and a good story for the kids about what you can accomplish with a huge dose of sticktoitiveness and a flawlessly executed and integrated social and mainstream media campaign.
The news for arts funding advocates was less rosy. Even though the City of Toronto staff report recommended directing the revenue to arts funding, the bylaw was passed without this stipulation and there are many assurances, but no guarantees, that some of the funds will be earmarked for art. Councillor Rob Ford stated explicitly that he believed the monies would not end up being used for arts funding.
Ford was emblematic of the virulent anti-artist bias that still exists within City Hall. Attacking artists in attendance, referring to them as “freeloaders”, he questioned their ability to simultaneously be employed and participate in democracy by attending City Hall. Councillor Minnan-Wong went as far to suggest that artists are not real people – hoping to ensure that the funds would never see any arts groups going instead to, “real people, real communities”.
Councillor Rob Ford was comfortable hurling insults at artists during the debate.
Cheekiest moment of the debate went to Councillor Adam Vaughan for his motion that the City of Toronto congratulate Knaan for being chosen to perform in front of hundreds of millions with his 2010 World Cup song and for generally becoming a major world superstar who is still engaged with his community. Counsellor Vaughan was also quick to point out that Knaan had been the recipient of municipal arts funding when he was an emerging artist in Etobicoke – the region Rob Ford represents.
Net result: This is a great opportunity for artists to take the high road and and strengthen relationships with their allies. Clearly this bylaw would never have passed with out artists and arts-based activism. Clearly the arts should see some of this money – but what about the rest of it? After $1.4 Million of the tax is used to pay for proper enforcement of the new sign bylaws, what will the other $9 million go to? Obviously the Toronto Arts Council is a good start, all of it would double what TAC gives out in a given year, which seems unrealistic in a city with a cost-prohibitive transit system.
What are the other things that make a city beautiful? I would go with 1) less hunger 2) more affordable housing 3) cleaner air/better cycling routes. Someone else might pick something else, but I bet most artists would be in the same ballpark. Arts activists are now in a unique position to increase their own funding and that of their allies and partners in making a truly beautiful city.
This is possibly the only way to prove ideologues like Ford and Minnan-Wong wrong: By showing we understand we are part of a grander scheme for society, one that incorporates many factors that work in tandem with one another that make our communities a better place to live. We are even capable of sharing resources amongst ourselves – because it is essential to each element that we all thrive. Real people and communities are complicated and multi-dimensional that way.
In what will likely be seen as a significant turning point in the quest for legitimacy by the theatrosphere, David Finkle, of theatremania.com, has been granted membership in the New York Drama Critics’ Circle.
The organization, whose role is to give out the highly prestigious annual awards named after themselves, had been reticent to offer membership to non-print published critics. But it seems the tide has finally turned, as reported by NYDCC President and Time Out New York critic Adam Feldman.
That’s right theatres, if you’re not engaging your local online critics and bloggers, you are officially hurting the feelings of writers that will form the next generation of prestigious award-givers. That really shouldn’t be the motivation to engage with the online theatre community, but if fear is your GO button – consider it officially pressed.
By Tara Beagan
How do we know when a person is sorry? How do you, personally, know that you’re not just apologizing to ease your own conscience, or to placate someone? What does it FEEL like to be sorry? What must one do to make things right again, when one’s work has offended a people or person?
When your work is theatre, it is public. It strives to reach people and provoke dialogue, inspire questions – to engage people in communion. When, through carelessness, or thoughtlessness, or momentary malice, we create something injurious, how do we come back from it? How do we make amends?
This February, I addressed – by way of a piece at the Wrecking Ball – an injurious event that transpired in the form of a review of a Native Earth production. In it, the Toronto Star called Métis playwright Melanie J. Murray and her characters “Indian”, though the information had been provided by Native Earth to prevent such an outdated and embarrassing use of terminology. Native Earth sought restitution. In their response, The Star cited their Style Guide, which purports that “the word Indian, while considered offensive to some, is still perfectly usable.”
Native Earth informed the paper that this was not reason enough, that the issue was larger than a case of aesthetics. The Star made a vague commitment to consider revising their Style Guide. Many Native Earth affiliated artists – myself included – required more from The Star. My Wrecking Ball piece explored the damaging power of racial epithets, and recruited people to include themselves among the “some” who find the word offensive. After the Wrecking Ball, I hand-delivered the script and the photos of the “some”, along with a letter explaining the enterprise. We have reached the one-year mark of the staging of Melanie’s play, and the Star have yet to acknowledge my communication, or follow up with Native Earth.
Some of you know that there was some verbal sparring (much of it sparked right here, on this blog) about a video released by Artistic Producer Michael Rubenfeld this summer – a video that he put forth as a SummerWorks promotional thing. Many of us failed to see how it was SummerWorks related, and some of us – principally due to the proximate timing of the video to the ’09 Doras, and the recent presence Rubenfeld had had on Kelly Nestruck’s blog in regards to the Doras – thought it sorely offensive, mean and small. It was taken personally by a number of people in the First Nations community and beyond. This issue has been hashed out for months, now. Rubenfeld is sorry. He had said so, in his way, some time ago. Thanks to the efforts of a bruised community (FN and non) he now FEELS sorry, and that is – arguably – when an apology becomes authentic. It was slow to come, but Rubenfeld pushed through with a fortitude lacking in many people who hold far more prominent leadership positions. Many of us now feel restitution has been achieved.
The audience at Wrecking Ball 8 was comprised of SOME of the people that find the word offensive.
Quite recently, there was offense incurred – and swiftly dealt with – by Neptune Theatre and the CAEA. The CAEA had posted, on their listserve, an audition notice for Neptune’s upcoming production of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. The Cast of Characters, as written by J.M. Barrie in 1904, calls for “Pirates/Indians.” Rather than considering what this implies about our country’s first peoples and Neptune’s own lack of concern as to the portrayal that this nomenclature would connote, they went ahead and made the call as written. The CAEA posted that posting.
As soon as this caught my attention, I wrote Neptune and the CAEA. Neptune theatre responded to me that same day, whereas an Equity member rep (Kerry Ann Doherty) followed up with me through informal channels. Within a week, the CAEA had posted a joint apology along with Neptune, on the same listserve.
I want to extend my thanks to Neptune Theatre – and in particular to George Pothitos – for hearing the concerns I sent his company. The turnaround was impressive and gave me faith in Neptune’s commitment to stage a reconfigured production. Every painful hurdle this year had been a step in the right direction, and the fact that Neptune responded so swiftly feels like progress.
As for the CAEA, I hope they will continue to work on their rules and regulations regarding audition postings. Given that they were receptive to the concerns of a First Nations woman (and non-Equity member), I will continue to hope that change is possible.
In my own mother’s lifetime, there was signage at a movie theatre in B.C. that proclaimed a “NO INDIANS” policy on the ground level, relegating all “Indians” to the balcony. It is interesting to imagine my mom as a child, on a rare outing from Residential School, crammed into the back row of the balcony, watching Disney’s 1953 version of Peter Pan. It was complete with the tune “What Made the Red Man Red?”, whose lyrics include such chestnuts as “When the first brave married squaw, He gave out a big ugh.”
My mom’s grandchildren – my niece and nephew – sit in any section they want, in any theatre they want. If things continue to look up the way they have been, they won’t ever sit through a production of something that will teach them that their people say “ugh”. Hell, it might be to watch something that one of them has written.
Gookschem. (-that means thanks.)
Tara is a Ntlakapamux and Irish Canadian theatre artist
praxistheatre.com is nominated for a Canadian Blog Award in the Culture and Literature category
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There are numerous reasons why the plan to tax billboards and use the money to fund culture is a long overdue strategy as outlined in this post by Torontoist writer Hamutal Dotan. What became clear from Tuesday’s proceedings at City Hall was that the wealthy billboard lobby ain’t goin out like that.
Amendments proposed by Councillor Norm Kelly on Tuesday pose a real danger to the Beautifulcity.ca initiative. Councillor Adam Vaughan pointed out (to inappropriate and thoroughly scolded applause) that the amendments amounted to cutting the proposed tax in half while more than doubling the number of billboards allowed and increasing their size.
Whether or not these amendments will become reality has a lot to do with if middle-of-the-road councillors feel the public pressure to accept the bylaw as the city’s own non-partisan staff has recommended, or whether this is something they can float under the radar on and side with the lobbyists by passing it with shady amendments.
If you show up in at City Hall tomorrow that becomes less likely. It is an election year after all…
A new poll conducted by Ekos Research demonstrates an overwhelming majority of Torontonians support the Billboard Tax.
The measure was unanimously approved by the City of Toronto’s planning committee and will be put to City Council today. 70% support the tax, while 14% are opposed. The poll also concluded that Torontonians would be far less likely to support the measure if the tax revenue was not tied directly to arts.
City councillors that vote against this measure will now find themselves in the awkward position of rejecting the unanimous advice of the city’s own experts and the vast majority of Torontonians.
Certainly the issue has become a lightening rod citizens are mobilizing around: a short backgrounder from last Thursday’s NOW Magazine has become the third most commented piece in the history of the website in just 4 days. Will Sign wars become the all-time most commented NOW article?
Poll based on 709 interviews with Torontonians from a broader survey of 1,202 GTA residents using EKOS’ innovative Probit telephone-online panel conducted between November 23rd and 29th, 2009. The results of the poll are valid within +/-3.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Liane Balaban poses with her mother at the après cocktail of My Name Was Anna. After sharing the silver screen with the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Hugh Dancy, Balaban returned to TO to play Claire in Necessary Angel’s workshop presentation of Michael Ondaatje’s novel Divisadero at Theatre Passe Muraille.
Harbourfront Centre and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre invite you to participate in a FREE, three-day workshop with Glasgow-based artist Adrian Howells, delving into the process and considerations related to autobiographical, confessional and intimate performance.
Howells has been a performance artist for the past 20 years. He creates work that promotes intimacy and genuine exchange with the audience in one-to-one, autobiographical and confessional contexts, in a range of non-traditional performance spaces. He has developed work investigating sexuality, social taboo and social conventions in public space and private situations. Howells is a recognized artists and performance professor at the University of Glasgow, with extensive experience in workshop facilitation and lecturing for high school and university students, professional artists and community groups.
HATCHLab is a peer-to-peer learning opportunity presented as part of our HATCH: emerging performance projects and World Stage programmes. The mandate of HATCHLab is to link the local performance community with international peers and practices. Past HATCHLabs have been facilitated by New York’s The TEAM (Theatre of the Emerging American Moment), Australia’s Back to Back Theatre and UK’s Stan’s Cafe.
Space is limited. If you are interested in taking part contact: hatch@harbourfrontcentre.com for more information.
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