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War Horse, playing at the New London Theatre.
Lynn's latest recommended shows in Toronto:
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Playwright Class with Brad
I received this interesting press info on an intensive playwrighting course for new or unproduced writers given by Brad Fraser. A terrific idea and a great opportunity to learn from one of our leading playwrights who never stops working on his craft.
Have you always been interested in writing for the theatre but didn’t know where to start? Have you written a play or two and never gotten a production? If so, we’re looking for you.
Internationally renowned playwright Brad Fraser, author of such works as Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, Poor Super Man, Wolfboy, Outrageous, True Love Lies and many other scripts that have been produced worldwide over the last thirty years is offering an intensive playwriting program specifically for new or unproduced writers.
Says Fraser, “As the spaces for plays by new voices in any given theatre’s season have become more scarce and the writers vying for those spaces have become more competitive there is a danger that unproduced writers may come to believe the best way to get produced is to write plays that reflect or mimic the shows they already see on the stage. My own experience suggests the exact opposite. It is generally the freshest new voices and the most innovative scripts that catch the attention of dramaturges and artistic directors and this program is designed to give new writers permission to tell their stories in personal and unique ways.”
The program will be eight, two hour Monday night sessions (June 14th to August 2nd) at Playwrights Guild of Canada, 215 Spadina Ave, Suite 210, Toronto. Each participant will be expected to have a script they are developing and parts of those scripts will be read and discussed in a manner that reflects the individual components of writing for the theatre that will be explored during each meeting. Those components will be Story, Character, Dramatic Action, Structure, Style, Revision, Development and Production. Each session will also have occasional visits by a guest speaker who is already working in the theatre as well as the analysis of existing plays that each participant will be expected to read and other related topics.
These sessions will be rigorous, challenging and are not recommended for those who are precious about their work or do not rise to a challenge. The theatre is a merciless place, particularly for writers, and in addition to finding fresh ways to tell theatrical stories it will also examine the playwrights need to be able to justify and protect their work while also learning when to compromise, edit and change.
Participants will be expected to submit, electronically only, new or revised writing on the Friday evening before each Monday night session.
Finding Fresh Voices is not meant to be a primer that will help inexperienced playwrights find a production for their new play but, rather, a series of ideas and exercises that may make their new play arresting enough to find a production.
WHAT YOU NEED TO APPLY
Those with no theatre experience as well as those who have had fringe productions, readings and workshops are eligible for this program. Those who have received a professional production(s) are not eligible for this program.
All writers wishing to be considered for the program must submit one scene, short play or portion of a longer play of no more than ten pages. Prose, poetry and writing for other media will not be considered and anything over ten pages will be automatically disqualified. The writing must be specifically for the theatre, double spaced, typewritten and submitted with the authors name, address and other information on a separate title page. Each page of the submission must have a header/footer with the title of the script and the page number but not the author’s name. All submissions must be through e-mail.
There will be a nominal charge of $160.00 to cover the cost of space, printing and reading time. This is a one time, non-refundable charge and must be paid to Playwrights Guild of Canada (info@playwrightsguild.ca) prior to the commencement of the first session. A failure to pay this fee up to one week before the commencement of the sessions will result in exclusion from the program.
The creation of a strong and trusting group dynamic is crucial to the success of this program therefore each participant must be willing and able to commit to attending every Monday night session. Should anyone fail to attend a session for any reason other than the most dire emergency they will automatically be ejected from the remaining sessions.
This is non-negotiable and those with other possible Monday night commitments are advised to wait for a future session.
Group size will depend on the number and quality of submissions but will likely not exceed fifteen people. A waiting list will be established for any entrants showing potential in the event someone else cannot pay the fee or is forced to withdraw.
The playwrighting sessions will commence on June 14th and continue each consecutive Monday until ending on August 2nd.
Please submit entries to info@playwrightsguild.ca with the subject line: “FFV submission”
Location, time, payment details, reading list and any other details not covered in this brief will be sent to the accepted participants after they are chosen.
Lynn
April 14, 2010
Drivel Passing as Reportage
Not that long ago, the Toronto Star was a reliable source of quality theatre reviews. You could read a thoughtful, fair-minded, well-written critique from the likes of Nathan Cohen, Urjo Kareda, or Vit Wagner.
Cohen and Kareda have passed away, and Vit Wagner now has another beat. Reviewing theatre at the Star these days is Richard Ouzounian, whose reviews I often find short on substance. I’m not sure they much help your average Torontonian find the best value for his theatre dollar. Mr. Ouzounian seems happier to report on Broadway, and the buzz that surrounds the glitterati, than on the homegrown product. Particularly disappointing are his interviews, barely a scratch on the surface.
But his latest article, on how things are looking up at Stratford despite the recession, sinks to a new low. (http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/623632)
A teenage usher is quoted as saying that every preview of West Side Story gets a standing ovation. The female lead is ‘awesome,’ he adds. And both the Artistic Director and General Director are confident that the season will close in the black! Excuse me, but what else are these people going to say?
The box office had ‘a substantial increase in sales over last week,” according to Administrative Director Anita Gaffney. That can mean they sold ten tickets instead of five. Remember, this is the same festival that – inconceivably – cancelled 31 performances in the fall because of weak sales now.
This is what press agents do: create the best buzz possible, no matter how flat the prospects. In publicity you never, but never, admit that the sky is falling.
As a journalist, however, you have a responsibility to the truth – to tell the real story as best you can. This means you ask probing questions. While you cannot ignore the publicity machinery, you are skeptical about it. As a journalist, you place the interests of your readers ahead of the interests of your friends. No one said it’s easy.
Mr. Ouzounian urges his readers to buy their Stratford tickets now ‘instead of waiting’ because he predicts ‘sold-out shows later in the season.’ This is not good advice, and it weakens our trust that upcoming reviews will be balanced. If Mr. Ouzounian writes gushing four-star reviews for the Festival this season, will anyone believe him, or be surprised?
Readers of the Star deserve better than this.
Lynn
April 30, 2009
Lynn’s Best Productions of 2008
August Osage County - Music Box Theatre, New York
Black Watch - From Scotland, via Luminato, Toronto
Brief Encounter - Haymarket Cinema, London
Cooped - Premier Dance Theatre, Toronto
Cranked - Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Toronto
Krapp’s Last Tape/Hughie - Double Bill at Stratford
Major Barbara - National Theatre, London
Nickolas Nickleby - Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto
South Pacific - Lincoln Center Theater, New York
Stuff Happens - Berkeley Street Theatre, Downstairs, Toronto
The President - Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
The Stepmother - Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
The Trojan Woman - Stratford Festival, Stratford, Ontario
War Horse - At the National Theatre, London
Lynn
January 5, 2009
The Other Shoe Has Dropped
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival announced April 24 that Anika Noni Rose would not be playing Cleopatra in Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra this season. The reason? Scheduling conflicts with her television filming of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. What took everybody so long to figure that out? It seemed pretty clear to me March 14.
Ms Rose is presently on Broadway starring in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The production has been held over to June 22. This extension will not interfere with the television filming. Interestingly in Playbill-on-Line, March 4, in a Q and A Ms Rose was asked what leading role she was dying to play. She answered: Cleopatra. But no mention that at the time she was scheduled to play the role, albeit Shaw's version, at Stratford. Playbill-on-Line reported Ms Rose being cast in the television series March 11.
Interesting. Did she know then (March 4 or 11) she wasn't going to Stratford?
Ms Rose will be replaced by Nikki M. James who will also be playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at Stratford.
Lynn
April 27, 2008
Anika Noni Rose is on a roll. The Tony Award winner (Caroline, or Change) is on Broadway in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and got the best reviews of anyone in the production. It runs until April 13.
She has also just been cast in a new HBO series based on the detective books, “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” by Alexander McCall Smith. The filming of the series begins in August. The series is set in Botswana.
Ms Rose is also cast to play Cleopatra in George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in Ontario. It stars Christopher Plummer as Caesar, and is directed by Des McAnuff.
Caesar and Cleopatra runs at Stratford from August to November, playing 3 times a week at the beginning of the run, and then increasing to four and five times a week for the rest of the run.
Question? How is Ms Rose going to be in two places at the same time: Filming the series (set in Botswana) and playing Cleopatra in Stratford, Ontario?
Lynn
March 14, 2008
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