| The RED Letter, Oct 2008 |
Table of Contents
1. Words from Lisa Pijuan-Nomura
At 6:30 on Sunday morning, Dave picked me up at Casa Loma. After dancing all night long with Kaeja d'Dance's beautiful installation Stable Dances, I went home to my warm bed. I danced from 7 at night till 7 in the morning and then I head up north to a quiet little cabin to spend some time with myself, books and art supplies. But that night, I joined thousands of others to create and share some art and transform the city into a gallery of art, collaboration, and fun. I love Nuit Blanche but I have one problem with it. It only lasts for 12 hours. Why not share the magic of art with people all year round? Why not get out and support art every day in some small way? Here’s an example: I walk by an art gallery every day on my travels. For some reason, I never go in. I am a bit shy in the visual art world, and think that maybe it might be a bit too exclusive to me. But the other day, I was feeling confident and good and went in. And, I loved what I saw. I spoke to the gallery owner and was so tickled by our exchange. She told me about an upcoming exhibit and I left with a smile and a bounce in my step. I left inspired. As you all know, art inspires. So, I encourage you to celebrate art in your everyday life. Happy Thanksgiving and Halloween! Lisa 2. Feature Theatre: Nightwood Theatre’s Wild DogsThe first person to contact Lisa at lisa@girlcancreate.com will win a pair of tickets valid any night of the run except Saturday evenings up to and including Oct 31st
From the novel by Helen Humphreys Featuring October 4 to November 8, 2008 Each evening at dusk, six people gather at the edge of the woods, calling their dogs back – dogs that have turned wild. Drawn together by need, this unlikely group forms a community – until violence strikes unexpectedly. Wild Dogs is an unforgettable story about the wild in all of us. This world premiere stars Tamara Podemski as Alice. Podemski was the winner of the Sundance Film Festival 2007 Special Jury Prize for Acting – the first Canadian and first aboriginal in history to win this prize. Produced by Nightwood Theatre in association with The Canadian Stage Company For more information see www.nightwoodtheatre.net 3. Feature Theatre and Storytelling: An Evening with Uncle Val
October 1 to October 19 Theatre Passe Muraille is starting off their season with one of Canada's most beloved humourists and storytellers Andy Jones. In his remarkable, touching and funny show- AN EVENING WITH UNCLE VAL Andy Jones takes the character he developed to tell the Newfoundland folktale "Jack meets the Cat"- Valentine Reardigan - and uses this character to explore a cultural identity in crisis. The piece was modeled after Francis Colbert (1909-84), a well-known storyteller and monologue writer from Job’s Cove, Conception Bay. Andy has great respect and admiration for Colbert’s work and the two became great friends throughout the years. The importance of storytelling is something Jones holds dearly. Storytelling is also obviously a great aspect of Uncle Val, whose stories home are inspired by both Colbert and Jones’ own father, Michael Jones Sr., who provided many of the expressions and turns of phrase in the show. “I love telling stories. Ultimately, film, television, theatre is about that and it’s a very human thing to do,” he says. Storytelling Evenings On October 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th Andy Jones will reappear after the performance (at around 10:00pm) to sit in the bar with the audience and tell at least one of the four traditional Newfoundland folktales he refers to in his show- featuring the classic Jack character referred to above. This event is free for the public. Those in attendance will be encouraged to tell their stories as well. For more info see www.passemuraille.on.ca
4. Feature Comedy: Cute with Chris
Oct. 30th to Nov 2nd - book your tickets early! Last year, The Theatre Centre commissioned internet superstar Chris Leavins to create a live show of his uber-popular online show Cute With Chris. His first live show premiered in Los Angeles in January 2008 to a packed house. In April 2008, The Theatre Centre presented two shows, both were sold-out in less than 3 hours, with people traveling from all across North America to see Chris. Thursday Oct 30 @ 8pm All nights, except STORY HOUR, tickets $20 + $1 paypal fee Purchase tickets online at http://www.cutewithchris.com/theatrecentrebutton.html (while supplies last) or call our office directly at 416-534-9261. Limited number of $5 HipTix for full-time students (up to the age of 29) available in person at T.O. Tix (Yonge/Dundas Square) + a minimum of ten RUSH SEATING ($10 only) will be http://www.cutewithchris.com/theatrecentrebutton.html 5. Feature Festival: Toronto International Festival of Authors
29th Annual International Festival of Authors Tickets $15 | $12 members (Special ticketing applies to certain events. Check individual listings for details.) For a complete list of authors and events, visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com IFOA’s focus on Irish literary traditions past and present, gets underway on Saturday, October 25 at 12 pm when R.F. Foster and Diarmaid Ferriter talk to Colm Tóibín about the history of Ireland. 6. Feature Event: Sticky Fingers: Indie Music and Crafts
Sticky Fingers: On October 16, 2008 from 7:30 - 10:30 work by some of Toronto's most exciting craft artists will be up for auction at The Boat nightclub as part of a fundraiser for the second annual City of Craft holiday craft culture event and sale. Local favourites such as Julie Moon, Kate Jackson and Allyson Mitchell have donated work for the fundraiser along with over 20 other craft-loving artists. The auction is silent but The Boat will be bumping late into the night with sounds from innovative musical acts Gravity Wave, Vowls, Southern Charles, and PDF Format. Art objects on offer include ceramics, prints, textile art, bookworks, illustrations, and photography by a range of talented artists. A preview of auction items, co-presented by Methinks Presents will open to public viewing from October 2 – 15 at Project 165 gallery across the street from the auction venue. The opening reception for the preview will take place on October 7th from 6.30-11pm. Local artists, musicians, and comedians Levi McDougall and Sarah Hennessy have donated their time and works in support of City of Craft 2008 which will take place on December 13, 2008 from 12-8pm the Theatre Centre (100-1087 Queen St. W). Though the mediums of expression of fundraiser participants range widely, all support the DIY (do-it-yourself) spirit of City of Craft 2008, which features community outreach, workshops and interactive exhibits in addition to locally made craft merchandise. What: Auction Preview (in collaboration with Methinks Presents) What: Sticky Fingers Fundraiser & Auction The City of Craft collective aims to build community in the Toronto craftscape, support independent craft businesses, and encourage the larger community to get involved with crafty happenings in the city. Activities include material swaps, craft-related discussions, small trunk shows, and our large-scale flagship City of Craft event.
7. Night of Dread! – October 25 at Dufferin Grove Park
Attention, dreadful citizens! Mark your calendars for the 9th Annual Night of Dread, Saturday October 25, 2008. Night of Dread is an invitation to parade our private and collective fears through the darkened streets of the Bloor/Dufferin/College communities. The procession returns to Dufferin Grove Park for an evening of ceremonial festivities that compel us to call on, mock and banish the fears that unite and divide us in these times. It is an evening of pageantry, music and masquerade including towering puppets, stilt dancers, fire twirlers and fearful masks in a daring exploration of dread. Night of Dread incorporates international folk and theatrical traditions that draw inspiration from the many festivals of death and remembrance around the world. Join Toronto musicians, puppeteers, dancers and stilt walkers as together we laugh at our fears, real and imagined, private and public.
Parade assembles at Dufferin Grove Park at 3 PM, departs at 6 PM Dress code: black and white Volunteers always wanted & welcome! info: 416-537-9105, claypaper@sympatico.ca 8. Read this Book! With Book Lady Sarah Selecky
In one of my earliest Book Lady columns I recommended Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. (Have all of you read that book, yet? If not, please do so now.) I was also affected by Patchett’s memoir, Truth and Beauty – the story of a friendship between writers. Heartbreaking and true, that book marked me officially as an Ann Patchett fan. I read the reviews of her new novel, Run, with interest: unsurprisingly, the critics were loving it. The story takes place over 24 hours. The same night Boston is hit by a tremendous blizzard, Bernard Doyle (white) takes his two adopted sons Tip and Teddy (black) to hear Jesse Jackson speak. As they leave the event, the snow too thick, the night too dark, there is an accident. What follows is a dramatic and unexpected uncovering of family secrets and an exploration of privilege, poverty, regret and responsibility. Ann Beattie, author of The Burning House, wrote that fiction is “the observed transformed; what is imperfectly understood by the writer, finally being articulated into a coherent question.” In Run, Patchet poses many questions, not the least of which is: what does it mean to be a parent? It isn’t as exquisite and mellifluous as her masterpiece, Bel Canto, and it’s not nearly as emotionally fine as Truth and Beauty, but the story is suspenseful, and the characters are drawn carefully. Patchett is given to explaining too much of what her characters are feeling, though. She does write fear and love and grief with delicacy and accuracy, but anyone who has stayed up late at night to finish a book with tears in her eyes knows that making a reader believe that a character feels sad is very different from making a reader feel sad herself. Still, the characters in this novel stayed with me long after I read the final chapter, and that snowy, frozen Boston winter was written with such remarkable detail and atmosphere that I could feel it even as I read the book outside, in my garden. I may not have had tears in my eyes as I turned the pages, but I could feel the snowflakes falling. 9. Creativity Classes with GirlCanCreateDo you have a creative dream welling up inside?
As a creativity coach, I am interested in helping people discover their most creative, true and fulfilling selves. I bring over 20 years experience as a performance artist to my work and understand the practice of starting from an idea and moving towards creation. Together with clients, I aim to bring more art to their lives, work towards specific project goals and assist to make their creative dreams a reality. Together we look towards clarity, inspiration and realization in regards to all aspects of their creative life. My many experiences contribute to my understanding of the creative life. My knowledge of performance creation and the artistic life help me in my work as a creativity coach. With a sense of humour, I work with clients to help uncover your creative dreams. Creativity Coaching deals with one's own creativity. During this time together, many emotions and feelings arise. While this is a natural aspect of the coaching relationship, our job together is to get through your creative dilemmas. Rates: I am offering an additional 10% discount for the month of September and October for RED Letter Readers! I am currently accepting new coaching clients. If you are interested in working with me please email me atlisa@girlcancreate.comwith a short introduction. I look forward to hearing from you!
10. Classes, Workshops and ConferencesIntroducing the Story: Short Fiction Writing Workshop for Beginners Where do stories come from? How do we get our ideas? More importantly, what do we do with the bits in our notebooks, once we have written them down? This workshop teaches beginning writers to use freewriting, clustering, and other writing prompt tools to generate rich, complex, satisfying stories. It introduces the elements of fiction - character, plot, dialogue and setting - and provides the structure that is necessary for a sprouting story to take root and flourish. A variety of exercises stimulate and train the writing mind. The goal is to encourage a personal writing practice that students will continue after the workshop is finished. The environment is non-intimidating and supportive, perfect for writers who would like to jump start their practice, explore technique, and create a useful foundation for their fiction writing. This course is open to all writers, even those who have not written fiction before. October 15th to November 19th, 2008 Introducing the Workshop: You know you can write a story, but you seem to need a deadline to get it out of your head and onto the page. Or you’d simply appreciate a community of writers who will read your work critically to help you begin your editing process. In this workshop series, we’ll focus on finding the balance between inspiration and revision. You will do some in-class writing but will work on your stories from home, with a deadline set for the completed draft. The workshop sessions will be guided, the critique respectful of each writer’s unique voice. You’ll gain the valuable insight of fellow writers who understand the challenges of the writing life, and through the process of reading critically, you’ll deepen your relationship to your own writing. October 20th to November 24th, 2008 All classes held in Parkdale $250.00 per course To register:contact write@sarahselecky.ca or call 416.516.2668 Obsidian Theatre Company International Playwrights Forum In collaboration with Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage, The International Festival of Authors and Theatre Passe Muraille. The Obsidian blog is named Nsaa after an Adrinka symbol that represents excellence and authenticity. The symbol evokes a stylized weaving of fabric and through these separate threads we can create a new whole. As we move away from the old classifications of race and culture we now have the opportunity to knit together different strands to create a new cultural cloth. The International Playwrights Forum will bring together playwrights of many cultures to share their experiences and their art. During this three day event, through a series of talks, master classes and play readings playwrights from Toronto will build bridges with playwrights from the United Kingdom and the USA. The IPF is a unique opportunity, to not only learn from different cultural perspectives but to be inspired and challenged as artists. For more information please check www.obsidian-theatre.com Discover Your Clown with Helen Donnelly! Uncover what lurks beneath the surface: Discover the artistry behind this timeless form of theatre! This 6-day workshop “Discover Your Clown” is a level one approach to theatrical clown for students with limited or no clown experience. “What we need is a clown for our time. A clown… that celebrates our humanness, our animalness, and the times that we can touch each other in a moment of laughter."-Richard Pochinko DATES: November 18, 19, 25, 26, December 2, 3rd, 2008 Over the last 15 years, Helen has worked as a theatrical/circus clown with various companies including Cirque du Soleil, Zero Gravity Circus and Circus Orange, and in festivals such as Just For Laughs and Buskerfest, and at special events worldwide. She is also a professional therapeutic clown. She has been teaching clown workshops and physical theatre in the US and Canada for over 10 years at arts centres, schools and independently.Her workshops ‘Discover Your Clown’ and ‘Flex Your Clown Muscle’ are offered several times a year. To register, email Helen Donnelly via her website: www.helendonnelly.com Ecological Artmaking: Community Project #2 Oct 2 – Dec 4, 2008 (10 weeks) Join us as we form a community of all ages and diverse voices to make an artistic statement about crucial environmental issues affecting our community. Collaborative creative skills are at the heart of what our society needs to ensure a healthy future for our planet. This project will help strengthen community by exploring and celebrating a sense of common space/place and to reflect the fragile interplay of ecosystems with the human imagination. Over a ten-week period, three professional artists, (a writer and two visual artists) will lead interested Torontonians of all ages in the creation of an installation art piece using textures, colours, words, poetry and designs expressing growth, concern and dynamic involvement with the environment. We will use group decision making as well as ask questions that challenge our own perspectives. No previous art experience is necessary. Everyone is welcome. All you need to bring is your imagination and your interest in building community and sharing thoughts and stories about how our city’s ecological and environmental issues reflect our lives and the lives of those in the city. The completed installation piece will be exhibited at the new TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. Facilitators: Steve McCabe, Catherine Mellinger, Deborah Nolan
11. Upcoming Performances of InterestOctober 3 – November 2 October 4 to November 2 October 7 October 7 to October 16 October 14 – Canadian Election – Vote! Vote! Vote! October 15 October 19 October 18-19 October 21 to October 26 October 22 October 25 12. Photography by Dave Pijuan-Nomura
Check out more of Dave's work at artistasan.etsy.com 13. Last Thought
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