SUMMERWORKS THEATRE FESTIVAL
August 9th-19th, 2012
Michael Rubenfeld, theatre practitioner extraordinaire, has outdone himself as Artistic Producer of the Summerworkds Theatre Festival. The festival has grown steadily under his watch, but this line-up is stellar. My Comments at the end.
From the press release:
The largest juried theatre Festival in Canada announces it’s final selections for 2012. The 22nd Festival, running from August 9th to 19th, features over 40 plays, a return of the Performance Bar, a Live Art Series, practical workshops and a new twist on the Music Series. The National Series features a new play by award-winning playwright, actor and director Daniel MacIvor.
New plays by Daniel MacIvor, Anton Piatigorsky, Sean Dixon, Waawaate Fobister, Richard Sanger, Rosa Laborde, Nicholas Billon, Erin Brandenburg, Ron Jenkins, Anthony Black, The Scandelles and more. Work directed by Richard Greenblatt, Tara Beagan, Brendan Healey, Sarah Stanley, Edward Roy, Natasha Mytnowych, Ron Jenkins, Alistair Newton and others.
THE 2012 SUMMERWORKS FULL LINE-UP
SHOW NAME COMPANY NAME CREATORS (but they will appear as a jumble on the blog–sorry).
A Song For Tomorrow New Harlem Productions & Eventual Ashes Christina Wong
A Thousand Words UnSpun Theatre Chris Hanratty
Ajax (por nobody) Hot House Theater Alice Tuan
Ally & Kev j.squared theatre Jason Maghanoy
Aneemah’s Spot Motion Live Presents written by Motion/directed by Dian Marie Bridge
Artaud: un protrait en decomposition TheatreRUN Adam Paolozza, Michele Smith, Antonin Artaud
Barrel Crank Suitcase In Point Erin Shields/Rose Plotek/Deanna Jones/Natasha Pedors/Amy Nosbakken/Ernest Harris Jr/Joe Lapinski
Breath in Between Breath Collective in Association with Crow’s Theatre Anton Piatigorsky
Breathe For Me Real Eyes Theatre Jesse Stong and Edward Roy
Dumbo Squid Birdtown & Swanville Aurora Stewart de Peña
Extinction Sing The Theatre Department Ron Jenkins and Ron Pederson
Facts The Facts Assembly Arthur Milner
Fierce Monsters The Pop Group Rebecca Buttigieg
FRANCE (or, The Niqab) Old Pirate Sean Dixon, Tanja Jacobs
Haunted Tango Co. Daniel Karasik
HUFF Dependent Theatre Projects Cliff Cardinal
Iceland The Iceland Collective Kawa Ada, Nicolas Billon, Claire Calnan, Christine Horne, Ravi Jain, Renna Reddie, Kim Purtell
Les Demimondes Operation Snatch Alexandra Tigchelaar and Catherine Nimmo
Marine Life Company Theatre Crisis Rosa Laborde/Natasha Mytnowych/Trevor Schwellnus/Patrick Duwors/Eric Meadows/Scott McCord/Tommie Amber Pirie/Philip Riccio
Medicine Boy Anishnaabe Theatre Performance Waawaate Fobister – Playwright / Tara Beagan – Director
Petrichor Kitchenband Erin Brandenburg, Andrew Penner, Henry Adam Svec, Monica Dottor
Pieta Pieta Productions Sarah Stanley & Tamsin Kelsey
Such Bounty Snap Productions Written By Richard Sanger
Terminus Outside the March Mark O’Rowe / Mitchell Cushman, Maev Beaty, Ava Jane Markus, Harry Judge
Terre Haute Ecce Homo Theatre written by Edmund White | direction and sound design by Alistair Newton | production design by Matt Jackson
The Fever Cohort Theatre Company Wallace Shawn/Cohort Theatre Company
The Frenzy of Queen Maeve Live Lobster Theatre Anthony MacMahon
The Hearing of Jeremy Hinzman Foundry Theatre Company Josh Bloch, Oonagh Duncan, and Richard Greenblatt
Violent Be Violet Fine Wine Theatre Co Tanisha Taitt
Willow Bunch Willow Bunch Productions Rona Waddington
Your Side, My Side, and The Truth Compass Productions Rebecca Auerbach/Tova Smith
NATIONAL SERIES
I, Animal KAZAN CO-OP writer Daniel MacIvor/Direction Richie Wilcox
My Pregnant Brother Freestanding Productions written and performed by johanna nutter, directed and dramaturged by jeremy taylor
One/Un written by Mani Soleymanlou
When It Rains 2b theatre company Anthony Black
OFF SITE PRODUCTIONS
Big Plans Two Wheeler Productions Jeremy Taylor
Dutchman lemonTree Creations Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones)
Invitations/Into/Traces Cara Spooner Cara Spooner
COMMENT
Things that jump out:
Daniel MacIvor.
TheatreRUN will decompose Artaud? This I gotta see.
Anything created by Suitcase in Point and Erin Shields is worth our attention.
Ditto Crow’s Theatre and Anton Piatigorsky,
Ron Jenkins returns with Extinction Song.
Sean Dixon and Tanja Jacobs with FRANCE (or, Niqab). Intriguing title.
Daniel Karasik and Mitchell Cushman–two young artists who never stop creating and make the rest of us sit up and notice.
Tanisha Taitt is a force to be noted. She is fearless, creative, thoughtful, but alas does not like liver–but I’ll let that pass.
Anthony Black–Halifax is lucky to have him. We will see why when he brings WHEN IT RAINS.
Erin Brandenburgh and company.
Rosa Laborde and company.
This festival is full of writers, directors, actors and other creative artists who make a difference, never stop raising the bar, and Summerworks has all of them in one place for 10 days in August. How grand is that?