tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185929272024-02-28T15:56:57.623-05:00The Red Huta meeting place to discuss art, culture, and diversityCahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-79985483347775583202009-01-03T08:27:00.002-05:002009-01-03T08:41:03.832-05:00Theatre Creators' Reserve<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cahoots is now accepting applications!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Deadline: January 31, 2009</span><br /></div><br />Cahoots Theatre Projects is a theatre recommender for the Theatre Creators’ Reserve. This program allows Ontario artists time and support to work on new creations by applying to theatre companies who in turn recommend funding from the Ontario Arts Council. Please consult the <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.arts.on.ca/Page86.aspx">OAC page</a> for more details. Artists interested in applying for this year's program are asked to review the <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.cahoots.ca/whoweare.shtml">Cahoots’ mandate.</a> In keeping with our mandate, preference will be given to artists that reflect Cahoots’ core values and beliefs. Cahoots strongly encourages submissions from artists working in non-text disciplines, or with diversity of practices and approach.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">To apply, please prepare the following:</span><br /></div><ul><li>Vision: Your letter or statement of intent, including any previous development</li><li>Project: A proposal and/or script excerpt</li><li>Info: Biography and/or résumé</li><li>Support: Video/audio for non-text based submissions only</li><li>OAC forms: 3 copies of the form available from the <a style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://www.arts.on.ca/Page86.aspx">OAC page.</a></li><li>SASE: Please include enough postage to cover the material you wish returned. All other material will be recycled.</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please note there is a 45 - page limit to the entire application.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Submissions by email or fax will not be considered.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Send by mail or drop off to:<br /><br />Cahoots Theatre Projects<br />174 Spadina Ave. #610<br />Toronto, Ontario<br />M5T 2C2<br />RE: THEATRE CREATORS' RESERVE<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Recommendations will be determined based on the scope and scale of the proposed project, artists’ past history of creation and the feasibility of the artists’ workplan.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Any questions regarding the program, please contact us at<br />info@cahoots.ca or by phone at 416-203-9000.</span><br /></div>mudgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713649832036427954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-1640222674284814422008-08-27T15:45:00.002-04:002008-08-27T15:48:49.265-04:00Lost treasuresThere’s something tremendously exciting about discovering a ‘lost’ play. I was at <a href="http://www.shawfest.com/">The Shaw Festival</a> last week and got a chance to see their excellent production of Githa Sowerby’s <a href="http://www.shawfest.com/web/content.asp?docid=1_3_4_1"><span style="font-style:italic;">The Stepmother</span></a>.<br /><br />Hearing the voice of a woman playwright from 1924 writing about her own time was like finding a jewel from an forgotten civilization: it was both a signifier from the past and something of inestimable value today.<br /><br />The reason I was in Niagara-on-the-Lake was very much connected to the idea of finding buried treasures. Last November, Cahoots was at The Shaw for a two week <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=28">Playwriting Retreat</a>. It was back then that Cahoots first pitched the idea of working together with The Shaw to expand their canon to include works from Asia, Africa, and South America that were written during Shaw’s lifetime. <br /><br />Jackie Maxwell, the festival’s artistic director, responded very enthusiastically to the proposal. It’s clear from works like <span style="font-style:italic;">The Stepmother</span> that she is very much committed to expanding people’s idea of what is the festival is all about.<br /><br />Esther Jun and I sourced a number of fascinating plays for Jackie and company dramaturg Joanna Falck to consider for a modern adaptation. It was a treat to read through some unknown gems like Rabindranath Tagore’s <span style="font-style:italic;">The Post Office</span>, Lao She’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Teahouse</span>, and the major works of Chinese dramatist Cao Yu. (His 1937 play <span style="font-style:italic;">Wilderness</span> is reminiscent of the epic vision of some of O’Neill’s masterpieces.) Translations tend to age poorly so some of these works are ripe for a talented playwright to re-adapt.<br /><br />Last week, Joanna, Jackie and I discussed some of these works and we’re continuing to move ahead with a very exciting collaboration – one that will introduce new voices and new faces into a much-beloved institution.<br /><br />I’m excited not only by the possible opportunities for diverse artists but also by the way this collaboration will bring new vitality to an important era in theatre history. So many of the themes of early twentieth century drama still resonate with us now in this new century: the rise and fall of empires, the role of the individual in society, the insatiable appetite of commerce.<br /><br />And yet, virtually all of the voices we’ve heard from this era have been male and Eurocentric. What has been missing in this discussion are the perspectives from “the rest of the world”. Not surprisingly, in rediscovering some of these voices from the past we can draw remarkable parallels to the present. Then, as now, the story of the emerging world is incomplete without hearing all its voices.Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-91229551569771497872008-08-11T15:36:00.000-04:002008-08-11T15:36:34.645-04:00More on the Race Card<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/id/151725">Anna Quindlen in Newsweek</a> has some interesting insights on how people use race and the allegations of racism as a wedge. An excerpt:<br /><blockquote>Using the term "race card" as a pejorative is almost always meant to promulgate the big lie that takes hold everywhere from the workplace to the classroom: that black men and women commonly use race as a bludgeon and an excuse, and that they will always blame failures or disagreements on racism.</blockquote>Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-40369059947482764572008-08-11T13:15:00.003-04:002008-08-11T13:29:53.251-04:00No Middle Ground (or, A Corollary to Godwin’s Law)<a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/racism-vs-institutional-racism.html ">In a previous post</a>, I alluded to two major barriers to having meaningful, constructive dialogues about race. I wrote about one: the failure to distinguish between individual and collective acts of racism.<br /><br />The other barrier is the absence of useful language to describe gradated acts of racism. We tend to describe racism as an either/or proposition when, in reality, racist behaviour acts upon a continuum.<br /><br />The American journalist Julian Sanchez recently wrote a wonderful post titled <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.juliansanchez.com/2008/07/08/everyones-a-little-bit-racist/">Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist</a></span> (which, coincidentally, is my favourite <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9CSnlb-ymA">song from the musical Avenue Q</a>) on his blog. Here, he describes what I’m talking about far better than I can.<br /><blockquote>Is it possible to be so opposed to racism that it becomes more difficult to root out racism?<br /><br />Just follow me for a second here: What image springs to mind when you think of “racism”? A Klansman burning a cross? Adolf Hitler? George Wallace barring the schoolhouse door? Images like these are iconic, easy to invoke, and extreme. They remain current because they are potent illustrations of where racism leads; their ugliness, their repugnance, is manifest.<br /><br />There are still, of course, sectors of American society where the crude racism of the epithet and the noose is casually accepted. But, happily, this sort of thing is largely beyond the pale in polite company now. And this makes it beguilingly easy to conclude: “Well, I don’t go around slinging racial epithets or fuming with hatred at this or that group. Therefore I can’t be one of those awful people. Why, some of my best friends…”<br /><br />But the variety of racism more common today is more subtle than that, and in a way more pernicious for it, since the overt bigot is unlikely to wield much social power. It’s the subliminal reaction of the manager looking for a new cashier who, for some reason he can’t articulate, just doesn’t think the minority candidate seems quite trustworthy enough. It’s this person who we most want examining his own attitudes. But to do that means being prepared to start from the difficult premise that even he—educated, urbane, kind, and so on—may indeed harbor racial biases. Like Hitler! Like a Klansman!<br /><br />Now, there’s an obvious way around this, though it should make us uncomfortable for different reasons. We could make a point of talking about race bias and stereotyping in a more gradated way. At one pole is the Klansman. At another, there’s that “typical white person” who is more guarded and alert walking past a black guy at 1am on 7th and V than he would be walking past a similarly-dressed white person.<br /><br />The discomfort here comes from the thought that allowing these gradations entails licensing some forms of racism—regarding them as understandable, even acceptable. And for very good reasons, this is not the kind of conversation we want to have: “So, is this particular instance bad racism or sorta-understandable racism?” There are whole modes of thought we just want to be entirely beyond the pale.</blockquote><br />Sanchez makes a number of excellent points. We don’t have the words to describe the vast middle ground that exists between the actions of a Klansman and the minor racist transgressions that almost everyone commits. <br /><br />Consider for a moment that the term racist can be (and has been) used to describe all of the following situations:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">While on the sidewalk, a person of colour comes towards you and you automatically steel yourself because you think he’s a panhandler.<br /><br />An illegal immigrant working as a domestic is systematically abused and exploited by her employers who threaten her with deportation.<br /><br />Although you’re a fourth-generation Chinese-Canadian, an elderly white woman prefaces asking you for directions by saying in a loud, slow voice: “Excuse me … do … you … speak … English?<br /><br />A black teenager is dragged to death from a pickup truck by a group of whites.<br /><br />A light-skinned Indo-Canadian actor auditioning for a role is told by the director (who is also Indo-Canadian) that the production is looking for “a darker-skin South Asian”.</span><br /><br />There is clearly no moral equivalence between these acts and yet we apply the same generic term to descibe them. And though we have tried to use somewhat nebulous terms such as ‘culturally insensitive’ to describe less serious offenses, most discussions tend to escalate to the terms ‘racism’ or ‘racist’ all too easily.<br /><br />In the process, we rob these words of their power. If we keep throwing around the term ‘racist’ injudiciously, it will cease to have meaning. Which really sucks because it’s a highly useful word to describe, you know, actual racists.<br /><br />The classic example of devaluing words, of course, is the Hitler Card. Here’s an individual who was responsible for six million deaths and yet, any act of aggression invites a comparison to Der Führer. (Here’s the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/10/AR2008081001871.html">latest</a>.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law">Godwin’s Law</a> states: <span style="font-style:italic;">As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one</span>.<br /><br />I think we need to create a First Corollary to Godwin’s Law which goes: <span style="font-style:italic;">As a discussion about cultural diversity grow longer, the probability of an allegation of racism approaches one</span>.<br /><br />The ways things are going, it’s not hard to imagine future conversations sounding like this:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A: <br />Such-And-Such is a real racist, you know.<br /><br />B: <br />He is?<br /><br />A: <br />Totally, dude.<br /><br />B: <br />Now, do you mean a <span style="font-weight:bold;">real</span> real racist? Or racist like a that last time you called that guy a racist and we all stuck up for you but then it turned out you’d never even met the guy and we all looked like douche bags racist?<br /><br />A: <br />No dude, I mean a <span style="font-weight:bold;">real</span> real racist. A TOTAL racist …<br /><br />B: <br />TOTAL? Wow, that’s serious, dude …</span><br /><br />To avoid ridiculous situations like this, we need to hold each other accountable when one of us starts taking complex issues and stripping them of nuance. So let me start by pointing out a recent, egregious example of public Godwinning.<br /><br />I call out … me.<br /><br />In the fourth last paragraph of <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/racism-vs-institutional-racism.html ">this recent post</a> I stated that racism could be proven by evidence such as:<br /><blockquote><br />a letter to the country club chairman asking to kick out all the Jews, an “I [heart] Rush Limbaugh” bumper sticker, a KKK discount card (10 per cent off lawn crosses!)</blockquote><br />See what I did there? In my zeal to make the standard for calling someone a racist high, I set the bar impossibly high (and got in a few cheap laughs in the process). Shame on me. Of course, it’s not that simple to define a racist. We’d all be lucky if it were that simple. Please call me on my bullshit when I do stuff like that. We can win this war through truth and reason and we don’t need to resort to specious arguments.<br /><br />Despite the error of my ways, I still maintain that calling someone a racist, like the Hitler Card, is a nuclear option that we should reserve for those times when it truly deserved.<br /><br />Conversely, to anyone who is reproached for cultural insensitivity, please try not to respond as if you are being branded a racist. Even if a charge of racism is ultimately easier to defend, no one is served by overreaction. A sense of proportion will prevent situations like <a href="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gpUc7hRZvE8yNvBgM9cwfE97CmNg">this.</a><br /><br />Let’s find ways of discussing the vast middle ground and prove Godwin wrong.Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-30372873420115995022008-08-11T13:05:00.003-04:002008-08-11T13:30:20.788-04:00Beyond the PaleDear friends,<br /><br />This is the first official entry in a continuing series of essays called <span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond the Pale</span> (a title I freely admit I stole from Yvette Nolan’s excellent drama anthology – <a href="http://www.playwrightscanada.com/plays/beyond_the_pale.html">pick up a copy</a>, if you don’t have one). I suppose technically, it’s the third entry since the impetus for these essays was an unfortunate incident which I’ve commented on <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/open-letter-to-membership-of-include.html">twice</a> <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/racism-vs-institutional-racism.html">previously</a>.<br /><br />And yet, I’ve chosen to start afresh because I’ve said just about all I’ve wanted to say about the aforementioned incident. I may occasionally refer to it in future posts for the purpose of illustration but I also intend to refer to other correspondences as well as to past productions, arguments, controversies – basically, a variety of things that have enraged and enlightened, discouraged and inspired me in my sixteen years as a professional theatre artist.<br /><br />Let me start by explaining what I’d like to explore and discuss in <span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond the Pale</span>. First, the underlying belief that informs every single essay is:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Canadian Theatre systemically discriminates against many worthy artists from diverse backgrounds and it is the duty of all artists to correct this historical imbalance. Theatre is bigger than any one of us and no one has the right to stifle its fundamentally inclusive nature. Making our Theatre more inclusive is not only morally correct, it is vital to the survival of the art form we love.</span><br /><br />That’s my version of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Directive">Prime Directive</a>. I’ll be coming back to it time and time again.<br /><br />I imagine that the vast majority of you reading this agree with the Prime Directive (my version not <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfleet">Starfleet</a>’s). If that’s the case, I’m delighted because it means that we’ve already discovered some common ground. And one of the central themes of <span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond the Pale</span> will be that we can make lasting change if we start by finding common ground. Conversely, I will passionately argue that the petty invective and personal attacks that sadly seem endemic to most discussions of diversity work in direct opposition to the Prime Directive.<br /><br />Now, of course, the Prime Directive calls for us to correct a historical imbalance and here’s where many of us will diverge in opinion. What are the best ways of achieving this? Why has change come so slowly? What are constructive and destructive ways to discuss discrimination? Why is it so damn hard to get people to agree on what discrimination is?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond the Pale</span> will be my attempt to answer some of these thorny questions. I don’t claim to have all the answers. Change will come collectively which means we need to share our thoughts and state our grievances in order to move forward. I encourage you to join the discussion through the comments link at the end of each blog. (Please keep it civil!)<br /><br />In this series, I’ll try to refer back to art and theatre as much as possible because it’s far too easy to get bogged down in politics and forget why we’re doing this in the first place: because we all love telling stories on stage.<br /><br />I’ll also do my best to fight my more pedantic impulses and keep the tone light and quasi-entertaining. Hey, it’s gonna be a long journey so we might as well have some fun along the way. Onward!Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-24516641191568605222008-08-07T12:29:00.012-04:002008-08-11T13:31:51.614-04:00Racism vs. Institutional Racism<span style="font-style:italic;">Hi all,<br /><br />As I mentioned in <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/open-letter-to-membership-of-include.html">an earlier post</a>, I had a lot more to say on the topic of race in the arts. Turns out in writing this, I have even <span style="font-weight:bold;">more</span> to say. (I believe I promised three follow-up blog entries after this one.) Stay tuned...<br /><br />Jovanni</span><br /><br />*************<br /><br />Why make a distinction between the actions of an organization and the culpability of its members or, indeed, its leader? Because it is essential that we not confuse racism with institutional racism. <span style="font-weight:bold;">They are not the same thing!</span> Our tendency to conflate these concepts is one of of the two biggest barriers in having any constructive dialogue about race and the performing arts. (I’ll discuss the other barrier <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/no-middle-ground-or-corollary-to.html">in a separate post</a>.)<br /><br />So what is institutional racism? The term was introduced by black nationalist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokely_Carmichael">Stokely Carmichael</a> in the late 1960’s. Though it was initially coined to describe the systemic exclusionary policies of government agencies and universities, it is equally applicable to the performing arts. Carmichael defines institutional racism as "the collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin". <br /><br />Note the most important word in that definiton: <span style="font-style:italic;">collective</span>. I’ll come back to this in a moment. First, I like to provide a concrete example of institutional racism in the theatre – one that clearly illustrates the difference between individual and collective racism.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2T2Ql7fw2np8HiXxiBvU4_adENfuA3WUJESSMFUCKIL2sY97B-IZzJd3CqTl2yCsGzpa5XJZDiw2JAjvZIUreeSVfny-XaQ5Qhw_N2dXNj54xSsAttqykfbd-8gFa5sncjQm/s1600-h/015.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2T2Ql7fw2np8HiXxiBvU4_adENfuA3WUJESSMFUCKIL2sY97B-IZzJd3CqTl2yCsGzpa5XJZDiw2JAjvZIUreeSVfny-XaQ5Qhw_N2dXNj54xSsAttqykfbd-8gFa5sncjQm/s320/015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231818899773565746" /></a><br />In 2003, there was a global initiative called the <a href="http://www.lysistrataproject.org/">Lysistrata Project</a>. To protest the Bush Administration’s illegal invasion of Iraq, theatre artists around the world were encouraged to stage local readings of the classic Aristophanes anti-war comedy. There were several readings that took place in Toronto, one of them was a rental at Factory Theatre where I worked at the time. I remember going to see a rehearsal and being quite shocked to see sixteen Caucasian performers on stage.<br /><br />What’s so shocking about this, you might wonder? Well, there was nothing in the artistic vision of this particular rendering that situated it in a culturally specific time or place. In other words, there was no reason to justify casting (or excluding) performers from a specific background. Given this, it’s not just strange to see an all-white cast, it’s a near-statistical impossibility. On this note, I’m going to put on my math geek hat. (It’s an embarrassing little beanie hat with a propeller on top. I rarely don it publicly for obvious reasons.)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9hM6w3POaVZ7DzWiHo-kKEGg1y-S-lTfOurYTXHXqskpvU4qvooUZjBpkIAvScF2TZxOwdwQs-W2CAiszyV33sV_kKaYoQKf2HillMgLnCEBYDPxTF8KdCOxFH5nlEvP0LnL/s1600-h/beanie_hat200.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9hM6w3POaVZ7DzWiHo-kKEGg1y-S-lTfOurYTXHXqskpvU4qvooUZjBpkIAvScF2TZxOwdwQs-W2CAiszyV33sV_kKaYoQKf2HillMgLnCEBYDPxTF8KdCOxFH5nlEvP0LnL/s320/beanie_hat200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231818280382954578" /></a><br /><br />Let’s create an idealized model where we’re casting our version of Lysistrata and we bring in an equal number of Caucasian and non-Caucasian performers. In our Platonic model, there is no talent gap so, statistically, there is a 50-50 chance that any Caucasian performer will be cast in our play.<br /><br />But wait, you say. Even though the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/immigration/">number of non-white citizens in Toronto is approaching fifty percent</a>, there are way more Caucasian performers. Fair enough. Or, rather, unfair but undeniably true. <br /><br />Also, is it right to assume there is no talent gap? Whoa. Talk about a powderkeg issue. Let’s leave that one alone for now; I’m going to dedicate yet another post to address it.<br /><br />So, given the one undeniably true fact and the one contentious yet-to-be-debated supposition, we’ll readjust our odds so that a Caucasian perfomer has an 80% chance of being cast over a performer of colour. What do you suppose the odds are of having an all-white cast of sixteen? Even with the odds overwhelmingly tilted in the white actor’s favour, the probablity of having sixteen out of sixteen performers being Caucasian is just 2.8%.<br /><br />Now let’s bring the Caucasian’s likelihood of being cast down to just 70% (still pretty good odds). The chance of casting sixteen Caucasians drops down to a tiny 0.33%.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk5zhu9M5afpxPd0pFcNqlp3CsR7lA_qqqP8_0ll-s63YQ1n5YSPJFDI4eU5QDnSzTve3ozqDTMIUfasI373Bz4lpfCSJx1SHih_aRwc9AK-NteTfVGN6AdyhYU5Uo35y1eIl/s1600-h/harlem-globetrotters_001441_1_MainPicture.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk5zhu9M5afpxPd0pFcNqlp3CsR7lA_qqqP8_0ll-s63YQ1n5YSPJFDI4eU5QDnSzTve3ozqDTMIUfasI373Bz4lpfCSJx1SHih_aRwc9AK-NteTfVGN6AdyhYU5Uo35y1eIl/s320/harlem-globetrotters_001441_1_MainPicture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231817630530167378" /></a>Finally, let’s go back to our crazy, bong-induced Utopia where Caucasians and non-Caucasians both get cast exactly 50% of the time. The probability of seeing an all-white cast of sixteen are now a miniscule 0.0015%. <span style="font-weight:bold;">That’s one time in 65,536.</span> Even the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Globetrotters#Winning_streaks_and_rare_defeats">Harlem Globetrotters’ opponents won more often than that</a>. Hell, if you offered me 65,535-to-1 odds, I’d even bet on the Leafs winning the Stanley Cup.<br /><br />So how did this happen? There must have been some nefarious agenda to shut out performers of colour to buck such incredibly low odds. And yet, there definitely wasn’t. I personally knew most of the sixteen performers. Some were (and are) very good friends. To call any of them racists would have been preposterous – certainly as preposterous as labelling Jackie Maxwell a racist. <br /><br />So if the individuals in the collective were not racist how did this blatant act of exclusion occur? Here’s where we see the difference between racism and institutional racism – remember our Black Panther friend Stokely Carmichael?<br /><br />In the case of this particular Lysistrata production, it was fairly obvious how the collective was formed. The links between artists were clearly delineated: X went to theatre school with Y who was at a summer festival with A, B, and C who was going out with D and so on and so on.<br /><br />Two points can be gleaned. The first: <span style="font-style:italic;">Like tends to like.</span> Nothing surprising here – we have a natural tendency to surround ourselves with the familiar. If we as artists always work within our tribes or divide ourselves according to race, there is no logical reason to assume that we will easily break out of our comfort zones and collaborate with one another. (A little corollary which I’ll expand in yet <span style="font-weight:bold;">another</span> post: it’s for this reason above that I’m slightly troubled by the way many mainstream theatre companies are choosing to “add diversity” to their programming. At Warehouse Theatre or Cardamom Theatre, the season typically looks like: White Show, White Show, Brown People, White Show, White Show. This cultural apartheid just perpetuates the <span style="font-style:italic;">Like tends to like</span> cycle. More on this another time.)<br /><br />The second point is much more important: <span style="font-style:italic;">A group of people who are individually virtuous and full of good will can sometimes do collective harm. This does not necessarily make them bad people.</span><br /><br />This concept simultaneously liberates and implicates. It says that while no one person is to blame for institutional racism we all bear a collective responsibility to (if I may borrow Yankee-speak) make our unions more perfect.<br /><br />For example, I’d like to assume that no one reading this is a proponent of torture or illegal detention. And yet, there’s a <a href="http://www.amnesty.ca/archives/rendition_secret_detention_q_and_a.php">growing amount of evidence</a> that the Canadian government – <span style="font-style:italic;">in the name of its citizens</span> – has been guilty of <a href="http://benamarbenatta.com/">extraordinary rendition</a> and the suspension of habeas corpus. So as citizens, that sort of <span style="font-weight:bold;">does</span> make every single one of us torturers. Does that make us all evil? I can’t answer that. I’m not even sure it’s helpful to answer that. I only know that collective wrongs get amended by collective good will. Branding individuals as being good or evil can actually get in the way of creating collective good will.<br /><br />This is why I am so adamant about not confusing the institution with the individual. If you think that the Shaw Festival is a racist institution, fine, make your arguments to support your claim. <br /><br />But calling its artistic director a racist is an entirely different matter that you’d best not put in print unless you have real evidence. This is evidence: a letter to the country club chairman asking to kick out all the Jews, an “I [heart] Rush Limbaugh” bumper sticker, a KKK discount card (10 per cent off lawn crosses!). Merely running the Shaw Festival – whatever you may think of it – does not constitute evidence that an individual is a racist. If that’s all you’ve got, it’s a shameful and harmful claim to make in public.<br /><br />More importantly, these kinds of careless individual attacks work at cross-purposes with the ultimate goal: making the arts more just and representative. A less temperate individual than Jackie might have used Bobby’s letter as a rallying cry to justify the perpetuation of an antiquated artistic vision. (Just think back to the <span style="font-style:italic;">Refugee Hotel</span> incident or the Kimberly Glassco lawsuit.) A lot of exclusionary practices can be shielded under the rubric of artistic prerogative. If anything, we should be thankful that she has chosen to take the high road in responding to these charges.<br /><br />I’ll finish by reiterating my point in the previous post: <span style="font-style:italic;">we don’t need these counter-productive distractions</span>. Let’s find our common ground. To culturally diverse artists, I’d like to reassure you that many of the artistic directors of our larger institutions are aware that they do a poor job of representing minorities. We not only have a right, we have an obligation to question their programming decisions. But let’s stop giving them hateful labels – especially the ones who are trying to make a difference.<br /><br />To the artistic directors I ask, what are you doing to override systemic discrimination in your organizations? Have you consulted with anyone in the diverse sector? Is the composition of your staff and your board diverse? Making change is tough. It’s a lot tougher if we don’t treat each other with respect.Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-33408709220220428462008-08-07T10:11:00.005-04:002008-08-11T14:23:43.371-04:00An open letter to the membership of INCLUDE<span style="font-style:italic;">Here's my response to a open letter that Bobby Del Rio wrote to the Shaw Festival's artistic director Jackie Maxwell on August 5, 2008.<br /><br />You'll notice that I'm not providing a link to the original note. The reason I'm not doing this is that I believe it contains slanderous accusations which I've no desire to perpetuate. I sent my response out yesterday after a considerable amount of editing. In this post, I've included hyperlinks that reference the additional material I trimmed.<br /></span><br />*************************<br /><br />I was very disappointed by Bobby Del Rio’s open letter to Jackie Maxwell. I believe that it contained unfounded accusations that are damaging to individual reputations and to our collective desire to make the performing arts more inclusive.<br /> <br />I reject the notion that Jackie Maxwell is a racist. I have known her for more than ten years and nothing in my experience has led me to suspect any racist leanings on her part. Frankly, it depresses me to even have to put this down in print.<br /> <br />Branding someone a racist is no small matter. It is an extremely serious accusation that has led to lawsuits and job dismissals. The taint of racism can tarnish reputations for years. Thus, an accusation of racism must be held to a high standard of proof. <br /> <br />On what basis does Bobby call Jackie a racist? If it is based on personal history, I believe we are entitled to specific examples – otherwise, the charge is merely scurrilous. Is it based on third-party testimony? If so, I think that fails the standard of proof and more care should be exercised before applying harmful labels.<br /> <br />If, as I suspect, Bobby claims Jackie is a racist based not on her personal actions but on how he perceives her leadership of the Shaw Festival, I would like to offer examples that contradict his assessment.<br /> <br />In November 2007, the Shaw Festival opened its door to Cahoots Theatre Projects for a two-week playwriting retreat. They very generously housed almost twenty artists over a two week period. They provided the use of their rehearsal facilities and green room. They came to our readings and went out of their way to make us welcome. I came away with a strong feeling that the Shaw recognizes it can and should do more to open its doors to artists of all backgrounds. I sensed tremendous good will on their part to embrace diversity.<br /> <br />And even if one disagrees with my assessment, <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/racism-vs-institutional-racism.html">it is unfair and irresponsible to extrapolate the actions of the institution and ascribe any sort of personal bias or bigotry on Jackie’s part</a>. What exactly has she done to deserve this sort of treatment?<br /> <br />I’m also saddened by the letter’s tone of confrontation because I feel it undermines some valid discussion points. For example, Bobby talks about the urgent need to seek new audiences. While I feel his pronouncement “ … YOUR COMPANY WILL GO BANKRUPT” is an oversimplification, I agree with its basic premise: theatre audiences are aging and must be replaced with younger patrons. Many young Canadians are first- or second-generation immigrants so it’s imperative that theatre make itself relevant to people from diverse cultures or it will languish. The ad hominem attacks also distract us from the many excellent questions that Andrew Moodie raised in his original Facebook posting.<br /> <br />I’m slightly puzzled why Bobby elected to take such a hostile stance in his letter. I’ve known him to be a pretty thoughtful person and his passion for inclusivity is unquestioned. So why assume a posture guaranteed to alienate? I’d like to give Bobby the benefit of the doubt and assume that he intentionally wanted to play agent provocateur or that he was willing to be a lighting rod for criticism in order to foster spirited discussion. Because if these were not his intentions, the accusations in his letter are flat-out ignorant. And since he speaks as the representative of an anti-racism movement, we appear ignorant by association.<br /> <br />Personally, I’m not interested in being part of a movement that uses character assassination as a means to an end. Bobby, I hope you do the right thing and either clarify your statements or offer Jackie an apology for the undeserved slight.<br /> <br />To those of you who know Jackie, I urge you to drop her a note of encouragement. I can’t think of a worse nightmare than having a thousand people told I’m some sort of bigot. If you disagree with Bobby’s actions, let him know. If you think I’m full of it, let me know.<br /> <br />But please, above all, let’s keep the discourse civil and be sparing with the R-word. There’s enough anger and divisiveness in the air and it’s not helping us achieve our ultimate goal: <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/08/beyond-pale.html">to transform our cultural institutions into a reflection of modern Canada</a>.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />JovanniCahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-76449154004395601232008-04-15T20:04:00.000-04:002008-11-13T13:22:15.179-05:00Christine Brubaker on breakOne of the things I love about being out here in Newfoundland is the opportunity to work with actors and singers I haven't met before. The quality of talent out here is pretty stellar. There are really impressive musicians in this cast.<br /><br />In our band of fourteen, there are only three of us from out of province. Soprano Mia Mansfield is playing Glynis (Daniel MacIvor's character) and she hails from Bridgewater, NS. She is a recent grad of the theatre program at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and actually performed in the initial student production of FEAR OF FLIGHT while she was there.<br /><br />The other mainlander (as we're called here) other than Mia and myself is Christine Brubaker. Though we've never worked together, I've been a big fan of Christine's for some time now. It's a delight being in a show with her.<br /><br />Other than being an exceptional performer, what blows me away about Christine is that she's brought along her SEVEN-week old baby Arlo to St. John's. Jill Keiley's amazing mom Mary looks after Arlo while we're rehearsing. Believe it or not, this isn't the first time that Christine has toured with a newborn. Here's a short interview with Christine during a break.<br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=1546951088214209877&hl=en-CA" flashvars=""></embed><br /><br />And here's Arlo, the cutest member of the FoF family:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHkLjTbDCFmJtaAMq83c308ik22Cx18h3qW6CHBuE2fhXACcVtz6MERccERrcwjuMc0N-gNKW3pAgAXfZg1VRccHFIIdfItR9nV2P0ESvxuKuKmKeSJQWHHM6BedpUcyCqShJ/s1600-h/IMG_0586.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHkLjTbDCFmJtaAMq83c308ik22Cx18h3qW6CHBuE2fhXACcVtz6MERccERrcwjuMc0N-gNKW3pAgAXfZg1VRccHFIIdfItR9nV2P0ESvxuKuKmKeSJQWHHM6BedpUcyCqShJ/s320/IMG_0586.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191485240632096690" border="0" /></a>Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-52504301633970007822008-04-15T10:37:00.004-04:002008-04-25T12:48:38.124-04:00Authentic Canadian Theatre ... ContinuedIn Cahoots' January 2008 Newsletter, Jovanni shared his recent thoughts on cultural diversity and the Canadian soul, initiating a flurry of thoughts, opinions and new ideas from the community of friends it reached! Below please find <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-canadian-theatre-continued_11.html">Jovanni's initial message</a>, this follow-up message, as well as a <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-canadian-theatre-continued_3444.html">message from Beverly Yhap</a>, Cahoots' founder.<br /><br />Please join-in in this discussion by adding comments below! We'd love to hear and talk about what you think!<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">---<br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">From Cahoots' Newsletter, April 2008<br />By Jovanni Sy</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">In January, I wrote an <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-canadian-theatre-continued_11.html">article</a><span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline"> </span>for our newsletter that suggested the phrase ‘culturally diverse theatre’ had become more limiting than empowering. Much to my surprise, the essay struck a chord with many of you; we received close to two dozen responses. First, thanks to all of you who took the time to respond. Your comments are very much appreciated.<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">The majority of the responses were short supportive notes. There were others, however, who disagreed with my thesis and explained why in well-reasoned terms. One of them was Beverly Yhap, the Founding Artistic Director of Cahoots. Bev kindly agreed to write a response for this newsletter which you’ll find <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-canadian-theatre-continued_3444.html">here<span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">.</span></a><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">Words of support are always great; respectful dissent, even better. But there were a few responses I found disturbing. These letters of ‘support’ seemed to miss the point of what I saying and went something like this: “It’s great that Cahoots is finally getting past the whole diversity thing. After all, theatre is theatre.” Well, no, it isn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">Let me clarify something right off the top: Cahoots is by no means altering its artistic mission of creating theatre that reflects the rich diversity of our country. (So please don’t expect our next season to include a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and some play with four middle-aged white people in a cottage in the Muskokas.) I was not suggesting that Cahoots’ mandate was becoming somehow irrelevant—the scope of my argument was limited to the <i>language </i>used to describe that mandate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">The point I was raising was that if the art Cahoots produces is consistent with one of Canada’s core values—namely, multiculturalism—why do we insist on qualifying what we do with nomenclature that sets us apart? In other words, if we are part of the mainstream, shouldn’t we act accordingly? And shouldn’t this transition begin with the way we describe ourselves?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">The use of the term ‘culturally diverse’ began as much-needed celebratory language—a cool oasis in a desert of Eurocentric theatre. But as the work of Cahoots and our sister companies proliferates, has the term become a millstone? Has it become more marginalizing than celebratory?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">In my January article, I used the example of the term ‘lady doctor’ as an illustration of how inclusive language can, with changes of time and circumstance, become exclusive. This time, I’d like to offer a more concrete example of how words confer or remove power.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">In February 2007, Cahoots (with Modern Times and Theatre Passe Muraille) produced Bobby Theodore’s translation of Ahmed Ghazali’s <i>The Sheep and the Whale</i>, an epic drama mounted with seventeen performers. In keeping with the play’s themes, our cast’s ethnic origins spanned all parts of the globe. I found it quite thrilling to see them fanned out taking their curtain call at the end of each performance. Obviously I wasn’t alone. Three separate reviews pointed out how exceptional it was to see a show that looked like modern-day Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">At the same time <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Sheep and the Whale</span> was running, Tarragon mounted their outstanding production of Wajdi Mouawad’s <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scorched</span> (translated by Linda Gaboriau). Much of the play’s action takes place in an unnamed Middle Eastern country engulfed in civil war. To the best of my knowledge, the cast of ten had no actors of Middle Eastern descent.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scorched </span>was easily one of the best shows in Toronto’s 2006/2007 season and I’m delighted that Tarragon is remounting it. But while we were being praised for reflecting Canada’s pluralism, I never read a single word pointing out that <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scorched</span>, as excellent as it was, represented a bold experiment in cross-cultural casting. In other words, a predominantly ‘white’ cast portraying Arabs was so ‘normal’ that it didn’t even merit comment. Personally, I find nothing offensive in casting Caucasians as Arabs because, ultimately, I think theatre must be driven by imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">What I do find offensive, however, is that artists from visible minorities are held to a different standard. If I were to produce, for example, a Martin McDonagh play with African- , Native- , and Asian-Canadians, there would inevitably be some reviewer asking, “They’re clearly not Irish. What did they mean by this? What kind of political statement were they trying to make?” And, of course, the answer would be that I’m making the same political statement as with Tarragon’s casting of <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scorched</span>: none whatsoever. And yet I constantly get asked this question while other producers do not.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">I point this out not as an indictment of any particular theatre company. <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scorched </span>is a good illustration simply because it was running simultaneously with <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Sheep the Whale</span>. There are dozens of other examples I could have chosen. The fault lies not with those exercising their free artistic expression, but with our own willingness to accept what is ‘normal’ and what is an exception to the norm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">Which brings me back to the point of language and how it defines what the default culture is. Often, it’s the absence of language that confers the dominant status. Even more ironic is the ability of language we think of as positive to effectively place an asterisk on something of worth. To diminish when it intends to augment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">As lovely as it was to be publicly praised for the United Colours of Benetton feel of <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Sheep and the Whale</span>, I would gladly trade places so that our show’s multiculturalism went unnoticed while <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Scorched</span> got praise for its edgy and daring use of non-traditional casting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;">One of the main principles of chess is that whoever controls the middle of the board controls the game. Culture is no different. And language has the insidious ability to define who controls the centre. The praise for <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The Sheep and the Whale</span> was hollow insomuch as it complimented us for doing what everyone should be doing: representing the world as it is in 2008. How perverse is that? It’s like praising your dinner guest for not stealing your silverware.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family:Palatino;font-size:12;">My fervent hope is that we reject language that labels ourselves as ‘the other’. Let’s stop ceding the middle of the board. And, while we’re at it, let’s politely point out when other guests are pinching the silverware. Because our silence makes it acceptable.</span>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-77120757060611900012008-04-11T19:45:00.001-04:002008-04-20T20:03:59.677-04:00Fear of FlightHi everyone,<br /><br />I'm in St. John's, Newfoundland rehearsing a brand new show called FEAR OF FLIGHT. FoF is the brainchild of Jillian Keiley and Robert Chafe of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland.<br /><br />FoF is an a cappella opera for fourteen performers set on an airplane. The piece is woven around scenes and monologues written by—get ready for this—Robert Chafe, Denise Clarke, Marie Clements, Bryden MacDonald, Daniel MacIvor, Bernie Stapleton, Judith Thompson, Guillermo Verdecchia, and David Yee. Ninety-five percent of the show is underscored by a glorious score composed by Jonathan Monro.<br /><br />I'm tremendously proud that Cahoots is a co-producer on the world premiere of this piece. And I'm equally excited to be performing with this amazing theatre company and with a visionary director like Jill Keiley.<br /><br />Every now and again I'll be posting some video blogs of our journey. Here's a video from day four of rehearsal:<br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=7908977322343351655&hl=en-CA" flashvars=""></embed><br /><br />And here's the in-flight magazine prop I'm talking about:<br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=2155798836200577015&hl=en-CA" flashvars=""></embed><br /><br />Obviously, I'm not the only one challenged by the prop. Here's soprano Julia Halfyard:<br /><br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4525401568251409545&hl=en-CA" flashvars=""></embed>Cahootsguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00013314422641393632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-35638922555131972092008-04-11T16:07:00.003-04:002008-04-25T12:47:47.945-04:00Authentic Canadian Theatre ... ContinuedIn Cahoots' January 2008 Newsletter, Jovanni shared his recent thoughts on cultural diversity and the Canadian soul, initiating a flurry of thoughts, opinions and new ideas from the community of friends it reached! Below please find <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-canadian-theatre-continued_11.html">Jovanni's initial message</a>, <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/search/label/Authentic%20Canadian%20Theatre">his follow-up message</a>, as well as this message from Beverly Yhap, Cahoots' founder.<br /><br />Please join-in in this discussion by adding comments below! We'd love to hear and talk about what you think!<br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center">---</div><br /><strong><em>What We Talk About When We Talk About Diversity<br />By Beverly Yhap, Founder of Cahoots Theatre Projects</em></strong><br /><br />I would be the first to acknowledge I’m a product of colonialism. I was a child in Trinidad in the sixties. I remember the Queen arriving to grant Trinidad & Tobago independence. It was a big deal for a small island wannabe nation. I was eight or nine, but I have this memory of a motor car with royalty inside. The last time I was in TT in 2001, I found the words to the national anthem forming a lump in my throat in spite of myself. I stubbornly identify myself as West Indian against the evidence I am inescapably Asian.<br /><br />What does this personal preamble have to do with diversity? Perhaps because of my tenuous grasp at monoidentity — in the form of white-washed Canadian federalism championed by the two solitudes conundrum — I was slow to enter into the painstaking process of self-discovery whose watchword is diversity. Case in point: when I started Cahoots back in 1986, my first and only goal at the time was to create Canadian theatre “that stretched the boundaries of theatrical form,” whatever that was. It never occurred to me to situate myself — to consciously deconstruct and articulate my identity as a woman of colour — within the company.<br /><br />If, as Laurie Anderson observes, language is a virus, the diversity bug was just incubating in ’86 and there were many different varieties. In 1990, Cahoots held a conference called Write About Now! for and about playwrights of visible minority. Djanet Sears urged us to be “pig-headed.” Lenore Keeshig-Tobias challenged the right of a white woman to chair a conference for writers who weren’t white. Arguments around authenticity, equity, majority and invisibility led to the adoption of <em>people of colour</em> as a more self-defining touchstone, less an applied checkbox label.<br /><br />In the 90s the diversity epidemic took hold. Not just forums and discussions, but aggressive outreach — recruitment of qualified “coloreds” to diversify the ranks of predominantly white organizations — became de rigeur. Diversity became the flavour of the 90s to the extent that it spawned a backlash against political correctness. Credentials were tilted at, insecurities about tokenism played upon, and general queasiness about inclusion as cornerstone policy began to set in.<br /><br />In the new millennium, it’s fashionable to look back on the squabbles of the past few decades with a kind of smug ascendancy. To see the struggles of the near past — the missteps, doubts, tongue-tied articulation — as unseemly, deeply uncool. As if to say aren’t we past all that diversity crap? Do I still need to identify myself with a hyphen? Isn’t Sandra Oh a star and isn’t that Obama dude in the States preaching unity anyway, so what’s all the fuss with diversity already?<br /><br />Wouldn’t we all like diversity to go away. Wouldn’t we all like to be just folks going about our business without having to point out the obvious visual or aural disclaimers? Can’t we give race and ethnicity a rest? Aren’t we — like the beer commercial used to claim — all Canadian?<br />Or are some more Canadian than others? Does having a hyphen to your existence make you more or less Canadian? Does dropping the hyphen make you lighter and brighter? Does it make you more of a phony, a sell-out? Or are you just opting to opt out of a discourse few Canadians of pallor outside Québec really have to indulge in?<br /><br />Come to that, do you have to be Canadian, or can you just live here and work, keep your head down and basically just be an immigrant? (Or, better yet —if the moniker fits —in the words of a recent Toronto City Councilor, a “hard-working Oriental.”)<br /><br />Me, I kept my head down for years. I was good and colonized. But Write About Now! and the collapse of my marriage broke down the studied erasure. By 1991 I finally came to trust, to feel grounded enough in this country that I could claim real citizenship. And that meant being fully Canadian: hyphens, masks, fears, accents, colour and all.<br /><br />For me, diversity isn’t a choice. It isn’t some credo I espouse because I have to or because it’s expected of me, or because if I don’t do it no one else will, or because other people need to hear it from me. Diversity isn’t clothing, it’s skin. It doesn’t come off or wash out or go out of fashion. It just is. And we can argue about it, talk it down, wish it away or begin to recognize just what we mean when we say it doesn’t matter, that diversity’s passé, that it only applies to people of colour. When we talk about diversity, let’s please really yes talk about diversity.ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-18109325025894589542008-04-11T15:37:00.003-04:002008-04-11T16:44:18.474-04:00Authentic Canadian Theatre ... Continued<p>In Cahoots' January 2008 Newsletter, Jovanni shared his recent thoughts on cultural diversity and the Canadian soul, initiating a flurry of thoughts, opinions and new ideas from the community of friends it reached! Below please find Jovanni's initial message, <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/search/label/Authentic%20Canadian%20Theatre">his follow-up message</a>, as well as a <a href="http://cahootstheatre.blogspot.com/2008/04/authentic-canadian-theatre-continued_3444.html">message from Beverly Yhap</a>, Cahoots' founder. </p><p>Please join-in in this discussion by adding comments below! We'd love to hear and talk about what you think!</p><div align="center">---</div><div align="left"><em><strong>From Cahoots' January Newsletter</strong></em></div><div align="left"><em><strong>By Jovanni Sy</strong></em></div><div align="left"><br />Since I'm writing this on the Feast of the Epiphany, it seems appropriate to share a recent epiphany of my own.Last month, Cahoots took a group of artists for a wonderful playwriting retreat in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I met a number of people there who had never heard of our company before. And so, I gave the description of Cahoots that I recite by rote: "We develop and produce new Canadian plays that reflect our cultural diversity." I must have repeated this a dozen times but something about the thirteenth recitation just didn’t sound right.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">For the first time, I wondered: why do I say “reflect our cultural diversity”? For the first time, those four words seemed strangely superfluous. I’m not that suggesting that cultural diversity isn’t important. Quite the opposite: cultural diversity is so intrinsic to the Canadian soul that my description felt tautological.In other words, doesn’t it make more sense for us to describe Cahoots simply as “a company that produces new Canadian plays”? In saying this, we are by definition saying that we are culturally diverse because Canada is culturally diverse. At least that’s what the <a href="http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/release/immigrationcitizenship.cfm" target="_blank">most recent census</a> and my own two eyes tell me.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Doesn’t it make more sense for, say, Unnamed Theatre to describe itself as “The place for Canadian theatre if Canada looked like Norway”? Or for Theatre Incognito to say “Our stage looks nothing like your life”? Perhaps the Redacted Festival should change its website to “Proudly celebrating the deceased white male playwright.”</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Now, I don’t want to sound dismissive of these mandates. Indeed, many of my artistic heroes are Caucasian men mouldering in their graves. The point I’m trying to make is that these companies don’t feel compelled to describe their artistic missions in exclusive language. What do I mean by exclusive language? Let me share one of my favourite examples. </div><div align="left"><br />When I was growing up (and here I beg your indulgence: I’m turning forty this year so I may be prone to expressions like “when I was growing up” that make me sound like Grandpa Simpson), it wasn’t uncommon to hear people refer to “lady doctors”. Although there were a number of female physicians in the 1970s, they were rare enough that people felt obliged to add the qualifier “lady”. Thankfully, in the 21st century, if you were to say “lady doctor” people would look at you strangely, as if you had had a mind fart and forgotten the word OB-GYN. At a certain point, the term outlived its usefulness. </div><div align="left"><br />Which leads me to my New Year’s resolution. I think “reflect our cultural diversity” may have outlived its usefulness. I think its use may, in fact, undermine the bedrock notion that Canada is a land of many peoples. This year, I resolve that when people ask me what Cahoots does, I will say that we produce authentic Canadian theatre. I wish you a happy and creative 2008.<br /></div>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-79173237345394675132008-03-20T14:36:00.001-04:002008-03-20T15:04:01.805-04:00Cahoots in the Pacific Ocean<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzRJtV8RJ5sE8y92s7cB0VkdheTsjzt0ouoVacvc8D3xGdj5D_BgZF8C9NqEfWYatOZJDn01yMQRMo' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-85997323146564979152007-12-04T14:21:00.000-05:002007-12-19T14:19:45.653-05:00CAHOOTS PLAYWRIGHTS RETREAT @ NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE & SHAWAs told by Esther Jun<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Sunday, November 25, 2007</span></span></u></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So with minor hiccups we have arrived and settled into Niagara on the Lake!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Jovanni Sy and Wendy Lee picked up me, Tara Beagan and Nina Lee-Aquino at Factory theatre and we headed off on a lovely crisp clear day. The ride was fairly quick with lots of talk of the theatre going on in Toronto. It even inspired Jovanni to put on the Sweeney Todd soundtrack, which was Tara’s favorite moment no doubt. After a quick detour over an unknown bridge and a trip to Shoppers for supplies we arrived at the main house. It’s a bit creaky and very old, but it has a certain charm. We then all headed out to check out Nina’s place (which is very cute complete with piano), than Tara’s (a bit far from Shaw but more modern with working heat!) We went back to the main house to get Jo’s keys and do some grocery shopping. I suddenly felt extremely ill and puked on the front steps of the house! Yeah Esther! Welcome to Shaw! So I stayed behind and tried to feel better. The house was freezing and I was woozy. When Wendy came back we tried to watch some TV but we have no cable (damn, but probably useful). Wendy and I had fun trying to get a good picture with the bunny ears and watched Family Guy. Dave the caterer came and set up the food. Slowly the house was warming up and becoming quite cozy. Jo, Nina and then Tara arrived and we had out first gourmet meal together. Procsuitto and hearts of palm, rare beef on crostini appetizers, roast pork loin with pear jus, roasted fall veggies and a harvest fruit pie we barely crammed in. If this continues, we shall all be quite fat. It was a great evening just getting to hang out and meet people. Nina’s heat was not working, poor thing, and she just played the piano in her “salon” for heat. Marjorie Chan and Ruth Madoc-Jones were to arrive at around 10:30pm, but were denied access to the bus twice, even though they had tickets. People going to NYC had priority. So they decided to try the morning bus. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Monday, November 26, 2007</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">In the morning Wendy went to pick up Ruth at the bus station but no Marjorie as she had slept in. At 10am we meet at the Stage door and had a quick tour with Jerry. Wendy had to leave and get Marjorie in Toronto as she was denied access AGAIN, due to lack of receipts?!!! Marjorie was livid with the lack of customer service and rightly so! </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">At Shaw we had our laptops set up for wireless and then we all parted ways. I have a lot of reading to do for Jovanni. I am helping him to do research for his new play about food and where it comes from. Plus, I will be a sounding board for his ideas- he likened me to a psychiatrist, without offering advice. It is such early days he just wants to get the ideas to the page I think. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Shaw green room is the only place most of us have access to internet unfortunately (except Marjorie and Ruth who have somehow lucked out with free Wi-Fi!) and I hate lugging this laptop around.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Did a quick peek into some shops and found a nice variety of British food stuff. There is also tons of touristy stuff to look at. Perhaps I can get some Christmas shopping done!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Everyone arrived at the main house at 6:30pm a little soggy from a downpour. We had lovely bruschetta in the living room caught up on things. Moved into the dining room and feasted on Asian coleslaw, sea bass and stir fried veggies. It was delicious. We had fun scaring Nina about our ghost stories and started a wonderful conversation on the “Canadian” theatre model and is it outdated? Is there distinctly “Canadian Theatre?” I say yes to both points. We moved to amazing chocolate mousse and then into the living room, where we talked about TnT, the Rockettes and all sorts of silliness. It was a really lovely evening and everyone left quite full and in good spirits.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Tuesday, November 27</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">I had a rough night sleeping due to spooking myself out about this very old house. I finally gave up around 9am and got up. Enjoyed my new Greaves jams and finished reading one book for Jo. I went out for a walk to enjoy the cold sunshine and see the sights. Niagara-on-the-Lake is beautiful! The houses that back onto the lake are truly picturesque. Meeting with Jo cancelled. He was out for a walk and I think he was in a good place and wanted to roll with it. Went to theatre to do some photocopying of readings for Jo and check emails. Talked with Nina about theatre, women and children. It was a very touching conversation and has convinced me that women are still dealing with a lot of prejudices in this industry- and not just from male counterparts. Women have made great progress but there is still a long way to go to achieve equality. I went back home to do more reading. I am starting to feel the need to get out and create my work anyway I can. I am surrounded by these amazing artists and feel inspired to start creating something!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Dinner was lovely again even though we were down one as Nina has left for a few days. Chicken Cacciatore, which David insisted was curry, an eggplant Parmigiano, couscous, and pecan pie. It was a funny evening as we discussed crazy TV shows, but Marjorie’s “Meerkat Mansion” won hands down for the most ridiculous yet sublime. You could tell writing mode had kicked in for everyone as most people headed out early to get back to work. Tara seemed to be in “the zone” and said she feels pressure as she is now very close to the family of the subject she is writing. She feels obligated to them to do a good job. Ruth stayed for the finale of “Dancing with the Stars,” or tried to, but it was so dragged out and was OTT, that she decided to go home after an hour. We had fun though dreaming of swirling skirts.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Wednesday, November 28</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Had another rough night trying to sleep. I think it is the absolute silence that is scaring me. It seems “heavy” with history and I am freaking myself out with mind games.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Finished the third book and went to Shaw to photocopy it all for Jovanni. We meet up there and went to the Prince of Wales Hotel for afternoon tea. It was delightful and decadent considering how well we have been eating. We talked about my notes and then talked about food for 2 hours! I went back to Jovanni’s and picked up more books(!) and then back to Shaw where I caught up on emails. Back at the house I decided enough of food and read an old script of Madness in the Square. I am looking very forward to hearing a reading!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Dave arrived with the food and stayed for a drink. He is a very interesting man…More talk about food and Las Vegas. We talked about The Drawer Boy, and how Michael Healy stepped in for the free show. We were all disappointed to have missed a special moment of what is sure to be Canadian Theatre history. When he left we moved to dining room and had veggie lasagna with Caesar salad. Just the right proportions this time! Talk turned to sports and Jo seemed quite glad to some more “manly” conversation. We also discussed Ruth’s time working the night shift with stolen buses and Marjorie’s days at Madison Square Gardens and the ACC. For dessert we stayed in the dining room and had baked apples with nuts and raisins that I simply had no room for. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Sunday, December 2, 2007</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">I’m back from Toronto! Lots of snow made life a little difficult but finally made it. Met Michael Rubenfeld, Tara’s boyfriend who is really nice and adds a new energy to the group. Leanne, Jovanni’s wife, and Richard and Eponine were also part of the group. I think everyone was really excited our scheduled field trip and a break from the writing. Marjorie, however, decided to keep working. Nina as well wanted to continue to write but Shaw was closed so she decided to join us.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">We started off to Chateau des Charmes winery with Nina and family following behind in their car. The place is a bit more secluded than the other wineries and housed in a very big stone mansion. The tour was informative and fun. We had lots of fun sampling different Rieslings and bought quite a few bottles. I think everyone was slightly buzzed from the wine and it was nice not be talking “shop.” After a few circles (basically Jovanni thinking he was going the wrong way but not) on the road we made our way to the chocolate place. Not really a factory or a tour but they talked a little about how they coat everything and anything in chocolate and offered us alot of samples. We were all quite high on sugar after awhile. We made our way back to town and everyone took a little siesta. Back for dinner which seemed a little quiet. Leanne was sick unfortunately, and Wendy went off to pick up Michaela, so there were less people. I’m sure everyone also had had a sugar crash. Eponine as always was our main entertainment. How can someone be so cute??!! She and Michael have a new show they want to take on the road called “Eponine and the Jewish Actor.” Michael and Tara waited for Michaela’s arrival and we watched TV. When Wendy returned with Michaela we all sat around and watched Desperate Housewives. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">I really envy everyone’s close working relationships. They all seem to be quite comfortable with each other’s process. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Monday, December 03, 2007</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Today is grey and windy! That makes only one day of sun here, but it is a lot warmer than Toronto.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Lots of problems with the internet at Shaw, so after running some errands with Wendy, most importantly picking up booze for the next week (and armed with my new wine knowledge), I have settled at the Irish Harp, enjoying Guinness in front of the fire. I have learned that Jovanni is a bit frustrated with his progress. I have recommended scotch and the fireplace. He has said though, he works better under pressure, so with 2 days till a public reading he should be quite prolific the next little while!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Dinner was quite nice with lots of people. Everyone seems to have made progress with their pieces and seemed to be happy with where they are. Ruth and Marjorie are busy preparing for the arrival of actors tomorrow and Tara and Michaela were in the rehearsal room today. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">We had black bean chicken, egg foo young and vegetable fried rice. It was all very tasty, although not quite Chinese. The best though was the apricot bread pudding. A bit soggy for some, but how can you go wrong with milk soaked sweet bread? Yum-yum</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Most people went early as there is a lot to prepare for; I waited for the actors to arrive. Nina decided to spend the night, to stave off the cold and haunted spirits. The actors arrived safely and in good spirits. They had lots of questions and a great energy. I can see the next couple of days will be lots of fun and good for the playwrights to get out of their heads and see their work come to life.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Tuesday, December 04, 2007</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">There seems to be excitement in the air. By the time I reached Shaw I ran into Jovanni who seemed to have made some progress. He was in the library and decided to do away with video and to keep things very simple. He seemed a little less stressed then yesterday. Down in the green room I met Michael who was on his computer. The Madness of the Square people were about to do lunch they seemed to be quite happy and excited to be here. Marjorie and Ruth also seemed energized having actors to work with. Wendy was running around doing a gazillion little things for tomorrow. We also discussed the set-up for the green room. Tara, Michaela and their sound designer Andy Moro, who just came up for the day came into the green room for lunch as well and they too also seemed in good spirits. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">After lunch and lots of photocopying for me, I snuck into the rehearsal rooms to take some pictures with the digital camera that hates me. Marjorie and Ruth were doing table work with everyone, discussing the events of the play. Tara, Michaela and Andy were doing the same talking more about structure I think.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Nina was back in the green room working away. She seems to be on a roll right now and enjoying herself.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Later Wendy had to take Andy to the train station so I set up for the big dinner. John Ng came over quite early so we sat around and chatted. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Soon everyone arrived and it seemed a little like a family reunion, it was a very full house! There was a spinach dip for appetizers which disappeared quickly. For dinner we had pork in a vindaloo sauce, rice, cucumber salad, an amazing mango chutney and coconut rice pudding. It was pretty tasty! Most people were in the living room, but myself, Marjorie, Keira, Jovanni and later Ruth sat in the dining room and discussed Keira’s new job at Stratford. The topic moved on to the model of new playwriting. Marjorie, though used to the model, feels perhaps having a workshop with actors for only one day and then doing a public read may not be the most effective thing for a playwright. Having more time with actors, for example to work through the text and then read each scene, would be more beneficial as opposed to her just trying to fix things in time for the public. Keira mentioned how at Stratford they are working to develop a better model and how they were defining exactly what a reading, workshop, and commissions are. They also discussed how to get the audience more involved in new play development. Keira mentioned the Raw Raw festival at CanStage being a useful model for her and how she enjoyed it.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Overall, there was lots of good conversation, fun, laughter and satiated theatre artists by the end of the evening. Most of the writers went home early, while the actors stayed around a little longer and chatted. I don’t think they could actually move. There was a real sense of community and anticipation in the air.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Wednesday, December 5, 2007</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The big day went off very smoothly with the exception of some bad traffic for our poor Toronto counterparts. I was in rehearsal with the Madness of the Square cast most of the day, as I was reading stage directions. I don’t mind reading stage directions as it is pretty important for a reading and as Ruth said, a bad reading of stage directions could ruin things. Maybe she was just trying to make me feel useful! It was unfortunate that we did not have more time. After lunch, we only had an hour and a half which we basically used just to get through the stage directions. I think it would have been much more useful to the actors and Ruth if they could have gotten another reading of each scene in. Which goes to what Marjorie said yesterday about this model of play development. And why is it, for all the money in the world and beautiful facilities are rehearsal rooms still freezing cold? </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Either way, the reading went quite well. We had some Shaw membership people who I saw during the reading and they seemed very enthralled. We did have to postpone the start for about 20mins waiting for the Toronto people. They still had not made it by the time we started however, and they sheepishly snuck in about half way through. Traffic!! Hamilton!! Argh!!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">We moved into the green room afterwards for appetizers and drinks. After many kudos and congratulations, most of the Shaw people left except Jerry and Joanna. We also had Ann-Marie from Magnetic North, Andy McKim and Marc Bendavid. There of course were the Cahoots office crew and all the actors. It was great. The food was really delicious. It was a Thai theme with green curry, pad thai and stir fry, and I was very impressed, although David once again was a little weird. He seems to have a vendetta against vegans…Dessert was flambé bananas in the sweetest sauce I have every tasted.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Jovanni got up and read his work on “Taste of Empire.” I think he used his model from the Dim-Sum festival but it was much more researched and fleshed out. It was very funny and engaging. We all really enjoyed it, especially the part were he postulated what if the east had taken over the world as opposed to the west. As the crowd was 90% Asian, it went down well. It took forever to move people out as they were having a great time, Tara recommended going to The Irish Harp for post drinks which I valiantly tried to get people to do. We finally just left as the Cahoots crew ended up having a bit of a meeting. At the Irish Harp we just sat around recovering from the long day and once again full bellies. It’s not done yet though. I am looking really forward to Quilchena….</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Thursday, December 6, 2007</u></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">Today seemed so much relaxed since the big showing was over. After lazing about I went to Shaw to return some books I had taken from their library. I read some shorts by Shaw and found a few that I really like and am considering for Summerworks or Fringe. I sat in on a little of the rehearsals for Quilchena. I marvel at Michaela and Tara’s abilities and obvious connection as artists. Tara is very soft spoken but very clear and precise with her direction. Michaela just has amazing instincts. I really cannot wait to hear this piece! Jovanni was just observing. I am starting to realize dramaturgy is really whatever you can offer to the writer to help out and I think everyone works differently. Andy joined later in the afternoon and was just in rehearsal doing his own thing, asking or showing things to Tara as he went along (or so it seemed). They all seemed so very comfortable with each other. I think having your designer in there as much as possible is a great idea. They all seemed to be in synch with each other.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">At 3:30pm everyone else met up in the green room for our American shopping trip. Flannery, Ruth, Marjorie, Jovanni, Wendy and myself piled into the minivan while Nina and family led the way in their car. At the border, there was no line-up. We waited maybe 5 mins. Jovanni moved one stop sign too close to Richard’s car however, and the border guard went a bit nuts. He started screaming at us to move back. Richard said he had his hand on his firearm! It was a little scary and we were a bit terrified as we pulled up to him. He asked us lots of questions but we made it through. Sheesh! Power-trip…Richard who was in front of us, said when the guard starting yelling the look on Jovanni’s face was priceless. He had trouble not laughing. Luckily, with the ever adorable Eponine in the back of their car, the guard calmed down.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We hit the outlet mall very shortly after. We entered the monstrosity tentatively. Richard and Nina wasted no time getting to business. The rest of us had a snack at Wimpy’s Burgers. Then we all headed off in different directions. It was quite large but I bumped into random people at different intervals. I was not too impressed with stores or the prices. Except at the Umbra store which had insane doorcrashers and deals. I had given everyone permission to hit me if I tried to buy shoes. Luckily violence was not necessary as I avoided the shoes stores at all costs.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">After an hour and half I went back to the meeting place. It took forever to get everyone back- at least an hour as people went off again to shop. I ended up getting my ass kicked on Jovanni’s new travel scrabble board. He is a serious player, and well, my first word was “one.” You can imagine how fast downhill it went from there. Everyone got some good stuff without spending too much money. Marjorie won the prize for most spent, but only cuz she bought a gorgeous new leather bag. </span></span> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Next on the list was to find a bar with good buffalo wings. We got directions from this store called “Lids” on this great bar called Judy’s. Turns out the bar was ACROSS the street from the mall yet we went about 15 mins out until Richard stopped and asked someone for directions. Sigh!</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">The bar was quite the experience. When we walked in EVERYONE there just stared at us. Evidently, a large group of Asian people is a rarity. We settled near the back and ordered a great deal of unhealthy bar food. It was pretty tasty, in that not healthy way. One couple walked into the bar from the back and I could see this gentlemen just staring at us. He came back a few minutes later and said “WOW, you never see this many Asians here! Where are you guys from. I mean your heritages?” We were a bit flabbergasted as this is the second time on this trip someone has asked us this. We tried to be polite but no one was really saying anything. He finally left, I think a bit miffed at us but oh well!! We enjoyed clogging our arteries immensely and it was ridiculously cheap. When we walked out, it was unbelievable how everyone stared HARD at us. There were more people at that time, and it was like we were aliens. I shake my head…</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Agency FB, sans-serif;">The border crossing back was easy, although Nina and Richard had a little duty to pay. We took the scenic way back from Niagara Falls and it was stunning, with giant old houses and huge trees lining the way. It was a great day. I had a sense of family.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-76155808090570494402007-10-03T12:13:00.000-04:002007-10-03T12:16:38.326-04:00SAMPRADAYA and Lata Pada present Mythili Prakash in a Bharatanatyam Solo<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">We are delighted to present <b>Mythili Prakash </b>in a stunning solo performance of <i>bharatanatyam in</i><b> “Stree Katha”. This riveting work, accompanied by four invited musicians from India, explores the untold stories of the three tragic stories of the Ramayana: Keikeyi, Shurpanaka and Sita.</b><span style="color:#cbe5fe;">..</span><b> </b>We invite you to discover the roles of these significant women from the Ramayana and their link to contemporary society, from an artistic perspective.<br /><br />Mythili Prakash, whose dance has been described by India’s leading dance critic, Leela Venkataraman as </span></span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>"Simply Sparkling…a Bharatanatyam delight…<br /></i></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i>“…it was the dancer’s inner fire that spoke. The strikingly bold stances…after electrifying movement, the chiseled beauty of the araimandi and toe-heel kudittu-metta, all executed with such joy and passion sprang from the obvious fountain of youth and agility. But what of the interpretive skill where Mythili’s capacity for internalization carried everyone on a magic carpet, the entire space charged with emotion”<br /></i></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /><u><br />Date and Time</u>: Sunday October 14, 2007 at 4 pm.<br /><u>Venue</u>: Meadowvale Theatre, 6315 Montevideo Road, Mississauga, ON<u><br />Tickets prices<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/u\>: Adults $25, Students & Seniors $15\u003cbr\> \u003cWBR\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> Call (905) 607 8454 for tickets and information.\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> Please see attached flyer for details. Please feel free to forward to friends and colleagues. I look forward to seeing you at the performance.\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> Thank you,\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> Regards,\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> Lata Pada\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"5\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:16.0px\"\>\u003cimg src\u003d\"?attid\u003d0.1.1&disp\u003demb&view\u003datt&th\u003d11566288b8af585d\"\>\u003cbr\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:16.0px\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#0000FE\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Monotype Corsiva\"\>\u003cbr\> \u003c/font\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Verdana, Helvetica, Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0px\"\>Lata Pada\u003cbr\> Artistic Director\u003cbr\> Sampradaya Dance Creations\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> 3250 Ridgeway Drive, Unit 5\u003cbr\> Mississauga Ontario \u003cbr\> Canada L5L 5Y6\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> Phone: 905 608 2475\u003cbr\> Cell: 416 910 2477\u003cbr\> Fax: 905 608 2476\u003cbr\> \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sampradaya.ca\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>www.sampradaya.ca\u003c/a\>\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> ------ End of Forwarded Message\u003cbr\> \u003cbr\> ------ End of Forwarded Message\u003cbr\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\> \u003cimg src\u003d\"?attid\u003d0.1.2&disp\u003demb&view\u003datt&th\u003d11566288b8af585d\"\>\u003cimg src\u003d\"?attid\u003d0.1.3&disp\u003demb&view\u003datt&th\u003d11566288b8af585d\"\>\u003c/blockquote\>\u003c/div\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>",0] ); //--></script></u>: Adults $25, Students & Seniors $15<br /> <wbr> <br /><br />Call (905) 607 8454 for tickets and information.</span></span></span>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-4486414825234920542007-09-17T12:51:00.000-04:002007-09-17T12:52:26.508-04:00Just Theatre Tour Coordinator<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="600"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><small><span style="font-family:Arial;"> CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY<br /><br />Position: Just Theatre Tour Coordinator<br />Organization: Ontario Council for International Cooperation<br /> <a href="http://www.ocic.on.ca/">http://www.ocic.on.ca</a><br /><br />Position Type: Contract<br />Date posted: September 11, 2007<br />Duration: October 2007 - March 2008<br />Deadline: September 21, 2007 - 12 noon<br />Location: Toronto, ON<br /><br />Background:<br /><br />The Ontario Council for International Cooperation (OCIC)<br />is a coalition of Ontario-based voluntary organizations<br />committed to achieving global development in a peaceful<br />and healthy environment, with social justice, human dignity<br />and participation for all.<br /><br />Reporting to the Executive Director, the Just Theatre Tour<br />Coordinator will be responsible for helping to develop,<br />undertake and evaluate all aspects of a pilot school-focused<br />theatre project, to be launched in January 2008.<br /><br />The ideal candidate will be a dynamic organizer with<br />proven experience facilitating projects with diverse<br />stakeholders. S/he will have creative ideas, strong<br />communication skills, and knowledge of international<br />development issues. As a key member of a small staff<br />team, s/he must be able to work independently on a variety<br />of tasks, and to motivate others to participate.<br /><br />Responsibilities:<br /><br />* Further developing a database of and relationships with<br />educators, school boards, teachers federations and the<br />Ontario Ministry of Education to promote the tour and<br />other global education resources and opportunities;<br />* Liaising with key stakeholders (above) and serving as the<br />primary contact person with the actors/theatre company<br />throughout planning, implementation and evaluation of the<br />project;<br />* Creating appropriate communications materials and<br />website content to promote the tour;<br />* Assisting in the development of a workshop to follow<br />the play;<br />* Promoting and booking the tour to schools;<br />* Implementing a media/outreach strategy;<br />* Assisting with the development of the tour schedule and<br />overseeing tour logistics (such as renting vehicles and<br />booking hotel rooms, where necessary);<br />* Driving equipment, props, actors and other materials to<br />schools, on time, throughout the tour;<br />* Introducing the play and representing OCIC at schools;<br />* Facilitating the workshop with students and teachers in<br />schools, where requested;<br />* Documenting best practices/lessons learned;<br />* Assisting with follow-up activities, such as synthesis of<br />evaluations, preparation of financial and final report items;<br />* Responding to tour-related and general telephone, email<br />and fax inquiries, as assigned;<br />* Providing support to OCIC public engagement activities,<br />including the OCIC Global Citizens Forum (October), the<br />Kaleidoscope Real World Video Challenge (from October)<br />and International Development Week (February), as<br />assigned.<br /><br />Desired Experience, Skills and Qualifications:<br /><br />* Valid drivers license, excellent driving skills and comfort<br />driving a van loaded with equipment and actors;<br />* Knowledge of international development issues<br />(especially child labour, fair trade and global citizenship);<br />* Minimum of 2 years experience working with<br />international development organizations;<br />* Demonstrated group facilitation and public presentation<br />skills;<br />* Demonstrated experience in public<br />awareness/engagement with youth;<br />* Demonstrated experience coordinating activities and<br />events;<br />* Knowledge of global education resources;<br />* Ability to build relationships and work as a team player<br />with diverse stakeholders;<br />* Interpersonal and cross-cultural communication<br />strengths;<br />* Detail-oriented with ability to organize work, set<br />priorities, meet deadlines, monitor progress towards goals<br />and track information;<br />* Excellent computer skills (MS Word, Excel, internet, e-<br />mail);<br />* Enthusiastic and creative;<br />* Bilingual (English & French) an asset;<br />* Knowledge of GTA-area schools and experience driving<br />in the GTA an asset.<br /><br />Salary: $15.00 per hour / 28 hours per week<br /><br />To Apply:<br /><br />Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, the<br />names of two references and a writing sample of no more<br />than one page (such as a press release of an upcoming<br />theatre tour, or an invitation to participate in a project)<br />to <u><span style="color:blue;">info</span></u> <span style="color:black;">dontspaam</span> <u><span style="color:blue;">ocic.on.ca</span></u><strong>*</strong> by 12 noon, Friday, September 21, 2007.<br /><br />Please note Just Theatre Tour Coordinator in the subject<br />line.<br /><br />Interviews will be conducted October 4th or 5th. The Just<br />Theatre Tour Coordinator position will ideally commence<br />immediately thereafter.<br /><br />OCIC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed<br />to hiring individuals who reflect the diversity of Canadian<br />communities. As such, we strongly encourage First Nations<br />people and people of colour to apply and self-identify in<br />their cover letter. While OCIC appreciates the efforts of all<br />applicants, only those selected for an interview will be<br />contacted.</span></small></td></tr> <tr><td> </td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><small><b>*Note:</b> <span style="font-family:Arial;color:blue;"><u>e-mail addresses</u></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> above (if any) have been masked to reduce spam.<br />To form the correct address, rejoin the two blue portions, separated with @</span></small></span></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><small><b> Date posted to <a href="http://www.goodworkcanada.ca/">GoodWorkCanada.ca</a></b>: Sep 12 2007</small></span></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><small><b>Disclaimer:</b> GoodWork/People & Planet does not verify the accuracy of the above information. We also do not screen, approve or endorse the organizations or individuals involved. It is the responsibility of the reader to confirm important details and assume all risks. Please take suitable precautions before and during employment, a contract or any other arrangement.</small></span></td></tr></tbody></table>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-40446333404231084632007-09-06T15:49:00.000-04:002007-09-06T15:55:21.341-04:00Canada Can and Should Do More<h5 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><em>Embassy, September 5th, 2007<br />NEWS STORY</em></span></span></h5> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cb\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt\"\>Advocates Urge \nCanada to Get Active on \nBurma \u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003ch4 style\u003d\"margin:12pt 0in 3pt\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>Instead \nof China-Burma relations, conference-goers last week discussed Canada's role in the Asian nation, \ncalling on the Harper government to back up its talk of change with actions. \n\u003c/span\>\u003c/h4\>\n\u003ch5 style\u003d\"margin:12pt 0in 3pt\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cem\>By \nLee Berthiaume\u003c/em\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h5\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Burmese political leaders and pro-democracy advocates said \nCanada can and should do more \nto help spearhead change within the military junta-ruled country by pushing for \ndialogue along the lines of North Korea's six-party talks and \nestablishing a country-specific aid program at \nCIDA.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>The leaders and advocates were in Ottawa for a two-day conference, \nthe first of its kind in Canada, to discuss the role China is playing in the \nSoutheast Asian country that is also known as Myanmar. However, much of the \ndialogue instead focussed on Canada's role. \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>The meeting \ncame the same week the junta staged a brutal crackdown on protestors who were \nupset over a fivefold increase in fuel prices. Government forces are reported to \nhave beaten up the demonstrators, jailed 41 of them, and hired thugs to break up \nany new protests.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Conference participants, including officials from the National \nLeague for Democracy-Liberated Areas (NLD-LA), a political party that operates \nin the Thai-Burma border areas and abroad, and exiled Burmese activists, drafted \na declaration that called "on Canada, ASEAN, the European Union, the United \nStates of America, Russia and Burma's neighbors, to convene a multi-party talk \nsimilar to Six-party Talks on North Korea, to facilitate reforms and a \ntransition."",1] ); //--></script><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Advocates Urge Canada to Get Active on Burma </span></b></span></p> <h4 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;">Instead of China-Burma relations, conference-goers last week discussed Canada's role in the Asian nation, calling on the Harper government to back up its talk of change with actions. </span></span></h4> <h5 style="margin: 12pt 0in 3pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><em>By Lee Berthiaume</em></span></span></h5> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Burmese political leaders and pro-democracy advocates said Canada can and should do more to help spearhead change within the military junta-ruled country by pushing for dialogue along the lines of North Korea's six-party talks and establishing a country-specific aid program at CIDA.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">The leaders and advocates were in Ottawa for a two-day conference, the first of its kind in Canada, to discuss the role China is playing in the Southeast Asian country that is also known as Myanmar. However, much of the dialogue instead focussed on Canada's role.<br /><br />The meeting came the same week the junta staged a brutal crackdown on protestors who were upset over a fivefold increase in fuel prices. Government forces are reported to have beaten up the demonstrators, jailed 41 of them, and hired thugs to break up any new protests.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Conference participants, including officials from the National League for Democracy-Liberated Areas (NLD-LA), a political party that operates in the Thai-Burma border areas and abroad, and exiled Burmese activists, drafted a declaration that called "on Canada, ASEAN, the European Union, the United States of America, Russia and Burma's neighbors, to convene a multi-party talk similar to Six-party Talks on North Korea, to facilitate reforms and a transition."<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>They also called on Canada and the international community to \n"urgently address the deteriorating political, economic and humanitarian \nsituation in Burma," and on \nCanada itself to find an \neffective way to support the empowerment of civil society and democratic \ndevelopment in Burma."\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>In a presentation on Aug. 30 to those assembled, Conservative \nDeputy House Leader Scott Reid said the Canadian government remains committed to \npressuring the military junta to release political prisoners, halt human rights \nviolations and embrace democracy. \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>"Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's \nleadership, the government of Canada remains firmly committed to \npromoting democratic reform," Mr. Reid said.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Since the Burmese military took control in 1988, \nCanada has imposed sanctions on the \ncountry, implemented visa bans on senior military officials, and repeatedly \nvoiced its concerns over the junta's poor human rights record and draconian \nmeasures to clamp down on pro-democracy efforts.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Mr. Reid highlighted the sanctions and bans Canada \nhas placed on the junta's leaders, and said the government believes the \ninternational community must work together to address the \nsituation.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>"Canada \nactively encourages other nations, particularly Burma's immediate neighbours, to press \nBurma's rulers to take \nconcrete steps towards genuine political dialogue with the opposition," Mr. Reid \nsaid, adding Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier "is a strong supporter of \nan uncompromising stance on the ",1] ); //--></script></span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">They also called on Canada and the international community to "urgently address the deteriorating political, economic and humanitarian situation in Burma," and on Canada itself to find an effective way to support the empowerment of civil society and democratic development in Burma."</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">In a presentation on Aug. 30 to those assembled, Conservative Deputy House Leader Scott Reid said the Canadian government remains committed to pressuring the military junta to release political prisoners, halt human rights violations and embrace democracy.<br /><br />"Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's leadership, the government of Canada remains firmly committed to promoting democratic reform," Mr. Reid said.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Since the Burmese military took control in 1988, Canada has imposed sanctions on the country, implemented visa bans on senior military officials, and repeatedly voiced its concerns over the junta's poor human rights record and draconian measures to clamp down on pro-democracy efforts.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Mr. Reid highlighted the sanctions and bans Canada has placed on the junta's leaders, and said the government believes the international community must work together to address the situation.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">"Canada actively encourages other nations, particularly Burma's immediate neighbours, to press Burma's rulers to take concrete steps towards genuine political dialogue with the opposition," Mr. Reid said, adding Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier "is a strong supporter of an uncompromising stance on the <script><!-- D(["mb","Burma issue." \n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>"It's only through the kind of principle shown by Prime Minister \nHarper and Foreign Minister Bernier that we can expect the international \ncommunity to successfully pressure the regime in Burma to make real \nchanges."\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt\"\>Canada\u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt\"\> 'Well-Positioned' as \nMediator\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of the Canadian Friends of \nBurma, which organized the conference, welcomed Mr. Reid's comments, but said \nstatements are not enough. \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>"I sincerely hope the government of \nCanada will be more proactive, \nespecially under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's leadership," he said. "Issuing \nstatements and condemning those atrocities and crackdowns on peaceful \ndemonstration is encouraging for people inside Burma. At the \nsame time, we should show something tangible for support of these \npeople."\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Harn Yawnghwe is the son of Sao Shwe Thaik, who was the first \nelected president of Burma when it became a republic in \n1948. Mr. Thaik died in prison in 1962 following a coup, and Mr. Yawnghwe has \nsince moved to Canada where \nhe has worked as an advocate for democracy in Burma.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>"As Canadians, we are too modest," Mr. Yawnghwe told participants \non Aug. 30. "We say we are too small a country, that we can't do \nanything."\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>",1] ); //--></script>Burma issue." </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">"It's only through the kind of principle shown by Prime Minister Harper and Foreign Minister Bernier that we can expect the international community to successfully pressure the regime in Burma to make real changes."</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Canada</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> 'Well-Positioned' as Mediator</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of the Canadian Friends of Burma, which organized the conference, welcomed Mr. Reid's comments, but said statements are not enough.<br /><br />"I sincerely hope the government of Canada will be more proactive, especially under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's leadership," he said. "Issuing statements and condemning those atrocities and crackdowns on peaceful demonstration is encouraging for people inside Burma. At the same time, we should show something tangible for support of these people."</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Harn Yawnghwe is the son of Sao Shwe Thaik, who was the first elected president of Burma when it became a republic in 1948. Mr. Thaik died in prison in 1962 following a coup, and Mr. Yawnghwe has since moved to Canada where he has worked as an advocate for democracy in Burma.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">"As Canadians, we are too modest," Mr. Yawnghwe told participants on Aug. 30. "We say we are too small a country, that we can't do anything."</span></span></span></h1> <span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>However, Mr. Yawnghwe said Canada \nis well positioned to facilitate talks between the military junta and its \nneighbours to resolve the situation. The idea of such talks is not new, and has \nbeen forwarded by such people as Michael Green, a former advisor to U.S. \nPresident George W. Bush. \u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>The situation in Burma represents a security threat to the region, \nadvocates said, adding that it appears China is opening its eyes to the need \nfor a resolution in the country to ensure instability doesn't spill over into \nits borders.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Earlier this year, China hosted a secret meeting between a key \nU.S. diplomat and junta \nofficials in Beijing, which the advocates took as \na sign of China's willingness \nto play a constructive role in Burma.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>If India, \nBangladesh and key members of \nthe Association of Southeast Asian Nations–of which Burma is a member, can be brought on side, as \nwell as the United \nStates, a political resolution is possible, Mr. \nYawnghwe said. \u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Mr. Yawnghwe acknowledged that Canada has placed sanctions on Burma–though at least one Canadian \nmining company continues to operate in the country, supplying much-needed cash \nto the junta–but real sanctions through the United Nations aren't possible \nbecause Security Council approval hasn't come to pass. \n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>",1] ); //--></script> </span> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">However, Mr. Yawnghwe said Canada is well positioned to facilitate talks between the military junta and its neighbours to resolve the situation. The idea of such talks is not new, and has been forwarded by such people as Michael Green, a former advisor to U.S. President George W. Bush. </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">The situation in Burma represents a security threat to the region, advocates said, adding that it appears China is opening its eyes to the need for a resolution in the country to ensure instability doesn't spill over into its borders.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Earlier this year, China hosted a secret meeting between a key U.S. diplomat and junta officials in Beijing, which the advocates took as a sign of China's willingness to play a constructive role in Burma.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">If India, Bangladesh and key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations–of which Burma is a member, can be brought on side, as well as the United States, a political resolution is possible, Mr. Yawnghwe said. </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Mr. Yawnghwe acknowledged that Canada has placed sanctions on Burma–though at least one Canadian mining company continues to operate in the country, supplying much-needed cash to the junta–but real sanctions through the United Nations aren't possible because Security Council approval hasn't come to pass. </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>"So you have to take another angle," he said in an interview. \n"We've [proposed talks] several times, but no one has wanted to take it on." \n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>It \nwould take political capital to kick-start such talks, Mr. Yawnghwe said, but \nthe potential for success is there, and Canada could "become a leader on the \nworld stage again." \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt\"\>Special Aid Program \nUrged\u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Those comments were echoed by Nyo Ohn Myint, head of the NLD-LA's \nforeign affairs committee and a former aid to detained Burmese leader Aung San \nSuu Kyi.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>"We'd be very happy if Canada mediates the situation," Mr. \nMyint said. \u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Mr. Myint said Canada is well suited to persuade the military \njunta, Burma's neighbours, \nincluding China, and other groups to hold talks \nto resolve the ongoing problems plaguing the country. The United States, he said, is not well regarded by \nthe junta, and Scandinavian countries like Norway, which has championed talks in Sri \nLanka, have openly supported the \nopposition.\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Participants also called on the Canadian government to establish a \nspecific aid program to Burma. The country is noticeably \nabsent from CIDA's long list of development partners, and Mr. Yawnghwe said this \nis the result of the Burmese pro-democracy movements own success. \n",1] ); //--></script><span style="color:#990000;">"So you have to take another angle," he said in an interview. "We've [proposed talks] several times, but no one has wanted to take it on." </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;">It would take political capital to kick-start such talks, Mr. Yawnghwe said, but the potential for success is there, and Canada could "become a leader on the world stage again."<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Special Aid Program Urged</span><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Those comments were echoed by Nyo Ohn Myint, head of the NLD-LA's foreign affairs committee and a former aid to detained Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">"We'd be very happy if Canada mediates the situation," Mr. Myint said. </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Mr. Myint said Canada is well suited to persuade the military junta, Burma's neighbours, including China, and other groups to hold talks to resolve the ongoing problems plaguing the country. The United States, he said, is not well regarded by the junta, and Scandinavian countries like Norway, which has championed talks in Sri Lanka, have openly supported the opposition.</span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Participants also called on the Canadian government to establish a specific aid program to Burma. The country is noticeably absent from CIDA's long list of development partners, and Mr. Yawnghwe said this is the result of the Burmese pro-democracy movements own success. <script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>"We lobbied in 1988 for it to be cut off," he said. \n\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>The two men said CIDA does run some humanitarian projects along \nthe borders, specifically where refugees are living in Thailand and Bangladesh, but \nthat money is often scraped together from other places or regional funds and \nthere is no dedicated funding. \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>A Department of Foreign Affairs and \nInternational Trade document available online notes that "Burma-based projects \nare limited and are only supported when they meet the requirements set out by \n[Ms. Suu Kyi] that assistance be accountable, transparent, and reach the \nintended recipients." \u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>Mr. Myint said Canada needs to spend more on \nlong-term projects like strengthening civil society, and improving education and \nhealth systems. \u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003ch1 style\u003d\"margin:auto 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:normal;font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#990000\"\>He acknowledged there is a great deal of controversy surrounding \nall aid to Burma. Some believe donor countries \nshould only fund projects in the borderlands, while others say money for civil \nsociety groups toiling in the country are also needed. \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>Both men felt any \nand all aid, as long as it didn't go directly to the junta, makes a difference. \n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>"Helping refugees, applying diplomatic pressure, that's really needed \nand really appreciated," Mr. Myint said. "But we need more concrete moves from \nWestern countries."\u003c/font\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/h1\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10pt\"\>\u003cspan\>______________________________\u003cWBR\>____ \n",1] ); //--></script></span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">"We lobbied in 1988 for it to be cut off," he said. </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">The two men said CIDA does run some humanitarian projects along the borders, specifically where refugees are living in Thailand and Bangladesh, but that money is often scraped together from other places or regional funds and there is no dedicated funding.<br /><br />A Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade document available online notes that "Burma-based projects are limited and are only supported when they meet the requirements set out by [Ms. Suu Kyi] that assistance be accountable, transparent, and reach the intended recipients." </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">Mr. Myint said Canada needs to spend more on long-term projects like strengthening civil society, and improving education and health systems. </span></span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: auto 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#990000;">He acknowledged there is a great deal of controversy surrounding all aid to Burma. Some believe donor countries should only fund projects in the borderlands, while others say money for civil society groups toiling in the country are also needed.<br /><br />Both men felt any and all aid, as long as it didn't go directly to the junta, makes a difference. <br /><br />"Helping refugees, applying diplomatic pressure, that's really needed and really appreciated," Mr. Myint said. "But we need more concrete moves from Western countries."</span></span></span></h1>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-15628863016637015562007-09-06T15:26:00.000-04:002007-09-06T15:29:48.125-04:00Makhampom Theatre Laboratory<h2 style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;">This is a fantastic theatre organization in Thailand. I was able to work with them briefly in Chiang Dao -- they do great professional work in Bangkok, as well as work in hilltribe communities and Burmese refugee camps... Wonderful people.</span></h2> <span style="font-size:78%;">-ulla</span><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:6;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 25pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102);" lang="EN-AU">Makhampom Theatre Laboratory</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:6;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 25pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102);"></span></span></b></h2> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">a 14-day intensive theatre laboratory training in Thai theatre and intercultural performance </span></span></b></p> <h1 style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:180%;color:#339966;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">October 22 – November 4, 2007</span></span></b></h1> <p><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span> </p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 13pt;">Likay – Thailand’s traditional popular folk theatre (4 days)</span></span></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;">* Vocal forms * Verse composition * Character types</span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;">* Movement and gesture standards * Clowning * Improvisational aspects</span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 9pt;"></span></span></b> </p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 13pt;">Intercultural Theatre (4 days) </span></span></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">* “Let the Body Talk” (movement-based text) * Image theatre </span></span><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Ensemble movement and sound improvisation\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Environmental theatre * Multi-lingual dramaturgy\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:9pt;font-style:italic\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"4\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:13pt\"\>Theatre Devising (3 days)\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Thematics and performance research process * Group devised scenario making\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Simultaneous dramaturgy \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:9pt\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"4\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:13pt\"\>Performance at the Bangkok Theatre Festival\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Travel to Bangkok and perform at the opening weekend of the festival \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"5\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:19pt;color:#339966\"\>At the Makhampom Living Theatre\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>",1] ); //--></script></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">* Ensemble movement and sound improvisation</span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">* Environmental theatre * Multi-lingual dramaturgy</span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 9pt; font-style: italic;"></span></span></i></b> </p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 13pt;">Theatre Devising (3 days)</span></span></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;">* Thematics and performance research process * Group devised scenario making</span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;">* Simultaneous dramaturgy </span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 9pt;"></span></span></b> </p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 13pt;">Performance at the Bangkok Theatre Festival</span></span></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;">* Travel to Bangkok and perform at the opening weekend of the festival </span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></b> </p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:180%;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 19pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102);" lang="EN-AU">At the Makhampom Living Theatre</span></span></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU"><script><!-- D(["mb","Ban Dong village, Chiang Dao town, 75 km north of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand \u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>and the Bangkok Theatre Festival, Bangkok\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"3\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-size:12pt\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"4\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:15pt;color:#339966\"\>Who Should Come?\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Performers, actors, directors, dramaturges, dancers, anyone with performance experience and an interest in ensemble performance, inter-cultural theatre, and Thai or Asian theatre.\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:left\" align\u003d\"left\"\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan lang\u003d\"EN-AU\" style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* There are a minimum 5 and maximum 10 places available for international participants, with another 10 places allocated for Thai participants.\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"4\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:15pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>* Five half scholarships are available to Australian participants, supported by the Australian Thailand Institute\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"4\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:15pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"4\"\>",1] ); //--></script>Ban Dong village, Chiang Dao town, 75 km north of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand </span></span></i></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">and the Bangkok Theatre Festival, Bangkok</span></span></i></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" lang="EN-AU"></span></span> </p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:130%;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102);" lang="EN-AU">Who Should Come?</span></span></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">* Performers, actors, directors, dramaturges, dancers, anyone with performance experience and an interest in ensemble performance, inter-cultural theatre, and Thai or Asian theatre.</span></span></i></b></p> <p style="text-align: left;" align="left"><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-AU">* There are a minimum 5 and maximum 10 places available for international participants, with another 10 places allocated for Thai participants.</span></span></i></b></p> <b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></i></b> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:130%;color:#339966;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:15pt;color:#339966\"\>For enquiries/registration:\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial\"\>Email \u003ca href\u003d\"http://by121fd.bay121.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto\u003d1&msg\u003d96970F43-8CBD-47CB-B2DE-CC1DE38F2197&start\u003d0&len\u003d193820&src\u003d&type\u003dx&to\u003dinter@makhampom.net&cc\u003d&bcc\u003d&subject\u003d&body\u003d&curmbox\u003d00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a\u003d8c648840605b20f3efcbd9d8fc2579a1fd675d0bc97f8f12500192aafb9d11bb\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Tahoma\" color\u003d\"black\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"color:windowtext\"\>inter@makhampom.net\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/a\> or \u003ca href\u003d\"http://by121fd.bay121.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto\u003d1&msg\u003d96970F43-8CBD-47CB-B2DE-CC1DE38F2197&start\u003d0&len\u003d193820&src\u003d&type\u003dx&to\u003dmakhampom2@hotmail.com&cc\u003d&bcc\u003d&subject\u003d&body\u003d&curmbox\u003d00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a\u003d8c648840605b20f3efcbd9d8fc2579a1fd675d0bc97f8f12500192aafb9d11bb\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Tahoma\" color\u003d\"black\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"color:windowtext\"\>makhampom2@hotmail.com\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial\"\>Fax + 66 2 6168474\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial\"\>Price AUD $1,750 (conc. $1,500) (does not include flights)\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:11pt\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Kristen ITC\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" size\u003d\"2\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>For further information about the programs, and our internationally renowned trainers, Pradit (‘Tua’) Prasartthong, Pongjit (‘Jon’) Saphakhun, and Richard Barber, please visit\u003c/span\>",1] ); //--></script><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102);">For enquiries/registration:</span></span></b></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Email <a href="http://by121fd.bay121.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=96970F43-8CBD-47CB-B2DE-CC1DE38F2197&start=0&len=193820&src=&type=x&to=inter@makhampom.net&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=8c648840605b20f3efcbd9d8fc2579a1fd675d0bc97f8f12500192aafb9d11bb" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;color:black;"><span style="color: windowtext;">inter@makhampom.net</span></span></a> or <a href="http://by121fd.bay121.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=96970F43-8CBD-47CB-B2DE-CC1DE38F2197&start=0&len=193820&src=&type=x&to=makhampom2@hotmail.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=8c648840605b20f3efcbd9d8fc2579a1fd675d0bc97f8f12500192aafb9d11bb" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;color:black;"><span style="color: windowtext;">makhampom2@hotmail.com</span></span></a></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Fax + 66 2 6168474</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Price AUD $1,750 (conc. $1,500) (does not include flights)</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></span> </p> <p><b><span style="font-family:Kristen ITC;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></b> </p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;">For further information about the programs, and our internationally renowned trainers, Pradit (‘Tua’) Prasartthong, Pongjit (‘Jon’) Saphakhun, and Richard Barber, please visit</span><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.makhampom.net/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>www.makhampom.net\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"3\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>Frequently Asked Questions\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#339966\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\> \u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>1. How do the scholarships work?\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>The 5 scholarships are provided by the Australia-Thailand Institute for Australian participants. Each is worth $1,000, meaning that the remaining cost is $500 plus airfares (usually about $800 - $1,000).\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:11pt;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>2. How do I apply?\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\n\u003cp\>\u003cb\>\u003ci\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\" color\u003d\"#000000\" size\u003d\"6\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-size:21pt;color:#339966;font-style:italic;font-family:Arial\"\>",1] ); //--></script></span></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:6;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 21pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.makhampom.net/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">www.makhampom.net</a></span></span></i></b></p> <p><b><i><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:6;color:#339966;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 21pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-style: italic; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></i></b><br /></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-59099243106147441712007-08-20T11:52:00.001-04:002007-08-20T11:52:58.426-04:00The PTC Colony on Granville Island<p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS</span><br /></span></u><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><script><!-- D(["mb"," \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>The PTC Colony on \u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>Granville\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>Island\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>November 16-26, 2007\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp style\u003d\"margin-bottom:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>",1] ); //--></script> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">The PTC Colony on </span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Granville</span></span></b><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"> </span></span></b><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Island</span></span></b><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"> </span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">November 16-26, 2007</span></span></b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>The PTC Colony is an annual play development intensive operated by Playwrights Theatre Centre in \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Vancouver, BC, open to professional Canadian playwrights. The 2006 Colony included Jason Bryden's \u003c/span\>\u003ci style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>The Dissemblers\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/i\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>, slated for production by Touchstone Theatre in 2008, and Trina Davies'\u003c/span\>\u003ci style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>Waxworks\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/i\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>, winner of the 41\u003c/span\>\u003csup style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:13.3333px\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"1\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:10px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:10px\"\>st\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/sup\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> Annual Alberta Playwriting Competition. Entering its second year, the Colony will provide a group of five playwrights-in-residence with a dedicated creative context, dramaturgical resources and a company of actors to read their work at intervals throughout the seven day colony. The focus is on the individual development of each playwright's work as well as the creation of a unique supportive and productive community of playwrights, directors, dramaturgs and actors. Playwright/novelist Don Hannah ( \u003c/span\>\u003ci style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>",1] ); //--></script><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">The PTC Colony is an annual play development intensive operated by Playwrights Theatre Centre in </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Vancouver, BC, open to professional Canadian playwrights. The 2006 Colony included Jason Bryden's </span><i style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">The Dissemblers</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">, slated for production by Touchstone Theatre in 2008, and Trina Davies'</span><i style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">Waxworks</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">, winner of the 41</span><sup style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10px;">st</span></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> Annual Alberta Playwriting Competition. Entering its second year, the Colony will provide a group of five playwrights-in-residence with a dedicated creative context, dramaturgical resources and a company of actors to read their work at intervals throughout the seven day colony. The focus is on the individual development of each playwright's work as well as the creation of a unique supportive and productive community of playwrights, directors, dramaturgs and actors. Playwright/novelist Don Hannah ( </span><i style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>Ragged Islands\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/i\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>) joins PTC Executive Director Martin Kinch and Associate Dramaturg Heidi Taylor as Colony dramaturgs. Participating playwrights must be available for full-time residency during the Colony and will receive accommodation, a meal allowance and, where necessary, travel to and from Vancouver. See below for application guidelines and more information.\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cu style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>Application Guidelines:\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/u\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Application Deadline: \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>September 5, 2007\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>Notification Date: ",1] ); //--></script><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">Ragged Islands</span></span></i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">) joins PTC Executive Director Martin Kinch and Associate Dramaturg Heidi Taylor as Colony dramaturgs. Participating playwrights must be available for full-time residency during the Colony and will receive accommodation, a meal allowance and, where necessary, travel to and from Vancouver. See below for application guidelines and more information.</span></p> <p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><u style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Application Guidelines:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"> </span></span></span></u></b></p> <p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Application Deadline: </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">September 5, 2007</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Notification Date: <script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>September 17, 2007\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cu style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>Applicants must submit:\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/u\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>1) A completed application form along with a cheque or money order payable to Playwrights Theatre Centre to cover the application fee: \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>$25 for PTC Members / $50 for Non-Members. \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003ci style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold\"\>Please note:\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> The $50 application fee for non-members includes a year-long PTC Membership. \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>2) A copy of the current draft of the play you propose to work on during the colony. Copies must be unbound on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Times or Courier 12-point font is preferred. Bound, three-hole punched or stapled scripts cannot be accepted. ",1] ); //--></script></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">September 17, 2007</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><u style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Applicants must submit:</span><br /></span></u></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">1) A completed application form along with a cheque or money order payable to Playwrights Theatre Centre to cover the application fee: </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">$25 for PTC Members / $50 for Non-Members. </span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><i style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Please note:</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> The $50 application fee for non-members includes a year-long PTC Membership. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">2) A copy of the current draft of the play you propose to work on during the colony. Copies must be unbound on 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Times or Courier 12-point font is preferred. Bound, three-hole punched or stapled scripts cannot be accepted. <script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003ci style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold\"\>Please note:\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> Submissions by e-mail or fax will NOT be accepted. Hard copies only.\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>3) A letter outlining the developmental history of the play and what specific elements the playwright intends to focus on and develop through the colony. \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>4) A playwright's resume.\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>The successful plays will be selected based on recommendations from an advisory committee made up of Playwrights Theatre Centre artistic staff and Canadian theatre professionals. \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cu style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>",1] ); //--></script></span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><i style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Please note:</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> Submissions by e-mail or fax will NOT be accepted. Hard copies only.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">3) A letter outlining the developmental history of the play and what specific elements the playwright intends to focus on and develop through the colony. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">4) A playwright's resume.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">The successful plays will be selected based on recommendations from an advisory committee made up of Playwrights Theatre Centre artistic staff and Canadian theatre professionals. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><u style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><script><!-- D(["mb","Submit completed applications to:\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/u\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>PTC Colony on Granville Island\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Playwrights Theatre Centre\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>#201 – 1398 Cartwright Street\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cu style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>DEADLINE FOR \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>RECEIPT\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> OF APPLICATION PACKAGES\u003c/span\>\u003c/u\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>: \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>Wednesday, September 5, 2006\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>",1] ); //--></script>Submit completed applications to:</span><br /></span></u><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">PTC Colony on Granville Island</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Playwrights Theatre Centre</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">#201 – 1398 Cartwright Street</span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8</span><br /><br /><u style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">DEADLINE FOR </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">RECEIPT</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> OF APPLICATION PACKAGES</span></u><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">: </span><br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br /><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Wednesday, September 5, 2006</span></span></b><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><script><!-- D(["mb",", \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>5:00 PM\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>,\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003ci style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>Please allow enough time for your submission to reach the PTC office by the deadline. We will not accept applications submitted via e-mail. \u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-style:italic\"\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/i\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>For more information, contact Heidi Taylor at 604-685-6228 or \u003c/span\>\u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:heidi@playwrightstheatre.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"color:rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>heidi@playwrightstheatre.com\u003c/span\>\u003c/a\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>.\u003c/span\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cimg\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cimg\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cimg\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cimg\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cbr style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;text-align:center\"\>",1] ); //--></script>, </span></span></b><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">5:00 PM</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">,</span><br /><i style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">Please allow enough time for your submission to reach the PTC office by the deadline. We will not accept applications submitted via e-mail. </span><br /></span></i><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">For more information, contact Heidi Taylor at 604-685-6228 or </span><a href="mailto:heidi@playwrightstheatre.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">heidi@playwrightstheatre.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">.</span></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-26884930295081724652007-08-20T11:40:00.000-04:002007-08-20T11:42:48.728-04:00The 30th Rhubarb Festival<h1 style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;">Buddies in Bad Times Theatre </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial;">announces a call for submissions for<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <h1 style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 36pt; font-family: Impact; font-weight: normal;">THE 30<sup>th</sup> RHUBARB FESTIVAL<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <h6 style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">February 20 – March 2, 2008<span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></h6> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Festival Director<b> Erika Hennebury</b></span><span style="font-size: 28pt; font-family: Arial; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 26pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; text-transform: uppercase;">RISK RIOT REJUVINATION</span></b><span style="font-size: 26pt; font-family: Arial; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">Buddies is seeking submissions for the 30<sup>th </sup>incarnation of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">the country’s oldest new works fest<span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">. Curated by Buddies’ Associate Producer<b style="">, </b></span><b><span style="color: black;">Erika Hennebury</span></b><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">, <span style="">Rhubarb is an annual festival of new, original, innovative contemporary performance</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: Arial;">DEADLINE: 5pm, Fri, Sept 14, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: Arial;">SUBMISSION GUIDELINES<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Rhubarb is a partially curated, but primarily submission-driven festival. Submissions are reviewed by a selection committee composed of Erika Hennebury, Festival Director, David Oiye, Artistic Director, Jim LeFrancois, Producer and Associate Artists Ed Roy and Moynan King. Criteria for this year’s festival are strongly in the realm of experimental, devised, innovative contemporary performance. Although script-based submissions will be accepted, Buddies strongly encourages submissions which are more experimental in nature. Rhubarb seeks submissions from <b style="">contemporary theatre, conceptual dance, performance art, new media, installation art</b> and welcomes <b style="">new hybrids of live performance as well as cross-disciplinary experiments and collaborations</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">THE 2008 RHUBARB FESTIVAL STAGES<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">The 2008 Rhubarb Festival seeks proposals for the following stages:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">The Cabaret</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">: performances up to 25 minutes in length, for a fixed, raised proscenium stage<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">The Chamber</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">: performances up to 25 minutes in length, for the Buddies Mainspace<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">The Mini-Stage</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">: 1-5 minute performances or installations for a small audience in a <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">*small space<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">The Solo-Stage</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">: 1-2 minute performances or installations for a single audience member, in a *very small space<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Environmental & Late-Night:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"> happenings, interactive installations and other ancillary performances and 5-minute late-night Cabaret performances<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">* for venue specifications or further clarification, contact Erika Hennebury<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;">Submissions may include (but are not limited to):<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Short plays, collective creations, <span style="color: black;">conceptual dance, performance art, new media, installation art, </span>opera, music theatre<span style="color: black;">, new hybrids of live performance as well as cross-disciplinary experiments and collaborations.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;">Submissions must include:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">∙ a copy of the completed application form<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">∙ a copy of your project description (1 page)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">∙ a copy of your script or performance synopsis (25 min max)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">∙ a copy of bios for your artistic team<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">∙ a copy of a brief history of your work or a company history (1 page)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">∙ a copy of any support materials<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;">The Deadline:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">The deadline for all submissions is:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">5:00pm Friday, September 14<sup>th </sup>2007</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">late submissions may not be considered<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">submissions post-marked up to Sept 14 will be accepted<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;">The Details:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">2008 Rhubarb Festival Application is available on our website: www.buddiesinbadtimestheatre.com</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Proposed performances may be</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"> <b>no longer than 25 minutes in length.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Proposals submitted in a format longer than 25 minutes may not be considered.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Works submitted must be <b>new</b>, <b>never previously produced</b> and <b>original</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Submissions must submitted in hard copy only and must be accompanied by and 2008 Rhubarb Festival Application form (available online).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Please keep a copy of your submission.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Fax or email submissions will not be accepted.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Please mail or drop off submissions to:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Erika Hennebury, Rhubarb! Festival Director<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">Buddies in Bad Times Theatre<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><st1:address st="on"><st1:street st="on"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">12 Alexander Street</span></b></st1:Street><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;">, <st1:city st="on">Toronto</st1:City> <st1:state st="on">ON</st1:State> <st1:postalcode st="on">M4Y 1B4</st1:PostalCode></span></b></st1:address><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <h2><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;">For further information please contact<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2> <h2><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;">Erika Hennebury, 416-975-9130 x40<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="mailto:erika@buddiesinbadtimestheatre.com">erika@buddiesinbadtimestheatre.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-8818575948659169632007-08-20T11:38:00.000-04:002007-08-20T11:39:35.745-04:00Canada Denies Visas to Burmese Groups<p class="MsoNormal">By The Irrawaddy</p> <p class="MsoNormal">August 17, 2007</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Burmese living in <st1:country-region st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region> are facing difficulties obtaining temporary visas to attend a Burmese policy conference in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:City>, according to the conference organizer.<br /><br />The <st1:country-region st="on">Burma</st1:country-region> policy consultation conference which will be held August 29 to 30 in <st1:city st="on">Ottawa</st1:City> is in jeopardy as many Burmese working on human rights, democracy, labor and women's issues in countries in <st1:place st="on">Asia</st1:place> were invited to attend but might be denied entry to the country.<br /><br />Around 25 prominent Burmese working to restore democracy in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country-region> were invited. Two Burmese who are former members of the Communist Party of Burma and who now reside in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> were also invited. It is unknown whether they will be allowed to leave <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<br /><br />The conference organizer told The Irrawaddy that Canadian members of parliament, officials from Foreign Affairs Canada, ambassadors to <st1:country-region st="on">Canada</st1:country-region>, representatives of Canadian civil society organizations, representatives from Canadian Burmese communities and pro-democracy organizations in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> will also attend the conference.<br /><br />Conference organizers have sent appeal letters to Canadian officials to intervene. So far only two Burmese have been granted visa.<br /><br />Tin Maung Htoo, the conference organizer and executive director of Canadian Friends of Burma based in <st1:city st="on">Ottawa</st1:City>, told The Irrawaddy that <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s visa application process is extremely inflexible and difficult.<br /><br />The process is "unreasonably stringent for some applicants, in this case Burmese citizens and other citizens we invited," he said. "Even compared to the <st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> and European countries."<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">"This is very unfortunate and an apparent contradiction to what <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> proudly claims to be strong support of the Burmese democratic movement.”<br /><br />Canadian aid organizations such as Canada Fund and the Canadian International Development Agency support Burmese refugees and Burmese groups along the Thai-Burmese border.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Last year, Dr Cynthia Maung, a Karen doctor who has won international humanitarian awards and was featured as an "Asia Hero" in Time magazine, was denied a visa at the Canadian embassy in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Thanks to the intervention of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s immigration minister, she was finally allowed in. Her Mae Tao clinic in Mae Sot receives assistance from CIDA.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">According to Tin Maung Htoo, when Burmese applied for visas at Canadian embassies in <st1:place st="on">Asia</st1:place>, a number of impolite incidents occurred.<br /><br />He said that he sent an appeal letter to Stockwell Day, the minister for public safety in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>, on August 15.<br /><br />In the letter obtained by The Irrawaddy, he said: “A number of our guests’ visa applications have been turned down by Canadian embassies in <st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Japan</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangladesh</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Such decisions made by immigration officers in Bangkok, Dhaka and Tokyo are in contradiction to the Government of Canada's stance in support of the Burmese democratic movement since 1988. Immigration officers do not seem to understand the complexity of the ongoing people’s struggle in <st1:country-region st="on">Burma</st1:country-region>, as well as <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s staunch support.”<br /><br />Similar appeals and requests for intervention were also sent to Diane Finley, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s minister for immigration and citizenship.<br /><br />According to senior members of CFOB and Burmese who were not granted visas in the past, Canadian immigration officials have stated that visas could not be issued to an individual who lived in another country without lawful permission. It is considered too high of a risk for <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> to issue visas to such applicants.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tin Maung Htoo’s said the incident has offended the applicants. He said the CFOB repeatedly assured the embassies that the applicants' expenses and return tickets were taken care of, but the embassy staffs did not take the assurances seriously.<br /><br />A CFOB member said Canadian immigration officials are concerned that Burmese who visit <st1:country-region st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> will overstay in the country and won’t return to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country-region> or the countries where they are currently living.<br /><br />A Burmese activist who lives in Mae Sot said he did not want to complain about the visa restrictions. However, he felt that his rights were violated.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“They (immigration officers) were not satisfied with many things, including my financial status and my travel history and background," he said.<br /><br />In a related issue, an international women's conference scheduled to meet in September in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:City> has invited Burmese and Karen women to attend. They are also having problems obtaining visas.<o:p></o:p></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-29023625017900787092007-08-01T15:28:00.000-04:002007-08-01T15:30:01.373-04:00CAHOOTS WELCOMES TARA BEAGAN AS PLAYWRIGHT-IN-RESIDENCE<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">On August 1, Tara Beagan joins Cahoots Theatre Projects as its Playwright-in-Residence for the 2007/2008 season.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">Tara is an accomplished actor and playwright.<span style=""> </span>Her first play, <i style="">Thy Neighbour's Wife</i>, was nominated for three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, winning one for Outstanding New Play.<span style=""> </span>Her second play, <i style="">Dreary and Izzy</i> was produced by Native Earth Performing Arts in 2005.<span style=""> </span>She was part of Tarragon Theatre Playwright's Unit 2006, as well as Nightwood Theatre's Groundswell Festival 2006.<span style=""> </span>She has begun work on a new collective at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre where she will be playwright-in-residence for the 2008/09 season.<span style=""> </span>Much of her writing strives to bridge the two worlds she inhabits culturally—Thompson River Salish and Irish Canadian.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;">With Cahoots, Tara will be developing her play <i style="">Quilchena</i> which is based on harrowing, real-life events that took place in the B.C. Interior in 1978.<span style=""> </span>In the Nicola Valley, Monica Jack went missing thirteen days shy of her thirteenth birthday.<span style=""> </span>In <i style="">Quilchena</i>, Tara writes of a community mourning Monica as they imagine her into adulthood.<span style=""> </span>Seventeen years later, Monica returns to her people as they sleep, to bid them goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Tara joins a list of distinguished writers who have worked with Cahoots over its twenty-year history.<span style=""> </span>Playwrights such as Marjorie Chan, Rahul Varma, Daniel David Moses, Betty Quan, Florence Gibson, and </span><st1:personname><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Guillermo Verdecchia</span></st1:PersonName><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"> have all had works developed or produced by Cahoots.<span style=""> </span>Cahoots is committed to nurturing artists and plays that reflect the rich cultural diversity of this country.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">“We’ve all been huge fans of Tara’s remarkable voice,” says Cahoots Artistic Director </span><st1:personname><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Jovanni Sy</span></st1:PersonName><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">.<span style=""> </span>“I am delighted to welcome Tara to the Cahoots family and I look forward to exploring <i style="">Quilchena</i> with her.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Cahoots extends its gratitude to the Ontario Arts Council for supporting Tara’s term through its Playwright Residency Grant.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></i><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">For more information please contact:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><st1:personname><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Ulla Laidlaw</span></i></st1:PersonName><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Communications & Outreach Coordinator <o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">Cahoots Theatre Projects<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">(416) 203-9000<o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><st1:personname><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">ulla</span></i></st1:PersonName><i><span style="font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA">@cahoots.ca</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Palatino;" lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-17912211321260360922007-07-31T10:48:00.000-04:002007-07-31T10:49:19.845-04:00Carlos Bulosan Theatre Play Creation Unit<p style="text-align: center; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 20pt;" lang="EN-US">Call for Submissions</span></b></p><p style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><b><br />Carlos Bulosan Theatre </b></p><p style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cb\>Play Creation Unit\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:justify;line-height:150%;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"line-height:150%\" lang\u003d\"EN-US\"\>The Carlos Bulosan Theatre’s (CBT’s) mandate is to reflect on social issues affecting the Filipino and broader community. CBT is also committed to creating innovative work that reflects a vibrant, new generation of Filipino-Canadian artists. CBT seeks to encourage and develop Filipino-Canadian writers, performers, and other artists within the community.\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp style\u003d\"line-height:150%;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"line-height:150%\" lang\u003d\"EN-US\"\> The CBT Play Creation Unit is a novice play creation program.\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>It introduces participants to \u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"line-height:150%\" lang\u003d\"EN-US\"\>various approaches to making theatre.\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>Through regular workshops and sessions with professional theatre artists, we help participants identify, cultivate and explore their creative voice.\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>Each member will create a 10-15 minute piece of theatre that will be presented in CBT’s annual showcase of new work \u003cb\>\u003ci\>Tales from the Flipside\u003c/i\>\u003c/b\> at the end of February 2008\u003c/span\>.\u003c/p\>\u003cp style\u003d\"line-height:150%;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\> \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold\"\>Submission Guidelines:\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\> \u003cul style\u003d\"margin-top:0cm;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\" type\u003d\"disc\"\> \u003cli style\u003d\"line-height:150%\"\>A letter of interest outlining why you would like to be part of the program, including an idea you would like to develop into a piece of theatre\u003c/li\> \u003cli style\u003d\"line-height:150%\"\>A 1-2 page submission of creative writing (this can take the form of dialogue, poetry, prose, short story, etc.)\u003c/li\> \u003c/ul\>\u003cp style\u003d\"line-height:150%;font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\> \u003cbr\> The Play Creation Unit begins meeting September 2007 through to January 2008.\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp style\u003d\"line-height:150%\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\> \u003cbr\> The deadline for submissions is August 3, 2007\u003c/b\>",1] ); //--></script><b>Play Creation Unit</b></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;" lang="EN-US">The Carlos Bulosan Theatre’s (CBT’s) mandate is to reflect on social issues affecting the Filipino and broader community. CBT is also committed to creating innovative work that reflects a vibrant, new generation of Filipino-Canadian artists. CBT seeks to encourage and develop Filipino-Canadian writers, performers, and other artists within the community.</span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;" lang="EN-US"> The CBT Play Creation Unit is a novice play creation program.<span> </span>It introduces participants to </span><span style="line-height: 150%;" lang="EN-US">various approaches to making theatre.<span> </span>Through regular workshops and sessions with professional theatre artists, we help participants identify, cultivate and explore their creative voice.<span> </span>Each member will create a 10-15 minute piece of theatre that will be presented in CBT’s annual showcase of new work <b><i>Tales from the Flipside</i></b> at the end of February 2008</span>.</p><p style="line-height: 150%; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Submission Guidelines:</span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0cm; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;" type="disc"><li style="line-height: 150%;">A letter of interest outlining why you would like to be part of the program, including an idea you would like to develop into a piece of theatre</li><li style="line-height: 150%;">A 1-2 page submission of creative writing (this can take the form of dialogue, poetry, prose, short story, etc.)</li></ul><p style="line-height: 150%; font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><br />The Play Creation Unit begins meeting September 2007 through to January 2008.<span> </span></p><p style="line-height: 150%;"><b style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><br />The deadline for submissions is August 3, 2007</b><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Arial\" lang\u003d\"EN-US\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\>. Submissions can be sent by email to: \u003c/span\>\u003ca style\u003d\"font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\" href\u003d\"mailto:info@carlosbulosan.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>info@carlosbulosan.com\u003c/a\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif\"\> . Submissions by mail should be sent to: Carlos Bulosan Theatre, 167 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2L4\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\> \u003c/blockquote\>\u003c/div\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003c/div\>",0] ); D(["ce"]); //--></script><span style="font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;">. Submissions can be sent by email to: </span><a style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;" href="mailto:info@carlosbulosan.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">info@carlosbulosan.com</a><span style="font-family: helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"> . Submissions by mail should be sent to: Carlos Bulosan Theatre, 167 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2L4</span></span></p>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-38637975183606896062007-07-31T10:26:00.000-04:002007-07-31T10:29:39.283-04:00rAiz'n Ensemble Program<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">AUDITIONS</span></span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">for</span></span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"5\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:21.3333px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:21.3333px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>rAiz’n ensemble program\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"5\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:21.3333px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:21.3333px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>by\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"5\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:21.3333px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:21.3333px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>b current\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18.6667px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18.6667px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 1:00-5:00 pm\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>",1] ); //--></script><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">rAiz’n ensemble program</span></span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">by</span></span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 21.3333px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">b current</span></span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 18.6667px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 18.6667px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 1:00-5:00 pm</span></span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18.6667px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18.6667px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>Call Back: Saturday, August 25, 2007 1:00 – 4:00 pm\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp align\u003d\"center\" style\u003d\"text-align:center;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"4\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18.6667px;text-align:center\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:18.6667px;font-weight:bold;text-align:center\"\>Maria A. Shchuka Library\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>The\u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\> rAiz’n\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> ensemble is an established component of the company’s wider \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>rAiz’n the sun\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> training program. Now in its 9\u003c/span\>\u003csup style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:13.3333px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:13.3333px\"\>",1] ); //--></script><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 18.6667px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 18.6667px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Call Back: Saturday, August 25, 2007 1:00 – 4:00 pm</span></span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;" align="center"><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 18.6667px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 18.6667px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Maria A. Shchuka Library</span></span></span></b></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">The</span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"> rAiz’n</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> ensemble is an established component of the company’s wider </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">rAiz’n the sun</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> training program. Now in its 9</span><sup style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px;"><script><!-- D(["mb","th\u003c/span\>\u003c/sup\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> season, the \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>rAiz’n\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> ensemble program enters a new 3 year-cycle in September 2007, and runs until August of each season. Auditions for entry into the program this season are now open.\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>During the course of the program, ensemble members will participate in part-time workshop series and classes, customized apprenticeships, mentoring, networking opportunities, peer collaboration, and hands-on work in the company’s productions, including the annual \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>rock.paper.sistahz\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> festival.\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>The program is for career-oriented individuals with interests in performance, creation, design, writing, directing, and/or producing, who are looking to continue honing their craft and accessing a direct springboard into the work arena.",1] ); //--></script>th</span></sup><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> season, the </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">rAiz’n</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> ensemble program enters a new 3 year-cycle in September 2007, and runs until August of each season. Auditions for entry into the program this season are now open.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">During the course of the program, ensemble members will participate in part-time workshop series and classes, customized apprenticeships, mentoring, networking opportunities, peer collaboration, and hands-on work in the company’s productions, including the annual </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">rock.paper.sistahz</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> festival.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">The program is for career-oriented individuals with interests in performance, creation, design, writing, directing, and/or producing, who are looking to continue honing their craft and accessing a direct springboard into the work arena.<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Facilitators and mentors who work with the \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>rAiz’n\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> ensemble are professional artists, alongside the program lead, \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>b current\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>’s Artistic Director, ahdri zhina mandiela.\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Booking a slot in the audition can be made by calling \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>416-533-1500\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>. For the initial audition on August 23, applicants are required to present any kind of performance piece (2 – 5 minutes) and/ or present a work activities portfolio. Applicants selected for call back will engage in a workshop session on August 25.",1] ); //--></script></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Facilitators and mentors who work with the </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">rAiz’n</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> ensemble are professional artists, alongside the program lead, </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">b current</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">’s Artistic Director, ahdri zhina mandiela.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Booking a slot in the audition can be made by calling </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">416-533-1500</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">. For the initial audition on August 23, applicants are required to present any kind of performance piece (2 – 5 minutes) and/ or present a work activities portfolio. Applicants selected for call back will engage in a workshop session on August 25.<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>For more information, please contact:\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Chiaki Nemoto\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>General Manager, \u003c/span\>\u003cb style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold\"\>b current\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/b\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>720 Bathurst Street, Suite 402\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>, \u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Toronto\u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>, \u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>ON\u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>M5S 2R4\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>",1] ); //--></script></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">For more information, please contact:</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Chiaki Nemoto</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">General Manager, </span><b style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">b current</span></span></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">720 Bathurst Street, Suite 402</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Toronto</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">, </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">ON</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">M5S 2R4</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Tel: 416-533-1500 \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Fax: 416-533-1560 \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Cell: 647-839-3332\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>E-mail: \u003c/span\>\u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:gm@bcurrent.ca\" title\u003d\"mailto:gm@bcurrent.ca\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"color:rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>gm@bcurrent.ca\u003c/span\>\u003c/a\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>Website: \u003c/span\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.bcurrent.ca/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"color:rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>www.bcurrent.ca\u003c/span\>\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\> \u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"3\" face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:16px\"\>If you would not like to receive information from us, please reply to this e-mail with a word “Unsubscribe”. Thank you.\u003c/span\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/p\>\u003cp\>\u003cfont size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-size:13.3333px\"\>",1] ); //--></script><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Tel: 416-533-1500 </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Fax: 416-533-1560 </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Cell: 647-839-3332</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">E-mail: </span><a href="mailto:gm@bcurrent.ca" title="mailto:gm@bcurrent.ca" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">gm@bcurrent.ca</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">Website: </span><a href="http://www.bcurrent.ca/" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;">www.bcurrent.ca</span></a></span></span></p></span>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18592927.post-53528705397254547752007-07-21T09:01:00.000-04:002007-07-21T09:04:02.275-04:00ALAMEDA THEATRE COMPANY: An Avenue for Latin Voices<div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>2007-2008</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS </b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>1</b></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><b>ST</b></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b> ANNUAL</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>2008 DE COLORES FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS BY LATIN-CANADIAN PLAYWRIGHTS</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>Alameda Theatre Company</b></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">, Canada's premiere professional Latin Canadian theatre company, invites submissions from established and emerging playwrights for our first ever Latin Canadian playwright’s festival: </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>THE 2008 DE COLORES FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS. </b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The festival will focus on providing developmental support for works in progress by pairing the chosen playwrights with professional dramaturgs from Toronto’s theatre community. This year’s festival dramaturgs are the award- winning director and playwright Guillermo Verdecchia (</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><i>Bloom, The Noam Chomsky Lectures, Insomnia, Fronteras Americanas <script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/i\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>to name a few\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003ci\>) \u003c/i\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>and\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003ci\> \u003c/i\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Stephen Colella, Dramaturg at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003ci\>.\u003c/i\>\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Our mandate is to provide opportunities to Latin Canadian theatre artists and playwrights and to build audiences for their work. We envision that Latin American arts and artists will be embraced by a broad Canadian community that is aware of, understands and respects the Latin-American Canadian experience. \u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Scripts selected for the 2008 De Colores Festival of New Works will receive dramaturgical sessions from January to June 2008, a short workshop and staged reading in June 2008 and will automatically be short-listed for production in our upcoming seasons. Selected playwrights will be contacted by December 2007.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cb\>Deadline for submissions: October 15, 2007\u003c/b\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cb\>GUIDELINES:\u003c/b\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>1.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Scripts must be Canadian, original, un-produced works of 60 to 120 minutes in length.",1] ); //--></script></i></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">to name a few</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><i>) </i></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">and</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Stephen Colella, Dramaturg at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><i>.</i></span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Our mandate is to provide opportunities to Latin Canadian theatre artists and playwrights and to build audiences for their work. We envision that Latin American arts and artists will be embraced by a broad Canadian community that is aware of, understands and respects the Latin-American Canadian experience. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Scripts selected for the 2008 De Colores Festival of New Works will receive dramaturgical sessions from January to June 2008, a short workshop and staged reading in June 2008 and will automatically be short-listed for production in our upcoming seasons. Selected playwrights will be contacted by December 2007.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>Deadline for submissions: October 15, 2007</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><b>GUIDELINES:</b></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">1.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Scripts must be Canadian, original, un-produced works of 60 to 120 minutes in length.<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>2.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Playwrights must be citizens or landed immigrants of Canada.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>3.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>We will NOT accept more than one submission per playwright.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>4.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>All themes are encouraged. Plays need not have specific Latin American themes or characters, but playwrights must be of Latin American origin, as the goal with this festival is to develop Latin American voices in Canada. (Even if you do not speak any Spanish, if you identify yourself as Latin American, Hispanic, Latino, Spanish or a mix of these, we encourage your submission.)\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>5.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Cast size should preferably be no more than 5 characters.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>6.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>All plays must be in English OR translated into English before the start of the festival. \u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>7.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Please include a one-page synopsis with the theme, plot, length of play, character breakdowns and any doubling possibilities.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>8.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Please also include a title page, with playwright’s name, name of play and contact information.",1] ); //--></script></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">2.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Playwrights must be citizens or landed immigrants of Canada.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">3.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">We will NOT accept more than one submission per playwright.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">4.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">All themes are encouraged. Plays need not have specific Latin American themes or characters, but playwrights must be of Latin American origin, as the goal with this festival is to develop Latin American voices in Canada. (Even if you do not speak any Spanish, if you identify yourself as Latin American, Hispanic, Latino, Spanish or a mix of these, we encourage your submission.)</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">5.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Cast size should preferably be no more than 5 characters.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">6.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">All plays must be in English OR translated into English before the start of the festival. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">7.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Please include a one-page synopsis with the theme, plot, length of play, character breakdowns and any doubling possibilities.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">8.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Please also include a title page, with playwright’s name, name of play and contact information.<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>9.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Submissions must be in hard copy only (emails will NOT be accepted), typed or word-processed, one side, loose page and minimum 11-point font on white paper. All pages must be numbered with the title of the play on each page.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>10.\u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Times New Roman\"\> \u003c/font\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Please do not submit original copies. If you wish to have your scripts returned, please include a SASE with the correct postage.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Please note:\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Playwrights whose scripts are selected are encouraged to attend the festival in June. An honorarium will be provided to writers for the playwright unit and festival, however travel is the responsibility of the artist.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Please submit scripts to:\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>2008 De Colores Festival of New Works \u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>ALAMEDA THEATRE COMPANY\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>966A Dundas St. W.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>Toronto, Ontario\u003c/font\>",1] ); //--></script></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">9.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Submissions must be in hard copy only (emails will NOT be accepted), typed or word-processed, one side, loose page and minimum 11-point font on white paper. All pages must be numbered with the title of the play on each page.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">10.</span><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Please do not submit original copies. If you wish to have your scripts returned, please include a SASE with the correct postage.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Please note:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Playwrights whose scripts are selected are encouraged to attend the festival in June. An honorarium will be provided to writers for the playwright unit and festival, however travel is the responsibility of the artist.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Please submit scripts to:</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">2008 De Colores Festival of New Works </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">ALAMEDA THEATRE COMPANY</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">966A Dundas St. W.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Toronto, Ontario</span><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>M6J 1W5\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:10px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>For more information regarding the 2008 De Colores Festival of New Works please email \u003c/font\>\u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:hola@alamedatheatre.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#0000FF\"\>hola@alamedatheatre.com\u003c/font\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/a\>\u003cfont face\u003d\"Arial\"\> or call (416) 428-7638.\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#FF0000\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"text-decoration:underline\"\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.alamedatheatre.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>WWW.ALAMEDATHEATRE.COM\u003c/a\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/font\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv style\u003d\"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;min-height:15px\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/div\>\u003cdiv\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0px 0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0px 0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0px 0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0px 0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:normal;text-align:auto;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px\"\>",1] ); //--></script></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">M6J 1W5</span></div><div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 10px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">For more information regarding the 2008 De Colores Festival of New Works please email </span><a href="mailto:hola@alamedatheatre.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="color:#0000ff;">hola@alamedatheatre.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;"> or call (416) 428-7638.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.alamedatheatre.com"><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></span></a><span style="color:#ff0000;"><a target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">WWW.ALAMEDATHEATRE.COM</a></span></div>ullahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06459568992329169674noreply@blogger.com0