Tomson Highway News

The city's best all-access cultural programming returns this fall when the Canadian Opera Company's Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre kicks off its 13th season on September 25, 2018. Over 400 emerging and established artists, spanning a broad spectrum of artistic and cultural traditions, will perform in 72 concerts from September to May.

The revived, renascent, and reformed Toronto theatre-based band, THE POLKA DOGS, have returned after a 25-year hiatus, with a new album THE BEE officially released on June 1, and an Ontario tour. Starting as a theatre pit band in 1989, the band wowed the world in the 90s with an explosive, raucous, joyous sound of trombone, tuba, banjo, drums and that sultry, fantastic voice of theatre staple John Millard. The band returns with the same original sound, and features all five of its founding members including, Tom Walsh on trombone, Tiina Kiik on accordion, Colin Couch on tuba,John Millard on banjo and vocals, and Ambrose Pottie on drums.

Fort Worth Opera (FWOpera) announced today the names of the six composer and librettist teams whose unpublished works have been selected for the company's sixth annual, critically-acclaimed new works series, Frontiers - funded in part by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Held during the final week of the 2018 FWOpera Festival, these selected pieces will be presented in two separate showcases of three works each on Wednesday, May 2 from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm, and Thursday, May 3 from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm, on the stage of Bass Performance Hall. Featuring 20-minute excerpts of each selected piece, these brand-new operas will be sung by artists from the 2018 FWOpera Festival with piano accompaniment.

On October 7 at Roy Thomson Hall, Sandra Laronde (Teme-Augama Anishinaabe), Founder and Artistic Director of Toronto's Red Sky Performance, curates and directs ADIZOKAN, a World Premiere/Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) Commission. Exploring Indigenous connections to ancestral origins, this new genre-defying creation features Indigenous vocals, electro-acoustic, orchestral music, dance and film.

As part of the Finborough Theatre's celebrations of Canada's 150th birthday, and as part of a European tour including ten shows in seven countries in twenty-one days,the UK premiere of an evening of the songs of multi-award-winning writer, composer and musician Tomson Highway, Songs in the Key of Cree, plays for one late night performance at the Finborough Theatre on Saturday, 6 May 2017.

Finborough Theatre has just announced its Spring-Summer Season. The new season features six premieres and another Finborough rediscovery from Scottish dramatist James Bridie, with the first London production since 1950 of Mr Gillie.

Canadian history comes to life on the stage of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts this spring when Harry Somers' Louis Riel returns to the Canadian Opera Company. A new production of this uniquely Canadian contribution to the opera world is being conceived by one of Canadian theatre's most acclaimed and inventive directors, Peter Hinton, with the COC's celebrated music director, Johannes Debus, conducting. This production of Louis Riel is proudly presented by the COC and its co-producer, National Arts Centre (NAC), in anticipation of Canada's sesquicentennial and the 50th anniversary of the opera's premiere. Louis Riel is sung in English, French, Michif and Cree with English, French, Michif and Cree SURTITLESTM, and runs for seven performances by the COC on April 20, 23, 26, 29, May 2, 5, 13, 2017 at Toronto's Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. It will premiere in Ottawa by the NAC on June 15 and 17, 2017.

After a limited engagement in 2015, Canadian Stage will present an extended Toronto run of Who Killed Spalding Gray?, the latest solo piece written and performed by acclaimed Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor (The Best Brothers) and produced by reWork Productions. Directed by Daniel Brooks with dramaturgy by Iris Turcott, Who Killed Spalding Gray? will be on stage at the Berkeley St. Theatre from November 30 to December 11.

After a limited engagement in 2015, Canadian Stage will present an extended Toronto run of Who Killed Spalding Gray?, the latest solo piece written and performed by acclaimed Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor (The Best Brothers) and produced by reWork Productions. Directed by Daniel Brooks with dramaturgy by Iris Turcott, Who Killed Spalding Gray? will be on stage at the Berkeley St. Theatre from November 30 to December 11.

From October 12 - November 6, Pleiades Theatre, in co-production with Theatre francais de Toronto, presents the Toronto premiere of The (Post) Mistress (in English, from October 25 to November 6) and Zesty Gopher s'est fait ecraser par un frigo (in French, from October 12 to 23), the latest musical by Canada's acclaimed First Nations' playwright, Tomson Highway.  

From October 12 - November 6, Pleiades Theatre, in co-production with Theatre francais de Toronto, presents the Toronto premiere of The (Post) Mistress (in English, from October 25 to November 6) and Zesty Gopher s'est fait ecraser par un frigo (in French, from October 12 to 23), the latest musical by Canada's acclaimed First Nations' playwright, Tomson Highway.  

From October 12 - November 6, Pleiades Theatre, in co-production with Theatre francais de Toronto, presents the Toronto premiere of The (Post) Mistress (in English, from October 25 to November 6) and Zesty Gopher s'est fait ecraser par un frigo (in French, from October 12 to 23), the latest musical by Canada's acclaimed First Nations' playwright, Tomson Highway.  

Today, Theatre francais de Toronto (TfT) is pleased to announce the seven productions that will make up its 2016/17 season. This is the final season programmed by Guy Mignault (who will step down in June 2016 after 19 years as Artistic Director) and will be overseen by Joel Beddows, incoming Artistic Director.

Following a record season that included nine Dora nominations for two major productions, and six wins for their co-production of Blood Wedding | Bodas de Sangre with Modern Times, Aluna Theatre is thrilled to announce the inaugural CAMINOS, presented in partnership with Native Earth Performing Arts.

'We are proud and grateful,' said City Opera Vancouver President Janet Lea, 'to advise that the Vancouver Foundation has made a grant of $127,000 in support of our next commission, MISSING WOMEN.

In 2013, Tomson Highway published his play, The (Post) Mistress; a One-Woman Musical and released the accompanying CD, Patricia Cano Sings Songs from The (Post) Mistress. That CD was recently nominated for a 2015 JUNO Award in the Aboriginal Album of the Year category.

e Co-Artistic Director's Nina Lee Aquino and Nigel Shawn Williams, and Managing Director, Sara Meurling present the 45th season of Factory Theatre consisting of five Factory premieres: THE ART OF BUILDING A BUNKER, written by Adam Lazarus and Guillermo Verdecchia; TAKE ME BACK TO JEFFERSON an adaptation of William Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING by Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith in collaboration with the company; TWISTED, written by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman and Joseph Jomo Pierre; THE UNPLUGGING written by Yvette Nolan; MORRO AND JASP: 9-5, created and performed by Morro and Jasp; and as a special add-on to the subscription season, the return of THE DAISY THEATRE, created and performed by Ronnie Burkett. BMO Financial Group returns as the 2014-15 45th Season Sponsor.

e Co-Artistic Director's Nina Lee Aquino and Nigel Shawn Williams, and Managing Director, Sara Meurling present the 45th season of Factory Theatre consisting of five Factory premieres: THE ART OF BUILDING A BUNKER, written by Adam Lazarus and Guillermo Verdecchia; TAKE ME BACK TO JEFFERSON an adaptation of William Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING by Dean Gilmour and Michele Smith in collaboration with the company; TWISTED, written by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman and Joseph Jomo Pierre; THE UNPLUGGING written by Yvette Nolan; MORRO AND JASP: 9-5, created and performed by Morro and Jasp; and as a special add-on to the subscription season, the return of THE DAISY THEATRE, created and performed by Ronnie Burkett. BMO Financial Group returns as the 2014-15 45th Season Sponsor.

Canadian Rep Theatre is currently rehearsing for the Toronto presentation of its world premiere production of Watching Glory Die written and performed in a solo tour de force role by Judith Thompson, one of Canada's most celebrated playwrights. Recently showcased at The CULTCH in Vancouver and directed by Artistic Director Ken Gass, this riveting portrait of three women inextricably linked by tragedy starts performances May 15 and runs to June 1 at Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs. Tickets are available by calling 416.368.3110 or by visiting www.canadianrep.ca .

Canadian Rep Theatre presents the world premiere production of Watching Glory Die written and performed by one of Canada's most celebrated playwrights, Judith Thompson, in a solo tour de force role directed by Artistic Director Ken Gass. Ripped from the headlines, this riveting portrait of three inextricably linked women opens May 17 and runs to June 1 (previewing from May 15) at Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs. Tickets are available by calling 416.368.3110 or by visiting www.canadianrep.ca .