Kelly Cameron - Page 16

This past Wednesday, The National Ballet of Canada celebrated their 60th Anniversary with a gala event at The Four Seasons Centre for the Arts. The evening embraced a 'Diamond' theme, with gorgeous tutus on display throughout the centre showcasing designs from all over the world. Guests were invited to watch highlights from the Ballet's impressive repertoire and then had a gala dinner and dance on the stage of the Centre. BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photos from the evening.

On Monday hundreds of girls ventured out to the CBC studio in downtown Toronto for an open call to cast the next Dorothy in an upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy will be cast via reality TV show Over the Rainbow, where participants will perform songs and be judged each week in the style of Canadian Idol. The winner will don the ruby slippers when The Wizard of Oz opens via Mirvish Productions later this year. BWW was thrilled to be on hand to bring our readers photos from inside the auditions.

Sharron Matthews is a beloved star of Toronto's cabaret and theatre scene, and she's about to embark on a world tour that will take her to Scotland, England, NYC and South Africa! She took a few minutes to talk to BWW about what cabaret means to her, why she's going around the world and what she's doing for Toronto before she leaves.

Broadway Legend Kristin Chenoweth came to Toronto this past week for one night only at Massey Hall, and the city is still buzzing about it. The special concert featured songs from many different genres, as well as little anecdotes from her life. She embraced Canadian culture with references to Tim Hortons, Holt Renfrew and more, and BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photos from the show.

TD Bank recently became the first Canadian Financial Institution to publicly endorse the 'It Gets Better' campaign, an initiative which BWW has been proud to support since it's inception in 2010. The project was conceived in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas and many other teenagers who were being bullied because they were gay. Founded by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, the goal of 'It Gets Better' is to prevent suicide among LGBT youth by having gay adults and allies speak out and let youth know that it WILL get better.

This past Sunday Toronto was treated to a special outdoor concert by Rufus Wainwright, the man Elton John once called 'the greatest songwriter on the planet'. The concert was part of Luminato, and included the debut of 12 tracks from his upcoming album 'Out of the Game.' BWW was on hand to get photos from the gorgeous evening.

Next to Normal is a Pulitzer Prize winning musical that deals with love, loss, grief, mental illness and overcoming the hard obstacles many of us face in our lives. Last seen in Toronto this past summer, Clearwater Theatre is putting on a regional production this week at The Tarragon Theatre. BWW sat down to speak with the six person cast about what the show means to them, and why they think people should see it. Today we're speaking with Sara Farb who plays Natalie, James Daly who plays Gabe and Andre Morin who plays Henry.

Next to Normal is a Pulitzer Prize winning musical that deals with love, loss, grief, mental illness and overcoming the hard obstacles many of us face in our lives. Last seen in Toronto this past summer, Clearwater Theatre is putting on a regional production this week at The Tarragon Theatre. BWW sat down to speak with the six person cast about what the show means to them, and why they think people should see it. Today we're speaking with Kathryn Akin who plays Diana, Adrian Marchuk who plays Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine and Jay Davis who plays Dan.

Luminato kicked off its fifth season in Toronto this weekend, and runs until June 17th with events all over the city. One of those events is a visually stunning re-telling of the classic Beauty and the Beast by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. BWW was on hand to capture photos of the opening night performance.

The 33rd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards were announced yesterday, with Acting Up Stage, Nightwood Thetare and Theatre Passe Muraille emerging as the leaders of the pack with the most number of nominations in their respective divisions. The Awards will be distributed in a ceremony hosted by Thom Allison at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on June 25th, 2012 and BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photo coverage of the nomination event.

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 60th Season opening week wrapped up on Saturday night with the debut of The Matchmaker, a comedic tale by Thornton Wilder that has never before been presented by The Festival. Funny, touching, witty and poignant, the show both delighted and surprised. Bolstered by an incredibly talent cast, beautiful set design and inspired direction, The Matchmaker is shaping up to be the can't miss show of the summer.

The Toronto Festival of Clowns kicked off today, and popular clown Foo is back with an original one-clown musical. Performed entirely in a made up language, Saucisse: A Foo Musical examines many different themes through the art of clown. Foo spoke to BWW about the stigma that surrounds clowns, the unique nature of her show and the music behind the nose.

The winners of the second annual Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards are in, and BWW is thrilled to bring its readers the entire list. Stand-outs include The Toronto Fringe hit Kim's Convenience (now playing for a second time this season at Soulpepper) and Atomic Vaudeville's Ride the Cyclone. The awards were determined by critics from The Globe and Mail (J. Kelly Nestruck), The Grid (Martin Morrow), National Post (Robert Cushman), NOW Magazine (Glenn Sumi) and the Toronto Star (Richard Ouzounian).

It's safe to say that Stratford has another musical hit on their hands in 42nd Street, a toe-tapping gem of a show that showcases the incredible performers involved in the company this year. The show also marks the return of Cynthia Dale to the Festival after a five year absence. Featuring an incredible live band, brilliant choreography, gorgeous costumes and one of the most hard-working ensembles you will see on stage today, the show is a reminder of what classic musical theatre should be.

Summer is here, and with it comes one of the best times of the year for theatre lovers - Festival season! With the hot weather comes the opening of the region's world renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Shaw Festival, as well as The Toronto Fringe, Shakespeare in High Park and many other summer stock productions that keep any theatre goer busy on those long summer nights. BWW is thrilled to present its readers with Top 5 Summer Picks for various regions across Canada and the United States, and here are the top 5 for Toronto.

Much Ado About Nothing kicked off the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 60th Season Monday night, and is pleasantly about a lot more than the name might suggest. With stunning performances from Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay as well as a solid supporting cast, gorgeous set and beautiful music the show was a delight for all ages. A great introductory Shakespeare piece, Much Ado is one of those rare pieces that should please Shakespeare buffs and first-timers alike.

The 60th Season of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival opened last night with Much Ado About Nothing, but there was definitely something special happening in this gorgeous town. BWW was on hand for all the festivities, and we are thrilled to bring our readers photos from opening night.

The National Theatre of the World is embarking on their second outing of The Script Tease Project all week long at Passe Muraille Backspace. With ten new playwrights, the trio of Matt Baram, Ron Pederson and Naomi Snieckus are ready for a whirlwind week of improvisation and comedy. BWW spoke with Naomi about the challenges of improvisation, the playwrights they're using this year and the supportive nature of the Toronto theatre community.

One of Toronto's favourite musicals bursts back onto the stage this month, as Theatre Sheridan graduates transfer their much loved production of RENT to The Panasonic Theatre. Originally presented last year at the Sheridan campus in Oakville, the show is bigger than ever, and full of heart.

This past Friday Canadian favourite Rebecca Caine returned to Toronto for a very special performance at The Green Door Cabaret. She was joined by special guest Byron Nease, up from Los Angeles for one night only to perform for the first time together since their days in the Original Canadian Cast of The Phantom of the Opera. It was a magical night, and a great start to the Green Door Cabaret's upcoming season.