Maev Beaty News

At a press conference held May 30 in the lobby of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 235 nominations for the 38th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which recognize excellence in the performing arts in Toronto.

Hannah Moscovitch's BUNNY is enjoying its World Premiere at the Stratford Festival's Studio Theatre this season. The performance that I attended was completely sold out, so it appears that audiences are enjoying it too! Directed by Sarah Garton Stanley, with Design by Michael Gianfrancesco, this play will be a unique experience from the get-go. The intimacy of the Studio Theatre has the audience very present and engaged at the beginning, and the beauty and originality of the play maintains that engagement throughout.

We are thrilled to be kicking off an incredible year of programming with one of three of our own projects that are all emerging from The Theatre Centre's Residency Program this year.  

In the fall of 2016, theatre maven and master teacher Adam Lazarus will launch Play On Theatre. Focusing solely on supporting artists developing new work, Play On Theatre is a completely unique performance training centre in Canada.

After a period of brisk advance sales to Members, the Stratford Festival is opening its box office to the public this Friday, January 8.

The World Premiere of THE LAST WIFE, written by Kate Hennig and directed by Alan Dilworth, took place earlier this month at the Stratford Festival's Studio Theatre. BWW recently had the opportunity to see the show, and found it to present an intriguing combination of history, drama, humour and feminism. 

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER opened recently at Stratford Festival's Avon Theatre. As you watch it, it quickly becomes apparent as to why this play has withheld the test of time. Laugh out loud humour, beautiful set design, and an excellent cast make for an enjoyable evening (or matinee) at the theatre.

On Thursday May 29th, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK opened at the Stratford Festival. It was an honest, stunning production that featured beautiful performances by all involved.

Swift advance sales have prompted the Stratford Festival to extend the runs of four productions, just as the box office has opened to the public. Performances of Carousel, The Alchemist, The Physicists and The Last Wife have been added to the schedule.

Last night, Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) opened their production of The De Chardin Project, by Adam Seybold, a Dora Award winner for Outstanding New Play in the Independent Theatre category. A multi-award-winning team is involved in this production - featuring Maev Beaty and Cyrus Lane, directed by Alan Dilworth, with designers Lorenzo Savoini and Thomas Ryder Payne. The De Chardin Project is in the TPM Mainspace from November 20 to December 14, 2014.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino's King Lear, starring Colm Feore, is entering the record books as one of the Festival's top-selling Shakespeare productions of all time. To meet the overwhelming demand for tickets, the production is being extended until October 25.

Love between parents and their offspring should be unconditional. As soon as King Lear puts conditions on the love of his daughters, his life unravels: he goes mad. But what really drives him crazy? Is it remorse resulting from his bad decisions? Is it stress, worrying about his daughters? Or is simply old age - dementia or perhaps Alzheimer's? Colm Feore has blended all three, in a gritty portrayal of Lear. One of Shakespeare's tragedies, this play opens the 2014 season at Stratford Festival. Feore is impressive as Lear with an equally good cast in this superior production.

Tarragon Theatre, under the artistic direction of Richard Rose, proudly presents the world premiere of Soliciting Temptation by Governor General Award winner and Tarragon playwright-in-residence Erin Shields. Directed by Tarragon's Assistant Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson, this compelling drama shines a light on the complexities of sex tourism and our preconceptions about love. Starring Soulpepper stalwart Derek Boyes and emerging artist Miriam Fernandes, Soliciting Temptation opens tonight, April 9 and runs to May 4 (with previews from April 1) in Tarragon's Extraspace.

Tarragon Theatre, under the artistic direction of Richard Rose, proudly presents the world premiere of Soliciting Temptation by Governor General Award winner and Tarragon playwright-in-residence Erin Shields. Directed by Tarragon's Assistant Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson, this compelling drama shines a light on the complexities of sex tourism and our preconceptions about love. Starring Soulpepper stalwart Derek Boyes and emerging artist Miriam Fernandes, Soliciting Temptation opens Wednesday, April 9 and runs to May 4 (with previews from tonight, April 1) in Tarragon's Extraspace.

Tarragon Theatre, under the artistic direction of Richard Rose, proudly presents the world premiere of Soliciting Temptation by Governor General Award winner and Tarragon playwright-in-residence Erin Shields. Directed by Tarragon's Assistant Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson, this compelling drama shines a light on the complexities of sex tourism and our preconceptions about love. Starring Soulpepper stalwart Derek Boyes and emerging artist Miriam Fernandes, Soliciting Temptation opens Wednesday, April 9 and runs to May 4 (with previews from April 1) in Tarragon's Extraspace. Tickets range from $21-$53 (inclusive of HST) and are available by calling Patron Services at 416-531-1827 or by visiting www.tarragontheatre.com.

The Alumnae Theatre Company will present the first annual FireWorks Series. This is a brand new effort by the Company to showcase its homegrown talent in a further development beyond the very popular New Ideas Festival. Three full-length plays developed in-house will be staged in the Alumnae Studio Theatre from November 13 to December 1, 2013, and supporting events will allow audience members to engage with the dramaturgical process and intellectual themes.

The Theatre Centre today announced a series of exciting partnerships and collaborations programmed to celebrate the organization's move to their newly renovated home in the historic Carnegie Library on Queen St. West in early 2014. General & Artistic DirectorFranco Boni will animate the live arts hub and incubator with 10 new performance pieces presented from January through June, along with hosted rentals and a series of artistic residencies.

Stratford Festival Announced it's key casting for their 2014 Season, starting with King Lear, featuring Stephen Ouimette as the Fool and Colm Feore as King Lear.

TERMINUS wins big at this year's Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards, which were announced today (awards to be given out at a later date). The awards are determined by Toronto critics who represent five of the city's newspapers: The Globe and Mail (J. Kelly Nestruck); The Grid (Martin Morrow); NOW (Glenn Sumi); The National Post (Robert Cushman); and the Toronto Star (Richard Ouzounian).

Albert Schultz, Founding Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, previously released details about Soulpepper's 2013 four-show spring lineup, comprised of: Sam Shepard's True West; a new adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde by Jason Sherman; a fresh adaptation of The Barber of Seville by Michael O'Brien with music by John Millard; and Ins Choi's Kim's Convenience. True West and La Ronde begin this month; The Barber of Seville and Kim's Convenience open in May.