The Festival features adjudications and a workshop by Sears & Switzer, play readings by Maja Ardal, script sales from Playwrights Canada Press and TheatreBooks, and the incredible social experience that happens when theatre lovers come together.  You can find all of the information you need about Festival at the London Community Players Festival 2010 website.

 

And "shadowing" the Festival will be our "Introduction to Adjudication" students, under the leadership of Ron Cameron-Lewis (who was recently named Professor Emeritus of the Music Theatre Department at Sheridan.)  We can still fit in one more interested student.  Read more

Theatre Ontario is pleased to announce that the 2010 Maggie Bassett Award will be presented to Don Fleckser of London.  The award, which recognizes a sustained and significant contribution to the development of theatre in Ontario, is a worthy honour for a man whose work in educational theatre has had an impact far beyond London and Ontario.  It will be presented as part of the Festival Awards Brunch.  Read more

Theatre Ontario's Annual Meeting is held on Saturday, May 22.  This is a terrific opportunity for all of our members--professional and community--to come together, to learn about what is happening at Theatre Ontario, and to share your needs and experiences with us.  Read more

For this year's Festival, we're going to be trying out a few new things for those of you who cannot travel to London.

Theatre Ontario is hiring a student to work with us this summer as an Education Assistant.  This position is funded through the Government of Ontario's summer employment program known as the 2010 Summer Experience Program, and is open to 15 to 25-year-olds (or up to 29 years of age, for persons with disabilities under s.10 of the Ontario Human Rights Code)  Read the posting

The 2010 brochure for ASTRO, the Association of Summer Theatres 'Round Ontario, can now be found at all 22 member theatres, and is in the hands of the nearly one thousand individuals on the ASTRO mailing list.  It's on its way to tourism centres and libraries around the province.

 

Tim Chapman, our Professional Theatre Coordinator, explores the 2010 summer theatre season on our blog.  Read more

 

For all the summer theatre listings in Ontario, please visit the ASTRO website.

Two of our Board members were honoured recently with very distinct and meaningful recognitions.

 

Angela Rebeiro, former Publisher at Playwrights Canada Press and Executive Director of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, had her investiture to the Order of Canada on April 7.

 

And a late-breaking congrats to Katherine Grainger, independent producer and member of our PTTP jury, who was Harold-ed as part of the 2010 celebration of unsung heroes in the Toronto theatre scene.

 

Read all of our "TO Toasts" on the Theatre Ontario Blog

 

We're pleased to announce the latest recipients of training grants through Theatre Ontario's Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP).  $38,500 was awarded in total.  Read more

 

The Professional Theatre Training Program is funded by the Ontario Arts Council.

Our newly re-christened "Certificates of Excellence" are a way for secondary schools and teachers to recognize outstanding commitment to the drama/theatre community at his or her school.  With commencement season approaching, now is a terrific time to think about that student whose achievement you wish to recognize.  Read more

Every week we highlight the theatre opening across our province.  Check out ONstage Openings on our blog.  We've also been extending welcome to our newest member theatres.

 

Cornelia Persich, our Education Coordinator, shares some of the changes we made to our summer training programs.

 

And "From our Archives"...in December, Tim Chapman wrote about the 2009 Directors Day that is part of the Neil Munro Intern Directors Project at the Shaw Festival.  If you're thinking about applying for 2011, find out more about this tremendous educational experience.

 

Don't forget: the deadline for applications for our Youth Scene Study programs in Toronto and Ottawa is June 1.  For the serious study of theatre, our youth courses are a unique educational and social experience.  Read more 

When the submission deadline closed, we had in our hands 38 scripts of plays that premiered at Ontario community theatres. It's going to be very difficult for the selection committee to choose the plays to be published by Playwrights Canada Press in the new anthology. Read more