celebrating 40 years NightwoodTheatre

theatre for everyone made by women 2019 - 20 celebrating 40 years In 1979 four women got together because they wanted to make theatre. It seems simple but in reality the very act in itself was political. Our stages were not only dominated by male playwrights, but the new Canadian play itself was an anomaly. Now, forty years later our voices are heard across the country and around the world. It is with immense pride that we celebrate Nightwood’s legacy of propelling the voice of women on our stages, and for making such a significant contribution to the canon.

In considering Nightwood’s place on the Canadian theatre landscape we must remember the shoulders we stand on and the path that has been carved by so many before us: from our founders , , and who launched the dream, to Kate Lushington who succeeded as the Artistic Director in the late eighties and made it her mission to create more inclusion on our stages with the likes of Djanet Sears and Monique Mojica seeing some of their earliest work at Nightwood. We salute Artistic Directors Diane Roberts and Alisa Palmer who continued to push that conversation forward. And now, as we pen this message a new chapter unfolds again for Nightwood as the torch is passed from Kelly to Andrea, and the stage is set to build on our current success and push further the boundaries of what our theatre can mean for the next generation. NightwoodTheatre Nightwood has achieved an immense amount of growth since we were a fledgling company in the late 70s, and this resilience is a testament to all of the Administrators who steered the dream while the election balancing the budget. Let’s not forget their magnificent October 4 – 27, 2019 contribution. The rock on which Beth now stands has been built by all who came before her, as they tirelessly every day she rose searched for money to make manifest the dream. November 23 – December 8, 2019 And lest we forget the myriad of staff, volunteers and interns who have also contributed selflessly to our mission, alongside our board members, donors and the solitudes January 9 – 19, 2020 funders who have invested in the company and the voices it has raised - this success is yours as well! all the little animals i have eaten March 24 – April 12, 2020 Finally, at its very essence, theatre is the artist and their audience. This beautiful act of storytelling, as we TH sit in communion with one another, is the most vital groundswell: The 11 annual relationship we can uphold and we must protect it, for write from the hip readings Lawyer Show it represents our most basic human need: Connection. September 2020 June 2020 The artists within our 40th season are a collection of brilliant voices that have a deep-seated desire to share their work and worldview with you, in the dark, together.

Thank you for being here. For those who have been on the journey all along and those who are brand new to us, we are blessed to share our story together. kelly thornton andrea donaldson beth brown Artistic Director Artistic Director Managing Emeritus Director Kelly Thornton, Andrea Donaldson, Beth Brown. Photo: John Lauener. nightwoodtheatre.net the election A Common Boots Theatre production october 4 – 27, 2019 in association with Theatre Passe Muraille and Theatre Direct How do we hold different truths together in Written by Yolanda Bonnell & Natasha Greenblatt the same space? with Jennifer Brewin, Qasim Khan, Anand Rajaram, and Courtenay Stevens Following the wildly successful run of The Public Directed by Jennifer Brewin Servant, Common Boots Theatre delivers a provocative and hilarious investigation of how Canadians engage in democracy.

In 2015, a group of artists from Ojibwe, Jewish, Polish, Tamil and Pakistani backgrounds, identifying as straight, queer and bi-sexual, infiltrated local elections as volunteers for three major political parties and documented their experiences. Incorporating kaleidoscopic political views as well as questions of Indigenous theatre passe muraille october 2019 sovereignty, The Election promises to spark an S M T W T F S urgent dialogue just as Canadians are about to 4 5 take another swing at the ballot box.

bathurst dundas west 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 Presented by Theatre Passe Muraille with the support 20 22 23 24 25 26 of Studio 180 Theatre’s IN DEVELOPMENT program. queen west 27 Photo of Yolanda Bonnell and Natasha Greenblatt by John Lauener. nightwoodtheatre.net every day she rose A Nightwood Theatre production november 23 – december 8, 2019 Theatre By Andrea Scott and Nick Green Directed by Andrea Donaldson and Sedina Fiati The personal becomes political in this collaboratively created new work from For Andrea Scott: playwrights Andrea Scott and Nick Green. When racial and queer politics collide

WINNER WINNER at the 2016 Toronto Pride parade, two SummerWorks The Cayle best friends discover that the things that Production Chernin Award of the Year for Theatre brought them together may now drive them apart. A hilarious and heartbreaking stare-down of privilege and oppression. For nick green:

WINNER Dora Award for Outstanding New Work

buddies in bad times november-december 2019 theatre S M T W T F S yonge 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 1 3 4 5 6 7 college 8

Photo of Nick Green and Andrea Scott by Tanja-Tiziana. nightwoodtheatre.net

THE SOLITUDES An Aluna Theatre production january 9 – 19, 2020 in association with Nightwood Theatre Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Director/Lead Creator: Beatriz Pizano What if this is how it begins Cast/Co-Creators: Lara Arabian, Brefny Caribou, Liliana Suárez Henao, Janis Mayers, Nine women: each is tied through distinct Rosalba Martinni, Michelle Polak, Sofia Rodriguez, mythologies and life experiences to a story, Rhoma Spencer, Asha Vijayasingham a truth. None of their stories match. Yet they Set Design/Dramaturg: Trevor Schwellnus all remain true. Lighting Design: Rebecca Vandevelde Costume Design: Vanessa Fischer Drawing from historical and personal Sound Design/Original Composition: Brandon Valdivia documentation, these figures embody a mythological world where past, present and Choreographer: Victoria Mata future exist all at once. Inspired by the women Producer: Sue Balint of Gabriel García Márquez’ One Hundred Years PMS: 2925 PMS: 3005 of Solitude, they unearth and reclaim space for the keeping of memory. harbourfront centre january 2020 theatre S M T W T F S york 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 gardiner expy queens quay w 19

Photo of Rosalba Martinni, Rhoma Spencer and Janis Mayers by Tanja Tiziana; Stylist: Vanessa Fischer; Make-up: Joseph Hinds. nightwoodtheatre.net

all the little animals i have eaten A Nightwood Theatre production march 24 – april 12, 2020 in association with Crow’s Theatre Streetcar Crowsnest

Written and directed by Karen Hines In the latest of Karen Hines’ darkly hilarious comedies, we follow a tender-hearted young server on the most harrowing shift of her life. In the extraordinarily modern bistro of For karen hines: an all-women’s condo, our heroine contends with voracious insurance adjustors, literary plagiarists, and indomitable invertebrates. finalist Governor Table talk ranges from real estate to politics to General’s Literary the existential transcendence of lambs — but Award it’s only when the fuzzy ones start to speak that our hero really starts to listen. Governor “Karen Hines’ wild mind shines.” General nominated, powerhouse playwright of The Pochsy Plays and Crawlspace, Hines the half step serves up a biting meditation on neo-liberalism, consumption, precarity and hope. streetcar crowsnest march-april 2020 S M T W T F S 24 25 26 27 28 dundas east 29 31 1 2 3 4 carlaw 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 queen east nightwoodtheatre.net