NightwoodTheatre celebrating 40 years

theatre for everyone made by women 2019 - 20 celebrating 40 years NightwoodTheatre

In 1979 four women got together because they wanted to make theatre. board members, donors and It seems simple but in reality the very act in itself was political. Our stages funders who have invested in the election were not only dominated by male playwrights, but the new Canadian play the company and the voices it October 9 – 27, 2019 itself was an anomaly. Now, forty years later our voices are heard across the has raised — this success is country and around the world. It is with immense pride that we celebrate yours as well! every day she rose Nightwood’s legacy of propelling the voices of women on our stages, and for November 23 – December 8, 2019 making such a significant contribution to the canon. Finally, at its very essence, theatre is the artist and their the solitudes In considering Nightwood’s place on the Canadian theatre landscape audience. This beautiful act January 7 – 18, 2020 we must remember the shoulders we stand on and the path that has of storytelling, as we sit in been carved by so many before us: from our founders , Kim communion with one another, all the little animals Renders, and who launched the dream, to is the most vital relationship we Kate Lushington who succeeded as the Artistic Director in the late eighties can uphold and we must protect i have eaten and made it her mission to create more inclusion on our stages with the it, for it represents our most March 24 – April 12, 2020 likes of Djanet Sears and Monique Mojica seeing some of their earliest basic human need: Connection. work at Nightwood. We salute Artistic Directors Diane Roberts and Alisa The artists within our 40th season Palmer who continued to push that conversation forward. And now, as we are a collection of brilliant voices groundswell: pen this message a new chapter unfolds again for Nightwood as the torch that have a deep-seated desire to is passed from Kelly to Andrea, and the stage is set to build on our current share their work and worldview write from the hip readings success and push further the boundaries of what with you, in the dark, together. September 2019 our theatre can mean for the next generation. Thank you for being here. The 11TH annual Lawyer Show Nightwood has achieved an For those who have been June 2020 immense amount of growth on the journey all along and since we were a fledgling those who are brand new to company in the late 70s, and us, we are blessed to share this resilience is a testament our story together. to all of the Administrators who steered the dream while kelly thornton balancing the budget. Let’s Artistic Director Emeritus not forget their magnificent contribution. The rock on andrea donaldson which Beth now stands has Artistic Director been built by all who came before her, as they tirelessly beth brown searched for money to make Managing Director manifest the dream. And lest we forget the myriad of staff, volunteers and interns who This page: Kelly Thornton, Andrea Donaldson, Beth Brown. Cover, left to right: Lauren Vandervoort, Teiya Kasahara, have also contributed selflessly Naz Afsahi, Kelly Thornton, Andrea Donaldson, Beth Brown, Victoria Laberge, Angie Ho and Sadie Epstein-Fine. to our mission alongside our Photos by John Lauener. nightwoodtheatre.net october 9 – 27, 2019 Theatre Passe Muraille the election Theatre Passe Muraille presents a Common Boots Theatre production in association with and Theatre Direct

Written by Natasha Greenblatt and Yolanda Bonnell with the Company Directed by Jennifer Brewin Starring Augusto Bitter, Rachel Cairns, Joelle Peters, Anand Rajaram, Rose Stella and Courtenay Stevens Set and Projection Design by Anahita Dehbonehie Lighting Design by Kaitlin Hickey Costume Design by Jackie Chau Composition and Music Direction by Alex Samaras Dramaturgy by Yvette Nolan Accessibility Dramaturgy by Alex Bulmer Assistant Directed by Theresa Cutknife

Following the wildly successful run of The Public Servant, Common Boots Theatre delivers a provocative and hilarious investigation of how Canadians engage in democracy.

In 2015, a group of theatre makers infiltrated the Canadian Federal Election as volunteers for three major political parties and documented their interactions. Exploring the intersection of Indigenous, Settler and Newcomer experiences with the political process, The Election sparks an urgent dialogue just as Canadians are about to take another swing at the ballot box. With a live vocal score, this play asks: Do we have a voice and does that voice count?

theatre passe muraille october 2019 The Election was developed with the support of S M T W T F S Studio 180 Theatre and 9 10 11 12 the Banff Playwrights Lab.

bathurst dundas west 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 queen west nightwoodtheatre.net Photo of Yolanda Bonnell and Natasha Greenblatt by John Lauener. november 23 – december 8, 2019 every day Theatre she rose

A Nightwood Theatre production

Written by Andrea Scott and Nick Green Directed by Andrea Donaldson and Sedina Fiati Starring Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski and Monice Peter Set Design by Michelle Tracey Lighting Design by Rebecca Picherack Costume Design by Ming Wong Sound Design by Cosette Pin

The personal becomes political in this collaboratively created new work from playwrights Andrea Scott and Nick Green. When racial and queer politics collide at the 2016 Toronto Pride parade, two best friends discover that the things that brought them together may now drive them apart. A hilarious and heartbreaking stare-down of privilege and oppression.

For Andrea Scott: For nick green:

WINNER WINNER WINNER SummerWorks The Cayle Dora Award for Production Chernin Award Outstanding of the Year for Theatre 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 nightwoodtheatre.net Photo of Nick Green and Andrea Scott by Tanja-Tiziana. Stylist: Vanessa Fischer; Make-up: Joseph Hinds. january 7 – 18, 2020 Harbourfront Centre Theatre THE SOLITUDES

An Aluna Theatre production in association with Nightwood Theatre

Direction and Lead Creation by Beatriz Pizano Co-created and performed by Lara Arabian, Brefny Caribou, Liliana Suárez Henao, Janis Mayers, Rosalba Martinni, Michelle Polak, Sofia Rodriguez, and Rhoma Spencer Set Design and Dramaturgy by Trevor Schwellnus Lighting Design by Rebecca Vandevelde Costume Design by Vanessa Fischer Sound Design and Original Composition by Brandon Valdivia Associate Artist and Dramaturgy by Anita La Selva Choreography by Victoria Mata Produced by Sue Balint

Eight women on the borderline between the real and the imagined refuse to be condemned to another hundred years of solitude. Through orchestral storytelling and movement, each proposes her own distinct mythologies and life experiences toward alternative narratives of the female: to a new, larger Story.

What if this is how it begins?

Inspired by the women of Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, this piece unearths and reclaims space for the

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nightwoodtheatre.net Photo of Rosalba Martinni, Rhoma Spencer and Janis Mayers by Tanja-Tiziana; Stylist: Vanessa Fischer; Make-up: Joseph Hinds. march 24 – april 12, 2020 all the little Streetcar Crowsnest animals i have eaten

A Nightwood Theatre production in association with Crow’s Theatre

Written and Directed by Karen Hines Featuring Ashley Botting, Amanda Cordner, Amy Rutherford, Zorana Sadiq Set and Costume Design by Gillian Gallow Lighting Design by Bonnie Beecher Sound Design by Richard Feren

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 an all-women’s condo, our heroine contends with voracious insurance adjustors, literary plagiarists, and indomitable invertebrates. Table talk ranges from real estate to politics to the existential transcendence of lambs — but it’s only when the fuzzy ones start to speak that our hero really starts to listen. Governor General Award-nominated, powerhouse playwright Karen Hines (The Pochsy Plays, Crawlspace) serves up a biting meditation on neo-liberalism, consumption, precarity and hope.

finalist “Karen Hines’ Governor For karen hines: General’s Literary wild mind shines.” Award the half step 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 gr undswell september 23 – 28, 2019 THE 11th annual LAWYER SHOW june 2020 festival Ernest Balmer Studio Join us for the Legal Event of the Year!

Write from the Hip Reading Series Now in its 11th year, our annual Lawyer Show Program Director Andrea Donaldson showcases the incredible talents of lawyers from Be the first to hear brand new plays from our all sectors! Join us in June 2020 to see more than talented 2018-19 Write from the Hip playwrights: 40 members of Toronto’s legal community take to Lara Arabian, Catt Filippov, Katherine Gauthier, the stage, supported by a team of professional Tabia Lau, and Anyika Mark. directors, designers and vocal coaches — all while raising funds for Canada’s flagship feminist theatre. Write from the Hip is a year-long script development program designed to support new Bolstered by attention from prestigious media writers toward the completion of a full-length play. publications and supported by high-profile Don’t miss this week of new Canadian plays! sponsorships from some of the top players in Toronto’s legal community, The Lawyer Show is Nightwood Theatre’s main annual fundraiser. Children of Fire Reading The revenue generated from this acclaimed event Co-created by Shahrzad Arshadi (a multidisciplinary goes directly toward enhancing our mainstage artist, human rights activist and winner of the YWCA’s productions, play development, mentorship 2017 Women of Distinction Inspiration Award) and initiatives and training programs. Anna Chatterton (Nightwood Theatre’s Governor General Award-nominated Artist in Residence) To learn more, contact Naz Afsahi Children of Fire is an intimate portrayal of the at [email protected]. Kurdish female freedom fighters that hosted Shahrzad Arshadi and Anna Chatterton in the mountains of Kurdistan. The play follows the journey and layered relationship across cultures between Shahrzad and Anna. The Feminist Un-Conference Theatre practitioners are invited to listen, lead and unpack all things feminist at this heirarchy- smashing, participant-driven unconference. Join us afterwards for a celebratory cinq-à-sept to launch Nightwood’s 2019-20 Season!

Photo credits: Andrea Donaldson (Dahlia Katz), Lara Arabian (Thomas Bollman), Catt Filippov Rona Ghanbari with the cast of the 2019 Lawyer Show Mamma Mia! (Kevin Clarke), Katherine Gauthier (Ian Brown), Tabia Lau (Matthew Dunivan), Anyika Mark Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh. nightwoodtheatre.net (Anyika Mark), Shahrzad Arshadi (COHDS), and Anna Chatterton (David Cooper). be a part of nightwood theatre’s milestone 40th anniversary

Become a Nightwood Theatre pass holder and save big on an electric season of unforgettable theatre. Flexible and convenient, season passes include free ticket exchanges if you need to switch your preferred dates!

Help Nightwood celebrate 40 years of championing the the election diverse voices of female artists! every day she rose

As we ring in our 40th Anniversary Season, we are deeply grateful for the the solitudes dedicated and passionate community that has supported our mission full seasoN pass over the decades. Nightwood’s rich history and accomplishments would all the not have been possible without the generosity of our family of donors. $ little animals The coming years promise more stunning, award-winning productions, I have eaten 100 a deep ownership of our place as Canada’s largest and longest-standing national feminist theatre, and a meaningful commitment to developing arts workers, the most vital stories and voices of our nation. If you’d like to join us seniors & Under 30 in propelling female-identifying artists and inciting a discussion around equity in the arts and beyond, please be in touch with our Director of $ Development, Victoria Laberge, at [email protected] or 80 416-944-1740 ext. 5 for information on how to support Nightwood Theatre with a tax-deductible donation.

For more information, visit nightwoodtheatre.net. TO book your season pass Nightwood is a registered charitable organization. No. 123709339 RR0001 Visit nightwoodtheatre.net

Photos from our 2019 Dinner with Friends fundraising event Left to right: Caroline Ursulak, Moira Bacon, Pamela Taylor, Ed Bacon, Andrea Donaldson; Audrey Dwyer, Myriam Zitouni, or call 416-944-1740 ext. 4 Ric Ho, Lois Fine; Inset: Amanda Cordner and Franck Perrin. Prices do not include HST. Brochure Design by Kinnon Elliott Once a bold experiment now a major force in Canadian theatre

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