To coincide with our presentation of STITCH we have teamed up with our Queen Street West neighbour The Drake Hotel. Enjoy a special pre-show 3-course meal before popping over the road to catch the show.

The Drake have created a special spring menu for us for just $29 – see below.
To reserve a table simply call 416-531-5042 x 1 and quote STITCH.
www.thedrakehotel.ca

Bon appetit!

APPETIZER
Mixed Green Salad shaved fennel, parmesan and mushrooms with lemon vinaigrette
Or
Drake Home Brew daily house made soups
Or
Spicy Tuna Mak thai mayo and pine nuts

MAINS
Cumbraes Steak Frites Montpelier butter, hand cut FF
Or
Buttermilk Fried Lake Erie Perch soft & sexy grits, chili rapini, lemon bagna cauda
Or
Sweet Pea Spaghetti-lunch Menu fresh ricotta, arugula, chili flakes + mint

DESSERT
Sticky Toffee Pudding brown butter caramel, crème fraîche and spiced pecans
Or
Smash + Whip seasonal fruit, smashed meringue and whipped cream

Posted: May 7th, 2010 under May 2010 Newsletter.
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ACTIVE 18 ASSOCIATION – Annual General Meeting

Monday, May 10, 2010 @ 6:30pm, The Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar ,1214 Queen Street West

Mark your calendars for May 10 at 6:30 in the Melody Barof the Gladstone Hotel for the Annual Meeting and Community Discussion of neighbourhood planning issues. The Agenda is full already. Come out and learn what is happening!

Topics

* The Planning Process and Building Design – a short presentation by architect and planner Joe Lobko
* The application of The Social to get planning designation as a entertainment facility. Should Active 18 support or oppose?
* NW Triangle – Active 18′s proposal for a secondary plan for the area west of Gladstone and north of Queen up to Peel and Florence
* The development of the new park
* New development applications
* Theatre Centre update
* Artscape Triangle Lofts update and Givins Shaw update
* Financial report and election of a new steering committee
* Other business

Sometimes all this planning ‘stuff’ is very detailed and it’s hard to keep the big picture in mind. The meeting should be a good overview. Remember, it is important todo the planning before the developments happen. Active18 doesn’t always ‘win’ but we always have important andcredible things to say.

Get involved. Active 18 Association

Posted: May 7th, 2010 under May 2010 Newsletter.
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Alley Co-op presents: WHERE’S MY MONEY?
written by John Patrick Shanley, directed by David Ferry

- Do you believe in ghosts? -

TORONTO (April 15, 2010) – Alley Co-op presents Where’s My Money?, written by Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck) and directed by DORA Award winner David Ferry (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot) at the Pia Bouman Studio Theatre from Thursday, May 13 though Sunday, May 30.

Where’s My Money? takes a hilarious, sexy and jaundiced look at marriage, relationships and infidelity in the lives of six 30-somethings.

When Celeste (Ingrid Doucet), an out-of-work actor who is cheating on her boyfriend with a married man, runs into an old colleague, Natalie (Anna Hardwick), the two have a lot to catch up on. Natalie – an accountant who is married to a young divorce lawyer, Henry (John Cleland) – appears to have her life together and proceeds to eviscerate Celeste for her choices. But all is not as it seems. Natalie’s marriage is on shaky ground and she’s been having terrifying encounters with Tommy (Christian Bellsmith), an ex-boyfriend who has come to collect on a debt. When Henry turns to his mentor Sidney (Michael Kash) for marriage advice, all Sidney can offer is “Monogamy is like a 40-watt bulb. It works but it’s not enough.” Mary Francis Moore also stars in this darkly funny thriller that dissects the institution of marriage through Shanley’s razor-sharp wit.

John Patrick Shanley is an American playwright, screenwriter and director. In 1987 he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Moonstruck starring Cher and Nicholas Cage. In 2005, Shanley’s play Doubt: A Parable was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play. In 2008, Shanley’s film version of Doubt starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

David Ferry is a prolific actor, director and dramaturge. His many directing credits include: The Pillowman (CanStage/Birdland); 36 Views (2007 DORA Award nominee for Best Production); and the 2005 Canadian premiere of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, which garnered five DORA awards including Best Director. Ferry has also won multiple acting awards (DORA/MASQUE/Victoria Critics Award/Nelly) and currently appears as a regular on the CTV series Dan For Mayor.

The creative team includes: Patrick Du Wors (Costume Design), Joe Madziak (Set Design), C.J Astronomo (Lighting Designer) and Shawn Douglas Murphy (Stage Manager).

Pushing the boundaries of a traditional night at the theatre, the production will feature original music composed by one of Toronto’s favourite folks/blues artists Kevin Quain (DORA Award winning Tequilla Vampire Matinee) and an atmospheric art installation by Toronto performance artist Ulysses Castellanos will haunt the lobby. Stay tuned for additional music performances by Kevin Quain and members of Alley Co-op to surround the event.

About Alley Co-op: Alley Co-op is a show-based collective of professional artists whose mandate is to participate in the growth of the Parkdale community. By forging further west on Queen Street with professional theatre and raising funds for the Pia Bouman Bursary Fund, which creates access to dance education, the Alley Co-op is committed to connecting with the Parkdale community while showcasing its vibrant arts scene.

DATES: Thursday, May 13 – Sunday, May 30
TIMES: Tuesday – Saturday @ 8 p.m., Sunday Matinees @ 2:00 p.m. (NOTE: Saturday, May 15 @ 1 p.m. – NO EVENING SHOW)
TICKET PRICE: $20, (May 15th @ 1 p.m., PWYC)
LOCATION: Pia Bouman Studio Theatre, 6 Noble St. (just west of The Gladstone)
BOX OFFICE: www.artsboxoffice.ca or 416.504.7529
WEBPAGE: www.alleyco-op.org

Posted: May 7th, 2010 under May 2010 Newsletter.
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THEATRE CIPHER presents their debut production AGAMEMNON.

This striking translation (by British Poet Laureate Ted Hughes) of Aeschylus’ most evocative tragedy asks the question of what happens to a nation after years spent at war. Intensely visual and poetically rich, this staging of the play uses a joint mastery of body and text to reveal the true power of ancient Greek theatre.

Performed by Carlos Gonzalez-Vio, Laura Nordin and Michelle Alexander, alongside the design work of Trevor Schwellnus, Amanda White, Lenore White and Maciej Jasiobedzki, this production of AGAMEMNON promises to be a highly imaginative realisation of the roles we each play within society while fighting for what is right.

DATES: every WED THURS FRI SAT and SUN evening at 8 PM, between MAY 22 and JUNE 5. 2010
LOCATION: Church Hall of Christ the Saviour Cathedral (823 Manning — three blocks north of Bloor between Bathurst and Christie) .
TICKETS: $10 and $20
BOOK: http://theatrecipher.eventbrite.com. Seating is limited, so do reserve early.
For more info, call 647 379-1593 or email info@theatrecipher.com.

THEATRE CIPHER is an ensemble company dedicated to restoring to the theatre both the rigour and untamed fantasy which it deserves. More than twelve months in the making, this debut production draws on director Michael Wighton’s years of experience within the Russian theatre, combining the traditions of Konstantin Stanislavski, Yevgeniy Vakhtangov and Vsevolod Meyerhold.

Posted: May 6th, 2010 under May 2010 Newsletter.
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Now in its second year, the SummerWorks Leadership Intensive Program (S.L.I.P) is a unique professional training intensive for emerging artists, placing a specific focus on the business of arts professionalism. This two week program, coinciding with the SummerWorks Theatre Festival, takes place August 2-15th, 2010.

S.L.I.P offers participants a combination of both theoretical and practical training opportunities. The goal of the program is to offer participants insights into the thinking behind approaching an artistic career from a practical business perspective. Past points of focus have included: Independent Producing, Grant Writing, Financial Planning, Professional Etiquette and The Role of the Reviewer. Some past professionals include: Gideon Arthurs, Naomi Campbell, Derrick Chua, Richard Greenblatt, Jon Kaplan, Nina Lee Aquino, Kelly Nestruck, Ruth Madoc Jones, Andy McKim, Allyson McMackon and many more.

New to S.L.I.P this year, participants will also have the chance to be mentored by companies producing in the Festival. All participants receive a Festival Pass, allowing you full access to SummerWorks shows.

Ideal Candidates Are:
- Emerging artists who have a strong interest/curiosity in theatre and artistic leadership.
- Graduating from post-secondary theatre programs or have been in the industry for up to three years since graduating.
- Available for the entire duration of S.L.I.P (August 2-15, 2010)

To Apply:
- Send a 2 page (max) letter explaining your interest in the program.
- A resume.
- Support material: We will accept up to 2 pages of support material. This can include letters of support from professional artists, examples of your work etc.

Send your application to:
S.L.I.P
c/o The SummerWorks Theatre Festival
P.O. Box 12, Station C
Toronto, ON. M6J 3M7

Deadline for application is May 7th, 2010 by 5:00 P.M.

Visit http://www.summerworks.ca/2010/slip.php for more information or jordi@summerworks.ca

Posted: May 6th, 2010 under May 2010 Newsletter.
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A devastating global pandemic. A full-scale dramatic oratorio. In this unusual marriage of content and form, poet Jill Battson and composer Andrew Staniland trace the twenty-five-year history of AIDS from its origins to the present day.

This evocative, poetic concert work interlaces such topics as ecology, myth, politics, and family. While this text includes fragments from the original Latin Mass for the Dead, the overall perspective is humanistic rather than religious. Focusing on the intimate and personal face of AIDS, the piece will resonate with audiences across a wide spectrum of age, class, culture, and experience.

Commissioned by Luminato, co-produced with Tapestry new opera works, and featuring four outstanding soloists together with two of Canada’s most lauded ensembles, the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Gryphon Trio, this inspiring fusion of word and music illuminates the darkness of its subject with the redemptive power of hope.

June 11 & 12, 2010 at 8pm at The Royal Conservatory, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, Koerner Hall
TICKETS: $30-50
416-872-1111 / 1-866-577-4277 ticketmaster.ca
416-408-0208 Royal Conservatory

Posted: May 6th, 2010 under May 2010 Newsletter.
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