MUSIC THEATRE ARISE, by Jera Wolfe ICONS, INNOVATORS AND RENEGADES JENNIFER PARR BRUCE ZINGER For the past six weeks I have been immersed, as stage manager, in the 19th-century world of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya – or rather, in a version of that world seen through a contemporary Canadian lens that illuminates a classic of the past and, in breaking it open, offers insights that apply equally to our own times. (The production is a new adaptation by award-winning Canadian actor Liisa Repo-Martell, bringing together a wonderful group of actors under the innovative and daring direction of Chris Abraham.) Meanwhile, next door in the same building (Crow’s Theatre in Toronto’s East End), a new theatrical concert The Shape of Home: Songs in Search of Al Purdy is continuing to develop – undertaking a similar journey of turning a modern lens on an icon of the past, in this case the “unofficial poet laureate of Canada,” Al Purdy. The modern lens, in this case, is overtly musical. Al Purdy To begin at the beginning, the Festival Players of Prince Edward County last year commissioned acclaimed music theatre performer Hailey Gillis to undertake an exploratory curation of poems, letters and musings written by Purdy, as a template for a musical exploration of his works. Gillis took up the challenge. Focusing on Purdy’s obsession with “where we are’” and “what it is to be alive”, she extracted what she felt to be his most potent and provocative work. She then recruited a potent team of fellow theatrical song-makers and performers to bring the chosen poetry to life: Beau Dixon, Raha JIM REEVES Javanfar, Andrew Penner, dramaturge Marni Jackson and director/ performer Frank Cox O’Connell. The show now includes 20 original songs interwoven with spoken text that gives context and shape to the whole. After its premiere production in the large Red Barn Theatre in Prince Edward County, where performers could point almost directly to places Purdy had known in his life, The Shape of Home is now far from home, in an intimate studio theatre in downtown urban Toronto. Consequently Gillis and company are continuing to develop the script and context of the show’s songs, to help an audience not as familiar with Purdy’s legacy feel the relationship to his words and philosophies as they are immersed in the show’s musical versions of his iconic poems. St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Sorcerer Directed by Laura Schatz Musical Direction by Kate Carver Choreography by Jennie Friesen Garde Nov 4, 10 & 11 at 7:30pm Nov 5 & 6; 12 & 13 at 2pm St. Anne’s Parish Hall 651 Dufferin St., Toronto TICKETS: stannesmads.com 18 | September 20 - November 8, 2022 thewholenote.com
DAHLIA KATZ Hailey Gillis An original cast album will be recorded this fall, and the company hopes to have further opportunities to tour their creation around Canada and beyond. Playing September 13 through 25, this show promises to be a rich and rewarding evening of poetry and music. Listen to excerpts here: https:// soundcloud.com/user-431478608, or see crowstheatre.com for more information. Beautiful Renegades Over in Toronto’s gritty West End at The Theatre Centre, Canadian contemporary dance icon Peggy Baker has commissioned a new play to shine a bright light on some of her fellow dance iconoclasts, leading choreographic rebels from the 1970s called Beautiful Renegades – like The Shape of Home, bringing back into the spotlight essential Canadian artists whose contribution should not be forgotten. Playwright Michael Ross Albert mines the anti-establishment politics that helped shape the face and heart of the burgeoning contemporary dance in 1970s Toronto, while Baker herself leads a team of choreographic collaborators including Elizabeth Chitty, Margaret Dragu, Lily Eng, Louise Garland, Johanna Householder and Jennifer Mascall. Debashis Sinha is designing the soundscape, and acclaimed director Eda Homes directs. Words, music, dance combine – not just telling a story but illuminating an almost forgotten part of the history of contemporary dance in Toronto. This promises to be both illuminating and radically entertaining. Beautiful Renegades plays at The Theatre Centre from September 20 to October 2. To watch Baker’s pre-show chat visit: https://bit.ly/3TGDZqd INNERChamber Outside the city, in Stratford, INNERChamber is continuing to break down more genre walls with its upcoming theatrical concert: How We Live On. In this case the subject matter is very personal rather than iconic, and yet, by that very fact something that we can all relate to. How does one process grief and find a way to face the future? Known for its invitation to artists of various genres to join the ensemble in the intimate setting of the Church Restaurant, IC this time has invited acclaimed Canadian poet Heidi Sander to curate/create a very personal performance piece in collaboration with dancer Bonnie Jordan (of the Stratford Festival Company) and IC composer/arranger and cellist Ben Bolt-Martin. Seven poems from Sander’s collection The Forest of My Mind will take the audience on a journey that travels from loss and grief From top: Heidi Sander, Ben Bolt-Martin and Bonnie Jordan of INNERChamber INNERCHAMBE PERFORMING ARTS BRAMPTON FALL 2022 A TRIBUTE TO THE GREATEST SONGWRITERS SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 - 8PM THE ROSE BRAMPTON Brampton Concert Band performs with one of Canada’s most beloved vocalists, chart-topping jazz artist Micah Barnes. THE TENORS SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 - 8PM THE ROSE BRAMPTON Alberto Urso and Mark Masri have joined The Tenors. Clifton Murray and Victor Micallef welcome these remarkable artists who bring their impressive solo performance history to The Tenors. Tenors have been thrilling audiences around the world with their powerful songs, outstanding harmonies, and undeniable charm, blending classical music and contemporary pop. EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTS. EXTRAORDINARY VENUES. 1 THEATRE LN, BRAMPTON, ON L6V 0A3 / 905 874 2800 MUSIC FOR SECRET AGENTS - JAZZ @ LBP HOSTED BY JAYMZ BEE OCTOBER 25, 2022 - 8PM This concert features unique takes on theme songs you will know and love from decades of James Bond - and other secret agent movies. The show features vocalists Irene Torres, Queen Pepper and John Finley - who are backed up by a stellar band of seasoned veterans. The repertoire includes: “Diamonds are Forever”, “Goldfinger”, “Theme from Our Man Flint” and original songs such as “X-Ray Spectacles” and “Living In A Cage”. ROSE ORCHESTRA - A NEW ENERGY OCTOBER 22, 2022 - 7:30PM THE ROSE BRAMPTON We have ALL been waiting for this moment. Come! Be energized as the Rose Orchestra electrifies our eleventh season with hope and joy, including a glorious violin concerto played for you by Concertmaster David Rehner, to bring you an evening of invigorating music, that will surely lift your spirits and fill your soul! LBP BRAMPTON thewholenote.com September 20 - November 8, 2022 | 19
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