The New Groundswell Festival
A National Festival of Contemporary Women’s Theatre
Nov 30 to Dec 10, 2011
New this year, Nightwood has re-envisioned and expanded Groundswell to be A National Festival of Contemporary Women’s Theatre.
Over 11 days, we will feature 3 workshop productions.
How to purchase tickets for The New Groundswell Festival Workshop productions:
By phone:
416.368.3110 during box office hours.
Online:
24 hours a day at http://www.canadianstage.com
In person:
Tickets can be purchased in person from the box offices located at either 26 Berkeley Street or 27 Front Street East. Tickets may be purchased during regular box office hours.
Box Office Hours:
Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m.
Between the Sheets by Jordi Mand - Toronto
Wednesday, November 30, 8pm
Saturday, December 3, 2pm
Sunday, December 4, 8pm
Tuesday, December 6, 8pm
Friday, December 9, 8pm
The Aftermath by Lisa Codrington - Toronto
Thursday, December 1, 8pm
Saturday, December 3, 8pm
Monday, December 5, 2pm
Wednesday, December 7, 8pm
Saturday, December 10, 2pm
The Debacle by Ann-Marie Kerr and Susan Leblanc-Crawford - Zuppa Theatre, Halifax
Friday, December 2, 8pm
Sunday, December 4, 2pm
Monday, December 5, 8pm
Thursday, December 8, 8pm
Saturday, December 10, 8pm
As well as an industry series consisting of masterclasses, workshops, readings and special events.
Click the tabs above for more show and industry series information.
Click HERE for The New Groundswell Masterclass page
Join us for this exciting new beginning!
Buy a FESTIVAL PASS
SAVE up to 50%
Call 416-944-1740 x 7 to order your pass
Or download this order form and email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
FESTIVAL PASS: $45
(Includes tickets to all three Groundswell productions, access to festival readings, in conversations, receptions plus a 10% discount on all Groundswell Masterclasses!)
Single tickets for Groundswell Productions: $20 per show
Click here for information on how to purchase single tickets to Between the Sheets, The Aftermath and The Debacle
The New Groundswell Festival
BETWEEN THE SHEETS
Written by Jordi Mand- Toronto
Directed by Kelly Thornton
Starring Susan Coyne and Christine Horne
Stage Management by Ashley Westlake, Dramaturgy by Erica Kopyto, Sets and Costumes by Camellia Koo, Sound by Richard Feren, Lighting by Sandra Henderson
What begins as a banal parent teacher interview unravels into a gripping and raw discussion between two women on the brink of disaster. One woman is fighting to protect her family. The other is fighting for the family she always wanted. An exposé on fertility, aging, career, marriage and midlife crisis, Mand has crafted a razor sharp rollercoaster ride of high stakes drama.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Wednesday, November 30, 8pm
Saturday, December 3, 2pm
Sunday, December 4, 8pm
Tuesday, December 6, 8pm
Friday, December 9, 8pm
Where: Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs
Admission: $20
Click here for information on how to purchase tickets
The New Groundswell Festival
THE AFTERMATH
Written by Lisa Codrington- Toronto
Directed by Audrey Dwyer
Starring Lisa Codrington and Ijeoma Emesowum
Stage Management by Sarah O’Brien, Assistant Direction by Blythe Stewart, Project Dramaturgy by Joanna Falck, Sets and Costumes by Camellia Koo, Sound by Richard Feren, Lighting by Sandra Henderson
In the face of impending catastrophe and despite widespread evacuation there are simply those that shall not be moved. Inspired by Hurricane Katrina, Codrington takes us on a harrowing and humorous exploration of survival in The Aftermath taking us into the eye of the storm to reveal the humanity of those left behind.
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Thursday, December 1, 8pm
Saturday, December 3, 8pm
Monday, December 5, 2pm
Wednesday, December 7, 8pm
Saturday, December 10, 2pm
Where: Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs
Admission: $20
Click here for information on how to purchase tickets
The New Groundswell Festival
THE DEBACLE
by Ann-Marie Kerr and Susan Leblanc-Crawford - Zuppa Theatre, Halifax
Going to scientific extremes a woman attempts to freeze memories of her dying sister and in the process learns the power of letting go. The Debacle is a sad, funny and highly theatrical portrait of a woman facing the inevitable reality of being alone.
Jump to Debacle Creative Team
Jump to Creators’ Notes
PERFORMANCE DATES:
Friday, December 2, 8pm
Sunday, December 4, 2pm
Monday, December 5, 8pm
Thursday, December 8, 8pm
Saturday, December 10, 8pm
Where: Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs
Admission: $20
Click here for information on how to purchase tickets
Ann-Marie Kerr *– Director/Co-Creator
Susan Leblanc-Crawford *– Performer/Co-Creator
Ingrid Risk – Technical Director
Andrew Cull – Set Designer
Jess Lewis – Lighting Designer (with adaptations by Ingrid Risk)
Dramaturgical Support – Robert Chafe
Bonnie Archibald-Awalt – Assistant Director
Matthew Peach, Deo Morris – Production Assistant
*Appear with permission of CAEA
*contribution of text by Ker Wells
The Debacle was born when Zuppa decided that each member of the company would create a solo performance (as part of a series), and Sue’s would be first up. Sue wrote to a number of friends and colleagues and asked them to write one page of source material that she might use as inspiration to begin the creation of the play. Thank you to Nate Crawford, Robert Plowman, Katie Swift and Ker Wells for their contributions to the play. Months later Sue and Ann-Marie began working.
Week one consisted of dreaming, writing, watching (the film Cleo a 5 a 7), listening (to the music of Jason MacIsaac), reading (the writing of our contributor-friends) and talking (to a palliative care social worker). We discovered we were both preoccupied by death - our own, and the deaths of people close to us. We also talked a lot about our families - we both have 4 siblings and both have roots in Northern Ontario. The play began to take shape when Ann-Marie shared a story about discovering a frog, frozen in Lake Duborne, near her childhood home. The result of this early work is a play that followed the intuitions, imaginings and the discoveries of Ann-Marie and Sue.
What has emerged most strongly for us in this process is a spirit of generosity and gratitude between us as co-creators and beyond. From the very beginning people have been supportive of our work, and eager to get involved in the process. We have been so moved by the generosity of Lee-Anne, Thom and Doug at the Plutonium Playhouse. We have been supported generously
by Playwrights’ Atlantic Resource Centre and Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal - essential organizations for new playwrights and plays. We are thankful for the volunteer efforts of Bonnie Awalt-Archibald, Matt Peach who have been there everyday, Deo Morris, Elizabeth MacCarthy, Ben Stone and Stewart Legere who have been present in rehearsals to offer outside eyes and production support. Finally, a lot of this production was inspired by our sisters and so it is dedicated to them: Michele, Gayle, Nancy, Heather, and to all our sisters.
The New Groundswell Festival
Introducing this year, The New Groundswell Festival, Industry Series.
We are relaunching Groundswell this coming season and it will be a much broader festival that moves away from only music-stand reads to encompass workshop productions and a complete Industry Series that includes special events, readings and masterclasses.
AVAILABLE NOW! THE $45 NEW GROUNDSWELL FESTIVAL INDUSTRY PASS
click here for details
Friday, December 2nd
Kaleidography with Jillian Keiley (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 11-3pm, *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
*This masterclass is made possible with the generous support of Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and the TRIP Program
Polyamorous Play Development Panel
Theatre, at its core, is a collaborative endeavor. Why do we insist that creating new work be such a solitary act? Can we imagine a new system where theatre companies collaborate and combine their strengths, where we overcome regional isolation and self-imposed silos? Join leaders of Canadian Theatre for a frank and funny discussion about getting into bed with many partners. We’ll chat about rolling premieres, national and international collaborations and how to ignite a theatre revolution!
Nightwood Studio, 3:30-5pm, PWYC (suggested donation $5)
Groundswell Kick Start Reception and Cocktail Party!
Join Nightwood AD, Kelly Thornton, as she kick starts the festival with a bang! Come for the opening remarks and stay for the revelry and celebration.
Nightwood Studio (55 Mill Street, Bldg. 74, Suite 315), 5-7pm, FREE EVENT
Saturday, December 3rd
Kaleidography with Jillian Keiley (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 10-2pm *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
*This masterclass is made possible with the generous support of Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and the TRIP Program
Face-to-Face with Maria Goyanes (The Public Theatre, NY)
Join Artistic Director Kelly Thornton in conversation with Maria Goyanes, Associate Producer of The Public Theater, New York City, as they chat live via video conference. Before taking on the role of Associate Producer, Goyanes was director of special projects at the Public, aiding in the launch of Public LAB (which devotes itself to the development of new works). She is also producer for the critically acclaimed theatre company 13P, in addition to being a co-director of the Soho Rep’s Writers Lab. We hope to learn about her best practices when it comes to new play development and international collaborations. What philosophies can we adopt? What practical applications can we incorporate? Q and A will follow.
Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs, 12-1pm, PWYC (suggested donation $5)
Sunday, December 4th
The Market Place
Anna Shapiro, 2008 Tony Award-winning director, said “I’m pretty sure the only way you get to have a life in the theatre is if somewhere in your life you come upon a group of people who, although they don’t need you, make room for you.” The Market Place is a speed dating frenzy between Canada’s most prominent Artistic Directors and our most exciting playwrights/creators to watch.
Berkeley Street Rehearsal Hall, 10am-12:30pm, BY INVITATION ONLY
Quebec Series: Reading of Jennifer Tremblay’s The Carrousel and Clea Minaker’s Book of Thel
Nightwood Studio, 4pm, PWYC (suggested donation $5)
Le Carrousel (The Carrousel)
A new play by Governor General’s award-winning playwright Jennifer Tremblay and translated by Shelley Tepperman, Le Carrousel acts as a sequel to her award-winning play, The List. Now 10 years later, while driving the north shore to be with her dying mother, the woman summons the soul of her deceased grandmother, Marie. Their conversation sets her on an inward journey exploring the life and love that has thrilled, trapped and bound together three generations of women. Like The List, Le Carrousel is a poignant and insightful examination of the condition of women, and the relationship between mothers and sons.
The Book of Thel
Clea Minaker’s upcoming solo performance, The Book of Thel, reimagines pre-cinematic projection techniques, fantasmagoria, and manipulated light to revisit William Blake’s poem where Thel, guided by her existential despair, takes a journey underground. At The New Groundswell Festival, Clea will stage her findings from her residency at Tas de Sable, in Amiens, France. Clea was awarded the Simonovitch Theatre Design Protégé prize by the celebrated puppeteer Ronnie Burkett. Her performance creations have appeared at Rhubarb Festival, Festival Casteliers, If! Istanbul, and Sezio (San Diego).
Monday, December 5th and Tuesday, December 6th
Say it, Shout it, Move it with Judith Thompson (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 11-4pm both days, *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
Wednesday, December 7th and Thursday, December 8th
the sorplusi methodology with d’bi.young (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 10-5pm both days, *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
Friday, December 9th
Director as Dramaturg with Nina Lee Aquino (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 10-5pm, *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
What Nobody Tells You (Youth Workshop)
Join theatre heavy weights as they share what nobody tells you - an hour-long discussion on what established artists wish someone had told them when they were starting out. Meet them, meet your peers and ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask.
What Else: Stay for the sneak peek Write From The Hip readings directly following the workshop!
Special Stuff: The first 20 people to sign up get a free ticket to the December 9th, 8pm performance of Between the Sheets!
To sign up email Michelle Alexander at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs, 6pm, FREE EVENT
Write From The Hip Readings
Write from the Hip, our emerging playwrights program, presents 15 minutes each of two provocative new works for the stage. Groundswell will mark the first public sneak peek of Bahia Watson’s She Who Takes Flight and Susanna Fournier’s The Philosopher’s Wife.
Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs, 7pm, PWYC (suggested donation $5)
Saturday, December 10th
Visceral Playwriting with Linda Griffiths (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 10-4pm, *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
Judith Thompson’s Big Girl/The F Word Reading
From the multi-award-winning grand dame of Canadian playwrighting comes the new play, Big Girl/The F Word (Working Title) which decodes the communication gap between second wave feminists and young women. Q and A to follow.
Nightwood Studio, 4:30pm, PWYC (suggested donation $5)
*Meet us at the Jason George Bar and Pub (100 Front Street at Jarvis) around 10pm to celebrate the last night of our re-envisioned New Groundswell Festival of new work!
Sunday, December 11th
Visceral Playwriting with Linda Griffiths (Masterclass)
Nightwood Studio, 10-4pm, *Pre-registration required, click here for more info
*Please refer to our masterclass page for masterclass listings, description and registration form.