NEWS RELEASE: June 23, 2009
Toronto, ON… On the occasion of its 30th Anniversary, Nightwood is proud to announce a landmark celebration of Canadian women directors in the largest season ever produced by the company!
At the centre is the 4x4 Festival: An Off-Road Event of Women Directors. This momentous event will showcase the talents of four of Canada’s top women directors in four productions running in November 2009. The shows, culled from the international repertoire of plays by women, represent some of the finest contemporary voices writing for the world stage.
Artistic Director Kelly Thornton adds, “I wanted to take the emphasis off world premiere and playwright, and to have instead a more focused look at interpretation and the director’s oeuvre.” The stellar line-up of directors include dazzling independent Weyni Mengesha, Kim Collier visionary director of Vancouver’s Electric Company (in the company’s Toronto premiere), the ever stylish Eda Holmes, and Thornton herself.
The Festival will also present the Director’s Summit (November 13-22) hosting Master Directors, Industry Panels and provocative Dialogues against the backdrop of mainstage programming. The Festival expands Nightwood’s playbill, broadens profile through creative exchange between national and international delegates and vigorously promotes the talents of emerging and established Canadian women directors.
The 4x4 Festival is fuelled by numerous producing partners including the Canadian Stage Company, Obsidian Theatre, Ryerson Theatre School, Electric Company Theatre and The Virtual Stage - and is powered by the Bank of Montreal (Season and Festival Sponsor).
Stimulus for the 4x4 Festival:
A national study, Equity in Canadian Theatre: The Women’s Initiative, launched by Nightwood with the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and the Playwright’s Guild of Canada, was the key motivator in spearheading this seminal event for women directors.
The 2004-2005 national study confirmed that the trickle down effect of predominantly male artistic direction contributed to significantly fewer female playwrights or directors enjoying the same level of employment in Canadian Theatre as their male counterparts. Nightwood has identified that the real action required is to provide more professional and training opportunities for female directors.
“Without these skills,” says Thornton, “they lack the most fundamental prerequisite for the job of Artistic Director and the situation remains Catch 22. If they cannot acquire these opportunities by gainful employment at the theatres then they remain in stasis, unable to hone their skills.”
Says Producer Monica Esteves, “Since the inception of the last planning cycle in 2005, Nightwood has made steady and hefty gains in audiences, as well as private and public sector investments. Such an ambitious new venture for Nightwood marks yet another new chapter of growth and progress. And, most vitally, the 4x4 Festival will enable Nightwood to provide increased profile and opportunities to female theatre directors, in addition to our mainstay support and training of women playwrights.”
CLICK ON THE LEFT-SIDE LINKS FOR PRODUCTION AND SUMMIT DETAILS