Joint Press release Theatre Ontario Festival
Ottawa Little Theatre + Theatre Ontario
May 10, 2017, Ottawa, ON – To celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial, Ottawa Little Theatre is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the Theatre Ontario Festival running from May 17 to May 21, 2017. This annual festival is a celebration of Community Theatre with four award winning plays from across the province coming to the Ottawa Little Theatre to showcase their talented cast and crew.
The four productions come from four regions of the province:
From the Eastern Ontario region, we have the Northumberland Players from Cobourg presenting Waiting for the Parade by John Murrell on Wednesday, May 17.
From the Western Ontario region, the Ghost Light Players from Windsor are presenting Better Living by George F. Walker on Thursday, May 18.
From the Central Ontario region, the Toronto Irish Players are presenting Outside Mullingar by John Patrick Shanley on Friday, May 19.
From the Northeastern Ontario region, the Sault Workshop Theatre from Sault Ste. Marie are presenting Lucyby Damien Atkins on Saturday, May 20.
Each company is responsible for transporting their sets, cast and crew from across Ontario to Ottawa. They are handed a blank stage at 8:00 a.m. the morning of their performance, and must recreate their show in a day - they must load the set on stage, install it, set-up lighting, sound, and do a rehearsal in a new space for the show happening at 7:30 p.m. that night. After the performance, they must strike the set to return the stage to a blank canvas for the next company to do it all over again the next day. All four plays are running at the newly renovated Ottawa Little Theatre, which recently announced their 105th season for 2017/2018. This is the first time that the Ottawa Little Theatre has hosted the Theatre Ontario Festival since Community Theatre festivals started in 1933. On Wednesday May 17, the Ottawa Little Theatre will be hosting an Opening Night Reception before the first play from 6:00 p.m. until the 7:30 p.m. curtain time. Included in the welcoming remarks from the VIPs in attendance will be
on behalf of the Mayor and the City of Ottawa. Councillor Fleury will be welcoming the participating companies, festival participants and the audience to Ottawa, and to enjoy the Ottawa 2017 celebrations happening throughout the region. Following each play the audience will be welcomed to stay and listen to the thoughts and insights of our professional adjudicator
. This an opportunity to get her views on the technical and artistic aspects of each performance. Ms. Procunier will present awards recognizing outstanding achievements in the productions at the Festival Awards brunch held on Sunday April 21. In addition to the plays, there are educational opportunities including a
run by
the afternoon of May 18, and the festival’s Playwright-in-Person
will be reading from her work on the afternoon of May 19. More information about the festival, workshops and each of the plays can be found at
or by calling the Ottawa Little Theatre box office
.
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All directors, actors, artists, and technical assistants are volunteers – all work for the love of the theatre. Professional in style, traditional in tone, Ottawa Little Theatre has been a vital part of Ottawa’s Art Community since 1913, making it the longest running community theatre in Canada. Ottawa Little Theatre is a charitable not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization and is financially dependent upon ticket sales, donations and sponsors for its operation and maintenance. “
Theatre is our most visceral form of storytelling, a living and breathing collaborative art form. Theatre Ontario is committed to ensuring that theatre stays strong and vibrant and sustainable in our province, an ideal for Ontarians today and in the future. As Ontario’s champion for theatre, we advocate for growth, cultivate theatre resources, provide educational opportunities, foster collaboration within the theatre community, and build innovation into everything we do. http://www.theatreontario.org/ -30-
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