The Wrecking Ball - Ottawa

OTTAWA will be hosting its Wrecking Ball at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and Humanities, 314 St. Patrick St. at 8:00pm (get there by 7pm to get your ticket) on Oct 6th.

With pieces by Pierre Brault, Judith Thompson, Sarah Migneron and Oni the Haitian Sensation! Kate Hurman and Pierre Brault will be at the directing helm.

This Wrecking Ball will be bilingual.

• 28 09 2008 - 20:23

Le Wrecking Ball - Montreal

“Le” Wrecking Ball features brief, explosive works from local Montreal writers David Fennario, Anna Fuerstenberg, Julie Tamiko Manning and Julian Doucet, as well as a special contribution by two-time Governor General Award winner Judith Thompson. The playwrights have complete free rein over what they
choose to write – the only goal of the Wrecking Ball is to challenge and provoke. All pieces created for this event
are no more than a week old, so you know the it’s going to be fresh.

Hosted by the infamous Madame and Matante (Kiss My Cabaret), “Le” Wrecking Ball also features The Montreal Women’s Choir, and much, much more…

Le Wrecking Ball – Montreal
ONE NIGHT ONLY – October 6th, 2008
MainLine Theatre, 3997 St-Laurent
Doors open at 7PM, Show at 8PM
PWYC
For more info – 514-560-5314 or email us

Proceeds from these PWYC events are going to the Department of Culture. Check out what they are up to.

• 28 09 2008 - 20:22

The Wrecking Ball - Halifax

The writ has been dropped. Too lazy to bend down and pick it up, our Prime Minister has called an election. So, The Wrecking Ball swings into action. Monday October 6th 8pm at the Bus Stop Theatre, PWYC, we bring you one-night-only of bracing political theatre from some of the county’s hottest artists. Come witness the throw-down between Harper’s haircut and Dion’s personality-like public interface. Come find out why Jack Layton’s moustache and Elizabeth May have never been seen in the same room. Come thrill to the sounds of the third round of parliamentary musical chairs in four years.

Most of all come and find out why in this election the stakes are higher and the consequences more fraught than ever before.

Writers and theatre creators have a short time, a few days really, to write a short play, or create a piece, with overtly political themes. The artists devising or writing decide what that means. It’s in their hands. These new works are given short rehearsals and
presented – as staged reading, or performance pieces – whatever makes sense and is possible. Add music, a hundred or so people hungry for meaningful theatre and, voila, you have a Wrecking Ball.

For the first time (and not a moment too soon), The
Wrecking Ball becomes The Wrecking Balls! Which, okay, sounds like gay porn, but it’s not. Wrecking Ball events are being scheduled on the same night across the country in cities (or ‘niches’, as Harper might say) from Halifax to Victoria. They will be linked up by whatever technological means are available… (Facebook and cell phones). Creating a tide of political inspiration and action from coast to coast to coast to coast to coast! To date, Wrecking Balls are happening in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal & Halifax.

Nova Scotian playwrights and performer creators of all kinds will create short explosive plays and other art inspired by this moment in history. The election campaigns, the issues and ideas large and small, the candidates, their policies and the world that we’re
living in.

The artists have free rein over what art they make. The Wrecking Ball’s goal is to engage politically, to challenge and provoke. Each city will present works of local artists as well as those from artists across the country. The work will be of the minute. Created to be part of the national conversation.

If you’re interested in writing/creating something in response to recent events in our political world. Or if you have something already on the page or the tip of your tongue. Or if you want to be a performer or director of works written or created by others, get in touch! This is about performing artists having political voice. Let your art speak.

The Wrecking Ball: Election ‘08
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
Monday, October 6, 2008
Doors open at 7:30pm
Show starts at 8:00pm
The Bus Stop Theatre
2203 Gottingen St. Halifax, NS
Pay What You Can
Proceeds go to The Department of Culture.

Press Contact: Lee-Anne Poole

• 28 09 2008 - 20:20

Election ’08: Green Plan vs Rain Man Or: Harper Hates Minorities

The writ has been dropped, and, too lazy to bend down and pick it up, our Prime Minister has decided to call an election. And so the Wrecking Ball swings into action to bring you one night only (Oct 6th) of bracing political theatre from some of the county’s hottest artists. Come witness the throw-down between Harper’s haircut and Dion’s personality-like public interface. Come find out why Jack Layton’s moustache and Elizabeth May have never been seen in the same room. Come and thrill to the sounds of the third round of parliamentary musical chairs in four years. Most of all, come and find out why in this election the stakes are higher and the consequences more fraught than ever before.

Montreal meet Victoria. Winnipeg, meet Halifax.
Artist, meet artist. Let the coalitioning commence.

And, for the first time (and not a moment too soon), The Wrecking Ball becomes The Wrecking Balls! Which, okay, sounds like gay porn, but it’s not. Wrecking Ball events are being scheduled on the same night across the country in cities (or ‘niches’, as Harper might say) from Halifax to Victoria. They will be linked up by the most sophisticated (which is to say, cheapest) technological means available, which will create a tide of political inspiration and action from coast to coast to coast to coast to coast! To coast!

Cities include: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. Think of it as One Big Ball. Which, okay, sounds like gay porn, but it’s not.

A hand-picked coterie of Canadian playwrights will create brief, explosive plays inspired by the election: the candidates, their policies, and which party hasn’t bought enough carbon offsets for their belching campaign buses and piggish jets. The playwrights have complete free rein over what they choose to write – the Wrecking Ball’s only goal is to challenge and provoke. Each city will present plays from local artists as well as those from their national brethren. Or sisteren. And all the plays will be no more than a week old, so you know the theatre’s gonna smell fresh.

Proceeds from these PWYC events are going to the Department of Culture. Check them out (or oot, as we say in this country) at www.departmentofculture.ca

At the Ball Nearest You

The TORONTO event includes plays by Judith Thompson, Teresa Pavlinek and Rick Roberts, directed by Vikki Anderson, Kate Lynch,David Jansen and David Ferry. And featuring Hardee Lineham, Ieva Lucs, Fiona Highet, Clinton Walker, Bruce Godfree and Gray Powell among others. The event will be hosted by your local WB crew: David Jansen, Andrew Soren, Lara Robinson, and the incomparably jetlagged Michael Healey. Tarragon Theatre Mainspace Oct 6, 8pm. PWYC.

In VICTORIA meet at The Belfry Arts Centre, 1291 Gladstone St. The Box Office opens at 7pm, with the show at 8pm. You’ll see work by Judith Thompson and Dennis Eberts, among others. With Marcus Youseff slotted to direct one of the plays.

The VANCOUVER edition will take place at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage – 1250 Granville St. Tickets go on sale at 6:00pm and the show starts at 9:00pm following an All-Party Forum and Press Conference which begins at 7pm. Your host will be John Mann from Spirit of the West! And on stage you’ll see new plays by Lucia Frangioni and Judith Thompson and more still to come.

Wanna come in CALGARY? Come to the EPCOR CENTRE’s Jack Singer Lobby, 205 8th Avenue SE. Monday, October 6, 2008, 8:00pm (box office opens at 7pm). Home grown Alberta flavour includes Ken Cameron, Neil Fleming and Ellen Close, plus Judith Thompson and readings from letters and other documents that illuminate the importance of arts and culture in the ongoing election campaign. Calgary directors Stephen Hair, Simon Mallett and Stacie Harrison will collaborate on the pieces with many of Calgary’s most notable actors including Trevor Leigh, Doug McKeag, Valerie Planche, Valerie Ann Pearson, Ryan Luhning, Jamie Konchak, Tyrell Crews, Julie Mortensen and many others.

The WINNIPEG Wrecking Ball will be held at the Prairie Theatre Exchange’s Colin Jackson Studio (Unit Y300-393 Portage Avenue) at 8pm. Check out plays by Judith Thompson, members of the The Royal Liechtenstein Theatre Company, Ellen Peterson, and Michael Nathanson. Box Office opens at 7pm.

OTTAWA will gather at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and Humanities, 314 St. Patrick St. at 8:00pm (get there by 7pm to get your ticket) on Oct 6th. With pieces by Pierre Brault, Judith Thompson, Sarah Migneron and Oni the Haitian Sensation! Kate Hurman and Pierre Brault will be at the directing helm. This Wrecking Ball will be bilingual.

In MONTREAL, you can head to the MainLine Theatre to check out the action. Oct 6th, 8pm, box office opens at 7pm. Details will be posted soon.

HALIFAX’s Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen St.) welcomes the crowds to line up for tickets starting at 7pm on Oct 6th. Doors open at 7.30 and the show will start at 8pm. You’ll learn more about what’s going on there soon.

A MARI USQUE AD MARE

About The Wrecking Ball

The Wrecking Ball was founded in Toronto in November 2004 to address a nagging imbalance: too much theatre in our politics, not enough politics in our theatre. There’ve been six Wrecking Balls cabarets to date, all of which sold out, proving there is an undeniable appetite for politically charged work in this fine land.

Past writers for the Wrecking Ball include: Jason Sherman, Judith Thompson, Karen Hines, Norm Foster, David Young, Michael Healey, Morwyn Brebner, Daniel MacIvor, Hannah Moscovitch, Andrew Moodie, Claudia Dey, Morris Panych, d’bi.young, Linda Griffiths, and many others. COLDAX, a series of political play readings at the Tarragon in the spring of 2004 was such a hit that The Wrecking Ball presented The Silencing of Rachel Corrie at the Tarragon’s Spring Arts Fair in 2005. Check out the website for more information about political theatre throughout the world. www.thewreckingball.ca.

The Wrecking Ball: Election ‘08 is ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
Monday, October 6, 2008
Box Office opens at 7:00pm
Show starts at 8:00pm
Tarragon Theatre, Mainspace,
30 Bridgman Avenue
Toronto, ON
Price: Pay what you can (No advanced sales) – proceeds will go to the www.departmentofculture.ca

• 26 09 2008 - 07:12

WB6

Inject a little politic in your summer

One night only: Saturday August 4, 2007, 10:00pm, Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue

THE EVENT:
Lather up that sunscreen and put on your shades, it’s time to step into the harsh light of the headlines. For one night only, The Wrecking Ball swings again! A special guest to the SummerWorks Theatre Festival, the sixth edition of the Wrecking Ball takes place on Saturday, August 4th, 2007 – at the bohemian hour of 10pm, in Theatre Passe Muraille’s Mainspace.

This Wrecking Ball features BRAND NEW, ONE-WEEK OLD EXPRESSLY POLITICAL Theatre by some of Canada’s top playwrights: Linda Griffiths (Maggie & Pierre) gives us the affable Conrad Black as he attempts to win our hearts and regain his Canadian citizenship. Richard Sanger (Two Words for Snow), with special assistance from Briony Glassco (The Sneetches) present five sketches on the theme of competition featuring, amongst others, the playwright, Mats Sundin, Larry Tannenbaum, David Radler and, because he’ll be there anyway, everyone’s favourite media mogul, Mr. Black. Finally, for the first time ever, we have a Wrecking Ball opera by composer Njo Kong Kie with book by Douglas Rodger. Together they’ll be rounding off the evening with a tonal investigation into the growing black market in the sale of human organs. And if that wasn’t enough, we have special guest Torquil Campbell, lead singer of Stars, singing Billy Bragg’s Tender Comrade.

We guarantee that WB6 will be unlike any you’ve seen before. Each of our writers will follow the two Wrecking Ball Rules:

1) PLAYS MUST BE BASED ON CURRENT WORLD EVENTS – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
2) PLAYS MUST BE WRITTEN IN ONE WEEK. THEN REHEARSED BRIEFLY AND THROWN RAW BEFORE A HUNGRY AUDIENCE.

Once again, some of Toronto’s best directors (Eda Holmes, Michael Rubenfeld, and Ashlie Corcoran) will lead the finest actors in the city in staged readings presented before your eyes, introduced by our very own Wrecking Ball crew (Lara Azzopardi, David Jansen, Ross Manson and Andrew Soren).

ABOUT THE WRECKING BALL:
The Wrecking Ball is an attempt to bring the headlines to the theatre. We ask acclaimed Canadian and international playwrights to dramatize the world we find ourselves in today … right here … right now. There is no question that theatre exists in our news—but is the news in our theatres? Each writer has only a few days to write a short play with overtly political themes – each individual writer can decide what that means to him or her (and given these particular writers, that could mean a lot). The plays are given short rehearsals in advance of staged readings. Add music, a hoard of people hungry for meaningful theatre and, voila, you have a Wrecking Ball. Even better, proceeds from Wrecking Ball performances go to support The Actor’s Fund of Canada!

We’ve had five Wrecking Balls proper in the past and all have been great fun. Past writers have included: Jason Sherman, Judith Thompson, Karen Hines, Norm Foster, David Young, Michael Healey, Morwyn Brebner, Daniel MacIvor, Hannah Moscovitch, Andrew Moodie, Morris Panych, d’bi.young and many others. COLDAX, a series of political play readings at the Tarragon in the spring of 2004 was such a hit that The Wrecking Ball presented The Silencing of Rachel Corrie at the Tarragon’s Spring Arts Fair in 2005. And we’re just hitting our stride. Check out the website for more information about political theatre throughout the world. www.thewreckingball.ca.

THE PLAYWRIGHTS:
Playwright/actor Linda Griffiths “…is one of Canada’s ‘originals’, known not only for the quality of her work, but for the sheer range of her career”.* She is the winner of five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a Gemini award, two Chalmer’s awards, the Quizanne International Festival Award for Jessica, and Los Angeles’ A.G.A. Award for her title performance in the John Sayles’ film Lianna. She has twice been nominated for the Governor General’s Award (The Darling Family, Alien Creature). Her plays include Chronic, Alien Creature, The Darling Family, Maggie & Pierre. She is the co-author of a unique theatre book -The Book of Jessica (with native author and activist Maria Campbell). Griffiths has created collective work (Paper Wheat, Les Maudits Anglais), published short stories, reviews books for the Globe and Mail, and continues to act in television and film. Ongoing projects include two impromptu one-person shows, Baby Finger and The Last Dog of War. Her new play, The Age of Arousal opens this November at Factory Theatre.

Richard Sanger’s poems have appeared in publications in Canada, Britain and the United States. He has won the E. J. Pratt Poetry Prize twice (in 1992 and 1993). In 1994, a chapbook of his poems was published by Tapir Press; in 1996, Vehicule Press published his first full-length collection, Shadow Cabinet, nominated that year for the Gerald Lampert Award. His play Not Spain was shortlisted for a 1995 Chalmers Award and has been published by Playwrights Canada Press in 1998. A new play, Two Words for Snow, will premiere at the 1999 PlayRites Festival in Calgary. His other plays include Wild Grapes and Unrequited Pine and have been performed at various fringe festivals. His reviews and essays have appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, the The Globe and Mail, Books-in-Canada, The Canadian Forum and Poetry Review (U.K.) as well as various scholarly journals. He holds an M.A. in Spanish and a doctorate in Comparative Literature and has taught in the English Department and the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto; he has also worked as a translator (from Spanish, French and German) and an editor.In 1998-1999, he is the Writer-in-Residence at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.

Njo Kong Kie is a musician living in Toronto. An active dance pianist, Kong Kie has been the pianist and music director of La La La Human Steps since 1996. He is currently on tour in their newest production, Amjad. He also plays classes for the National Ballet School of Canada. An alumnus of Tapestry New Opera Work’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory, Kong Kie has co-written and produced two chamber operas, knotty together (with Anna Chatterton) and Shattered Glass (with Douglas Rodger). These works have been presented at the Rhubarb and Summerworks Theatre Festivals in Toronto. Kong Kie is the founder of the chamber music band Day OFF. Their debut album, Picnic in the Cemetery, is available at various websites. Day OFF will be performing as part of Urban Contact, Toronto New Music Marathon on Sept 8 at Yonge Dundas Square. Excerpts of Kong Kie’s compositions have been played on the web site for Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, on a web video of the London International Festival of Theatre, in the soundtrack of Edouard Lock’s film Amelia and the CBC documentary series China Rises. Kong Kie recently wrote a song for Patricia O’Callaghan and was invited to write a choral piece for Forte, The Toronto Men’s Chorus, as part of the group’s 10th anniversary celebration. Kong Kie is always looking for good stories to tell. Please visit www.musicpicnic.com to get in touch and for more information, audio clips and reviews.

Douglas Rodger is a lapsed playwright who has found a new passion for writing opera and lyrics. His previous works include Donut City, a musical and How could you, Mrs. Dick? a true murder mystery. He has also written for television, radio and film. His first short opera Shattered Glass was also written with composer Njo Kong Kie and had its’ first production at the Rhubarb Festival in 2006.

Torquil Campbell is the lead singer and songwriter for the Montreal-based indie rock band Stars. He also records and performs with Broken Social Scene. In addition to singing, he also plays the trumpet and is a member of the band Memphis. He has also worked as an actor all his life, appearing on stage throughout North America, playing roles as diverse as Gary, the teenage prostitute in the original New York production of the controversial play Shopping and Fucking starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the title role in Shakespeare’s Henry V. He has directed theatre, including a production of Romeo and Juliet for The Hamptons Shakespeare Festival.

The Wrecking Ball 6 is ONE PERFORMANCE
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Box Office opens at 9:00pm
Show starts at 10:00pm
Theatre Passe Muraille, Mainspace, 16 Ryerson Avenue
Prices: Pay what you can (No advanced sales) – proceeds will go to the Actor’s Fund of Canada

• 28 07 2007 - 18:27
• Comment

WB5:

This Halloween, A Cold Wind is Blowing…

One night only: Sunday October 29, 2006, 8:00pm, Great Hall Downstairs Theatre, 1087 Queen St. West (at Dovercourt), entrance by pay-what-you-can donation

As the world burns, the Wrecking Ball swings – and we’re in full swing again as part of ARCfest – Toronto’s remarkable, comprehensive Social Justice Arts Festival (www.arcfest.org).

Our line up for this demo: Morwyn Brebner (Little Mercy’s First Murder, The Optimists); Jonathan Garfinkel (The Trials of John Demjanjuk); Daniel MacIvor (Here Lies Henry, Monster); Hannah Moscovitch (The Russian Play, Essay); and a special treat: Harold Pinter (Nobel prize winner, The Birthday Party, Betrayal).

We could note hope for more talent to bring to bear on the world of the moment.

Each of our writers will follow the two Wrecking Ball Rules:

1. PLAYS MUST BE BASED ON CURRENT WORLD EVENTS – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW


2. PLAYS MUST BE WRITTEN IN ONE WEEK. THEN REHEARSED BRIEFLY AND THROWN RAW BEFORE A HUNGRY AUDIENCE.

In Mister Pinter’s case, we’ve decided to accept a script that he wrote a few years back – Press Conference (Toronto Premiere) – a blistering look at the new world order. Thank you, Mister Pinter.

Once again, some of Toronto’s finest theatre artists will be on hand to put these staged readings before your eyes, introduced by our very own Wrecking Ball crew (Lara Azzopardi, David Jansen, Ross Manson and Andrew Soren).

This Halloween, get WRECKED!

WHAT GIVES:

TWB is an attempt to bring the headlines to the theatre. We ask acclaimed Canadian and international playwrights to dramatize the world we find ourselves in today … right here … right now. There is no question that theatre exists in our news—but is the news in our theatres? Each writer has only a few days to write a short play with overtly political themes – each individual writer can decide what that means to him or her (and given these particular writers, that could mean a lot). The plays are given short rehearsals in advance of staged readings. Add a hoard of people hungry for meaningful theatre and, voila, you have a Wrecking Ball. Even better, proceeds from Wrecking Ball performances go to support The Actor’s Fund of Canada!
We’ve had four Wrecking Balls proper in the past…hence Wrecking Ball 5 – all were great successes: Past writers have included: Andrew Moodie, Jason Sherman, Judith Thompson, d’bi young, Karen Hines, Norm Foster, Morris Panych, David Young, Michael Healey, Claudia Dey and many others. COLDAX, a series of political play readings at the Tarragon in the spring of 2004 was such a hit that The Wrecking Ball presented The Silencing of Rachel Corrie at the Tarragon’s Spring Arts Fair the next May. And we’re just hitting our stride. Check out the site for more information about political theatre throughout the world.

THE PLAYWRIGHTS:

Morwyn Brebner’s debut play, Music for Contortionist, was co-produced by the Shaw Festival and the Tarragon Theatre in 2000 and nominated for a Dora and a Chalmers award. Other plays include Liquor Guns Karate; Our Father & Matador Love; the musical Little Mercy’s First Murder (winner of 7 2003 Dora Mavor Moore awards, including outstanding new musical); and The Optimists. She adapted Three Kinds of Bliss for the Shaw/CBC radio series, for which Love Among The Russians was first adapted as well. Translations include Mathilde and Strawberries in January. Television includes The Eleventh Hour, At The Hotel, The Jane Show, and Moose TV. She is currently working on a new musical for Necessary Angel. Upcoming: The Pessimist at Tarragon in Spring 2007. Ms. Brebner is a graduate of the National Theatre School and a playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto.

Daniel MacIvor was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1962. He is a stalwart of the Canadian theatre scene having written and directed numerous award-winning productions. From 1987-2007 he was Artistic Director of da da kamera which brought his work to Australia Israel, Europe the UK and extensively through Canada and the US. Recently Daniel directed his play "Never Swim Alone" in New York at Actor’s Playhouse and directed his play "How It Works" for Mulgrave Road Theatre in Nova Scotia. Currently Daniel is working on a new play "His Greatness" in workshop at the Stratford Festival. A collection of five of his plays called "I Still Love You "has recently been published by Playwrights Press and Talonbooks has recently published a new version of his play "Marion Bridge" along with his screenplay based on the play. Check out his weblog at danielmacivor.com

Hannah Moscovitch is a Toronto based actor and playwright. Her play, Essay, debuted to critical acclaim at the 2005 SummerWorks Theatre Festival where it won the Contra Guys SummerWorks Playwriting Award, and was nominated Best New Play and Best Production by Now Magazine. Essay was later workshopped as part of the Nightwood Groundswell Playwrights’ Unit, and the Banff playRites Colony 2006. Hannah’s play, The Russian Play, played to sold out houses at the Summerworks Festival in August, where it won the SummerWorks Jury Award for Best Production. Hannah is a graduate of The National Theatre School of Canada. Upcoming: Hannah is working with Theatrefront on the creation of The Mill, she is a member of the 2006 Tarragon Playwright’s Unit, where she is developing her new play Born Guilty. The Russian Play is being remounted as part of the Hatch season at Harbourfront in February, and as part of The Magnetic North Theatre Festival in Ottawa in June.

Jonathan Garfinkel is the author of the book of poetry Glass Psalms and the plays Walking to Russia and The Trials of John Demjanjuk: A Holocaust Cabaret. His most recent play, Blind, is a political-fantasia about a divided house in Jerusalem. It’s being read at the Maxim Gorky Theatre in Berlin this December. Jonathan’s memoir Ambivalence will be published by Penguin Canada in September 2007. An excerpt from the book is forthcoming in the Walrus.

Harold Pinter: a British playwright, poet, actor, director, and political activist, best known for his plays The Birthday Party (1957), The Caretaker (1959), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), and for his screenplay adaptations of novels by others, such as The Servant (1963) and The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1980). The recipient of scores of awards and honorary degrees, Pinter received the Nobel Prize in Literature from the Swedish Academy in December 2005. In its citation, the Academy states that “Harold Pinter is generally regarded as the foremost representative of British drama in the second half of the 20th century.”

• 21 10 2006 - 15:14
• Comment

WB4: inject a little politic in your summer

One night only: Monday August 7, 2006, 11:00pm, Factory Theatre Mainspace, 125 Bathurst Street

THE EVENT:

That’s right folks; it’s time to change out of your bathing suit and step into the harsh light of the headlines, The Wrecking Ball is back. We caused a stir in May when The Wrecking Ball presented The Silencing of Rachel Corrie, and we’ve been hearing cries for more. So, thanks to the gracious invitation of Summerworks, The Wrecking Ball swings again – AUGUST 7, 2006 – at the bohemian hour of 11pm, the Factory Theatre Mainspace will open its doors to WB4.

We will feature Political Theatre by THREE of Canada’s Best Playwrights with BRAND NEW, ONE-WEEK OLD EXPRESSLY POLITICAL PLAYS: Andrew Moodie (Riot), exposes racial profiling in Toronto; Morris Panych (The Dishwasher) thrashes out on charity and justice; while d’bi.young (blood.claat: one womban story) gives us a virtuosic solo about domestic immigrant labour in Canada. Add special guest, Megan Hamilton who is busy composing expressly political new music for the occasion and you couldn’t ask for better late night madness!

Each of our writers will follow the two Wrecking Ball Rules:

1. PLAYS MUST BE BASED ON CURRENT WORLD EVENTS – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
2. PLAYS MUST BE WRITTEN IN ONE WEEK. THEN REHEARSED BRIEFLY AND THROWN RAW BEFORE A HUNGRY AUDIENCE.

Once again, some of Toronto’s best actors (TBD) and directors (Vikki Anderson, David Ferry and David Jansen) will be on hand to put these staged readings before your eyes, introduced by our very own Wrecking Ball crew (Lara Azzopardi, David Jansen, Ross Manson and Andrew Soren)

WHAT GIVES:

TWB is an attempt to bring the headlines to the theatre. We ask acclaimed Canadian and international playwrights to dramatize the world we find ourselves in today … right here … right now. There is no question that theatre exists in our news—but is the news in our theatres? Each writer has only a few days to write a short play with overtly political themes – each individual writer can decide what that means to him or her (and given these particular writers, that could mean a lot). The plays are given short rehearsals in advance of staged readings. Add music, a hoard of people hungry for meaningful theatre and, voila, you have a Wrecking Ball. Even better, proceeds from Wrecking Ball performances go to support The Actor’s Fund of Canada!

We’ve had three Wrecking Balls proper in the past…hence Wrecking Ball 4 – all were great successes: Past writers have included: Jason Sherman, Judith Thompson, Karen Hines, Norm Foster, David Young, Michael Healey, and many others. COLDAX, a series of political play readings at the Tarragon in the spring of 2004 was such a hit that The Wrecking Ball presented The Silencing of Rachel Corrie at the Tarragon’s Spring Arts Fair this past May. And we’re just hitting our stride. Check out the site for more information about political theatre throughout the world and keep your eye out for TWB this October as part of Arcfest: Toronto’s only arts festival expressly devoted to social justice.

THE PLAYWRIGHTS:

Andrew Moodie is an actor, director and writer who has spent the past fifteen years in the Canadian entertainment industry performing in many of this country’s most distinguished theaters: the Stratford Festival, Second City, Soulpepper, Theatre Passe Muraille, the Factory Theatre, and CanStage. He garnered a Dora nomination for Best Male Performance for his rendition of Othello for Shakespeare in the Rough and he won a Dora award for his performance in Health Class. His first play, Riot, was performed at the Factory Theatre, where it won the Chalmers award for Best New Play. The play has since been placed on the curriculum of many Canadian university English departments. He has since written many other plays including A Common Man’s Guide to Loving Women, The Lady Smith, and recently, The Real McCoy—about the life of black Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy, a production he also directed. He is currently writing The Language of the Heart, a play about Harlem renaissance writer Wallace Thurman.

Morris Panych was born in 1952 in Calgary and grew up in Edmonton. He studied radio and television arts at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, creative writing at the University of British Columbia (BFA, 1977), and theatre at East 15 acting school in London, England. A writer, director and actor, he has appeared in over 50 plays and in numerous television and film productions. He has directed over 30 plays and written over a dozen, which have been produced in Canada, Great Britain and the U.S. These include 7 Stories (1990), Other Schools of Thought (1994) and Earshot (2000). He received the GG for The Ends of the Earth (1993), the Jessie Award for Vigil (1996) and another GG plus two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Girl in the Goldfish Bowl (2004).

d’bi.young a jamaican-canadian dub poet, actor, and playwright has performed throughout canada, the caribbean, latin america and europe. she has produced four dub poetry albums and is currently working on her fifth, entitled ky.ky – a cuban-canadian musical collaboration that will launch in june at buddies in bad times theatre. her writings have appeared in fireweed, contemporary verse, she speaks, and the african canadian theatre review. her first book of poetry, art on black, was published this january by women’s press. she has starred in numerous productions including canada’s hit musical drama da kink in my hair, and canada’s first afro-canadian sitcom lord have mercy. she also co-wrote the play yagayah with naila belvett published by playwrights canada press. her next publication, set for launch august 2006, is a bilingual english-spanish edition of the first play in her three faces of mudgu trilogy entitled blood.claat. this launch will be accompanied by a play run at theatre passe muraille. the second play in the trilogy androgyne, is being produced by buddies in bad times theatre as a workshop production in june. recently, she has been appointed a two-year residency at the soulpepper theatre academy. d’bi.young resides in toronto with her sun: moon.

The Wrecking Ball 4 is ONE PERFORMANCE
Monday, August 7, 2006
Box Office opens at 6:00pm
Show starts at 11:00pm
The Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst Street
Prices: Pay what you can (No advanced sales) – proceeds will go to the Actor’s Fund of Canada

MEDIA REFER: Lara Azzopardi – (416) 729-6347

• 3 08 2006 - 12:08
• Comment

The Silencing of Rachel Corrie

presented by The Wrecking Ball
in association with the Tarragon Spring Arts Fair

Saturday, May 27, 2006
8pm, Tarragon Extra Space
No advance sales. Get there early. PWYC.

Political theatre is back for a one night special presentation: The Silencing of Rachel Corrie, presented by the Wrecking Ball, in association with the Tarragon Theatre’s annual Spring Arts Fair. Bringing the headlines to the stage once again, this not-to-be-missed happening features Sarah Henriques as Rachel Corrie, as well as Michael Spencer Davis, Aaron Willis and Lynn Woodman, and will be directed by Kate Lushington.

23 year old American activist Rachel Corrie has been silenced twice: by her death in March 2003 under the blade of a bulldozer in Gaza, and in March 2006 with the controversial pulling from New York Theatre Workshop of the award-winning British play about her life in her own words, My Name is Rachel Corrie.

Most readers will know the bare facts about Rachel Corrie: that she was a 23-year-old American who went to aid Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and in March 2003 was killed by an Israeli bulldozer. She has been denounced in the Wall Street Journal and considered a tool of Hamas. Her death was a short-lived story in the international press, greeted largely by silence in her homeland. What is unknown to most is her compelling voice as a writer. Two years after her death, My Name is Rachel Corrie premiered at The Royal Court Theatre in London. It is a one-woman show devised by Alan Rickman and Kathleen Viner from Rachel’s childhood journals and e-mails home from the Middle East.

“What is it about Rachel Corrie’s writings, her thoughts, her feelings, her confusions, her idealism, her courage, her search for meaning in life – what is it that audiences must be protected from?” Harold Pinter, March 2006.

The Silencing of Rachel Corrie is NOT to be confused with My Name is Rachel Corrie. However, for one night only, Toronto audiences can hear Rachel’s words and witness a new theatrical reading featuring her e-mails from Gaza and new material released by her parents, interwoven with highlights of the more recent political controversy from luminaries such as Pinter, Tony Kushner, and Alan Rickman. Rachel is still the star of the show, her voice shines on, and her spirit refuses to be silenced.

Read what we’ve already posted about Rachel Corrie.

Learn more about what all of the fuss is about.

BIOS

Kate Lushington most recently directed Your Dream Was Mine by Shirley Cheechoo at Artword Theatre, Toronto and De-ba-jeh-muh-jig Theatre on Manitoulin Island, performed her own piece Griefkit at the Hysteria Festival at Buddies in Bad Times, and wrote and directed Easy Money, an ongoing project with and about injured workers shown at the Mayworks Festival 2005. She spent six seasons as Artistic Director of Nightwood Theatre, and has dramaturged such award winning plays as Harlem Duet and Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God by Djanet Sears. She won a Nellie for her adaptation of Josef Skvorecky’s The Bass Saxophone for CBC Radio and a Mouche D’Or for her first short film, Subway Transfer at the On The Fly festival.

Sarah Henriques’ recent theatre credits include The Clean House (Manitoba Theatre Centre/Vancouver Playhouse), Caryl Churchill’s Far Away (Escape Artists’ Equity Co-op) and the one woman show Dying to be Thin (Manitoba Theatre for Young People). Originally from Vancouver and a graduate of UBC’s Theatre Programme, Sarah is new to Toronto and will next be seen in Theatre & Company’s production of Stephen Massicotte’s A Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook, Part II: The Girls Strike Back.

Michael Spencer-Davis is delighted to be back with The Ball having a year ago been a participant in Twelve Angry Playwrights as well as a reading of Homebody/Kabul and other plays of political import. Recently MSD finished a run of Via Dolorosa – David Hare’s one man show of his trip to Israel and observations of the conflict -for the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre. This summer Michael will be playing Antonio in The Merchant of Venice for the Oakville Festival of Classics.

Aaron Willis’ past credits include:  The Piper (Necessary Angel), Well, (Tarragon Theatre), Waiting for Lefty and Awake and Sing (The CO), nod (Theatre Gargantua), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Gayety Theatre).  He has also appeared in the Summerworks Festival in Excess Unwanted Growth (2003) and Spain (2004).  He appeared in The Merchant of Venice last summer with Shakespeare in the Rough, and recently completed touring Wrecked with Roseneath Theatre.  Aaron will be producing, directing, and performing in AutoShow at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival with the convergence theatre collective.

Lynn Woodman has enjoyed parallel careers as an actor and voice, movement and acting teacher for the past 25 years. Selected film and television credits include: Silent Hill, Queer As Folk, Sue Thomas; FBI, Wildcard, Street Time (recurring role), Exhibit A, and True Stories. A narrator for Sprockets International film Festival for Children for 10 years, Lynn’s acting roots started in theatre and she has appeared in theatres across Canada. She is honoured to be a part of bringing Rachel Corrie’s words of compassion for humanity to Toronto.

The Wrecking Ball’s presentation of
The Silencing of Rachel Corrie
in association with the Tarragon Spring Arts Fair
is ONE PERFORMANCE only
Saturday May 27, 2006 at 8:00pm
Tarragon Theatre Extra Space, 30 Brigman Avenue, Toronto
No advance tickets will be sold.
Admission is by donation only (Pay What You Can)
A benefit for the Actor’s Fund of Canada

See you all there!

• 23 05 2006 - 09:43
• Comment

WB3

This Holiday Election Season,
Wreck the Halls with Balls of Folly!!

The Wrecking Ball 3

This Xmas – PUT YOUR X HERE!

One night only: Sunday December 18, 2005, 8:00pm, The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen Street West

THE EVENT:
That’s a right folks; we rattle chains better than the Ghost of Christmas Past. The Wrecking Ball is back. It’s been a while since we wreaked havoc last spring with COLDAX (our international political play-reading festival – hosted by Tarragon), but wait no more, The Wrecking Ball swings again – DECEMBER 18, 2005 – at The Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen Street West.

We will feature Political Theatre and Music: i.e. FIVE of Canada’s Best Playwrights with BRAND NEW, ONE-WEEK OLD EXPRESSLY POLITICAL PLAYS: Michael Healey (The Drawer Boy), Adam Pettle (Zadie’s Shoes), Claudia Dey (Trout Stanley), Matthew Edison (Domino Heart), and Alex Poch-Goldin (Yahrzeit). Could the timing be better?

Each playwright will follow the two Wrecking Ball Rules:

1)PLAYS MUST BE BASED ON CURRENT WORLD EVENTS – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
2)PLAYS MUST BE WRITTEN IN ONE WEEK. THEN REHEARSED BRIEFLY AND THOWN RAW BEFORE A HUNGRY AUDIENCE.

Once again, some of Toronto’s best actors (Kevin Bundy, Andy Bunker, Tim Campbell, Monica Dottor, Patricia Fagan, Caryn Green, Tanja Jacobs, Joris Jarski, Yanna McIntosh, Alon Nashman, Jordan Pettle, Gord Rand, Michael Rubenfeld, Julie Stewart, Sanjay Talwar and Nigel Shawn Williams) and directors (Lara Azzopardi, Leah Cherniak, David Jansen, Weyni Mengesha and Kelly Thornton) will be on hand to perform these staged readings, introduced by our very own Wrecking Ball crew (Lara Azzopardi, David Jansen, Ross Manson and Andrew Soren)

Plus we’ll be joined by the musical stylings of the one and only Claire Jenkins.

THE PROGRAM:

GENEROUS
WRITTEN BY MICHAEL HEALEY
DIRECTED BY LEAH CHERNIAK
FEATURING: JORDAN PETTLE, TIM CAMPBELL, KEVIN BUNDY, NIGEL SHAWN WILLIAMS, JULIE STEWART AND TANJA JACOBS

DOUBLESPEAK
WRITTEN BY ALEX POCH-GOLDIN
DIRECTED BY KELLY THORNTON
FEATURING: SANJAY TALWAR

SLICK SAYS IT WAS THE LAND OF PLENTY AND THE PLENTY WAS MINE
WRITTEN BY CLAUDIA DEY
DIRECTED BY DAVID JANSEN
FEATURING: GORD RAND

THE BLEACHERS
WRITTEN BY ADAM PETTLE
DIRECTED BY WEYNI MENGESHA
FEATURING: PATRICIA FAGAN AND MONICA DOTTOR

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
WRITTEN BY MATTHEW EDISON
DIRECTED BY LARA AZZOPARDI
FEATURING: ALON NASHMAN, SANJAY TALWAR, CARYN GREEN, YANNA MCINTOSH, ANDY BUNKER, MICHAEL RUBENFELD, JORIS JARSKI AND TANJA JACOBS

WHAT GIVES:
TWB is an attempt to bring the headlines to the theatre. We ask acclaimed Canadian and international playwrights to dramatize the world we find ourselves in today … right here … right now. There is no question that theatre exists in our news—but is the news in our theatres? Each writer has only a few days to write a short play with overtly political themes – each individual writer can decide what that means to him or her (and given these particular writers, that could mean a lot). The plays are given short rehearsals in advance of staged readings. Add music, a hundred or so people hungry for meaningful theatre and, voila, you have a Wrecking Ball.

We’ve had two Wrecking Balls in the past…hence Wrecking Ball 3 – both were great successes: Past writers included: Judith Thompson, Karen Hines, Norm Foster, David Young and many others. COLDAX, a series of political play readings at the Tarragon last spring, went so well we’ve decided to do another. There are plans to do another COLDAX festival in the coming months. Stay in touch by joining our mailing list

THE PLAYWRIGHTS:

Claudia Dey’s plays include BEAVER (Factory Theatre, Horse Trade Theatre Group New York; currently being translated into French for Theatre La Licorne, Montreal), THE GWENDOLYN POEMS (Factory Theatre, Governor General’s Award Nominee, Trillium Award Finalist), TROUT STANLEY (Ship’s Company Theatre, Factory Theatre). Claudia was one of the lyricists on the recent Theatre Asylum creation, BEBE, and she is the librettist for the upcoming HANDLESS MAIDEN (composer Wende Bartley). Claudia is also writing a novella.

Matthew Edison is an actor and writer. His first play, The Domino Heart, was presented at the Tarragon theatre in Toronto 2003 and was subsequently nominated for 2 Dora Mavor Moore awards, including Outstanding New Play. It also aired on CBC Radio One in 2004 and was translated into French by Manon Boudoin through CEAD. He is currently procrastinating from the work he is supposed to be doing.

Michale Healey trained as an actor at Toronto’s Ryerson Theatre School in the mid -eighties. He began writing for the stage in the early nineties and his first play, a solo one-act called Kicked, was produced at the Fringe of Toronto Festival in 1996. He subsequently toured the play across Canada and internationally, and in 1998 it won a Dora Mavor Moore Award as best new play. The Drawer Boy, his first full-length play, premiered in Toronto in 1999 and won the Dora Award for best new play, a Chalmers Canadian Playwriting Award, and the Governor General’s Literary Award. It has been produced across North America and internationally, and has been translated into German, French and Japanese. His other plays include The Road to Hell (co-authored with Kate Lynch), Plan B (which won the Dora in 2002 for best new play) and Rune Arlidge (which was nominated for the Governor General’s award in 2004). His latest work, a commission for Mirvish Productions entitled The Innocent Eye Test, will play Winnipeg’s MTC before opening in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in March of 2006. Michael continues to work as an actor, and is a writer-in-residence at Toronto’s Tarragon theatre.

Adam Pettle wrote Therac 25 at the age of 22. It was nominated for Best New Play at the Dora Awards. His second play Zadie’s Shoes premiered at the Factory Theatre, Toronto in 2000 before its nearly sold-out run at the Winter Garden Theatre (a Mirvish Production). Productions of Zadie’s Shoes are currently running across Canada. His third play, Sunday Father premiered at CanStage and was recently produced at Hampstead Theatre, a co-commission between CanStage and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Adam’s other projects have included Misha for Theatre Direct, and an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Tragic Role for Soulpepper. Mosley And Me premiered with DVxT Theatre Company in 2003.

Alex Poch-Goldin is an actor, writer and director, originally from Montreal. Writing credits include his published plays This Hotel (Passe Muraille/Planet88, Dora Nomination, Outstanding New Play) and Yahrzeit (Toronto Jewish Playwriting Award); Jim and Shorty (Factory/Planet88); Cringeworthy (Rhubarb/Planet88); Lisa (Opera America Conference 2002) His play Yahrzeit has been translated into German and will tour Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2005. Alex is currently OAC Writer in Residence at Canstage and is developing an opera-The Shadow- for Tapestry New Opera. Selected acting credits include: Adam Pettleís Mosley and Me- Jason Shermanís Remnants, Stephen Guy-McGrathís Bully (Dora Nomination); Wit (Jessie Nomination); Florence Gibsonís Belle, King Lear, Shopping and Fucking, Angels in America, Film and Television: Recurring roles on This is Wonderland (Bucky Puck) Nero Wolfe, Queer as Folk, and the feature films Owning Mahoney, Safety of Objects, Me and My Shadows.

The Wrecking Ball 3 is ONE PERFORMANCE
Sunday December 18, 2005
Box Office opens at 7:00pm
Show starts at 8:00pm
The Theatre Centre 1087 Queen Street West
Prices: Pay what you can (No advanced sales) – proceeds will go to the Actor’s Fund of Canada
Bar at your Fingertips

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA REFER: Lara Azzopardi
lara@thewreckingball.ca

• 7 12 2005 - 23:58

COLDAX: An International Political Play-reading Series

Tarragon Theatre presents
The Wrecking Ball’s COLDAX Festival
May 26 –29, 2005

The Release
The Line-Up
The Schedule

The festival features rehearsed public readings from an international selection of recent full-length political plays. Focusing on recent scripts, COLDAX aims to demonstrate the scope, power and vitality of political theatre around the world.

The readings will be co-hosted by Ross Manson, Andy McKim and Jason Sherman, and assisted by Lara Azzopardi and Andrew Soren. All readings will take place in Tarragon Theatre’s Extra Space. Admission is free (donations gratefully accepted at the door).

We thank BMO Financial Group for their support of the COLDAX Festival.

• 7 05 2005 - 11:13