It wasn’t long before the room was flooding with supporters this past Sunday October 27th at Wrecking Ball 15: “For Russia with (Gay) Love.” Hosted by Buddies in Bad Times and Presented in solidarity with Zee Zee Theatre’s “NYET! A Cabaret of Concerned Canadians” the evening was a great success and featured a “smashing” list of politically engaged wrecking “ballers” both on and off stage.

Performances included:

Putin Comes With Cheese & Gravy
Written by Dave Deveau
Directed by Erica Kopyto
Featuring Marjorie Chan & Lisa Truong

Before the night all got underway – Wrecking Ball Team member Nathan Caroll and performer Yury Ruzhyev sat down with ROYNATION – hear the interview here.

And Wrecking Ball Artist Catherine Hernandez got in touch with Johnnie Walker at Xtra :

“While it’s inspiring to see people speak out against Russia, there are a lot of other countries with terrible LGBT-related human rights problems. Why has what’s happening in Russia ignited such a passionate outcry?

History is written by the victor. The story of “what matters” internationally is written by those who have the privilege to write that story. It also takes an international community whose racism filters out stories of Black, people of colour and Indigenous communities who have been suffering the same atrocities for years. Who do you think the world will care about? Images of the brutalities in Uganda while activists wage war against its Anti-Gay Bill, or images of white activists in Russia? When I perform at The Wrecking Ball, I will be standing by queers around the world, not just Russia.”

Read the full interview here.

Got impressions? Some amazing Wrecking Ball photos you just need to share? Wanna know more about how to get involved? email us at [email protected].

Round Dance concludes Wrecking Ball T.O. 14 as part of Yvette Nolan’s Ghost Dance.

All photos by Alex Williams, Lighting Design by Andy Moro, All rights reserved.

Wrecking Ball T.O. 14 was a massive success. A sold out Aki Theatre was standing-room only to witness and participate in a collective artistic response to The Idle No More movement. 27 artists including directors, actors, writers, hosts, singers and hoop dancers brought original and provocative works to the stage for the first time and one time only. Wrecking Ball T.O. 14 was brough to you by Waawaate Fobister, Native Earth Performing Arts and The T.O. Wrecking Ball Crew.

WRECKING BALL T.O. 14: IDLE NO MORE

January 27, 2013 @ 8pm. PWYC Box @ 7pm.

Aki Studio Theatre at Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas Street E. Toronto

Click Here To Download The Media Release

In preparation for a blowout evening of political theatre ripped from the zeitgeist, Wrecking Ball 14 plays have been written in a week and handed over to casts and directors. These teams are now rehearsing these works inspired by or responding to the #idlenomore movement. Brought to you by Waawaate Fobister and Native Earth Performing Arts and the Wrecking Ball Toronto Crew – the Wrecking Ball Swings this weekend powered by an array of groundbreaking Toronto theatre artists.

Hosted by Andre Morriseau

WRECKING BALL 14 ARTISTS:

GHOST DANCE by Yvette Nolan
Directed by Clare Preuss
Starring Miriam Fernandez, Sedina Fiati, Justin Manyfingers, Andrea Mapili, Jaime Robinson, Byron Abalos

UNDERTOW by Andrew Moodie
Directed by Tara Beagan
Starring Cherish Blood, Sean Dixon, Marcia Cross

THE WOODLANDS by Jordan Tannahill
Directed by Michael Wheeler
Starring Evalyn Parry, Jaime Robinson, Kelli Fox, Dan Watson

TWO INDIANS by Falen Johnson
Directed by Cole Alvis
Starring Aqua, Sera-Lys McArthur

BIIWIDI — STRANGER by Waawaate Fobister
Directed by Marion de Vries
Starring Cara Gee

Hoop Dance performance by Arik Pipestem & Music by Cathy Elliot
Reading by Alex Williams and Tara Beagan

Click the logo to read a preview of Wrecking Ball 14 in Now Magazine

Current political theatre ripped from the zeitgeist and thrown upon the stage by:

Waawaate Fobister, Falen Johnson, Andrew Moodie, Yvette Nolan & Jordan Tannahill

Hosted by Andre Morriseau with Hoop Dance performance by Arik Pipestem & Song performance by Cathy Elliot

Wrecking Ball 13 Photography By Alex Williams

January 27, 2013 @ 8pm – Aki Studio Theatre at Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas Street E. Toronto

The Idle No More movement has risen in resistance to the Harper Government’s Bill C-45, which unilaterally infringes on Aboriginal and treaty rights protected by the Constitution Act (1982). The movement continues to grow in new and unexpected ways: hunger strikes, days of action, drum circles, blockades, letters, editorials, online comments and acts of theatre. Motivated not by public opinion polls, but a desire to bring real and meaningful change to a country that ranks 6^th in development globally and 66^th for its indigenous people, #IdleNoMore asks the same question posed to Canada by a 2012 United Nations panel of human rights experts: “How long will this be ongoing?”

At Wrecking Ball 14, a selection of Toronto’s most relevant and daring playwrights will have one week to create a play, and directors and performers will have one week to rehearse works connected to the Idle No More movement and the questions and issues it has raised.

Founded by director Ross Manson and playwright Jason Sherman in 2003, The Wrecking Ball has been the premiere event in Canada for showcasing political works for a decade. As the birthplace of new plays by Hannah Moscovitch, Michael Healey, Roland Schimmelpfennig, Erin Shields, Judith Thompson, Colleen Wagner, David Yee, Bea Pizano, Tara Beagan, and Sky Gilbert to name a few. There is no other event like it challenging theatre artists to respond to and address the vox populi.

Wrecking Ball 13 Photography By Alex Williams

On the occasion of the previous two Federal elections The Wrecking Ball went National; with ‘Wrecking Balls’ hosted by theatre artists in most major cities across the country. In both 2008 and 2011 these pan-Canadian dramatic responses to our politics garnered widespread national media attention. The Wrecking Ball is no longer a Toronto phenomenon, but an autonomous theatrical movement joined by a desire to explore current political questions, issues, desires and dreams upon the stage.

Brought to you by Waawaate Fobister and Native Earth Performing Arts – Meegwetch! — and The Wrecking Ball Toronto Crew: Ruth Madoc-Jones, Michael Wheeler, Julie Tepperman, Nina Lee Aquino, Aaron Willis, Ravi Jain, Alan Dilworth.

Click here to download the Media Release

The Wrecking Ball 14: Idle No More is ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY.

Welcome to the all new Wrecking Ball website. Soon there will be much more here to see and do.