World Theatre Day (WTD) is little over a month away. The NYC WTD Coalition has been busy planning even more events than last year.
Theatrical Performances: Shows throughout the city where the international messages will be read and/or distributed. If you have a show running March 21 – 27, please let us know at info@nycwtd.com.
SPLAT Performances: Spontaneous, Public Large-scale Acts of Theatre Performances. In other words… Flash Mobs. Three really fun events, quick, easy, unique experiences and we need all the participants we can get.
NYC World Theatre Day Celebration: Party with friends and theatre artists from around the world, hear the International Message read by a NY theatre luminary, and watch footage from the NYC WTD Flash Mobs and from celebrations in other cities from around the world. On 3/27, 4:00pm – 7:00pm at Dixon Place.
NYC World Theatre Day Brunch Panel: hosted by hotINK at the Lark Play Development Center. To discuss international theatre and theatre internationally.
The NYC World Theatre Day blog: Beginning on March 1, 2011 the NYC World Theatre Day Blog will host local, national and international guest bloggers discussing theatre and the international theatre community.
FIND OUT MORE
To get involved, email info@nycwtd.com.
As details are announced, you can find out more at www.nycwtd.com.
Check out the blog at www.nycwtd.blogspot.com.
Follow us on Twitter @nycwtd
Friend us on Facebook

 A Company of Fools will host our annual Ottawa Theatre Challenge on March 26th in celebration of World Theatre Day. Each year we gather theatre companies from the Ottawa area to participate in some friendly competition while we celebrate theatre, network, create new audiences, and give back to the community.

The Ottawa Theatre Challenge takes place on March 26 at 7:30 on the NAC Fourth Stage.

This post was submitted by A Company of Fools.

We in Queretaro, Mexico at La Fabrica are gearing up for the WTD11 celebrations by building on our last year’s first steps onto the WTD stage.

We are planning events on March 27 from 1pm-6pm, (local time), at La Fabrica in Queretaro, Mexico.

A new La Fabrica WTD11 Facebook page is coming out later today.

Here are some links to La Fabrica:
Twitter:@lafabricaorgmx

http://alonsobarrera.blogspot.com/

http://www.lafabrica.org.mx.

We are so excited to be participating in the fantastic event!

Cheers!

Susan Weiss
and
Alonso Barrera

This post was submitted by SUSAN WEISS.

Years ago I found a book called “Actors as Artists” by Jim McMullan & Dick Gautier, and gave it to my father who’s a painter. Filled with well-known actors who also paint, I thought the gift appropriate coming from his “actor-daughter”. The book revealed exciting artistic layers of those actors.

A similar opportunity presents itself with Art By Actors, an exhibition/auction at The Stanley Theatre by the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance for World Theatre Day. It is part of the larger Stanley Art Auction.

Since I always loved drawing and painting, it seemed a natural choice for me to interview some of the actors who donated their work, for the World Theatre Day blog.

Cailin Stadnyk, a Vancouver actor who is currently in The Love List at The Stanley Theatre, was instantly humble in her response, denying she was a painter and had just taken on the project for fun. She didn’t feel she should be included here. I pressed further and she conceded.

TJ: “How did you decide on your subject matter, Cailin?”
CS: “I actually just “saw” it in my head.  Our theme was supposed to be “what theatre means to us” and because I’m such a “words” person that’s all I saw.  I wanted to use the words that came to mind but I wanted to do it in a more interesting way than just painting those words on the canvass.  I picked the green because green is my favourite colour. I respond to green so I knew I had to use it as my base colour.

TJ: “What were you feeling as you did the piece and how do you compare it to acting?”
CS: “What I was feeling at first was fear. I thought…”oh god, why did I agree to do this. I’m going to be so bad.” But then I really started to enjoy the process and was quite proud of the end result.  I would say that’s ALOT like the acting process.  Funny enough, that’s pretty much exactly what I go through during a contract!!”

TJ: “Do you have a favourite artist?”
CS: “I do have a favourite painter… John William Waterhouse. His pieces are so romantic.”

Allan Gray, veteran actor of the Shaw and Stratford Festivals donated a drawing. Gray was humble in his response but I sensed a strong sense of peace regarding his artistic work.

TJ: “How did you become a painter/artist?”
AG: “I was always drawing and painting as a child – my dad was an artist of sorts – and I started taking classes in high school, then continued in University – as a minor subject.  I went to Europe on a drawing tour with my art instructor at one point.”

TJ: “How do you compare acting to painting/drawing?”
AG: “Drawing is like a selfless meditation – acting is anxiety, ego and stress.”

TJ: “What is your preferred subject matter and medium?”
AG: “I work solely with pencil on rough paper or canvas.  My colour- blindness made working in oils or pastels rather problematic.  I do portraits and life-studies.”

TJ: “Who are your favourite painters, and mentor?”
AG: “My favourite painters are Gustave Caillebotte, Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,Winslow Homer and Auguste Renoir. My mentor was a terrific artist and teacher, Holly Middleton.

Renowned Canadian actor/director Gillian Barber, whose production of Footloose is currently running at Capilano U, has acted in over 50 plays and musicals across Canada. “A first-time artist, she started this project thinking about budget cuts and show cancellations, but got caught up in the joy of what theatre really is – a jumble of creative, colourful people, all thrown together to produce a piece of work.”

TJ: “What made you a painter?”
GB: “I really don’t paint except for my walls, but I was feeling passionate about funding cuts and wanted to paint something to pour my angst into.”

TJ: “How would you compare painting to acting?”
GB: “Painting is like the 17th time you have read the script to glean sub-textual layers – each one is a different colour, and the paint gets thicker and thicker….and doesn’t dry in time….just like it shouldn’t do on stage.

TJ: “What’s your preferred subject matter and medium?”
GB: “Abstract, oil, mixed medium…”

TJ: “Who’s your favourite painter?”
GB: “My favourite painter?  Monet…love what his work makes me feel.”

Angela Brown, who is performing at the GVPTA World Theatre Day event March 28 at the WISE HALL, her original piece called Upaya, has been involved with drawing & painting for many years.

TJ: “How did you get into painting?”
AB: “I’ve always loved to draw. When I was in elementary school, I was the one who always had my work up on the wall. So I figured I must be an artist.”

TJ: “ How would you compare painting to acting?”
AB: “Painting and acting for me are all about being in the moment – movement of a thought, a gesture or a splash of colour. It all comes from the same place.”

TJ: “What’s your preferred subject matter and medium?”
AB: “Usually, it’s the human form but in an abstract sense…a leap for joy, the feel of an embrace. I like water colour because it’ s full of surprises.”

TJ: “Who is your favourite painter or mentor?”
AB: “ Van Gogh and Micki Maunsell.”

Thank you for letting us all into your artistic stories, and, also, thank you to all the artists/actors who contributed to the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance “Art by Actors” exhibit. Vive Le Théâtre et Vive Les Arts!

Trilby Jeeves is an actor, writer, acting coach. She also teaches Buffoonery Acting Workshops, and is passionate about social media.

WEBSITE: http://www.buffooneryworkshops.com
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/tjbuffoonery
BLOG: http://www.trilbyjeeves.com

World Theatre Day – A Message from Lynn Nottage from Theatre Communications Group on Vimeo.

My Name is Mawuli Amedofu, of the Springverve Theatre Company.
Spingverve is an arts company based in Kumasi, Ghana, currently mainly on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Campus. We are a company with a vision of producing high quality thought provoking theater pieces that not only entertain but also educate and encourage. Currently we have stage 2 major plays on the same campus in collaboration with the department of english and the Center for Cultural and African Studies all departments of the same university. Money Galore (Amu Djoleto’s novel adapted by us for stage)  and In The Chest of A Woman (Efo Kodjo Mawugbe) are the names of the productions we have staged so far.
On the 27th of March we are staging MONEY GALORE — a play that takes a critical look at the social life of politicians (before and during power). We had no idea that 27th was World Theater Day but we are highly encouraged that we have chosen that day to stage money galore.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?v=info&gid=84287813088

All the best and we are really glad to be part of this experience.

Regards–

Mawuli K. Amedofu,
C/o Prof. G.K. Amedofu,
Department of EENT,
School of Medical Sciences,
KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
http://alaska414.wordpress.com/wp-admin/index.php
http://glory2god-mawuli.blogspot.com/

VISION: IS TO BRING TO BEAR TRUTH WITH LIFE TOWARDS THE WAY.

Check out the Tumblr feed for photos of these two shows

To whom it may concern,

Regarding participating in World Theatre Day.

We are Casa Nova, a theatre group from Indonesia, we will be celebrating world theatre day with live public performances on the street; including Butoh dance theatre performances, costume festivals, traditional theatre performances and improvising performing art.

The following night we will also have a musical concert based on the original music from our theatre play, “Song of Ravana”.

For details just click or copy and paste the link below;

the Flyer;

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=247877&id=100000133417193&ref=mf

Song of Ravana;

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=359849368966&ref=ss

Our profile;

http://teatercasanova.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/teater.cassanova?ref=profile

All the Best,

Theatre Casa Nova

Last year I attended the popular Backstage with Bernard panel and did some blogging here about it.

This year it’s back with a new host.  Jackson Davies is a Vancouver based actor who appeared on The Beachcombers, 21 Jump Street, and Street Justice.

I’m sitting in on the 1pm panel and will be live blogging here and also live tweeting as @WTD10.

This afternoon’s panelists are:

Pat Smith – Head of Wardrobe, Vancouver Playhouse

Kenji Maeda – Actor, founder of www.vancouveractorsguide.com

Heather Redfern – Executive Director, Vancouver East Cultural Centre

Tanja Dixon-Warren – GVPTA President, Co-Artistic Director of Hoarse Raven Theatre

(not pictured) Manami Hara – Actress in film & theatre

———————————————————————————————–

1:58pm – The 1pm panel is wrapping. There’s two more this afternoon: one at 2pm & one at 3pm. World Theatre Day is Saturday – check out the theatre happening in this city this week.

1:52pm – Jackson Davies “If you really want to freak out the parents of the people you are dating, tell them you are in the arts.”

1:45pm – Audience question: “Does needing to sell to people change the art?”

Tanja Dixon-Warren: “I wish I was a super creative person & could write my own play…What has worked best for us is when a script keeps us up at night and we just WANT to do, those have sold really well. When we’ve picked shows because we go ‘This will sell well!’ then blegh…I was so focused on trying to balance the money that it didn’t sell the way we thought it would sell and that goes back to the heart of why we did it….When you do a show that you love you can’t help but do it justice.”

Heather Redfern: “If it’s bad, nobody’s going to come. I don’t care if it’s West Side Story. You have to put the best work on the stage that you possibly can and then you have to market it the best you possibly can.”

Manami Hara: “When I start assuming something will sell…then yes, I think the art suffers because there is something that is not based on what you are really connected to.”

1:38pm – Audience member: “It really bugs me that fantastic actors have to leave here to get recognized… They should be able to make a living here. There are fantastic plays here…I just wish you good luck.”

1:37pm – Talk a little bit about Hive

Kenji Maeda – “As an audience member you go in – you buy a ticket – and then you find your way into one of the rooms. There are some that happen within the lobby area and three that are outside….Being able to see so many shows at once was so exciting. The energy in the building, of being able to choose, was fantastic.”

1:28pm – Jackson Davies: “What about Vancouver audiences? What kind of audiences are Vancouver audiences?”

Manami Hara – “Vancouver audiences are really well educated…[local companies] bring in such fantastic shows so the audiences are ready for something new and out side the box…but they are really laid back at the same time.”

Heather Redfern – “I don’t think there is ONE Vancouver audience. And there isn’t a lot of cross-over between audiences. You don’t get a lot of Bard on the Beach folks going to the Cultch UNLESS it’s a Blackbird theatre show or something in their meileau…My job in programming is to find the people that each show is for.”

1:21pm – Question to Pat Smith: “What would be your dream piece to do from a costume perspective?”

Pat Smith – “It’s sad to me that there are no period pieces now…I love to get a bolt of fabric and then make it into 3D. I get a real kick out of that…The more yardage the better.”

Heather Redfern – “I miss that. I started out as a designer…and that sense of creating something that you’re basically sculpting is extraordinary. I really miss that.”

1:19pm – Question: “Do you see theatre becoming closer to new media?”

Kenji Maeda: “I think that using new media or projections or new techniques brings in new audiences which is very important. I think if we are not adapting to what the community – or younger audiences are seeing – if they think theatre is only Shakespeare or kids wearing flowers or being a clown, then they are going to be turned off of theatre. I think new media is one way of doing it. But I also think that marketing traditional theatre in a new way is another angle. Theatre is about reflecting what the community is at a specific time.”

1:14pm – Question: “Can people specialize in theatre? Do we do these things because we want to or because we have to in order to survive?”

Manami Hara: “I didn’t choose to become a theatre artist. It somehow was always there – ‘come. come.’ And you answer that call and there’s no turning back.”

Tanja Dixon – Warren: “I think some people can afford to “just” be an actor. I wish I was one of them…I don’t think I would have survived in this industry if I didn’t wear all these hats.”

1:08pm – None of the panelists want to use the microphone. They’re actors & know how to project.

1:08pm – Why is Jackson doing this? “As an actor that’s probably my favourite time. Right before the lights come up and you’re standing backstage. I love that kick of adrenaline.”

1:06pm – The panels today are being video taped and will be available online in the days to come.

1:05pm – Trivia: Jackson has been in over 110 Theatre productions.

1:04pm – The panelists are starting to take their place.

12:43pm – The panelists & audience are beginning to arrive for the 1pm panel.

I was so excited to get this email today:

The NYC World Theatre Day Coalition is comprised of representatives of theatre companies and advocacy groups whose common goal is to promote World Theatre Day within the New York City theatre community. The primary functions of the coalition are to organize events, to distribute the WTD message, and to coordinate a central location for companies to communicate their World Theatre Day plans. Visit us at our website www.nycwtd.org.

This year we are planning a series of Flash Mobs all over NYC on World Theatre Day as tribute to the rich world theatre day flash mob tradition. To RSVP to partake in a flash mob email info@nycwtd.com. There will be 7 in total and they are as follows:

The Message

Join Us in Song

All the World’s a Stage

Zip Zap Zop

[UNTITLED]

Cheers to You

The Kiss

We are also planning a Celebration & Networking Event at The Houndstooth Pub located on the southeast corner of 37th Street and 8th Avenue from 5pm – 8pm on Saturday, March 27th. At the event we will hear the reading of the NYC Mayoral Proclation, watch teh premiere of the Dame Judi Dench multilingual WTD message video produced by The Internationalists, hear Lynn Nottage’s International Message read by a special guests, and give everyone a chance to meet and mingle with others interested in international world.

For information about other World Theatre Day Events happening in NYC see our website www.nycwtd.com.

Best,
Amanda Feldman

Keep up the good work, Amanda, and I’d expect no less from one of the greatest theatre cities in the world!

Hello, my name is Scott Florence and I am the artistic director of a theatre company in Ottawa called A Company of Fools.

Every year (since 2002) we have hosted the OTTAWA THEATRE CHALLENGE on March 27 to celebrate World Theatre Day.

We invite theatre companies from across the region – professional, emerging, community, theatre training centres, French and English companies – to participate in a “contest of creation”. Each participating company has 48 hours to create and rehearse a new piece of theatre. Participating companies exchange “Inspiration items” to spark the creative effort (and ensure everyone is working on a new piece in the 48 hour period!) and then two days later the results of the creative frenzy are showcased at the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage. Proceeds are donated to charity; the charity is chosen by the winner of the previous year. That’s right, we pretend it’s a competitive format – but the competition is very tongue in cheek, and the judges are expected and encouraged to take bribes to sway their opinion.

Our url is http://www.fools.ca.  We can also be found on Facebook.

I just discovered your blog and am very excited by it – I look forward to reading on previous posts to find out what is happening elsewhere around World Theatre Day!

Cheers,
Scott Florence,
Big Fool