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2018 - 2019 Alumnae Season
The Importance of Being Earnest FireWorks Festival Top Girls New Ideas Festival Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Impressionism |
WEEK 3
New Ideas Festival 2019 Produced by Ilana Linden, Simone Goldberg and Meredith Heinrich WEEK 3: March 20 - 24, 2019 The New Ideas Festival is an annual, three-week, juried festival of new works and works-in-progress. Each week features a different program of four short plays and a work-shopped reading of a full-length play on each of the three Saturdays. |
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Week 3 - New Ideas Festival
March 20 –24, 2019 in the Studio
A program of four short plays:
· Testosteroni
· The Theory of Accelerated Hotness
· After Birth
· The Reading Circle
· Testosteroni
· The Theory of Accelerated Hotness
· After Birth
· The Reading Circle
Wed. March 20, 2019 |
8:00 pm |
Thurs. March 21, 2019 |
8:00 pm |
Fri. March 22, 2019 |
8:00 pm |
Sat. March 23, 2019 |
2:30 pm & 8:00 pm |
Sun. March 24, 2019 |
2:30pm |
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A Rehearsed Reading *
Harbor
Saturday March 23, 2019 at 12:00 pm · on the Mainstage
NOTE: * The Rehearsed Reading requires no reservations and is Pay-What-You-Can.
Harbor
Saturday March 23, 2019 at 12:00 pm · on the Mainstage
NOTE: * The Rehearsed Reading requires no reservations and is Pay-What-You-Can.
Harbor · Sat. March 23, 2019 |
12:00 pm |
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Il Testosteroni
by Rebecca Becket Grace Directed by Lauren Griffiths Unhappy housewife Marsha has had enough of the overabundance of "testosterone" stopping her from opening an Italian restaurant. While hosting her "Italian Feast Hour" cooking show, she concocts a secret Italian recipe. Now every man in the world must eat! |
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The Theory of Accelerated Hotness
by Andrew Batten Directed by David Suszek Gauge thinks he gets it, Angie thinks he’s full of crap, and Rebecca is just glad to have a job. Three pharmaceutical reps trapped in the Porter Air departure lounge discus the merits and demerits of Glengarry Glen Ross, dating apps, and the divergent experiences of men and women in the workplace. A play about power and perspective. |
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After Birth
by Katrine Raymond Directed by Cassidy Sadler After birth, a mother is born too. Three mothers share their anxieties, fears and isolation in a support group. |
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The Reading Circle
by Suzanne Bowness Directed by Marley Kajan Alice wants to make friends in her new small town and speculates that a book club might be one route to meet like-minded women. If only she can find the right words to welcome them into her home. |
Week 3 - Rehearsed Reading: * The Rehearsed Reading HARBOR requires no reservations and is Pay-What-You-Can.
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Harbor
by Liz Appel Directed by Monique Danielle In a farmhouse in fictitious Europe the orderly life of the Percy family is disrupted by the discovery of a girl hiding in their fields. Boundaries between people, culture and language break down as a new world dawns. |
WEEK 3
Il TESTOSTERONI
by Rebecca Becket Grace
Directed by Lauren Griffiths
Unhappy housewife Marsha has had enough of the overabundance of "testosterone" stopping her from opening an Italian restaurant. While hosting her "Italian Feast Hour" cooking show, she concocts a secret Italian recipe. Now every man in the world must eat.
by Rebecca Becket Grace
Directed by Lauren Griffiths
Unhappy housewife Marsha has had enough of the overabundance of "testosterone" stopping her from opening an Italian restaurant. While hosting her "Italian Feast Hour" cooking show, she concocts a secret Italian recipe. Now every man in the world must eat.
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Rebecca Becket Grace, Playwright
Rebecca is a Toronto-based playwright, director and actor. Recently she co-wrote and produced the play DEAD Talks at the Toronto Fringe Festival 2018. Rebecca has directed plays with InspiraTO Festival, Alumnae Theatre, Toronto Fringe and more, and has performed with many local theatres across the city. She established Roar in the Woods Theatre Company to highlight new works by local playwrights and wrote and directed five plays with the Company. Currently, she is developing a TV pilot with two female writers. |
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Lauren Griffiths, Director
Lauren Griffiths is a Toronto trained actor and comedian, graduating first from York University’s acting conservatory, and then immediately following, The Second City conservatory. She’s recently been expanding her horizons, studying directing at Tarragon theatre with Richard Rose and Baby Clown at The Manitoulin Conservatory with John Turner. She currently spends most of her time writing, directing and performing sketch-comedy with her troupe, the 2017 winners of Big City Improv Festival’s TKO Tournament, Erotic Friend Fiction. Lauren is thrilled and honoured to be welcomed into the Alumnae family for this year’s festival! |
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Connor Meeker, Stage Manager/Assistant Director
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THE THEORY OF ACCELERATED HOTNESS
by Andrew Batten
Directed by David Suszek
Gauge thinks he gets it, Angie thinks he’s full of crap, and Rebecca is just glad to have a job. Three pharmaceutical reps trapped in the Porter Air departure lounge discuss the merits and demerits of Glengarry Glen Ross, dating apps, and the divergent experiences of men and women in the workplace. A play about power and perspective.
by Andrew Batten
Directed by David Suszek
Gauge thinks he gets it, Angie thinks he’s full of crap, and Rebecca is just glad to have a job. Three pharmaceutical reps trapped in the Porter Air departure lounge discuss the merits and demerits of Glengarry Glen Ross, dating apps, and the divergent experiences of men and women in the workplace. A play about power and perspective.
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Andrew Batten, Playwright
Andrew is a playwright and actor living in Toronto. In 2018 his script Or Not To Be was presented at the Red Sandcastle Theatre and The Theory of Accelerated Hotness was presented along with two other of Andrew’s short plays, Baby Talk and Professional Development, at the Assembly Theatre. His latest new script, The Sad Blisters; A Comedy will be produced at the Commons Theatre opening April 12, 2019. From March 1 to March 23 Andrew is appearing in Jordan Tannahill’s play Late Company at the Village Playhouse. |
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David Suszek, Director
David is excited to be directing The Accelerated Theory of Hotness. Selected previous credits: The Coarse Actors Studio 2 (NAGs Players), Who Knocks? (New Ideas Festival), Jars (InspiraTO). |
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Rabiya Mansoor, Stage Manager/Assistant Director
Rabiya Mansoor is a Toronto-based comedian who hails from Calgary, Alberta. She completed the Second City Conservatory program (Guardians of the Fallacy) and is currently in the UCLA Professional Program in Writing for Television (Comedy). She also co-produces and co-hosts a new, monthly show at the John Candy Box Theatre, OTHER: A Diversity Showcase. She will be joining the PlayME Podcast & Playwrights Guild of Canada's Playwriting Unit in January 2019. In her spare time, she's an articling student. |
AFTER BIRTH
by Katrine Raymond
Directed by Cassidy Sadler
After birth, a mother is born too.
Three mothers share their anxieties, fears and isolation in a support group.
by Katrine Raymond
Directed by Cassidy Sadler
After birth, a mother is born too.
Three mothers share their anxieties, fears and isolation in a support group.
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Katrine Raymond, Playwright
Katrine Raymond is working towards a life of connection, creativity and joy. She lives in Hamilton and is a co-founder of Paraphrased Productions. Her writing often explores archives, fragments of history, and the mindbody’s innate healing potential. Her short plays have recently featured in HamilTEN, Supercrawl, and the Lamplighter Festival. She has previously written two musicals for the Toronto Fringe Festival. In 2017, she received a City Enrichment Fund Grant for her short story project, The Teeth of Graves. She is excited to be part of the New Ideas Festival and thankful for the support of her family. |
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Cassidy Sadler, Director
Cassidy Sadler is a graduate of the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in Drama and English. She is a director, actor and playwright. Cassidy participated in the New Ideas Festival as a writer in 2012, and as a director in both 2017 and 2018. She is absolutely thrilled to be back. Selected directing credits include: Bricks (Supercrawl); If You Know Emmaline (St. Joseph’s Hospital and Paraphrased Productions); The Dancing Man of Macklin Street (New Ideas Festival); Subway Extension to the Mariana Trench (Hamilton Fringe); The Ballad of Sadie Wong (New Ideas Festival); Hello from the Rain (University of Toronto Drama Centre); Let My Mind Run Dry (Hart House Drama Festival); Never Swim Alone (Victoria College Drama Society). |
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Malia Rogers, Stage Manager/Assistant Manager
Malia Rogers is a multidisciplinary performer, musician, arts researcher, and current MA Student in Theatre & Performance Studies at York University. As a graduate of Acadia University’s Theatre program (Wolfville, NS) and a new-to-the-city artist, Malia is delighted at the opportunity to further pursue her curiosities and develop her skills in Directing and Stage Management in this beautiful city under the leadership of the New Ideas Festival. |
THE READING CIRCLE
by Suzanne Bowness
Directed by Marley Kajan
Alice wants to make friends in her new small town and speculates that a book club might be one route to meet like-minded women. If only she can find the right words to welcome them into her home.
by Suzanne Bowness
Directed by Marley Kajan
Alice wants to make friends in her new small town and speculates that a book club might be one route to meet like-minded women. If only she can find the right words to welcome them into her home.
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Suzanne (Sue) Bowness, Playwright
Suzanne (Sue) Bowness is a Toronto-based freelance writer/editor. She also holds a PhD in English and is a part-time writing professor at Humber College. She has published a book of poetry titled The Days You’ve Spent (Tightrope Books, 2010) and in 2006, she won the National One-Act Playwriting Competition for The Reading Circle. Her poetry and fiction have appeared in various literary journals. She volunteers in the writing community as a director of the Rowers Pub Reading Series and on the national board of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. Find her online at www.suzannebowness.com |
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Marley Kajan, Director
Marley Kajan is a Toronto based performer and theatre creator. She is an alumna of the Randolph College, Brock University, Second City and Scotland's Queen Margaret University. She is co-founder of The Creation Coffin, a young theatre company which focuses on producing feminist, female-drive work which experiments with the form of musical theatre. Marley enjoys many kinds of theatre creation from dramaturgy sessions with The Hamletmachine Collective to improv jams and sketch writing sessions at Second City. She was born and raised in the Niagara Region. |
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Evelyn Long, Stage Manager/Assistant Director
Evelyn long is a emerging director from Calgary, Alberta. She is a recent graduate of the Randolph College of Performing Arts which helped her discover her love for Directing and theater creation. She has also directed Watch Me Drown by Liam Salmon and Animal by Romeo Ciolfi at Alumnae. Other notable directorial productions include: Futch Bemme in OutFest, Hexen by Caliegh Crow in the 2017 Toronto fringe and The Weavers at Randolph College. |
WEEK 3 - Rehearsed Reading
HARBOR
by Liz Appel
Directed by Monique Danielle
In a farmhouse in fictitious Europe the orderly life of the Percy family is disrupted by the discovery of a girl hiding in their fields. Boundaries between people, culture and language break down as a new world dawns.
by Liz Appel
Directed by Monique Danielle
In a farmhouse in fictitious Europe the orderly life of the Percy family is disrupted by the discovery of a girl hiding in their fields. Boundaries between people, culture and language break down as a new world dawns.
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Liz Appel, Playwright
Liz Appel is a playwright based in New York. She has been a Finalist for the Princess Grace Award, the Leah Ryan FEWW Award, PlayPenn, and was a winner of the 2016 Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women. Her short play, Snow, was produced at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London, her play Moonshine, received a staged reading at the Cherry Lane theater, and her one-act play, Remember, appeared in the Spring, 2017 issue of Blackbird. She is currently a New Georges Affiliated Artist and has developed work at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Kennedy Center, the Flea Theater and elsewhere. |
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Monique Danielle, Director
Monique Danielle is a director and actor from southern Alberta currently based in Toronto. Directing credits include A Game, Don’t Dress for Dinner, The Man Who Couldn’t Dance and assistant directing Dido, Queen of Carthage with renowned director, Peter Hinton. In spring 2019 she's extremely excited to be directing the Scottish play with the Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society. When not directing, Monique can be found onstage or producing pieces with her company Prairie Bear Theatre, a company which operates to showcase work from emerging artists and focusing on work about or including Mad artists. |
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Andrew Ford, Stage Manager/Assistant Director
Andrew is a Newfoundlander who moved to Toronto several years ago to pursue a career in social work. Now working full time in mental health, he is thrilled to be able to revisit a lifelong love of his - the theatre. In particular, helping bring these creative and original stories to the stage as part of the New Ideas Festival is a great honour. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cat, travelling, watching films, listening to true crime podcasts, and playing piano. |
NEW IDEAS FESTIVAL TEAM
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Ilana Linden, Executive Director & Producer
Ilana Linden began her acting career in 1980 when she enrolled in the Lee Strasberg Studio in New York City. She returned to Montreal in 1981 and continued to develop her acting skill with various teachers. Her first role was in the film the Quest for Fire where she was a double. From there she secured roles on television and in film. In 1988 Ilana launched her theatre company, Bulldog Productions. She was its artistic director and producer. She directed several of the company’s productions including the Heidi Chronicles, Homeward Bound, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune. and Eleemosynary. Ilana starred in the company’s productions of Teibele and Her Demons and Italian American Reconciliation. In 2005 Ilana wrote, directed and was featured in Joseph’s Daughter, a feature documentary broadcast nationally on CBC’s the Passionate Eye. |
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Simone Goldberg, Producer
Simone Goldberg is honoured to be a Producer (and Director) at this year's New Ideas Festival. She recently joined the Board of The Alumnae Theatre and and finished a production at the Village Playhouse. Her roles in theatre have varied from working in Producing, Directing and Stage Management but her love for the art has always remained constant. She has been privileged to have worked at National Arts Centre, Centre Stage Productions and Toronto Free Theatre. At the community level she performed in the CHAT Alumni musicals and Produced and directed 6 Musicals at Beth Emeth Players. Simone would like to thank the numerous volunteers, mentors who have helped bring this Festival to life. |
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Meredith Heinrich, Producer
Meredith is thrilled to join NIF this year as a producer to help bring this year's Festival to the stage. She was first introduced to Alumnae Theatre when she performed in Eve's Prayer with New Ideas Festival in 2011. After many years working in the corporate world, she took a creative U-turn, leaving her cubicle for a year of full-time acting training. Since then, she's worked in films, commercials, music videos, corporate projects, and voiceover. She is also an actor simulator with Ryerson's Law Practice Program and is an active member of AMAW Toronto's studio. www.meredithheinrich.com |
