By Leanne Milech

I remember being shocked when Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues first swept through North America: a whole play devoted to women and their vaginas?  Not only was the subject matter unique, but the stories were based on Ensler’s interviews with real women, interviews that had people divulging deep, dark secrets about their sexual memories and experiences.

It has been gloriously refreshing to have The Vagina Monologues around, and since its award-winning beginning, it has spawned V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women and girls.  Through V-Day campaigns, clusters of volunteers and college students around the world perform annual benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, which features writings about violence against women and girls from famous figures like Michael Cunningham, Maya Angelou and Kathy Najimy.  Toronto’s very own group of V-Day warriors is taking both shows to the stage in the next two weeks.

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By Leanne Milech

We thought this show couldn’t get any sweeter, but it has!  This weekend, My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding (MMLJWW) turns into YOUR very own (insert long, descriptive acronym) wedding!

Following the March 12, 13 and 14 shows of MMLJWW, couples from the audience will be invited to stand up in the Panasonic Theatre and participate in a free commitment ceremony.  You can be first-timers, or a couple of lovebirds who just want to renew your vows publicly.

The stars of the show will conduct the non-denominational ceremonies, participating couples will receive a commemorative certificate AND they’ll also be entered into a draw to win 120,000 Aeroplan Miles.

Read on for more details!

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By Leanne Milech

Get ready for The Culture Congress 2010, which will rage through various Toronto locales from March 24 through March 28.  Harbourfront Centre, the Theatre Centre’s FREE FALL ’10, Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage 2009-10 and Calgary’s Theatre Junction Grand are joining forces to put on a variety of roundtables, lectures and discussions on the Canadian arts community, mentorship and performance.  The events are all open to the public, and the best part is, they’re free!

This year’s focus is on how the arts community comes together: artist to artist, artist to presenter and artist to audience.  In exploring this issue, some of the events you can look forward to include presentations from Irish delegates who will discuss the arts communities in their country, comparing and contrasting with Canada; discussions about creating artistically challenging and sustainable work and senior artists interviewing their very own mentees.  For more information, read the following press release.

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By Leanne Milech

The New Ideas Festival is almost here!  Alumnae Theatre Company is presenting its 22nd annual festival of new writing, works-in-progress and experimental theatre over three exciting weeks spanning from March 10 until March 27.  The works being performed were all selected for the festival by a blind jury, meaning the jury wasn’t aware of the writers’ identities until after the selections had been made.  This makes for unique plays curated solely on the merit of the works submitted.  Festival goers are sure to be treated to three very different – but equally interesting – weeks of new ideas.  To learn more about the festival and the short scripts selected for this year’s performances, read on.

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By Leanne Milech

Luminato, Toronto’s festival of art and creativity, is back!  Or at least, it will be soon (June 11-20, 2010).  For now, we’ll have to settle for whetting our appetites with press releases that feed us tidbits about the upcoming festival.  Today’s press release does the trick.  We now know that the three overarching themes selected for the 2010 Luminato festival are: 1) the relationship between east and west; 2) the artistic expression of rights and freedoms; and 3) that ever-popular and ever-present cultural figure, the diva.

Read more in the official press relase.

By Leanne Milech

I attended the Mirvish Theatres Subscription Season of 2010/2011 press release at the Royal Alexandra Theatre yesterday, and I am only slightly embarrassed to say that I wept from my seat.  Not because the season sounds awful, but because it proves to be both electrifying AND heartbreaking.

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This week is Comedy Week for Haiti, basically folks will be making you laugh, and the money you spend on said laughter will go to the International Committee of the Red Cross Haiti Fund. 

More info in this press release below:

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So, school’s out for a couple weeks.  Kids are now roaming around the house.  You want to do something fun with them, but don’t know what you should do.  Well, I have a suggestion!  Second City has two shows running, one before Christmas, and one after.  Both shows play at noon, so it’s a nice way to break up the day.  For more information, see the press release below:

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From Press Release

If dark comedy is your thing, then you may want to check this one out:

Pandemic Theatre presents Guantanamo Hotels & Resorts

at The Bread & Circus Theatre, 299 Augusta Ave.

Directed by Jiv Parasram, Written by the Pandemic Theatre Ensemble of 2009, Conceived and Edited by Jiv Parasram, Stage Managed by Matt Cohen & Krista Benjamin, Co-produced by Ryan Cooley, Jessica Rose & Tom Rylett

Guantanamo Hotels & Resorts wants you to come see our amazing renovations! Once a black site, Guantanamo Bay is now a lovely resort and tourist destination. Our entertainment is top-notch: hosted by Republican former TV pundit Bill Blitzer, a visit to Guantanamo Hotels and Resorts is sure to be fun for the whole family!

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We reviewed Beneath the Banyan Tree earlier, here’s a bit of updated information.

Updated press release information

Theatre Direct has added two performances of Beneath the Banyan Tree for the public on Friday, November 13th at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

This is a professional activity for the TDSB and TCDSB. This will be a perfect outing for the many children who will be out of school that day.
All tickets specially priced at $5.00 for these two shows only. All other weekend matinees are $10 per person.

Also, please be advised that the Beneath the Banyan Tree is running to November 20 and not the 29th as previously indicated.