Again, the wide and varied arts community is forced to defend the continued construction, dissemination, and exploration of the very identity of this great country.

The elimination of federal funds for touring Canadian works abroad is particularly reckless. We are currently in the process of negotiating a tour for our most recent, most acclaimed work, Minotaur. Harper has cut the PromArt and Trade Routes programs "because most of the money went to groups that would raise the eyebrows of any typical Canadian."

The Harper regime singles out left-leaning documentarian Avi Lewis, Juno-nominated band Holy Fuck, and political writer Gwynne Dyer. "I think there's a reasonable expectation by taxpayers that they won't fund the world travel of wealthy rock stars, ideological activists or fringe and alternative groups," a senior Conservative Party source told the Ottawa Citizen at the time.

Sound like centralized state censorship? It is.

This is why arts funding is not administered by the government, but rather by so-called "arms-length" agencies; the government is singularly unqualified to decide what works of art Canadians will and will not enjoy.

Furthermore, slashing funding to Canada's independent film, theatre, television, dance, opera and writing initiatives is not in the best interests of the nation.

The purpose of art, at its roots, is that of telling a story. Rural or urban, rich or poor, across the broad, diverse spectrum of this great country, I believe that storytelling - above all else - is our best and greatest hope in bridging the differences in experience that serve to divide us. Storytelling allows us to hear one another, to get beyond argument and defensiveness. It allows to empathize with a point-of-view outside our immediate frame of reference. It allows us the chance to understand each other. (So much more to say, but this entry has only 24 characters left.)

If you are concerned, and wish to make a difference, go here:

http://departmentofculture.ca/

Now. How the hell do I get outta this maze??? 

Take a minute or two to tell us your thoughts.

Add a comment beneath.

[We are listeningng.]

[Wee arrre listnnnnnxx.]

[We axxx lxxxstxxxningggxxxxxx.]

[this is not what it seems.]

Some shows are simple. Simple stories simply told.

But some shows are nightmares. Tendrils reaching everwhere, fingers searching, and nothing ever quite connecting or giving reassurance. You are left with more questions than answers. These are the shows that tend to stay in my mind. Images remain burned in my memory like after-images on your retinas. David Lynch makes film like this. So do Hideo Nakata and Takashi Shimizu. Writers like Mark Z. Danielewski and Haruki Murakami evoke this same sense of dread and logical dislocation.

I believe this show is a nightmare. In the best possible way.

Minotaur is up and running. Come see.

More info about show times and tickets here.

Glad we're getting this out of the way early.

Despite the coughing and sputtering of the company, we had an incredibly productive week. A lot of the process has been rediscovering old scenework and blocking. But there is a lot of great new content that is going to be a treat to dive into further. The seminars to open the show are a real treat, I think.

And at least once a day I was terrified by what I was seeing onstage.

Heather Braaten, our incredible stage manager, has been spending some sleepless nights because of the creepiness factor of the show. Sadly, when she tells any of us this, she usually gets the answer, "That's AWESOME." Probably not much consolation.

By Sunday, we were able to do a stumblethrough of the entire show. Lots of great work. Lots of great moments that need work. Lots of discoveries to be made.

Don't forget to check this out.

27edgedaleroad.blogspot.com

c.

Our FUN RAZOR 2008 - with the aim of feeding the beloved and dreaded minotaur was a big success.

A huge and heartfelt thanks to the playwrights of the incredibly well-crafted 10 Tiny Plays that were presented throughout the evening. Mike McPhaden, Erin Brandenberg, Kate Hewlett, Julie Tepperman, Ryan Hughes, Alison McElwain, Aaron Talbot, Michael Wheeler, Melissa Major - we salute you.

Another big cheer for the talented performers that read the plays. Most of them had about 2 minutes (!) to prepare. ALL of them were remarkable, hilarious, and moving. Thank you to  Jenny Young, Gord Bolan, Geoffrey Pounsett, Aaron Willis, Erin Brandenberg, John Fitzgerald Jay, Deb Grover, Shira Leuchter, Julie Tepperman, Tricia Lahde, Matt Steinberg, Janet Porter, Margaret Evans, Ernest Cayeman, James Cade, Chris Hanratty, & Jody Hewston. You made the night.

Thanks also to everyone that came out, our donors and sponsors, and for the donations that are still coming in via PayPal. You guyses are the best.

Saturday night would not have been possible without the kindness and generosity of the following donors:

The Cobourg

Steam Whistle Brewing

Buddies in Bad Times

HOTDOCS

Lisa Stanton & Electric Blue Camera Co.

Shira Leuchter

Obsidian Theatre Company

Olivia's at Fifty-Three

Virginia Johnson

Downward Dog Yoga Centres

Canadian Art Foundation

The Power Plant

Harbourfront Centre

Oh.

Anyone else know about this?

Created in 1961 by the ITI. I guess.

How did you celebrate? I did laundry.

Do other cities put something together for this? Is Toronto just out of the loop? Or is it a big yawn all around? I'd like to know what the global take on World Theatre Day and the ITI is. I feel like it's worthless to have such a day if it's not even embraced by the community it purports to acknowledge.

And more to come.

And HERE.

I remember the night we opened the first version of minotaur, Trish and I were backstage fighting the urge to throw-up cause we had no idea if anything we were about to do would fly and she looked at me and said “Why do we do this again?” I think my answer was “um…”

-c.h.