May 19 & 20

Pinocchio dans ma valise

by Cie Vox Théâtre

Family Performances (en français) May 19 at 11AM and 2PM
Family Performances (in English) May 20 at 11AM and 2PM

This classic tale of fantasy and endearing friendship is retold through puppetry and live music!

“Kids and grown-ups embark without reservation on this wonderful voyage.” – Le Devoir

Tickets $10 – $15
416.537.4191
www.theatredirect.ca
Theatre Direct’s Wychwood Theatre (76 Wychwood Ave. Toronto)

May 20 from 3 – 5pm

David Amram Live

Programmed by Carol Gimbel

The legendary David Amram will wow audiences of all ages! David Amram brings with him hundreds of instruments, melodies and stories from around the world. Happening in Theatre Direct’s Christie Studio.

Tickets $5 at the door.

Go to  our on-line Box Office or call us at 416.537.4191 or buy your tickets in-person on the day of!

May 5 at 2pm
May 6 at 2pm 

After this weekend our signature production Head à Tête will leave on a tour to theatres in Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa.

We’re thrilled to have been featured in the recent edition of Collections Magazine with an article written by our own Board Chair, Christine Gresham.

The digital version of Collections is online now – you can see it at:

http://view.digipage.net/?userpath=00000076/00011906/00075707/

The article is on page 76.

Read the full season release here:
http://www4.nac-cna.ca/en/media/news.cfm?ID=2433

Theatre Direct is proud to be a part of a global movement to engage, inspire and empower children through theatre!

March 20^th 2012

Dear friends,

I love the theatre.
I love the magic of this art where we are all together
in the same room, and yet unique….
Everyone has his story,
barefoot or luxury sandals
in the cold of the poles or the heat of the tropics.
Each according to his mood,
his family, his tastes, the colour of his skin, his problems, his dreams.

I loved the theatre even more
when the actress that I was came to meet young audiences.
I realised just how fine the line is between fiction and reality.
Who is telling the truth, if truth exists?
Who is lying?
Who speaks better and more tenderly from man to man ….
Reality or fiction?

The temptation is great to believe that reality is truth
and that fiction lies.
Why then would a slap in the face,
a simple slap on stage, have upset me so
the other day
while
yesterday I watched, unmoved, live images of war on television
telling me that tomorrow there would be a bigger catastrophe
more serious
more fraught.

Why?
The question is fantastic – and inexhaustible.
It is this mystery which makes the theatre so precious and so rare.
All of you sitting there – waiting for the lights to come on …
Tell me, where is the truth, if truth exists?
Tell me, where are the lies, if lies exist?

With all my warmest wishes,

Suzanne Lebeau

In May of this year, the Wycwhood Barns will be abuzz with the sounds of excited kindergarteners as they experience, many for the first time, live theatre created especially for them…. Read more

Toronto City Council is planning to make deep cuts to the city budget, and this puts arts and cultural funding at serious risk. Cutting the arts could be an economic and social catastrophe for Toronto: not only does the city achieve a huge return on a relatively small investment, but our vibrant arts scene is also a big part of what makes Toronto a great place to live, work and visit.

Friends of the Arts* has launched an online petition to let City Councillors know that Torontonians value the arts.

By signing the petition you will be sending a message to the Mayor and your local councillor telling them that arts funding should not be cut. Here are a few of the reasons why the arts might be important to you:

• Arts and culture are essential to Toronto’s economy, generating $9 billion every year.
• Arts and culture create jobs. 130,000 people work in the sector – and many more depend on related businesses, including those in hospitality and tourism.
• Torontonians care about the arts. In 2010, there were 20 million visits from every corner of Toronto to city-supported arts events.
• Every dollar Toronto invests in arts organizations attracts $17 more from private and public sources. Arts and culture funding has a great return on investment.
• Great art and artists take years to achieve commercial success; today’s funding enables tomorrow’s art.
• Artists flock to cities that support them – yet Toronto invests less in the arts than other major cities; City Council has been working to change that, and it must stay the course.
• Toronto Councillors need to know that their voters value the arts.
• Please feel free to forward the petition on to your friends and family.

Although most signatures will be collected online, we will also be sending volunteers to specific arts events with hard copies of the petition.  If you’d like to help, please email friendsofthearts@gmail.com and put volunteer in the subject line.  Thank you!

The award comes with a $15,000 cash prize and was established in 2007 by Martha Burns, Jim Fleck, and Jim Pitblado.  It celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to engaging Toronto youth in the arts.

Theatre Direct is an award-winning and nationally recognized theatre celebrating its 35th year of producing relevant and uncompromising theatre dedicated to young audiences. The company’s productions have been seen by thousands in Toronto, across the Country and in the UK. In 2009, Theatre Direct opened the doors on two performance and education venues in the Artscape Wychwood Barns, a multi-faceted vibrant community centre, where it serves children and families through a wide range of theatre and drama programs.

Lynda Hill, the company’s Artistic Director since 2001 says, “creating theatre for young people is a cyclical process of investigation, expression, discovery and meaningful exchange that constantly renews and humbles me as an artist and a citizen.”

Theatre Direct shares this nomination with Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre and Young People’s Theatre. The winner of the award will be announced Thursday, October 20 at the Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch.

More information about 2011 Toronto Arts Foundation Awards, please visit http://www.torontoartsfoundation.org/News/2011-TAF-Finalists