Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Don Shipley will be taking everything he knows about theatre, the arts and life to tackle what could be his biggest challenge yet.
Shipley has been named the creative director of the Pan American Games and Parapan American Games in Toronto in the summer of 2015.
Shipley will be responsible for the overall vision, size and scope of the arts and cultural events during the length of the games.
"It's a wonderful job. It's a very exciting opportunity. It allows me to program an event that celebrates the diversity and passion found in both the arts and sports," Shipley said from his hotel in Guadalajara Mexico where the 2011 games are underway.
Toronto will have an eight minute segment in the closing ceremonies to briefly highlight the city. The flag will then symbolically pass from the mayor of Guadalajara to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
The Pan Am Games have been held in Canada twice, both times in Winnipeg in 1967 and 1999. The games are expected to draw more than 10,000 athletes, coaches and officials participating in 48 sports in municipalities in Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe area.
The games are four years away but that time will go quickly and Shipley has already started to plan.
Even his initial thoughts about the overall concept are secret but he could say he's interested in artistic "hybrids" for example combining Canadian cultures with those of South America.
"The fabric is so rich. Normally we see a lot of work from Europe and North America but not South America," he said.
Shipley is also interested in looking to the present instead of the past for inspiration.
"Countries want to showcase their contemporary culture—not who they were but who they are now. We often trot out the traditional, expected culture," he said.
Toronto is full of new innovations and technologies and he wants to challenge artists to be brave, he added.
There will be 42 countries represented in the Pan/Parapan Am Games including several South American and Caribbean. The games are an opportunity to celebrate and understand those cultures which will be represented in festivals and on main stages throughout the entirety of the games.
Shipley wants to ensure the cultural side of the games leaves a lasting legacy as well.
Stratford has been well represented on the artistic side of major sports events. Stratford Shakespeare Festival designer Doug Paraschuk was design director for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, while designer John Pennoyer designed costumes for the opening ceremonies. Stratford's Janet Sellery headed up health and safety.
"Vancouver raised the bar of adding culture in a sporting event and London 2012 will raise it higher," Shipley said of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games.
Shipley was an artistic director of the Stratford Festival with Marti Maraden and Des McAnuff. However, he and Maraden resigned.
Shipley has a long resume with many international credits including artistic director and CEO of the Dublin International Theatre, managing director of performing arts at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre and producer of editions of the World Stage Theatre Festival. Shipley was also the executive producer for the first two seasons of Luminato and associate casting director for Cirque du Soleil.
Reported by Laura Cudworth in the Stratford Beacon-Herald, www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.
2011-10-15
Stratford: Don Shipley named creative director of the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto