Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON…Nightwood Theatre, Canada’s national women’s theatre, is thrilled to announce Elvira Kurt as this year’s host of FemCab, Nightwood’s annual celebration of International Women’s Day. Elvira Kurt is a Canadian Comedy Award winning, three-time Gemini Award nominated stand-up comic and Second City veteran. She is well known for a wide range of credits as a star, host, guest and writer, including such projects as Popcultured with Elvira Kurt, The Gayest ShowEver, This Hour has 22 Minutes, and Ellen Degeneres’ Born Again HBO Special.
The evening will also feature NDP MP for Trinity-Spadina Olivia Chow. Currently serving as the NDP Transport and Infrastructure Critic, Chow is fighting for the mobility and safety of Canadians across all transportation modes. A long-time member of the NDP party, Chow has become one of the most visible social advocates and politicians inCanada.
Joining Kurt, Chow, and Nightwood will be: award-winning DJ Cozmic Cat; indie vocalist Rosina Kazi; writer, video artist, and performance artist Dayna McLeod; emcee, poet, and writer Motion; professor of Women’s Studies at York University and author Andrea O’Reilly; theatre creator, songwriter, poet, and educator Evalyn Parry; multidisciplinary artist and creativity coach Lisa Pijuan-Nomura; taiko drumming collective Raging Asian Women; word/fusion vocalist Suba Sankaran; writer/performer Shoshana Sperling; women’s anti-violence activist Anna Willats; and Toronto City Counsellorfor Ward 27 Kristyn Wong-Tam.
For over 32 years, Nightwood Theatre has developed, produced and toured landmark, award-winning plays by women. Since 1983, Nightwood has presented FemCab, the only cabaret in town where politics and art come together in an irreverent, humourous and shameless celebration of women’s success!
Artist Bios
Elvira Kurt
Elvira Kurt is a Canadian Comedy Award winning, three-time Gemini Award nominated stand-up comic and Second City veteran whose credits as star, host, guest and/or writer are too numerous to mention. Except for these: Popculturedwith Elvira Kurt, The Gayest Show Ever, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Ellen DeGeneres’ ‘Born Again’ HBO special, Four Weddings Canada and Q with Jian Ghomeshi.
Olivia Chow
Olivia Chow’s quest for a better society has been a lifelong journey that has taken her from her humble beginnings as a Hong Kong-born immigrant in Toronto to being one of the most visible social advocates and politicians in Canada. In her current role as the NDP Transport and Infrastructure Critic, Olivia is fighting for the mobility and safety of all Canadians across transportation modes. Deeply rooted in her downtown riding of Trinity-Spadina in Toronto, she knows how accessible, affordable transit and safe roads make our local communities liveable and vibrant.
DJ Cozmic Cat
Block rockin’, 5X award winning dj/producer Cozmic Cat has rocked dancefloors worldwide, from Australia to Puerto Rico to the USA. Coz has worked with some of the world's best djs and performers, and has spun at celeb events for Jill Scott, Justin Timberlake, the Cirque Du Soleil and the Rolling Stones. Cozmic brings live-wire energy to the mix and loves her work. A passion for fresh music keeps her set one step ahead of the game. She's a youth mentor, and co-produces Cherry Bomb, Toronto's fav queer women's event. Coz lets the music do the talking so listen up!
Rosina Kazi
One of the foot soldiers in Toronto’s underground arts scene, Rosina Kazi is the lead singer of the band LAL and she has recorded with State of Bengal, Toronto Tabla Ensemble, Titonton, Moonstarr, Abacus, da grassroots and more. She hasbeen instrumental in the growth of many of the city’s artists and DJs, providing venues and forums for their musical expression. More importantly, she has managed to add an air of consciousness and political awareness to many of those events. This awareness is the most distinctive factor of her music and poetry. Rosina is now focusing on her art full-time and she has been working with all of her community to bridge the gap between art and social justice. Through her community arts organization, ‘COMMUNITY CENTRE,’ Rosina also works with youth and facilitates spoken word, song writing and indie art making programs. Rosina has been composing music professionally for over 12 years. She has recorded 4 albums with the band lal, and has made guest appearances on over 10 recordings (from techno to folk music albums). Her passion is connecting with different communities and having a conversation through words and music.
Dayna McLeod
DaynaMcLeod is a writer, video and performance artist whose work is ripe with humour and socially charged situations. She has traveled extensively with her performance work, and her videos have played from London Ontario to London England, across Europe, North America, South America, and a few times on TV. She has received funding for video projects from the Canada Council and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. She created and manages 52 Pick-Up, (www.52pickupvideos.com) a video website where participants make one video a week for an entire year. www.daynarama.com
Motion
EMCEE | POET | WRITER |“Moving the soul, like she rocks the mic, Motion is a true testament to the power of words.” -Toronto Star. An award-winning emcee/poet, playwright & Hip Hop artist, Motion’s fusion of word, sound and drama is a potent mix of the ancient to the futuristic. Herlyrical agility has taken her to the stages of Manifesto Jamaica, the UrbanMusic Awards, CBC Television and HBO Def Poetry Jam. Lauded by Now Magazine as a “multi-talented, truthful artist,” Motion flipped the page on northside lit with the release of Motion In Poetry and 40 Dayz, writing and producing Aneemah’s Spot, which debuted at the Rock Paper Sistaz festival, and other featured works at Obsidian and Factory theatres, Luminato, Summerworks Festival and Young Centre for the Arts. Inspired by her work with the legendary Fresh Arts movement, MotionLive continues developing emerging talent in creative spaces such as Lit 4 Life, Urban Arts and the Caribbean International Literary Festival.
Andrea O’Reilly
Andrea O’Reilly, PhD, is Professor in the School of Women's Studies at York University. O'Reilly is founder and director of The Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement, founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Motherhood Initiative and founder and editor of Demeter Press, the first feminist press on motherhood. She is editor and author of 17 books on motherhood including most recently 21st Century Motherhood: Experience, Identity, Policy, Agency (2010) and The 21st Century Motherhood Movement: Mothers speak out on why we need to change theworld and how to do it (2011). She is editor of the first encyclopedia on Motherhood. In 2010 she was the recipient of the CAUT Sarah Shorten Award for outstanding achievements in the promotion of the advancement of women in Canadian universities and colleges. She is the proud mama of three fabulous and feminist adult children.
evalyn parry
evalyn parry is an award-winning theatre creator, songwriter, poet and educator. Her solo and collaborative performances have taken her to music, storytelling, poetry and theatre festivals from coast to coast in North America over the last decade; she has released four critically-acclaimed CDs and her work has been widely broadcast, commissioned and anthologized. She is the Director of theYoung Creators Unit at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her show SPIN (Buddies, 2011) will be on tour across the country in 2012/13; the recording of SPIN was recently nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award. www.evalynparry.com
Lisa Pijuan-Nomura
Lisa Pijuan-Nomura is a multidisciplinary artist and creativity coach who recently relocated to Hamilton. As a graduate of the School of Physical Theatre she has been creating dynamic performance pieces that combine movement, storytelling, puppetry and visual art for the past 15 years. She has performed in Canada, the Czech Republic, Austria, Mexico, and Ireland. She is currently working on a longer version of her show Little. Miss. Everything. and raising a feisty baby boy named Max. You can find out more about her at www.girlcancreate.com
Raging Asian Woman
Formed in 1998 as one of the only all-women taiko groups in North America, RAW is a diverse collective of East and South-East Asian women carrying on the North American taiko drumming tradition and promoting social justice while making music. The group integrates rhythm and movement to show a powerful expression of its members' experiences as Asian-Canadian women. RAW believes in the power of collective creation and collaboration, and is continually working to develop innovative artistic ideas. RAW is based in Toronto, Canada and is a registered, not-for-profit organization.
Suba Sankaran
DORA award-winning, JUNO-nominated world/fusion vocalist Suba Sankaran has effortlessly combined musical worlds, performing across North America, Europe and Asia with Autorickshaw, Trichy Sankaran and others. Performance highlights include performing for Peter Gabriel, Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu, and performing with Bobby McFerrin.
Suba is in demand as a choral director, arranger, educator and composer. She has composed and produced music for theatre, film, radio and dance. Highlights include collaborations with Deepa Mehta and the CBC.
Suba is a resident artist at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, and the co-chair of the JUNO world music committee.
Please visit www.subasankaran.com and www.autorickshaw.ca
Shoshana Sperling
Shoshana is Toronto-based writer/performer who has given us character-rich plays, television, and live comedic monologues. She is the lead singer of The Monkey Bunch whose second album, Power to the Little People, wasnominated for a Juno award for Best Children's Album of the Year. She has been writing music, comedy, and performing for big and little people since before you were born. So be good to each other because the person sitting next to you could be a person too.
Anna Willats
Anna Willats has been questioning authority and confronting the abuse of power since she was a teenager in Milton, Ontario. She has been active in the women's anti-violence community in Toronto since 1982. She's the proud lesbian co-mom of two wonderful young people, and a brand new grandma! Anna has taught in the AWCCA program at George Brown College since 2000. She has been developing and facilitating community leadership and participant engagement courses with drop-in staff and participants since 2006. Anna also manages the weekly email newsletter, Rise Up!
Kristin Wong-Tam
Kristyn Wong-Tam is a Toronto City Councillor and feisty feminist who lives with a menagerie of animals in a downtown condo.
Please join us on March 29th for our raucous salute to the extraordinary achievements of women across the globe!
ABOUT NIGHTWOOD THEATRE
Nightwood Theatre – Artistic Director Kelly Thornton, Producer Denyse Karn and Chair Karon Bales.
As Canada’s national women’s theatre since 1979, Nightwood has launched the careers of countless leading theatre artists in the country. We have won Canada’s highest literary and performing arts awards and more than ever our success proves the need for theatre that gives voice to women and celebrates the diversity of Canadian society. We remain actively engaged in mentoring young women and promoting women’s place on the local, national and international stage.
FemCab Details
DATE & TIME: Thursday, March 29, 2012 / 8:00 p.m.
TICKETS: Ticket price: $25.00
Tickets on sale now!
LOCATION: Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West
BOX OFFICE: Tickets are available in advance by calling Nightwood Theatre at 416.944.1740
2012-02-29
Toronto: Nightwood announces FemCab 2012 Line-Up