Stage Door News
Stage Door News
On June 19, 2012, a new freebie tabloid will join the ranks of other publications produced and distributed the old-fashioned way. Snail, a bi-weekly that will celebrate arts and entertainment, will be handed out, hand-to-hand, person-to-person, on busy intersections in downtown Toronto every other Tuesday.
Yes, yet another publication will be competing for the eyes and time of Torontonians, who already have lots of reading choices. And, yes, it will be printed analog style, ink-on-paper, in this era of virtual communication. Even more shocking, Snail will be published by a theatrical company, Mirvish Productions.
Is David Mirvish crazy to become involved in an even more volatile and risky business than the already super risky theatrical one?
“Yes, I’m crazy,” confirms Mirvish. “But that’s what they said about my father when he bought and saved from demolition the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1963. So I’m following in his very big and very confident footsteps.
“Although there is plenty of choice these days in the media world, we have also discovered that, paradoxically, there is very little information about arts and entertainment in traditional media. The arts and entertainment pages of the daily newspapers have shrunk. The time allotted to coverage of Toronto arts events on television newscasts is almost non-existent. And let’s not even consider the radio landscape.
“So we have stepped up, put our own time and money on the line to create a fun and informative publication.
“Snail will be published for only eight issues this summer, roughly from the summer solstice to the fall equinox. Our first issue will come out on Tuesday, June 19 and then every other Tuesday until September 25.
“Our inaugural issue will feature lots of tidbits about summer pleasures in our city, a pictorial feature on the actors who play the horses in War Horse, a story about the woman who created the Beatles’ mop haircuts, and even a crossword puzzle in which the clues are historical details about the First World War.
“In fact, Snail can enrich readers in more ways than providing them with a quick and fun read. In each issue there will be a puzzle and together with American Express we will be offering a prize of a $10,000 cash card for one lucky reader who correctly completes each puzzle in each issue of our publication. That’s eight puzzles for $10,000. Those are great odds.
“But don’t worry, we have no intention of going into the newspaper business fulltime. This is just one of our crazy and fun experiments for the summer. Who knows what we will do next!”
FREE ICE CREAM CONE WITH INAUGURAL ISSUE
To launch Snail, Mirvish will be offering a free soft-serve ice cream cone to everyone who will pick up the inaugural issue between noon and 1 pm on Tuesday, June 19 in downtown Toronto. Look for the old-fashioned ice cream trucks and the newsies in red t-shirts and caps. In fact, David Mirvish himself will be serving the ice cream in front of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West. Come by and grab a free cone … and pick up Snail.
Ice Cream truck locations Noon – 1pm:
Dairy Belle - in front of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King Street West
Master Soft & Delight - Queen Street in front of Nathan Phillips Square
Master Soft & Delight - Southwest corner of University & Dundas
Master Soft & Delight - Northeast corner of Bay at Queens Quay
Photo: David Mirvish.
2012-06-14
Toronto: David Mirvish launches a new street publication – “Snail”