Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON (May 1, 2013) – Toronto’s most outlandish and hilarious festival is thrilled to launch a new Triple Bill Series as part of the 2013 offering. Torontonian’s will have the rare opportunity to see some of the world’s very best clowns, bouffon artists, and physical theatre performers as they premiere new 15 minute works. The 2013 Festival of Clowns runs from May 29th to June 2nd, 2013 at the Pia Bouman Studio Theatre and Unit 102.
Winner of a Governor General Award, multiple Chalmers Canadian Play Awards, Jessie Richardson Awards and Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Guillermo Vedecchia, will direct Bouffon King Adam Lazarus ([boxhead], Crow’s Theatre/Mamalian Diving Reflex; Wonderland, SummerWorks; Appetite, Volcano/Theatre Passe Muraille/Exchange Rate Collective) in The Art of Building A Bunker. This is their first time collaborating together and the full-length show will be featured in the 2013 SummerWorks Festival.
Toronto favourites Helen Donnelly (Posey’s Wig, Saucisse: A Foo Musical), Lindy Zucker (Rhubarb Festival, Hysteria and Cheap Queers), Christel Bartelse (CHAOTICA, ONEymoon) and Morgan Norwich (Redheaded Stepchild, Tough!) will also be working on pieces, along with last year’s festival darlings, Edmonton’s Small Matters Productions directed by Jan Henderson. One special part of the series is that it features works from current and recent graduates of The National Theatre School of Canada, including Andrew Chown, Tara Koehler, Ben Wheelwright, Alexander De Jordy, & Stephane Garneau-Morten.
Also new this year, is the addition of two cabarets at Unit 102. Mullet’s Night Show, hosted by Toronto’s most beloved zombie clown, will take center stage with an eclectic variety of guests that only a zombie could dig up. Done in the style of a late night television talk show, Mullet will be joined by his regular co-host Robin Archer. Also, The Foolish Cabaret, hosted by Foo (Helen Donnelly), features emerging and established artists of clown, mask, mime and bouffon including: John Beale (The Best Brothers by Daniel MacIvor, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival), Manuel Rodriguez, Miko Sobreira, Rachelle Elie, Kate Dunbar, Lenny Ziolkowskij, Mario Laurenco, Stevie J, Suzanne Roberts Smith, Giuseppe Condello, Daniel Lomas, Alexandra Manea, Rob Faust and Marla Brennan.
The 15-minute series and the new cabarets will join the previously announced full-length shows and the hugely popular cabarets: the Red Nose District with the beloved clown duo Morro and Jasp, Night of Bouffon hosted by Ken Hall, and the exceptionally popular, one-of-a-kind Lunacy Cabaret hosted by Festival Producer Dave McKay.
The Festival closes with a Student Soiree that will feature the best work to come out of recent physical theatre workshops across the country and the presentation of the third annual Mark Purvis Bursary that funds a student’s future study in physical performance.
Founded in 2006, the Toronto Festival of Clowns provides new and established clowns and physical performers the opportunity to create and showcase their work. Producers Adam Lazarus and Dave McKay aim to create awareness of the various forms of physical theatre under the umbrella of “clown”, such as red-nose, mime, bouffon,movement, slapstick, commedia dell’arte, vaudeville, mask and character work.
Toronto Festival of Clowns
Pia Bouman Studio Theatre
6 Noble Street
&
Unit 102
376 Dufferin Street
May 29 – June 2rd, 2013
Tickets: All full-length shows and cabarets are $15 each
Tickets are available at the door
For more information please visit www.torontofestivalofclowns.com
2013-05-01
Toronto: Toronto Festival of Clowns announces a Triple Bill Series