Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO, ON – Artistic Director Allen MacInnis and Executive Director Nancy J. Webster are pleased to announce the 2013/14 playbill for the 48th season at Young People’s Theatre – a year dedicated to the resourcefulness of youth.
At some point, all young people need to take actions by and for themselves. Let’s inspire them with some young heroes of literature and life! YPT’s upcoming season is a look at children and youth finding their own way – and making a difference!
“Think of the number of heroes in stories who are orphans, foundlings, or young people on their own. There is always something compelling about a young person having to find the personal resources to survive. This is the theme of our programming this year: the ingenuity, the agency, the resourcefulness of youth” – Allen MacInnis
This extraordinary season will feature eight plays on two stages, including the hit Broadway musical Annie (TYA version), the beloved children’s story Where the Wild Things Are, the world premiere of hit playwright Anusree Roy’s Sultans of the Street, and the co-world premiere of Minotaur, developed collaboratively with the United Kingdom’s renowned Polka Theatre.
Each production emphasizes the resiliency of youth, and explores the many ways in which young people help to shape their own future – using ingenuity, initiative and imagination.
2013/2014 Season Playbill
A STORY BEFORE TIME
Written by Drew Hayden Taylor | Artistic Direction and Choreography by Santee Smith
Created and produced by Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, a Co-Production with The Banff Centre for the Arts
On the Mainstage | Oct. 16-24, 2013 | Ages 9 & up
Original music, dance and theatre unite to bring this entertaining and insightful Aboriginal creation story to life. The exquisite musical score blends traditional Iroquoian songs with contemporary music, incorporating both Mohawk and Cayuga languages. A Story Before Time carries the metaphors, symbols, dreams and beliefs of a people, weaving a rich and powerful cultural narrative.
ANNIE (TYA) – the hit Broadway Musical!
Book by Thomas Meehan, Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin | Presented on Broadway by Mike Nichols | Originally Produced by Irwin Meyer, Stephen R. Friedman, Lewis Allen, Alvin Nederlander Associates, Inc., The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Icarus Productions Based on “Little Orphan Annie”® by Permission of The Tribune Media Services, Inc.
On the Mainstage | Nov. 11-Dec. 19, 2013 | Ages 5 & up
Leapin' Lizards! Everyone’s favourite comic strip heroine takes centre stage in one of the world's best-loved musicals – winner of 9 Tony Awards! After escaping the orphanage, Annie sets off in search of her parents. In a series of adventures, the spunky, optimistic redhead dodges the evil machinations of orphanage matron Miss Hannigan, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and encounters a billionaire looking to improve his image. Some of Broadway’s most popular show tunes, including Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life and Easy Street are featured in this Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) version of the renowned musical.
Annie (TYA) is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: (212) 541-4684 Fax: (212) 397-4684 www.MTIShows.com <http://www.MTIShows.com>
JABBER
By Marcus Youssef | Produced by Geordie Productions
In the Studio | Nov. 26-Dec. 7, 2013 | Ages 12 & up
Fatima is a typical Canadian young woman rebelling against her strict parents. When anti-Muslim graffiti appears on the school walls, this hijab-wearing teenager is transferred to a new school. There, she makes an unlikely friendship with Jorah, a boy who has a reputation for anger issues. As their mutual attraction grows, the lines they cross to get closer together become the subject of an intense exploration of the meaning of boundaries. Jabber examines assumptions based on appearances within the school world – where a diverse student population must learn to negotiate cross-cultural respect and mutual understanding.
n00b
By Christopher Duthie | Produced by Vertigo Theatre
On the Mainstage | Feb. 11-20, 2014 | Ages 9 & up
“n00b”: an inexperienced and/or unskilled player of video games
Obsessed with online gaming, a boy refuses to respond to his parents’ concerns regarding the countless hours he spends in a make-believe world. As he becomes increasingly isolated, an online reality full of gunshots, enemies and strategy also provides a community full of acceptance, unity and safety. When his parents confiscate his game console, the boy runs away from home and into a world riskier than any combat game he has ever played.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE – back by overwhelming demand!
By Maurice Sendak | Originally adapted for the stage by Carol Healas and TAG Theatre, Glasgow
Produced by Presentation House Theatre
In the Studio | Mar. 4-30, 2014 | Ages 3-7
A landmark in children's literature, this interactive adaptation of the award-winning Maurice Sendak classic delighted sold-out audiences when last presented at YPT in 2005. The incorrigible Max, sent to bed without his supper, embarks on imaginary travels to a land of wild animals and extraordinary adventures – where he is ultimately crowned ruler. Young audiences are invited to sail along with Max to the land of the Wild Things.
MINOTAUR – Co-World Premiere with Polka Theatre, London, England
By Kevin Dyer
On the Mainstage | Mar. 24-Apr. 13, 2014 | Ages 9 & up
The award-winning playwright of The Monster Under the Bed has fused Greek mythology and modern themes to create a high-stakes adventure story. Freddie, a 12 year-old boy, receives urgent, cryptic text messages from his soldier Dad in an unnamed war-torn country. While he attempts to decipher these messages, an Ogre and the Queen of Minos appear in his backyard, dragging him into the past in the role of Theseus, whose destiny was to slay the Minotaur and save his father, King Aegeus. Freddie accepts the quest, believing it is the only way he can help his Dad, trapped in a foreign war with no way out.
SULTANS OF THE STREET – World Premiere
By Anusree Roy
On the Mainstage | Apr. 28-May 15, 2014 | Ages 10 & up
Four children from different social classes – two with the desire to purchase better kites, two with the simple wish to attend school – are trapped in a world of begging on the streets of Calcutta. Dressed as gods they bless the generous and threaten to curse those who are not. Together, the quartet must work to escape servitude to the mysterious “Aunty” and set a course for a new life.
PAPER SONG
By Jared Matsunaga-Turnbull | Produced by Concrete Theatre
In the Studio | Apr. 29-May 11, 2014 | Ages 5 & up
Paper Song is a whimsical new play for children and families, combining a traditional Japanese folktale with an original story of a young mouse and her grandfather, as they struggle against an oppressive goblin who has enslaved the inhabitants of their village. It is the small, ingenious Utako-Chan who must find a way to end the goblin’s greed and aggression. Large-scale origami (the Japanese art of paper-folding) and shadow puppetry inspire the design of this powerful story.
* * * * *
With the generous assistance of Sun Life Financial, YPT is once again offering Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) performances for all productions this season. PWYC tickets are available at the Box Office for designated weekend family shows on the day of performance only, with a suggested minimum contribution of $5 per ticket.
Show Combos are on sale to subscribers May 7 with up to 30% off regular single ticket prices. Group tickets are also on sale with Earlybird Savings available to school groups until June 28. Single tickets will go on sale June 17. For more information, visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca or call 416.862.2222.
YPT’s renowned Drama School turns 44 this year and will feature year-round classes and programs at three locations in the GTA. Summer Drama Camp registration is currently underway for ages 6 to 18 at the Downtown location, with some classes already sold-out. For more information, visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca or call 416.862.2222.
The current 2012/13 season playbill concludes on May 16. Tickets are still available for La Fugue, now playing on the Mainstage until May 16.
Illustration: From Where the Wild Things Are. ©1963 Maurice Sendak.
2013-05-06
Toronto: Young People’s Theatre announces its 2013/14 season