Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and the City of Toronto are proud to announce that prolific theatre artist Sky Gilbert will have a street named in his honour. To mark this special occasion a ceremony will be held on October 30th in the laneway, now known as Sky Gilbert Lane, located just north of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street). Confirmed speakers include Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, current Buddies in Bad Times Artistic Director Brendan Healy and Sky Gilbert. Friends, family, and community members are welcome to attend the naming ceremony and following reception.
Artistic Director Brendan Healy remarks, “It’s thrilling for us to have the City of Toronto recognize Sky’s incredible legacy and impact on the city in this way.”
Gilbert’s invaluable contributions to Toronto’s queer arts scene have touched the lives of thousands of artists, audiences, and community members in Toronto and beyond. His monumental efforts are tied to a strong interest in exploring and redefining normative ideas of gender and sexuality, making him a vital LGBT advocate, social activist and theatre maker.
ABOUT SKY GILBERT
Novelist, poet, filmmaker, director, actor, and drag queen extraordinaire: Sky Gilbert is one of Canada's most controversial and prolific artistic forces. Born in Norwich, Connecticut, he studied theatre at York University in Toronto, Ontario and at the University of Toronto before becoming the co-founder and artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times in 1979. After 18 years as the company’s Artistic Director, Gilbert left the company in 1997 to pursue other artistic endeavours. In the same year Gilbert founded The Cabaret Company, where he continues to write, direct, and produce boundary-pushing theatre as the company’s Artistic Director.
His critically acclaimed plays have been performed in theatres worldwide including The Dressing Gown, Drag Queens On Trial, Drag Queens In Outer Space, Lola Starr Builds Her Dream Home, Rope Enough, Bad Acting Teachers and more recently The Situationists. He has received three Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Pauline McGibbon Award for theatre directing, the Margo Bindhardt Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, and the Silver Ticket Award from the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. Although primarily a playwright, Gilbert has also published seven novels, three poetry collections, and an autobiography and has also been involved in the creation of nine films.
In 2005 Gilbert received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. In 2006 Gilbert was honoured to be named University Research Chair in Creative Writing and Theatre Studies at Guelph. Gilbert is presently working on a series of mystery stories about Hamilton, Ontario and a new novel. September 11, 2013
SKY GILBERT LANE NAMING CEREMONY
Thursday, October 30, 2014
12PM outdoor ceremony followed by reception in the Cabaret space.
This event is free of charge and open to the public.
Located at the north end of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.
Box Office 416-975-8555 or buddiesinbadtimes.com
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto, ON
Photo: Sky Gilbert.
2014-10-09
Toronto: The City of Toronto will name a street after playwright Sky Gilbert