Stage Door News
Stage Door News
We live in a time of occupation, but as a society we would rather preoccupy ourselves than address the issues. Why is ‘Occupation’ is a buzzword for journalists and social media pundits alike? The ‘Israeli Occupation’, the ‘Russian Occupation’, the ‘Occupy Movement’, etc. remain often-rushed topic amongst major media outlets due to its contentious subject matter. With contested occupations of land and cultural imperialism throughout the world (and here in Canada), these are issues that demand deeper insight, and more importantly, more in depth discourse.
Cue Wrecking Ball 17: we’ve decided to open up the conversation!
This year, under a new generation of leadership, the Wrecking Ball is shifting its focus, presenting new work by not only esteemed playwrights from across the country, but a plethora of performers, including dancers, spoken word poets, comedians, and more.
In Wrecking Ball 17, a selection of Toronto’s most relevant and daring performance artists will have one week to create a piece, and one additional week to rehearse works connected to the surplus of issues surrounding the topic of ‘occupation’.
Founded by director Ross Manson and playwright Jason Sherman in 2003, The Wrecking Ball has been the premiere event in Canada for showcasing political works for a decade. As the birthplace of new plays by Hannah Moscovitch, Michael Healey, Roland Schimmelpfennig, Erin Shields, Judith Thompson, Colleen Wagner, David Yee, Bea Pizano, Tara Beagan, Nicolas Billon, Donna-Michelle St Bernard, Jordan Tannahill, and Sky Gilbert to name a few - there is no other event like it challenging theatre artists to respond to and address the vox populi.
On the occasion of the previous two Federal elections The Wrecking Ball went National; with ‘Wrecking Balls’ hosted by theatre artists in most major cities across the country. In both 2008 and 2011 these pan-Canadian dramatic responses to our politics garnered widespread national media attention. The Wrecking Ball is no longer a Toronto phenomenon, but an autonomous theatrical movement joined by a desire to explore current political questions, issues, desires and dreams upon the stage.
Wrecking Ball 17 Presents…
OCCUPY
Presented in association with Native Earth Performing Arts
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
MONDAY DECEMBER 8th, 2014
The Aki Studio Theatre, Daniels Spectrum | 585 Dundas Street East, Toronto
Box Office opens at 7:00pm | Show starts at 8:00pm
Pay what you can | No advanced sales.
(Proceeds from this event will go to the Actors' Fund of Canada)
#WB17
Political theatre direct from the zeitgeist to the stage.
2014-11-20
Toronto: Wrecking Ball 17 presents "OCCUPY" on December 8