Stage Door News
Stage Door News
May 8, 2015, TORONTO – The second wave of shows opening as part of The RISER Project begin next week, featuring the world premiere of Dora winner Adam Paolozza's Paolozzapedia (Bad New Days) and the final run of award winning performance, Mahmoud (Pandemic Theatre), starring Tara Grammy. Both one man performances explore concepts of identity and culture.
Small productions and independent theatre companies are often burdened with large costs for theatre rentals and production expenses, making it near impossible to have financially successful runs with their works. As part of The RISER Project, an initiative developed by Why Not Theatre, companies are given the opportunity to share resources, whether they be technical, mentorship or otherwise, to bolster their new works. The new works are then presented in a six week series split into two parts, where production tools are offered communally by the Project.”
This year, The RISER Project features four Canadian theatre companies’ new works, three of which are world premieres. The first wave featured Mouthpiece (Quote Unquote Collective) and Little Death (Little Death Collective), which closed earlier this month after successful runs at The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St W).
Upcoming shows in The RISER Project are:
Paolozzapedia – An auto-fictional-biography
Company: Bad New Days Performing Arts
Featuring: Adam Paolozza
Written and directed by: Adam Paolozza and Daniele Bartolini
Runtime: 60 mins
Running: May 14 – 24 (preview May 13)
How is it that one feels homesick for a place that was never one’s home?
In the world premiere of this one man show, Adam Paolozza attempts to assemble an autobiography from family stories, surreal images, Italian folk songs and scraps of memory from the old country… the Italy of his father’s childhood.
Paolozzapedia is Paolozza’s first piece since his Dora Award winning show, The Double.
Get social on T: @badnewdays #paolozzapedia #riser15 F: /Bad-New-Days-performing-arts
Mahmoud
Company: Pandemic Theatre
Co-written and performed by: Tara Grammy
Co-written and directed by: Tom Arthur Davis and Tara Grammy
Runtime: 60 mins
Running: May 14 – 24 (preview May 13)
After award winning runs in New York City and sold out runs in LA and San Francisco, this solo performance of political theatre returns to Toronto for one final run.
Mahmoud is an exuberant Iranian engineer-cum-taxi driver who relishes the chance to regale passengers with his love of Persian culture. Emanuelos, a fabulously gay Spanish perfume salesman, can talk a mile-a-minute about his boyfriend, Behnam. And then there’s Tara, an awkwardly charming Iranian Canadian preteen who just wants to be normal. When the three strangers, all played by Tara Grammy, find themselves crossing paths in Toronto, their experiences with racism, sexism, homophobia, political structures and everything in between become intertwined in unexpected ways, taking an exacting look at the ways diasporic populations deal with instability in their country of origin and the personhood they have in their new homes.
Mahmoud’s return run will coincide with its publication with Playwrights Canada Press.
Get Social: T: @mahmoudplay @pandemictheatre #mahmoudTO #riser15 F: /pandemictheatre W: www.mahmoudtaxi.com www.pandemictheatre.ca
All tickets available through The Theatre Centre box office at www.theatrecentre.org or 416.538.0988
Tickets for Mahmoud & Paolozzapedia are on now.
Get social on T: @theatrewhynot #riser15 F: /theatrewhynot W: theatrewhynot.org
About Why Not Theatre:
Founded in 2007, Why Not Theatre is a Toronto-based theatre company with an international scope. Under the Artistic Direction of Ravi Jain, Why Not has established a reputation as a company synonymous with inventive, experimental, cross-cultural collaborations resulting in shows featuring new Canadian writing, company-devised and site specific shows alongside revitalized interpretations of classics. Over the last 7 years we have developed over 12 productions, touring to 20 different cities on 4 continents. In recent years, the company has also become known for its presentation of international productions and workshops from diverse cultures and artistic practices, along with support for the development of local emerging artists and companies.
About The RISER Project:
Inspired to create more accessibility and opportunity for artists, Why Not Theatre created this new collaborative model for performance production in 2014. In The RISER Project, Why Not Theatre joins with senior partners who are established theatre companies to help smaller companies find a financially viable way to create new work. They do this by providing space, mentorship and technical tools for selected companies. The model is built on sharing resources, risk and energy to reduce the production burden placed on independent artists and small theatre companies. The 2014 senior partners are Necessary Angel, Nightwood Theatre, fuGEN Theatre and The Theatre Centre. The collaborative producing model is made possible with the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council’s Open Door program and Canadian Heritage.
Photo: Tara Grammy. ©Nir Bareket.
2015-05-08
Toronto: The RISER Project returns with "Paolozzapedia" and "Mahmoud" on May 14