Stage Door News
Stage Door News
For the past three-and-a-half years, Don Shipley has spent his days planning for what will be the largest arts and cultural festival Canada has ever seen.
That planning will finally come to life this week as different artists from over 40 countries take the stage during the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
"It's been a considerable journey but it's been an incredibly rewarding one to be able to see the widths and depths and the diversity of the programming," said Shipley, creative director for the Games and former co-artistic director at the Stratford Festival.
"We started out to say that we were going to create an inspiring festival and that it was going to be designed to elevate and complement the Games ... and I think we've achieved that."
As creative director, Shipley is responsible for the overall vision behind Panamania -- a 35-day arts and cultural festival that is intended to enrich the Pan Am Games experience. Over the next two months there will be more than 250 unique performances and exhibitions in downtown Toronto that capture a full spectrum of arts.
In the mix are 28 original commissions that are set to have their world premiere at the festival, along with well-known music groups including Death From Above 1979, the Flaming Lips and Lights.
This year marks the 17th edition of the Games, and the third time Canada has hosted them.
Most of the commissions were inspired by three different subthemes, the first one being water --or "aquaculture." Almost all of the represented countries either border water or are surrounded by water, and Shipley said that is what connects all of us.
Immigration and Canadian identity are the other two integrated themes -- both are intended to represent culture and diversity, something that was very important in the planning process.
"This gives us a chance to tell our own Canadian stories and to leap the gaps that sometimes divide cultures and nations," said Shipley. "Collaboration really is the transformational word because when you bring together that kind of collective creation and collective intellect and so on, remarkable things can happen."
Several cultural commissions have been underway for the past few years leading up to the Games. Most recently, the Canadian Songwriters and Composers Organization brought together 22 artists from across the country to collaborate on two songs -- one that is being used as the theme song for the Games and another that will be played when the athletes receive their medals.
In the early stages of planning, 41 pianos were placed on the streets of Toronto, the Play Me, I'm Yours street piano installation that was later seen in Stratford. Each of the Toronto works was designed by someone from one of the represented countries, and was intended to visually express the spirit and culture of that country.
Throughout the entire process, Shipley said there have been challenges. With an event of this scale the approval process can be tedious and since the Games are trilingual, everything must be translated from English into French and Spanish.
Looking ahead, the next two months will be a marathon for Shipley. But he said he's putting his best foot forward.
"Our legacy is really not about bricks and mortar or venues or sporting...our legacy really is about that sense of community spirit and an experience that people will have for the rest of their lives," he said.
By Nicole Schmidt for www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.
Photo: Don Shipley. ©2015 Bernard Weil.
2015-07-10
Stratford: Panamania Artistic Director Don Shipley discusses Panamania and its legacy