Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Like a pack of good pals letting you couch surf when your ex kicks you out, Storefront’s 2017 post-eviction success was due to the massive support of our community of indie artists and arts organizations.
Factory Theatre was first to open its doors, giving Deceitful Above All Things a home last February. Next, a basement was transformed into a wildly successful Kensington Market speakeasy and Tough Jews played to sold-out audiences and rave reviews, winning a Dora Award out of its 6 nominations! The Indie 6ix Playwrights Festival presented the culmination of our year-long playwright’s unit, developing six new Canadian scripts and employing over fifty emerging and established artists. The world premiere of Natalie Frijia’s DIVINE landed at the 2017 SummerWorks Festival, garnering significant community support and raising awareness about fresh water conservation in Ontario.
2017 was a doozy for us, let’s be real. At Storefront Benjamin Blais transitioned from Artistic Director to Board Member and company leadership is now in the determined and talented hands of Claire Burns and Sedina Fiati as Artistic Managing Director and Artistic Managing Producer respectively. In 2018 we continue to couch surf as we assemble investors for a new space.
First up is the world premiere of After Wrestling, an exciting co-production with Bloodpact Theatre, in association with Factory Theatre. After last season’s runaway hit, Kill Your Parents in Viking Alberta, Toronto audiences begged: “we want them back with more mayhem!”. We listened, and mayhem we bring! Bloodpact Theatre and Storefront match up once again for another bout of ‘extreme sports version of performing’. After Wrestling promises to offer up more of playwrights Bryce Hodgson and Charlie Kerr’s trademark dark humour and millennial family dysfunction. After Wrestling will appear as part of Factory Theatre’s Shaping Stories season, in the Studio Theatre from March 1st to March 18th. Full cast and Factory Theatre press announcement attached.
The Storefront is then extremely pleased to present the inaugural Feminist Fuck It Fest; a curated festival of art created and performed by women. Throughout this past year, women’s voices have charged to frontline of social debate. From women’s marches to the #metoo campaign, it (finally!) seems like women’s issues are being acknowledged and listened to seriously. Particularly in the wake of the past few weeks, it is clear a tectonic shift is taking place in the landscape of our industry. At the Storefront, and with the generous support of OAC, we are eager to provide space and celebrate a multitude of female voices from our community. The Feminist Fuck It Fest will run April 11th to 22nd, with headlining production Ganga’s Ganja, by Radha S. Menon. This female-forward and 420-friendly production will run every night of the festival, followed by a rotating array of theatre performances, comedy, burlesque and film screenings by women artists. More information will be released in the near future.
Storefront is also pleased to share that it has received Canadian Heritage Presenter Funding and will move forward in planning an exciting Fall/Spring 2018-2019 season! We continue to take steps towards finding, funding and opening a new Storefront Theatre, and remain committed to the continued creation of a vibrant arts hub and performance space for the Toronto community. Stay tuned!
2018-01-15
Toronto: Storefront Theatre plans for 2018