Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Nightwood Theatre opens their 39th Season with the Groundswell Festival of New Works, from September 24-30, 2018, at Dancemakers Centre for Creation Theatre in The Distillery District.
Our festival of contemporary women’s theatre features readings from Nightwood’s 2017/18 Write From The Hip playwrights, directed by Andrea Donaldson. This year’s festival offers six exciting new works from Andrea Scott and Nick Green (Every Day She Rose), Monica Garrido (X Marks the Spot), Chelsea Woolley (Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs), Meghan Greeley (Jawbone), Intisar Awisse (Painting the Sea), and Ali Joy Richardson (Fool).
Nightwood is thrilled to take the opportunity to announce the 2018/19 Write From The Hip Playwrights Unit: Lara Arabian, Catt Filippov, Kat Gauthier, Tabia Lau, and Anyika Mark. Facilitated by dramaturge and director Andrea Donaldson, this year-long script development program supports emerging playwrights in completing a full play.
2018 Groundswell Festival schedule
All play readings are Pay-What-You-Can; tickets are only available at the door.
Dancemakers Centre for Creation Theatre
9 Trinity Street, Studio 313, The Historical Distillery District
Monday, September 24, 6 - 8pm – Season Launch Party
Celebrate the launch of our 2018/19 Season with an exciting gathering of artists and theatre-lovers. Join us for an evening of social revelry in the Dancemakers Theatre studio, and raise a glass to our highly anticipated lineup of powerful theatre by women. Free entry and open to all!
Tuesday, September 25, 7pm – Every Day She Rose by Andrea Scott and Nick Green
In a diverse, metropolitan city, two best friends, following their annual tradition of attending the Pride parade, discover they’re no longer on the same page when identity politics and civil disobedience crash the party. Pride goeth before the fall couldn’t be more apt as the personal becomes political with heartbreaking results.
Wednesday, September 26, 7pm – X Marks the Spot by Monica Garrido
Alex, a writer from Mexico who has just moved to Toronto, is trying to pen the perfect story for the love of her life in the hopes of mending their relationship. At the suggestion of her writing instructor, Alex turns to a Groupon deal on improv classes to help cure her writer’s block. Through her unlikely new hobby, Alex will not only break out of her comfort zone, but will be forced to face the decision that led her to leave Mexico.
Thursday, September 27, 7pm – Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs by Chelsea Woolley
Vic has just arrived in a women’s shelter. She has been told to sit on her bed and wait for the police. Sit and wait just eight minutes. Yet eight minutes is an intolerable enormity for a brain in crisis. Vic and the six personified parts of her traumatized brain, struggle to confront what has happened to them, and commit to the refuge offered from a system often designed to remove a victim’s personal agency over her legal, medical, psychological, and economic choices.
Friday, September 28, 7pm – Jawbone by Meghan Greeley
A young woman wants to go to Mars; in her mind, it's the ultimate penal colony. As she barricades herself in a cottage by the sea and prepares her submission video, she begins to examine her past transgressions, sexuality, shame, and her role in the unravelling of one important friendship –– all to prove that she is the perfect candidate. But there's a problem: her jaw's been wired shut for a long time, and she's having trouble speaking.
Saturday, September 29, 4pm – Painting the Sea by Intisar Awisse
Zeila is a proud Somali woman with a dream— a dream that will make her rich. When Zeila turns down a job offer in order to pursue her dream, her children think she’s irresponsible. Or that she’s losing her mind. Along with a chorus of aunties who help as much as they harm, Zeila and her fractured family must find their way together or lose each other in an indifferent world.
Sunday, September 30, 4pm – Fool by Ali Joy Richardson
Inspired by the only female jester in recorded English history, Jane the Fool. After years of touring wagon plays and performing bar room stand-up comedy, Jane lands her dream job as the Royal Fool. Suddenly, as the King's confidante, she discovers life in the inner circle is fraught with ethical nightmares. What is the role of the comedian when the world's on fire? Fool is set in Medieval times, featuring a peasant chorus and thoroughly contemporary language.
ABOUT NIGHTWOOD
As Canada’s foremost feminist theatre, Nightwood provides an essential home for the creation of extraordinary theatre by women. Founded in 1979, Nightwood Theatre has created and produced award-winning plays, which have won Dora Mavor Moore, Chalmers, Trillium and Governor General’s awards. The company is led by Artistic Director Kelly Thornton and Managing Director Beth Brown, who have received public acclaim in artistic excellence, advocacy, and the successful training and development of emerging female talent.
For more information, please visit our website, the Facebook event, or call 416 944-1740;5.
2018-08-23
Toronto: Nightwood Theatre presents six new plays at the 2018 Groundswell Festival September 24-30