2016 –17theatre for everyone

made by women

MOUTHPIECEOctober 21 – November 6, 2016

QUIVEROctober 21 – November 6, 2016

UNHOLYJanuary 15 – February 5, 2017

CENTURY SONGApril 12 – 29, 2017

groundswell unplugged September 19 – 24, 2016

The Lawyer ShowJune 2017

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SEE YOU AT THE THEATRE

season pass

under 30season pass

$8034%

$60TO ORDER your season passCALL 416.944.1740 x 4VISIT nightwoodtheatre.net

Mouthpiece, Quiver, Unholy & Century Song

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Brochure Design by Kinnon Elliott. nightwoodtheatre.net

Prices do not include HST.

be the early birdOrder your pass by July 1, 2016 and be entered in a draw to win a Season Pass for Nightwood’s 2017-18 Season!

Cover L to R: Maha Babeker, Harsharan Sidhu, Kelly Thornton, Beth Brown, Michelle Alexander, Naz Afsahi, Taylor Trowbridge, Victoria Laberge. Photo by Carmen Cheung. carmencheungphoto.com

As Canada’s leading producer of contemporary theatre created by women, Nightwood has spent nearly four decades igniting a vital conversation about women’s lived experiences, and providing our audiences with provocative, entertaining and socially relevant theatre.

Our 2016-17 season is no exception, with a playbill that represents some of the most dynamic female voices working in theatre today.

As we champion the female creator this season, we focus our lens even tighter to the creator/performer, where every author steps off the page and onto the stage.

Here, we present four stories that examine what has been handed down to us as women – from our mothers; from the faith woven into our culture; and from the history of our evolution with each passing decade. We are not interested in dwelling in the past, but rather exploring it, challenging it, and using it to propel us into a future that feels more authentic and our own.

Our mothers may be imperfect; feminism in religion may be highly questionable; and our history as women has certainly served up countless challenges; but through looking deeply into these elemental influences in our lives, we can choose what to honour and what to put aside…and therein find our personal truth.

Join us for a journey to face the titans of our past, and to arrive at a new understanding of the shoulders we stand on, of ourselves, and of what it means to be alive.

Welcome to Nightwood’s 37th season.

Kelly Thornton Beth BrownArtistic Director Managing Director

Created and Performed by Norah Sadava & Amy NostbakkenDirected and Composed by Amy NostbakkenA Nightwood Theatre presentation of a Quote Unquote Collective productionPresented as a double bill with Quiver

A harrowing, humorous and heart-wrenching journey into the female psyche. In the wake of her mother’s death, Mouthpiece follows one woman, for one day, as she tries to find her voice. Interweaving a cappella harmonies, dissonance, text and physicality, two performers express the inner conflict that exists within a modern woman’s head: the push and the pull, the past and the present, the progress and the regression.

mouthpiece

october 21 – november 6, 2016at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

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“I loved this piece. I loved the creativity of it; the emotional power of it and the movement that spoke volumes in silence.” Lynn Slotkin

Written and Performed by Anna ChattertonDirected by Andrea DonaldsonPresented by Nightwood TheatrePresented as a double bill with mouthpiece

A single mother and a rebellious teenage daughter collide when a love interest comes between them, leaving 14 year old Maddie caught in the crossfire. Armed with little more than a microphone, laptop and vocal processor, writer-performer Anna Chatterton crafts and controls a sonic landscape in a masterful performance. A dark, delicious comedy about a passionate and imperfect family.

quiver

october 21 – november 6, 2016at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

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WINNERtwo DoraAwards

Written by Diane FlacksDirected by Kelly ThorntonProduced by Nightwood Theatre

Set in a fictional live public debate that asks, “should women abandon religion?” Unholy is about the complex intersection of religion and misogyny, and the conflict between ideology and desire. As four female panelists face-off in a provocative battle of wits, passion outside the debate fuels fire at the podium, leaving the women, their moderator, and the entire audience to a spiral into free fall.

“…Flacks is being hailed everywhere as an exceptional talent.” Toronto Star

unholy

january 15 – february 5, 2017at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Created by Neema Bickersteth, with Kate Alton and Ross MansonPerformed by Neema BickerstethNightwood Theatre presents a Volcano/Moveable Beast Collective production

Century Song is a live performance hybrid. Inspired in part by Virginia Woolf’s Orlando and Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens, Bickersteth seamlessly melds song and movement to inhabit a century of women whose identities are contained within her own. This exquisitely unique show features music by some of the past 100 years’ most adventurous composers, as well as projections by Germany’s fettFilm – extraordinary visuals that bring to life major art movements of the 20th century. Both whimsical and riveting, Century Song is a wordless chronicle of the age, built from art.

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april 12 – 29, 2017at Crow’s Theatre

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“Century Song is an unforgettable multimedia journey…a must-see.” now magazine

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Our popular festival of new works by women returns! This week long event will include public readings of provocative new work by Playwright-in-Residence Anna Chatterton and brand new plays from our 2015-16 Write from the Hip program playwrights: Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Jijo Quayson, Marcia Walker, Meara Tubman-Broeren and Tabitha Keast. Facilitated by Andrea Donaldson, Write from the Hip is a year-long script development program designed to support new writers toward the completion of a full-length play. Groundswell also has its very own industry series that includes panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. Join us for this full and exciting week!

Unleash your creativity!

New this year, the Metcalf Foundation has awarded Nightwood Theatre a grant to develop a comprehensive corporate training program inspiring leadership and innovation through the arts. Through this initiative, we want to expose the business world to the artistic process, allowing individuals to step outside of their comfort zone and awaken their imagination to abstract and new possibilities. For more information on our Creativity Gym contact Michelle Alexander at michelle@nightwoodtheatre.net or 416.944.1740 x7.

SEPTEMBER 19 – 24, 2016At the Ernest Balmer Studio,The Historic Distillery District

JUNE 2017

THE LAWYER SHOWNightwood’s annual fundraising event enters its eighth year!

Under the tutelage of professional directors, coaches and crew, 30+ members of the legal community will take to the stage in the spring of 2017 while raising vital funds for Nightwood Theatre. Since its inception in 2010, The Lawyer Show has been an unprecedented success, attracting lawyers from all sectors, media attention from prestigious publications, as well as high-profile sponsorships from some of the top players in Toronto’s legal community. The revenue generated through ticket sales, sponsorships, ad sales and silent auction go directly toward enhancing Nightwood’s productions, mentorship initiatives and training programs.

The cast of the 2015 Lawyer Show. Photo by Rainer Soeatrop.

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creativity gymAndrea Donaldson

Aviva Armour-Ostroff

Tabitha KeastJijo Quayson

Playwright-in-Residence Anna Chatteron

Meara Tubman-Broeren Marcia Walker

We rely on the generosity of donors like you to help us produce dynamic, empowering pieces of theatre.

Become part of the Nightwood Theatre family by supporting our 37th season with a tax-deductible donation. When you donate to Nightwood, you support some of the most talented female theatre professionals in the country and help usher in a new generation of emerging artists.

We are pleased to provide our supporters with a range of excellent benefits. Enjoy exclusive sneak peaks of our upcoming work; join us behind the scenes for rehearsals and backstage tours; and

celebrate with us at private receptions at opening nights. We invite you to join the community of people who understand the importance of the theatre that Nightwood creates. Our impact is greater because of donors like you.

For more information on how to support Nightwood Theatre, please visit www.nightwoodtheatre.net or contact Victoria Laberge, Development Coordinator, at development@nightwoodtheatre.net or 416-944-1740 x5.

mouthpiecequiver & unholyBuddies in Bad Times Theatre Mainspace12 Alexander StreetBox Office 416.975.8555

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century songCrow’s Theatre345 Carlaw AvenueBox Office 647.341.7390

groundswellThe Ernest Balmer Studio9 Trinity Street, 3rd Floor, Studio 315The Historic Distillery DistrictBox Office 416.944.1740 x4

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Join the family and enhance your theatre experience Nightwood is a registered charitable organization

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L to R: Beth Brown, Melanie McNeill, Astrid Janson. nightwoodtheatre.net

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Nightwood TheatreThe Historic Distillery District15 Case Goods Lane Studio 306 Toronto ON M5A 3C4

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