WODL AGM - Sunday 22 July 2018 - Elmira
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You are invited to attend the AGM of the Western Ontario Drama League.
Day: Sunday 22 July 2018
Time: 11:00 am
Place: Elmira Theatre Company, 76 Howard Ave., Elmira, N3B 2Z7
All members in good standing with a WODL member group are entitled to vote at this General Meeting.
Topics for discussion include:
- Neutral Gender Awards for Best Performance in Lead and Support roles
- Timing and frequency of the Annual General Meeting and the Delegates Meetings
We want to hear from you, so come along!
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WODL Board Needs an Area VP for Elgin-Middlesex-Perth-Oxford
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The area VP for Elgin-Middlesex-Perth-Oxford, Laura Jean McCann, needs someone to share this board position for the 2018/2019 year. Laura Jean is away for part of the year.
So, if you live in this area and would like to get your feet wet working with the WODL member groups in this area, we'd like to hear from you.
Click here to get a nomination form for this position.
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Festival 2018-2019 Adjudication Application Timeline
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If you want to have your group's play adjudicated, these are the key dates in the application process for the 2018-2019 season.
Now: The application for adjudication form for 2018/19 adjudications is posted on the WODL website:
www.wodl.on.ca. Simply download it and return it to Ken Menzies, the WODL adjudications chair, at the email given on the form by September 14.
Mid-August: Snail mail letters are sent out to the address of the theatre or key person listed on the WODL membership list. These letters ask you to apply for an adjudication. An application form is enclosed. The letter also reminds you that an electronic copy of the form is available on the website. Electronic forms make my life easier, so I do what I can to encourage people to use them.
Early September: An electronic reminder to apply for adjudication is sent to the email of the theatre or key person listed on the WODL membership list.
Mid-September: You will receive a request form the WODL treasurer for your annual dues and your adjudication fee. Please send the requested money to the treasurer. If for some reason an adjudication cannot be fitted into the schedule, your adjudication fee will be refunded.
Friday September 14: Last day for being considered with full priority for all application dates. On this weekend I produce a calendar of adjudication dates. The winter schedule tends to be "tight": all dates, or almost all dates, in late January and February up to Friday, February 15, 2019, the last adjudication, tend to get filled. If I am forced to choose which application to accommodate, then applications for adjudication in-Festival have priority over applications for out-of-Festival adjudications. So far, I have not had to do this or toss a coin to decide which group gets an adjudication and which does not. However, there may be a first time!
Friday Sept 14 has been picked as it is slightly over three weeks before the first possible adjudication date: the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
September 15 and 16: I run the proposed schedule of dates by the preliminary adjudicator, Trevor Smith Diggins. Together we tweak it. As soon as the fall schedule is agreed, I send out emails to the groups being adjudicated in the fall. This email defines when their adjudication will be, and what they need to do to ensure a successful adjudication. This email will have several attachments (e.g. a photo of the adjudicator which can be used for publicity purposes; a bio of the adjudicator; the adjudication rules which can be forwarded to all cast and crew).
Once the fall schedule is agreed with the pre-Festival adjudicator, we work on the winter schedule. Once this is agreed, emails go to all groups having winter adjudications. Everybody should know their adjudication date by Tuesday, September 18 at the latest.
September 16 on: Late applications for adjudication are received and accommodated if possible. Accommodation requires a date being available when no adjudication is already scheduled and the adjudicator being available. If you apply late, then look on the WODL website for the adjudication schedule. This will tell you what dates are already taken. While late applications are accepted if possible, to get your first choice of date, or as close to it as fits into the schedule, application on or before the September 14 deadline is advised.
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Festival 2018-2019 Travelling Adjudicator - Trevor Smith Diggins
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Trevor has been a positive force in Ontario theatres over the last five decades as an accomplished actor, director, producer, play-polisher, and workshop leader. He has earned two Best Director awards and a total of seven Best Actor awards including two from Theatre Ontario -
The Elephant Man (1987) and
Cosi (2003) - plus three from Western Ontario Drama League (WODL) festivals.
As an accredited member of the Theatre Ontario Talent Bank, Trevor has served as festival adjudicator for ACT-CO Festivals in the comedy (2016) and drama (2017) categories. He has also adjudicated three times for Sears Drama Festivals, and provided play-polishing workshops for numerous theatre companies in Ontario.
Trevor is a founding director of several independent theatre companies including 4thWall Productions, Downright Productions, and The Downtown Theatre Project. Notable onstage turns include Robin in
The Wild Guys, Allan in
Harvest, Norman in
The Dresser, Ray in
Little Voice, Barney in
Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and Hiram in the Toronto premiere of
The Normal Heart. Trevor also appeared in the Canadian premiere of
Ladies' Night, the full-monty play. Directing credits include
Noises Off, Calendar Girls (Best Director, Arthur Awards 2013),
Shirley Valentine,
Misery,
Steel Magnolias,
The House of Blue Leaves,
Little Voice,
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, and
Stepping Out.
Trevor has appeared in national TV spots and starred in the short feature
Jason's Dad (2013 Montreal World Film Festival). He has reviewed theatre and restaurants for three newspapers, writing a weekly column in
Nightlife for several years. In 2011, he stepped into the ballroom, winning the gold medal in
Dancing With the Stars, a fundraiser for cancer support.
When he's not inside a theatre, Trevor provides media training, performance coaching and communication strategy for corporate and government clients.
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News from Around the WODL Region
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While most theatre groups are taking the summer off to gear up for next season, you do have a few shows to check out in July!
From July 5-7, you can take in a series of three one act plays at Guelph Little Theatre's 2018 Ward One Acts. For $15 you can see How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, Pawn, and Three.
Elora Community Theatre is presenting As You Like It at Bissel Park in Elora from July 6-15.
Looking ahead to August, on August 2, To celebrate Kincardine's reunion this summer, Kincardine Theatre Guild is mounting a production of Kincardine Calls under the direction of Stacey Millar. This musical, the story of the founding of Kincardine, was originally written by June Daniel and Ian Burbidge for the 1990 Reunion and has been performed in some form at each reunion since that time.
Please let me know if your group has something special coming up!
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This summer, while you are relaxing on the patio and sipping a cool lemonade, think about your community theatre. Are there backstage needs that Off the Wall can fulfill?
We offer one, two and four day weekend courses on several theatre needs, taught by highly skilled artists who are otherwise employed at the Stratford Festival. This fall, we are offering:
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OCTOBER 27: TIARA IN A DAY
Create a one-of-a-kind tiara that will sparkle, shine and bring out your inner royalty in this fun, one-day class. With the guidance of one of the Stratford Festival's experts on bijoux and jewellery, Tami MacDonald, explore the world of creating a fantastical theatrical tiara
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OCTOBER 13, 14: MASK MAKING
In this intensive, two-day course, participants learn to sculpt, construct and decorate theatrical masks using a variety of materials to create fantastical stage beings. Stratford Festival Prop Builder, Michelle Jamieson, will lead you through the process of development, from idea to completed mask.
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SEPTEMBER 22, 23: FAUX FOOD CREATION
Have a delectable time creating tasty looking inedible treats, dinners and hors d'oeuvres in this two-day intensive class. Create a multitude of fake foods that will trick any connoisseur into taking a bite. (We don't recommend that!) Stratford Festival Prop Maker Michelle Jamieson will guide you through the process of fashioning many different faux courses from idea to presentation.
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WIG MAKING
FALL SESSION 1: November 24 and 25 and December 8 and 9
FALL SESSION 2: January 5, 6 and January 19, 20, 2019
In this popular four-day workshop conducted over two weekends, learn the basics of wig creation, modification and dressing. Under the expert guidance of one of the best Stratford Festival wig makers, Erica Croft, increase your skills and learn some amazing techniques in this age-old craft.
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See stratfordoffthewall.com/courses-workshops for further details about each course, including costs.
Our courses are a long-term investment in personal skill development and the success of your community theatre. They are taught by the best, with low student-teacher ratios by instructors who encourage students to do projects that meet their own needs. If you need to make a tiara, faux food, a mask or a wig for an upcoming production, find out how with Off the Wall!
In some circumstances, Off the Wall can come to you!! Let's talk about doing a workshop at your theatre on a weekend. You might want to make it a regional event, by inviting other theatre groups. Call Off the Wall's Outreach Manager, Ron at 519.271.5302 or better yet, email him at [email protected].
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Off The Wall Summer Training - a Few Places Left
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There are still a few spaces left in Off the Wall's Summer Courses, including Millinery; Theatrical Carpentry (week 2); Advanced Scenic Art; Introductory Scenic Art; and Theatre Makeup.
There are also spaces in Setting the Scene, our best bargain.
From August 13 to 24, students will experience a variety of theatre skills, as you go on an adventure in museum display creation. Put on your conductor's hat as we create a Grand Trunk Railroad special - a near life-size train that will have a home in the Stratford Perth Museum. The skills that students learn from three of the finest theatre artists in Canada, Jeremy Cox, Kevin Kemp and Michelle Jamieson, will be immediately transferable to any community theatre situation. Full information, including costs, are at
https://www.stratfordoffthewall.com/courses-workshops
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Taking Your Training to New Heights at Theatre Ontario's Summer Theatre Intensive
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| By Brandon Moore , Community Theatre and Communications Manager at Theatre Ontario, [email protected] |
Spaces are still available in the Theatre Ontario Summer Theatre Intensive courses:
- Learning to Love Your Monologue with Peggy Coffey
- Stage Combat with Daniel Levinson (running August 5 to 10 in Stratford)
- The Right Direction with John P. Kelly
- Voice Bootcamp with Elley-Ray Hennessy
- Creation Lab with Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (running Aug 12 to 17 in Stratford).
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Playwrights Guild of Canada - Canadian Play Outlet
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The Canadian Play Outlet has launched its new site with over 2000 Canadian Plays right at your fingertips. Looking for something specific? Check out the curated Collections.
Every month you can take a look at the newest unpublished and published plays available!
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WODL now has a Twitter account,
@WODLtheatre.
If you do not have a twitter account, you can view the WODL tweets by clicking the
Twitter button on the main page of the
WODL website, or by clicking
here.
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If you are Producing Canadian Plays this Season - Check This Out
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The Playwrights Guild of Canada publicises productions of Canadian-written plays through its website,
www.playwrightsguild.ca.
PGC also publishes a list of theatre companies that have an all-Canadian season.
Click here
to obtain a nomination form for this list.
If you want to perform a Canadian play but cannot figure out where to obtain the amateur performance rights,
view this presentation from PGC.
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Theatre Ontario publishes an online list of current and upcoming productions by its member groups. To see what is on
click here.
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Is your WODL Membership Information Up-to-date?
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Are you on the board of a theatre group that belongs to WODL? If your group has:
- A new President
- New WODL delegates
- A new Treasurer
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| 22 July 2018 |
WODL AGM, Elmira |
| 14 September 2018 |
Deadline for submission of 2018/1019 Festival adjudication applications |
| 11 to 16 March 2019 |
WODL Festival 2019, Guelph |
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This newsletter was prepared by:
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Tricia Ward
Communications Coordinator
WODL |
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