The Patrick Conner Award was established to celebrate the life and work of Patrick Conner (1964–2012) a Toronto-based activist, actor, director and a champion of ethical food systems. This award recognizes someone who, like Patrick, works to change the world through their practice. It recognizes a person who is passionate and dedicated to their practice and who is at a defining stage in their life where the award would make a significant impact. The award comes with a cash prize of $3,500.

It was quite an exciting afternoon yesterday on the steps of The Theatre Centre! Mayor Tory and Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão presented The Theatre Centre with a $200,000 cheque, through a Section 37 Community Benefit, honouring the city’s commitment to The Theatre Centre’s Capital Campaign.

“Councillor Bailão has always been an enthusiastic supporter of The Theatre Centre’s efforts to have a permanent home in West Queen West,” said The Theatre Centre’s Artistic Director Aislinn Rose. “I know from our former Artistic Director Franco Boni that this support has been integral to the campaign’s success, and I’m thrilled that Mayor Tory was able to join her to make this contribution. I look forward to continuing to foster this important relationship, while advocating for the needs of artists in our community.”

About The Theatre Centre’s $6.2 million Carnegie Library Capital Project
Thirty-three years of a nomadic existence came to an end for The Theatre Centre in 2012 when it gained tenancy to a City-owned former Carnegie library at 1115 Queen Street West. Before it could occupy the building, however, it needed to undertake major renovations to transform the interior into a unique living arts facility and restore the building to its original function as a place of public use and cultural significance.

With seed funding from the Metcalf Foundation and strong support from all three levels of Government, the company launched a private fundraising campaign and broke ground in October 2012. Eighteen months and much hard work later, the building had been transformed into a state-of-the-art theatre and cultural hub, and was officially opened as the permanent home of The Theatre Centre in March 2014.

The Theatre Centre’s Capital Campaign closed in November 2016, with significant support from both public funders and private donors, including $500,000 from philanthropist Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain who named The Theatre Centre’s mainspace after former Artistic Director Franco Boni.

We’ve had a pretty big year here at The Theatre Centre in 2018/19. We celebrated 40 years as a company, and 5 years in our new home. We also said goodbye to our long-time General & Artistic Director, Franco Boni. Having worked so closely with Franco over the last 5 years, I’m sad to have lost my partner-in-crime, but I am truly excited about this next phase ahead.

For me, taking on the role of General & Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre is a huge honour and privilege, and a responsibility to our community. I look forward to this opportunity to carry our vision forward, to build upon our solid foundation, and to explore The Theatre Centre’s enormous potential. I hope to always be guided by our team’s shared principle of generosity.

Throughout this time of transition, our commitment to artists and to community has never wavered. As we prepare to close out 2018/19, I ask you to please consider making a donation to help us finish the year strong.

When you give to The Theatre Centre, your support goes directly to the artists and community members who are at the heart of everything we do. Now, when you donate, your support will go even further. Our Board of Directors will be matching donations up to $10,000 until June 30th, so give now and double your impact!

Finally, stay tuned for an upcoming invitation to join us for a meal in July (because everything great happens with food), where we’ll announce our 2019/20 year of programming. I hope you can join us!

Thank you for your support.

Aislinn Rose
Artistic Director, The Theatre Centre

The Board of Directors of The Theatre Centre is pleased to announce the appointment of Aislinn Rose as General and Artistic Director following an extensive search which attracted a number of talented candidates from a variety of backgrounds. Rose will assume the role on May 27, 2019.

Rose has been working at The Theatre Centre since May 2014 as General Manager and was named Creative Producer in 2017. Prior to joining The Theatre Centre, Rose had strong experience as an independent producer and theatre-maker working with companies across Toronto, including the Luminato and SummerWorks festivals. During her time with Luminato, Rose produced Pina Bausch’s Kontakthof, Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno – Live on Stage, Feng Yi Ting directed by Atom Egoyan, and Ronnie Burkett’s The Daisy Theatre, among others.

In her time at The Theatre Centre, she has focused on producing and supporting new work from resident artists, collaborating with national and international touring companies, and solidifying the company’s reputation as an international live arts incubator and presenter. Rose has a record of building deep relationships with artists over a long period of time including Liza Balkan (Out the Window) and Adam Lazarus (The Art of Building a Bunker and Daughter). In 2018, Aislinn spent 5 weeks at CanadaHub in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a touring producer of internationally acclaimed Daughter, representing the work publicly, and building on future touring opportunities for the show. Most recently, Rose has been working one-on-one as Creative Producer with artist Ian Kamau through several creation periods on his project Loss.

The Search Committee was particularly impressed by Rose’s passion for, and her deep and articulate understanding of, the mission and strengths of The Theatre Centre. She is a skilled producer who demonstrates an ability to identify what a work in progress needs and how to develop it. Her thoughtful and purposeful leadership style will ensure stability while delivering continued success for the company as new ideas are implemented. The Board is excited to begin this new phase at The Theatre Centre, working with Rose to build on the success of The Theatre Centre’s five pillars of activity (creating, producing, presenting, moving and sharing) and to strengthen and broaden the impact within the communities being served.

Her appointment as General and Artistic Director follows the departure of Franco Boni to join Vancouver’s PuSH Festival as Artistic and Executive Director. On learning of Rose’s appointment, Boni stated:

“I could not be more overjoyed with the announcement of Aislinn as the new General and Artistic Director of The Theatre Centre. She has been a courageous collaborator, a constant friend, and the fiercest advocate for artists in the city. I’m so excited to see how her leadership changes The Theatre Centre and the country.” – Franco Boni

Having worked with Rose as a producer on the 2017 production of Butcher at The Theatre Centre, Soulpepper Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha noted, “when Aislinn believes in an artist she gives her all to support them. She has a great eye for talent and a real commitment to community building. So excited for what she will bring to the city.”

Aislinn Rose says:

“I’ve had the incredible privilege over the last number of years to travel internationally with work supported by, and created at The Theatre Centre. I’m looking forward to building upon these successes and growing the international profile of the organization, and the artists making work with us. It’s a huge endeavor, requiring some real dreaming, but I have my eyes on some incredible international companies to partner and share practices with, as we each work with our communities to invent the future. I could not have asked for a greater mentor than Franco Boni, and I am so honoured to have this opportunity to carry our shared vision forward, to build upon a solid foundation, and to explore our enormous potential.”

Board Chair Lindy Cowan expressed her thanks to the Search Committee for their time, insight and commitment to the search process. The Search Committee comprised board members Lindy Cowan (Chair), Richard Mortimer (Past-Chair), Tenny Nigoghossian and Shameena Shraya and community members Nova Bhattacharya and Ric Knowles.

Today, The Theatre Centre’s Board of Directors and staff announced that Artistic Director Franco Boni will be leaving to assume the role of Artistic and Executive Director at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver commencing June 1, 2019.

Franco joined The Theatre Centre as Artistic Director in 2003. Over the last 16 years, Franco’s vision, generosity, leadership, and commitment to the arts and community building has had a profound impact on the organization.

“Franco’s departure marks the end of a remarkable era for The Theatre Centre. The company is well-placed to take advantage of his legacy of growth and success. In that same spirit of generosity that the company extends to artists and to the wider community, we extend to Franco our support in this next phase of his career.” – Lindy Cowan, Board Chair.

Franco’s work at The Theatre Centre is notable for his focus on the development of new work and the long-term incubation of many different voices and projects. Residency, which took its current form in 2005, has supported an unprecedented number of artists and ideas and continues to cultivate an environment that assists artistic risk takers. The unique structure of Residency has resulted in the creation of over 25 works which have garnered close to 40 Dora-nominations and 12 wins, with Outstanding Production awards in both Dance (what it’s like) and Independent Theatre (This is the Point).

“I will be forever grateful to the many artists, staff, board members, donors and neighbours of West Queen West who have travelled with me on this journey at The Theatre Centre. Today, I want to celebrate those triumphant and quiet moments of joy: the opening of our new building; the early morning phone call from a board member who said ‘let’s make it happen!”, despite the impossibility of the task; that time when you are feeling lonely in a crowded room and you turn around to see a familiar face, an artist who shares a moving story of redemption as a result of the support they received; a generous and caring note from a mentor on the eve of a very big day; the night of the Dora Mavor Moore awards where Residency artists received the top theatre and dance awards; a recent community meal where The Theatre Centre has suddenly transformed into your living room at home. As I reflect on the past 16 years, I can see clearly now, how times of joy have far outpaced those of struggle. As we celebrate The Theatre Centre’s 40th anniversary and the 5th year of operations in our building, let us revel in a place that has valued process, invention, debate, imagination, generosity and above all else questions, not answers.” – Franco Boni

While Franco’s working philosophy is grounded in collaboration and a desire to follow the needs of the artist, during his tenure he also directed two new works: Alanna Mitchell’s Sea Sick which continues to tour nationally and internationally, and Jani Lauzon’s Prophecy Fog which will be produced as the final show in The Theatre Centre’s 40th Anniversary year and will close out Franco’s time in Toronto.

Franco was instrumental in spearheading a $6M Capital Campaign to secure a permanent home for The Theatre Centre at 1115 Queen Street West The campaign closed with a generous gift of $500,000 from the Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain and saw the Mainspace theatre renamed The Franco Boni Theatre. That McCain chose to dedicate the space to the visionary who made all of this possible is unique in the community and is an acknowledgement of Franco’s extraordinary leadership over the last 15 years.

Prior to moving into its new home in 2014 the company had moved ten times; having a permanent home would mark a new chapter in the history of the organization. As a steering committee member of Active 18 (a local West Queen West community association, which advocates for retaining the cultural fabric of the neighbourhood) Franco was committed to expanding the mandate of The Theatre Centre to include a focus on civic engagement and community building.

That ethos can be seen in the café/bar, a space which has become a staple in the neighbourhood and was a priority for Franco during the renovations. “We grew beyond our function as an arts venue. Instead of opening our doors at 8PM for show times we opened at 8AM; we hired a baker to bake fresh goods; we offered free wifi and comfortable seating and invited people from our community to just hang out. We have embraced our new role as a cultural hub and have become a place where city building, civic engagement, and performance intersect.” – Franco Boni

Other significant initiatives include: the Condo Project, a partnership between The Theatre Centre and the Bohemian Embassy Lofts to engage community members, welcome them into the space, and invite them to make it their own; the Syrian Newcomer Initiative which saw Theatre Centre staff working with three Syrian Newcomers to provide Canadian work experience; and the Tracy Wright Global Archive (in honour of the late Tracy Wright), a program designed to send an artist with a burning question to engage deeply with communities and locations across the globe.

Reflecting on their 5 years of working closely together, Creative Producer Aislinn Rose said, “I’m thrilled for Franco. I’ve always thought ‘if not at The Theatre Centre, then Franco should be at PuSh’. He is such a champion of artists who push against the boundaries of form, and of works that inspire a sense of curiosity and adventurousness in their audiences – and those are the artists we find at PuSh, coming from Canada and around the world. At the same time, I’m losing my partner in crime! I’m going to miss our impassioned conversations, and weekend phone call commiserations. PuSh is getting one of the very best.”

The Board of Directors and staff at The Theatre Centre and the many artists, creators, and community members who have worked with Franco over the years, wish him all the best in this new endeavour.

The Theatre Centre will continue its commitment as a live arts hub and incubator as well as growing its role in the Queen West community. The Board has begun a process in its search for a new leader and more details will be announced soon.

In October 2017, Alexis started working at the Theatre Centre on the Condo Project. As part of the reporting process, Alexis is writing about her experience. Check out this piece from earlier in the project where Alexis wrestles with the question “how the fuck are we relevant?”

Since The Theatre Centre moved to this building a few years ago, thousands of folks of all ages and backgrounds have moved into condos and started living out their lives all around us. Every day when we come into work, we’re taken out of focusing only on art, theatre, Equity fees and contracts and are reminded that lots of people are living around us and might not really care about what is going on in the mainspace, but they do need coffee and probably a place to hang out. It made us wonder: “sure, we hold a place in the arts community but what do we mean to our literal neighbours?”

The time when we could simply invite the masses to our offerings has passed. This practice of show-invite-as-outreach serves only to reinforce this idea of art and the cultural space belonging to the artist as ‘other’. It separates what goes on in that space from the lives of the folks who live beside it and says “the privilege of being invited to join us is enough art for you.”

It is our job to embrace the individuals who live around us and find a way to be a part of their everydays; we can’t just endlessly lament their lack of engagement from our meeting tables. Lyn Gardner states in her The Stage UK opinion piece—“It follows that if art embraces the community and is part of everyday lives, then the community will embrace art, and fight for it when it is under threat.” As a publicly funded cultural space, do we not kinda belong directly to our communities and doesn’t this mean we’re mandated to be responding to their ideas, passions and interests?

The ramifications of years of this PUBLIC AS AUDIENCE ONLY mindset means that people seem scared of engaging with art and artists. There is an intangible tension from the public upon entering artistic/cultural spaces—a fear of misstep, failure, embarrassment and that any mistake will ultimately reveal them as the “non-artists” they are. Our neighbours hesitate to grab a coffee at The Theatre Centre café and instead go across the street because of the art connected to us. “It didn’t feel like it belonged to me” said one of our neighbours, when I asked if they had ever come to the café before. “BUT IT DOES!!!” I wanted to shout back.

So how the f*@k do we become part of their everyday lives?

That question has a unique answer for each company, artist and practice but the first step for us is The Condo Project. The Condo Project is a partnership between The Theatre Centre and Bohemian Embassy condos just down the street. We asked them, essentially, to allow us to try and become vital to them. To let us into their lives to experiment with community-interest led initiatives and events and be a sounding board for what works and what doesn’t in new forms of cultural engagement.

So far, so wild.

In early October, Aislinn and Franco met with a few residents to start a discussion about what the project could be. The story has nearly become legend in the short weeks we’ve been telling it but the story goes there was only one idea that everyone not only agreed upon, but was excited for; celebrating the Bohemian concierge staff Bill & Joey.

The Theatre Centre, January 21, 2017. Performance artist Jess Dobkin breaks into a run as the vintage disco beats of KC and the Sunshine Band fill the theatre. Dobkin is running around and around, circling the seated audience who look on in rapt amazement. She is running determinedly, running relentlessly, running to the point of sheer exhaustion. Her body is a moving blur as she zooms in and out of the nostalgic haze of a fog machine, in and out of rioting neon lights. “Are We There Yet?” she calls out again and again to the viewers, and our eyes dart as we try to follow the flickering artist’s body, as we catch up to the rapid succession of images placing us inside something like a spinning Zoetrope.

The question, “Are We There Yet?” is the refrain of an impatient child on the never-ending car trip. It is also the question brazenly posed by those fighting for more equitable futures, futures glimpsed but ever-receding, burnished stroboscopically on the imagination even as they disappear from view.

By Tanja Jacobs 

It’s a long time since I sat in the auditorium after a show with so many people who didn’t want to leave.

Daughter, created by Adam Lazarus with his collaborators Ann-Marie Kerr, Melissa D’Agostino and Jiv Parasram is performed by Lazarus, solo. The first expectation of the show comes via the poster: an ultra-modern portrait; ironic, grim, hilarious. A strong white man defeated by a little girl’s utter disregard.

The next thing to look forward to comes by the thrilling pre-show set design – everyone’s favourite – a wooden stool, a microphone on a stand, a glass of water, a sexy lighting state.

My heart soars: these are the emblems of subversion; an intelligent comedian will say shit that slays us, and all of it will be true.

When Adam Lazarus enters dressed in clothes favoured by a five-year-old girl – tutu, headband, fairy wings – and promptly takes the stool, microphone and mike-stand and stashes them off-stage, we’re meant to understand that all of our expectations will be subverted.

He is disarmingly authentic; centred, present, relaxed. He’s going to be himself; talking to us, sans microphone, for real, about domestic life at a level of detailed attention that heterosexual men mostly don’t bother with.

In conjunction with the Library Gallery Exhibition (January 9–March 12, 2017), we sat down with Sook Jung to talk about her practice and her animation, Father’s Story (2016).