Under artistic director Matthew Jocelyn, Toronto’s largest theatre is reconfiguring its shows to reflect our changing makeup.
“What struck me is the huge demographic change in the past 30 years, with something like 50 per cent of people not having been born in Canada. What, I ask myself, does it mean to be a Canadian in Toronto?
“I want Canadian Stage to reflect that idea: that we are a home for productions and people from around the world. I encourage the porousness between the institution and the world we live in.”
One way he’s doing this is by programming the work of artists from across the country we rarely see here and who have an international reputation. They include Robert Lepage’s The Andersen Project (October 21-30) Vancouver director Kim Collier’s production of Studies In Motion (November 22-December 18) and La La La Human Steps’ Edouard Lock’s dance work Untitled (May 26-June 1).
Jocelyn has a great admiration for Quebec artists, and one of the shows he’s bringing to town is the National Arts Centre’s production of Michel Tremblay’s Saint Carmen Of The Main, directed by the wonderful Peter Hinton and featuring the Centre’s resident acting company (February 7-March 5).
The always innovative Jennifer Tarver directs Scottish playwright David Greig’s The Cosmonaut’s Last Message To The Woman He Once Loved In The Former Soviet Union (April 16-May 14).
“We also want to shine an annual spotlight on a country, language or geographic area that has a strong representation in Toronto,” says Jocelyn. This year’s focus is on Italy (March 15-26).
“The four Italian theatre and dance companies we’re bringing in are explorers, artists pushing boundaries, playing with tradition and recognized as being at the forefront of their respective art forms.”
