Western Ontario Drama League |
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- Update from the President of WODL
- Community Theatre in the WODL Region
- New Curtains for the Hanover Civic Theatre
- Sound Discs Give Away
- Off the Wall - July Workshops
- New Plays from the Playwrights Canada Press
- Playwrights Guild of Canada - Canadian Play Outlet
- If you are producing Canadian Plays this Season - Check This Out
- Is your WODL Membership Information Up-to-date?
- Dates for your Diary
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Update from the President of WODL |
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Hello from southern Vermont where Rob and I are enjoying visiting with friends and watching the dancing at the Marlboro Morris Ale - for the first time since 2019. I hope for all of us that this summer brings us opportunities to visit and travel safely. |
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WODL in 2022-2023 and Beyond
WODL AGM 2022
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Sunday, August 7, 2022, time to be determined. |
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Zoom and the Palace Theatre in London, ON. You can attend in person or via Zoom. |
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London Community Players. |
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WODL TRAVELLING ADJUDICATIONS 2022-2023 |
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We anticipate the travelling adjudications will start mid-October (after Thanksgiving) and continue into April 2023. |
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Wherever member groups requesting an adjudication perform. |
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To avoid confusion with the traditional Festivals with member group productions. |
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Victoria Day Long Weekend (May 20-23, 2023). |
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A theatre weekend with workshop(s) and an Awards Gala based on the travelling adjudications. |
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TBD. We are looking for a central location near summer theatre with reasonable hotel rates. |
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Please reach out to your area VPs to contribute to our decision making. The contact information for the area VPs is:
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COMMUNITY THEATRE IN ONTARIO
The presidents of the Ontario community theatre regions (QUONTA, EODL, ACT-CO and WODL) continue to connect through email every few weeks.
In our latest exchange, we shared information about current activity and what might be happening in our regions in 2022-2023. Member groups in all regions are once again welcoming audiences to their productions this spring, and are busy planning for their 2022-2023 seasons as are each of the regions. I have included what I sent on behalf of WODL.
QUONTA: Sault Theatre Workshop is planning a One Act Festival on June 10, 11, and 12 with John P. Kelly as the workshop leader. In Gore Bay, Norm Foster’s On A First Name Basis and Brian Friel’s Molly Sweeney are being performed in repertory so that tourists can see both shows during the week. QUONTA will hold their first face-to-face AGM in September and are considering a 2022-2023 Festival.
EODL: The EODL One Act Festival will run for the first time since 2019 on the weekend of November 4-6, 2022 at the Academy Theatre in Lindsay with Janet Kish adjudicating. They are planning a Full Length Play Festival for 2022-2023 with Caroline Smith adjudicating. Most recently their full-length Festival has been a travelling Festival, which runs from October to March. The Festival may be extended to cover a longer period this year. I shared our plans for travelling adjudications and a WODL Reunion Gala. The EODL 2022 AGM is on June 18 at the Domino Theatre in Kingston.
ACT-CO: A few groups were able to mount productions throughout 2021-2022 following provincial mandates. When theatre finally reopened for good, a few groups had to cancel performances because members of the cast and crew had COVID. Several groups went to full capacity seating, with a couple dropping mask mandates. However, most groups kept the mask mandate and offered two types of performances. Full capacity or social distancing at 50% capacity, which was in response to feedback from their patrons. The general feeling from audiences was that they were glad to be back in the theatre. Most groups are continuing to hold board meetings via Zoom, although there are some brave souls who are planning to hold board and general meetings in person. ACT-CO will continue to hold Zoom meetings, as there is greater participation from the groups. ACT-CO offered workshops to our members as well as peer-to-peer discussion town halls. ACT-CO is not planning a festival or a gala in 2022-2023
WODL: Some groups were able to welcome audiences in fall 2021 before Omicron. Many groups have welcomed audiences since restrictions were lifted in early 2022. Some groups are operating at full capacity, others at reduced capacity. Masks are encouraged in many groups. Until now, WODL has met via Zoom. WODL offered a series of virtual workshops since the pandemic began and are planning to offer both virtual and in-person workshops in the future. A couple of groups were able to offer in-person workshops this spring. Beginning with the June 2022 board meeting, WODL is planning hybrid meeting (in person & Zoom). The June board meeting will give us an opportunity to “practice on ourselves” before holding our first hybrid AGM at the Palace Theatre in London and over Zoom. We are hopeful that the hybrid format will allow for greater participation and still give us the opportunity to meet in person as scheduling and weather permit. We are planning travelling adjudications from mid-October 2022 to the end of April 2023 with a “WODL Reunion Gala 2023” on the long May weekend 2023. The Reunion Gala will give us an opportunity to meet in person and celebrate community theatre across WODL. We hope to include a theatre experience and/or workshops — we’re in the very early planning stage.
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Community Theatre in the WODL Region |
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A good place to find out about what other WODL groups are doing is the WODL Facebook page, WODL | Facebook. Most of the announcements are at fairly short notice, so check in often!
If your group is putting on an event that you would like included in the May newsletter, please send the information to communications@wodl.on.ca.
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New Curtains for the Hanover Civic Theatre |
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New curtains for the Hanover Civic Theatre made possible by a Community Foundation Grey Bruce Capital Grant
Community Foundation Grey Bruce has granted $10,000 to Hanover Community Players for the purchase of stage curtains in the newly renovated Civic Theatre.
“Supporting Arts and Culture creates the thriving and vital community that we all enjoy,” Says Jen Legge on behalf of the Foundation pictured with Jenn Hillier and Tim Eaton at opening night of Splitsville.
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I have been out of touch with theatre for some time now but at one time I was a Theatre Ontario Adjudicator who served in every region in Ontario, but particularly WODL where I actually directed some plays in my youthful days.
I am cleaning house and have about ten discs containing sound effects, background music, marches, etc. which would likely help one or more of the theatres in WODL. I will give these discs away. If you are interested in them, please contact me at belmont@golden.net.
I hope the coming season will produce more superb shows and large audiences in WODL.
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Off the Wall - July Workshops |
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By Michele Boniface, Chair, Off the Wall Stratford Artists Alliance, mboniface@cyg.net
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Hashtags: #stratfordoffthewall #theatreproduction #backstage
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New Plays from the Playwrights Canada Press |
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Check out these new books from Playwrights Canada Press!
A man searches for absolution while presenting a family memoir.
A multi-layered story of anxiety, mortality, creativity, and control.
A historical comedy about women’s power via the Canadian Fur Trade.
Stories of six Asian Canadian women driven by their need for money.
Racial and queer politics collide, separating two friends.
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Playwrights Guild of Canada - Canadian Play Outlet |
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Every month you can take a look at the newest unpublished and published plays available!
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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.
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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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Deadline for submissions for the September newsletter |
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WODL Annual General Meeting, London |
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Victoria Day Long Weekend, May 20-22, 2023 |
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WODL Festival 2024, Leamington |
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This newsletter was prepared by:
Tricia Ward
Communications coordinator
WODL
Copyright © Western Ontario Drama League 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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