Edmonton, AB - A new summer arts festival that emphasizes innovation in theatre will hit Edmonton this June. Presented by the University of Alberta's Department of Drama in partnership with FEST and the Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation, and generously sponsored by the Timms Theatre Innovation Fund, the new event, StageLab, will run June 10-29, 2011, at the TIMMS CENTRE for the ARTS. The festival features productions and readings of new work by Canadian playwrights and will be the end result of collaborative creation between department faculty members and other artists.
"The Drama Department at the University of Alberta is privileged to have some of the most talented practicing theatre artists in the country on its faculty," states Kathleen Weiss, Chair of the Department. "StageLab showcases the creative activity of our faculty in a professional setting and creates a unique context to share innovative ideas about theatre."
StageLab will also reinforce the mandate of the Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation (CCTC) to develop new work for the Canadian stage. While experimenting with ideas surrounding play creation, the CCTC facilitates dramaturgy that embraces innovative uses of media and interdisciplinary arts. The Centre also displays a commitment to reflecting Canada's diversity in its choices and to co-producing new work with partners like StageLab.
Festival events include showcase readings of two new plays, Life Without Secrets and Stalker: The Musical; workshops and performances as part of FEST; and Vice Versa, a clown show facilitated by Mike Kennard of Mump & Smoot fame. Forming the nucleus of StageLab are three fully-staged productions:
• Jane Austen, Action Figure...and other short plays by Elaine Avila: This collection ranges from the zany to the tragic and examines whether it takes superpowers to be a parent, traveler, lover…or Jane Austen. (June 15-19)
• Seasons by Jane Heather: A bipolar woman and a girl living on the streets, scrape by in the inner city. Based on the true stories of Edmontonians struggling to make a life on the margins. (June 15-19)
• The Cave Painter by Don Hannah: The world premiere of this one-woman show deals with grief and where we put it in order to continue on with our lives. (June 23-26)
All productions will be presented at the Second Playing Space, TIMMS CENTRE for the ARTS, University of Alberta (87 Avenue & 112 Street). Tickets are $10 and will be available at the TIMMS Box Office: 780.492.2495. Some events are free. For more information, visit www.drama.ualberta.ca/StageLabFestival.aspx or email StageLab.uofa@gmail.com.
Sponsored by: University of Alberta Department of Drama; Timms Theatre Innovation Fund; Canada Council for the Arts; Alberta Foundation for the Arts; The Endowment Fund for the Future - Support for the Advancement of Scholarship Program; Faculty of Arts Winspear Faculty Recruitment Grant. Producing Partners: The Canadian Centre for Theatre Creation; FEST; University of Alberta; Faculty of Arts.
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