Project: Humanity, Theatre Passe Muraille and Canadian Stage announced casting for The Middle Place by Toronto playwright Andrew Kushnir, directed by Alan Dilworth. The Toronto production will feature four of the original cast of five including Akosua Amo-Adem (who won the SummerWorks 2009 Award for best new emerging artist for her portrayal), Antonio Cayonne, Jessica Greenberg and Kevin Walker. Actor/playwright Andrew Kushnir will play himself in the production for the first time. The Middle Place runs October 21 to November 14, 2010, at TPM's Mainspace and moves to Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre, February 14 to March 12, 2011, before embarking on a tour to Ottawa and Victoria. For more informaiton visit http://www.canadianstage.com/
The five actors bring the extraordinary voices of sixteen homeless youth, three tireless caseworkers and one outsider (Kushnir) to life in this disquieting yet hopeful play. The Toronto production marks an exciting collaboration between Canadian Stage and Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM), joining forces for the first time in a unique form of play development and presentation - a rolling opening. The pioneering venture affords the playwright the opportunity to continue developing the work between productions at the two theatres.
A Canadian tour begins immediately following the production's Toronto dates. The Middle Place heads to the SPARK Festival at Victoria's Belfry Theatre from March 14 to 20, 2011, and then to Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC), March 29 to April 17, 2011. The touring cast will feature four of the Toronto cast with Monica Dottor stepping in for
Jessica Greenberg.
The Middle Place premiered at Toronto's SummerWorks Theatre Festival in 2009, earning awards for best direction (Alan Dilworth) and best new emerging artist (Akosua Amo-Adem). It is a touching and brutally real examination of the aspirations, frustrations and tenacity of Toronto's homeless youth. Playwright Andrew Kushnir ventured into Rexdale, one of Toronto's roughest neighbourhoods, with a video camera to interview young residents about life in a shelter. Without sentimentality and with plenty of humour, the docu-drama explores the lives of its subjects through their own words.
The Middle Place is an artful and provocative means of tackling the subject of youth homelessness. "It tells the story of a specific community in Toronto but its implications reach beyond its point-of-origin," states playwright Andrew Kushnir. "It is not only a Toronto story, it is a Canadian story."
The play speaks to the current social challenges faced by homeless youth across Canada. Raising The Roof, a national charitable organization devoted to eradicating homelessness in Canada, estimates that 65,000 youth are homeless or living in homeless shelters throughout the country at some time during the year. Toronto, according to Youth Without Shelter (the Toronto-based emergency shelter where The Middle Place interviews took place), has the largest homeless population in Canada; 28% of Toronto's homeless are youth. The organization also states that youth are among the most disadvantaged of all homeless people, facing barriers to income support, finishing high school, paid employment and rental accommodation due to their age. According to the Greater Victoria Coalition to Solve Homelessness, it is estimated that between 250 and 300 youth are on Victoria's streets and according to Ottawa's Alliance to End Homelessness, 464 youth were on Ottawa's streets in 2008, up from 365 youth in 2007.
Humanity, the non-profit organization behind The Middle Place, is hosting their fourth annual clothing drive, Shirts Off, on May 30 at Archeo Trattoria, 55 Mill Street in Toronto's Distillery District. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Performance begins at 8 pm. The event features a one-hour multi-disciplinary performance by some of Toronto's most celebrated up-and-coming artists. Admission is $10 with the donation of a bag of gently-used clothing. Donated clothing will be sorted, folded and delivered to shelters for at-risk youth across Toronto.
Humanity is a non-profit organization raising awareness through the arts. The company's work puts emphasis on servicing at-risk youth and fostering more understanding between youth and the community-at-large. The company works on three fronts: events, initiatives and productions. For more information, refer to
www.projecthumanity.ca.
Theatre Passe Muraille, founded in 1968, is Canada's oldest alter
Native Theatre whose mandate is to continuously develop and produce new work. TPM creates vital Canadian stories that excite, challenge and entertain the audience and has produced over 550 plays in their 42-year history. The Company is led by Artistic Director
Andy McKim who firmly believes in the company's history of collaboration and constantly creates opportunities to expand that definition. TPM continues to defy barriers, challenge minds and spark debates. For more information, refer to
www.passemuraille.on.ca.
Canadian Stage, founded in 1987 with the merger of CentreStage and Toronto Free Theatre, is one of Canada's leading not-for-profit
Contemporary Theatre companies. Led by Artistic & General Director Matthew Jocelyn, Canadian Stage produces and showcases innovative theatre work from Canada and around the world, allowing its audience to encounter daring work guided by a strong directorial vision and a 21st-century aesthetic. The company prides itself on presenting trans-disciplinary work and work in translation that pushes the boundaries of form and style. The company reinforces the presence of Canadian art and artists within an international context through work that mirrors the cultural diversity of Toronto. Canadian Stage has a long-standing commitment to education and enhancement programs for the public and investing in the art form by nurturing and developing theatre professionals while producing thought-provoking theatre and quality entertainment in Toronto, one of North America's largest theatre centres. For more information, refer to
www.canadianstage.com.
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