Media Launch
Artistic Director Mary Vingoe and Festival Associate Judi Pearl invite you to the unveiling of the full Festival programming from the 2007 Festival in Ottawa. Be the first to hear about our exciting productions, what’s happening in Magnetic Encounters, how the local community is involved in Magnetic Ottawa, as well as some exciting new initiatives. With live performances, guest speakers and a few surprises – come Dive in to our fifth anniversary season!
Tuesday, March 20 at 11 a.m. at the NAC Fourth Stage.
Light Refreshments will be served.
Please RSVP by March 16 to info@magneticnorthfestival.ca or 613-947-7000 ext. 719.
Hot Ticket: A Theatrical Mixer
On Monday, March 5 at Hot Peppers Restaurant in Ottawa, Magnetic North joined forces with the Ottawa Fringe Festival and the Ottawa Theatre Awards Committee to co-host HOT TICKET: A Theatrical Mixer. The community-building, fun-filled event was attended by a who's who of Ottawa's theatre community and friends, as well as a strong contingent of students. CBC's Alan Neal was our quintessential quizmaster, who kept us all guessing, with many laughs along the way. Many thanks for a fantastic evening to Hot Peppers Restaurant, McAuslan Brewery, our fearless team captains (Lise Ann Johnson, Mary Vingoe, Sam Awwad, Lynn Cox, Pierre Brault and John Koensgen), Judge Catherine Lawson from the Ottawa Citizen, local theatre companies for their questions and donations, our wonderful volunteers who helped out and played along, and the inimitable Alan Neal. Amid enthusiastic calls for this to become an annual event, a splendid time was had by all!
Early Bird Draw!
The Art of Bowling: A Striking Challenge
Teams who submit pledges by March 30 will be eligible for an early-bird draw at the event. So get your pledges in early!
On April 28th, lace up your shoes, and match your bowling prowess against the best and worst teams from Ottawa’s arts and business communities. Want something to talk about around the water cooler? Become a team captain, team player or arts patron for a tournament where the theatre community is the winner. The Striking Challenge is to raise $20,000 to support Magnetic North Theatre Festival’s superb programs and performances. Come and learn the Art of Bowling and enjoy an evening of great food, drinks, music, fantastic prizes and the joy of knowing that you made a difference!
To register a team, simply click here or contact Gayle Diguer. Thank you for participating and we look forward to seeing you there!
Date: Saturday, April 28
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Location: McArthur Lanes is located at 175 McArthur Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario and features 32 ten-pin lanes, digital scoring, cosmic bowling and a licensed restaurant.
Producers' Workshop - Ottawa
If you are an emerging or established theatre artist or company and have a keen interest to produce or tour Canadian contemporary theatre, you will not want to miss out on an introductory workshop that Magnetic North Theatre Festival is organizing. The workshop will be designed to demystify producing and touring independent creation based theatre and will give particpants information on budgeting, grantwriting, touring networks, arts markets, contracts, carnets, visas and play development. The session will also be a "sneak peak" into the Magnetic North Industry Series and give participants a first hand opportunity to hear about the National and International presenters who will be in attendance. This session will take place in May; exact date and other details TBA. If interested, please send an email to judi@magneticnorthfestival.ca.
What's up with Ottawa? - Survey Results
In the fall of 2006, Magnetic North conducted a survey of the Ottawa artistic community, polling opinions regarding the theatre scene in Ottawa and Magnetic North's role within it. As biennial hosts for the Festival, the opinions of Ottawa residents - both artists and audience - are very important to us as we continue to cultivate a healthy and happy relationship with our home-base city. We had a total of 50 respondents, representing a wide range of individuals: theatre professionals, community theatre participants, audience members, educators, journalists, and general arts enthusiasts.
A majority of respondents expressed appreciation for Ottawa's advantages as a beautiful, family-oriented city where bilingualism and diversity are well established. Many expressed pride at being part of Ottawa's arts community, which they described as small but supportive, openly communicative, close-knit and accessible. When asked for suggestions about improving the professional theatre scene in Ottawa, the most commonly cited recommendation was greater media exposure and support. Other recommendations included more experimental and cross-disciplinary work, more educational opportunities for professional development, and a better balance between local and national projects, especially in terms of funding.
When asked specifically about Magnetic North, respondents expressed a general desire to be more involved with the festival, encompassing possibilities such as more local programming, more educational opportunities, and better visibility in terms of marketing and publicity. A number of respondents also asserted enthusiasm for more cross-disciplinary and bilingual work. Magnetic North is pleased to be addressing some of these recommendations with our 2007 Festival, with more local programming (including the co-lingual Rideau Project), more master classes, and more opportunities for the local community to become fully engaged with the Festival through several exciting new initiatives. We look forward to announcing details of all of these projects at our upcoming Media Launch on March 20.
Dates to Remember
March 20 - Media Launch in Ottawa
March 30 - Early-bird draw deadline for The Art of Bowling
April 28 - The Art of Bowling
June 6-16 - Magnetic North Theatre Festival
June 9-13 - Presenters Window
