Liz Truchanowicz, Compass Points Coordinator
June 14 - 18

Compass Points is a gathering of post secondary students and emerging artists from across the country which helps them navigate the Festival and offers a firsthand introduction to the professional theatre industry. Organized in consultation with students from the University of Waterloo and emerging artists from across the nation, the week-long event consists of workshops, panel discussions, and social events, designed to inspire participants to chart their own course in Canadian theatre.

Compass Points builds on the festival experience – performances, Magnetic Encounters and the Industry Series – with the student perspective in mind. Past topics include touring in Canadian theatre, theatre creation and criticism in the age of blogging, union do’s and don’ts, grant writing for emerging artists, new play development, self-production and workshops led by some of Canada’s most prominent theatre directors.

Topics and events vary from year to year to complement festival programming and address current concerns and questions. In addition to panel discussions with professional artists and theatre practitioners, this year’s participants will have the unique opportunity to take part in a directing class with director-creator Joey Tremblay of Elephant Wake.

Compass Points is thrilled to welcome keynote speaker Erika Hennebury, Artistic Producer at Small Wooden Shoe and Producer at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, who will kick off our week dedicated to the answering the most pressing questions by our country’s young artists. Her extensive and varied experience in inter-disciplinary performance, collaboration, and creating and producing independent theatre in Toronto will inspire a new generation of theatre students and emerging artists.

MEET & GREET - CHARTING NEW THEATRICAL TERRITORY IN KW!

A big welcome to the vast network of people that have come together in this exciting collaboration! Now in our fourth year, Compass Points has become an annual gathering of theatre students and emerging artists in Canada. Meet the organizing team, the Magnetic North Theatre Festival team, and your fellow colleagues and future co-conspirators from across the country. With keynote speaker Erika Hennebury, Artistic Producer at Small Wooden Shoe and Producer at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

JUNE 14, 9AM -12PM | HH180 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

LIVING AS AN ARTIST

Practical advice for those just starting out. We’ll touch on a variety of topics including: time management, making ends meet, planning for your future, contracts, being self-employed vs. being an employee, taxes, GST numbers, and grant writing. With Denyse Karn (Associate Artistic Producer at Nightwood Theatre and Magnetic North Board Member) Jennifer Roberts-Smith (Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo), Richard Rose (Another Home Invasion, and Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre), Michael Rubenfeld (Artistic Producer at SummerWorks Theatre Festival), Denis Desjardins (Senior Financial Analyst and Risk Manager at the National Arts Centre and Magnetic North Board Member), Pat Bradley (Theatre Officer at The Ontario Arts Council) and others.

JUNE 15, 9AM -12PM | HH180 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

NEW APPROACHES TO STORYTELLING

An interactive panel exploring new approaches to storytelling in theatre focusing on the use of interdisciplinary collaborations, devised creation, the role of the playwright, and theatre’s ever-changing relationship with its audience. With Robert Chafe (Artistic Associate, Magnetic North Theatre Festival and Artistic Associate, Artistic Fraud), Susan Elliott and Andrew Laurenson (The Greatest Cities in the World), Nada Humsi (The Last 15 Seconds), Andy Houston (Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo), Marcus Youssef (Artistic Associate, Magnetic North Theatre Festival & Artistic Producer of Neworld Theatre) and others.

JUNE 16, 9AM -12PM | HH180 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

A DAY AT STRATFORD

Compass Points participants will spend the day at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival - North America’s largest classical repertory festival. They will take part in an exclusive classical text analysis workshop with Ian Watson, attend a matinee performance of The Tempest, and a private talk-back session with artists and technicians from the show.

JUNE 17, 8AM - 7PM | STRATFORD, ON

ON THE SPOT: QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, & DEBATE

We invite established and emerging artists to take part in a fiery round-robin question and answer quiz show on a variety of topics concerning artistic practices where professionals take a stance on a topic and defend it. We encourage both discussion and friendly debate. With thanks to, and inspired by, the Alberta Theatre Project’s Blitz Weekend. With Majdi Bou-Matar (The Last 15 Seconds), Nneka Croal (The Greatest Cities in the World), Ame Henderson and Jacob Zimmer (Dedicated to the Revolutions), Peter Hinton (Artistic Director, National Arts Centre English Theatre), Darren O’Donnell (Monster Makers & Children’s Choice Awards) and others.

JUNE 18, 9AM -12PM | HH180 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

BEHIND THE SCENES: DIRECTING CONVERSATION WITH JOEY TREMBLAY

Join Elephant Wake’s Joey Tremblay, one of Canada’s finest director-creators, as he leads students from across the country in an animated discussion on unorthodox and personalized approaches to directing, playwriting and the creative process. This conversation will take many turns, break a few taboos and just might culminate with an audacious blueprint for the next ten years of Canadian theatre.

JUNE 18, 2 - 4PM | HH180 | UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

GETTING INVOLVED

Compass Points is full and no longer accepting applications for 2010.

Please check back again next year.

We welcome university, conservatory, and college level students and emerging artists from all theatre disciplines including but not limited to acting, directing, playwriting, design, technical production and arts administration.

Contact: Liz Truchanowicz at compasspoints@magneticnorthfestival.ca

SPONSORED BY: