Hart House Theatre / en Fancy footwork: Dance takes centre stage at Hart House /news/fancy-footwork-dance-takes-centre-stage-hart-house <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Fancy footwork: Dance takes centre stage at Hart House</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/hero_aroundthehouse_dance-v3.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=BNtte_Q_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-04/hero_aroundthehouse_dance-v3.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=x8E5EygC 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-04/hero_aroundthehouse_dance-v3.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rzDtF7j9 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/hero_aroundthehouse_dance-v3.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=BNtte_Q_" alt="a collage of people performing various types of dance including ballet, irish, hip hop and traditional Chinese opera"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>siddiq22</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-04-26T11:01:50-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - 11:01" class="datetime">Wed, 04/26/2023 - 11:01</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>This spring, Hart House is home to all kinds of dance – from championship events to performances and classes to learn a wide variety of genres (supplied image)</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/megan-mueller" hreflang="en">Megan Mueller</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/dance" hreflang="en">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/arts" hreflang="en">Arts</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/culture" hreflang="en">Culture</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/fitness" hreflang="en">Fitness</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>From a popular dance festival to hosting the qualifying round for Canada's national breakdancing championship, the ϲ's Hart House is&nbsp;centre stage for dance this spring.</p> <p>ϲ will welcome&nbsp;some of the best breakdancers (known as "breakers")&nbsp;in Canada on April 29 when Hart House Theatre hosts the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/637009974470054">Ontario Open</a> –&nbsp;the qualifying rounds of the Canada DanceSport (CDS) National Championships, which will be held in Vancouver in June. The winner of that series will progress to the World Dance Sport Federation's World Breaking Championship, taking place&nbsp;in Belgium in September.</p> <p>The event comes as the status of breaking (also called "b-boying" and "b-girling") is steadily rising –&nbsp;the sport will even&nbsp;be <a href="https://www.paris2024.org/en/sport/breaking/">included in the summer Olympics</a>&nbsp;for the first time next year when the Games are held in Paris.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/Geoff%20headshot%20high%20res_0.jpeg" width="250" height="375" alt="Geoff Reyes"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Geoff Reyes, lead organizer of the<br> Ontario Open breaking championship at<br> Hart House&nbsp;(supplied image)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Geoff Reyes</strong>, a graduate of ϲ's civil engineering program in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, has been involved in the Canadian breaking scene for many years –&nbsp;the former Varsity athlete and dance instructor, who is the breaking sports director for CDS and the president of <a href="https://www.breakingcanada.ca/">Breaking Canada</a>, is the lead organizer of the Ontario Open at Hart House.</p> <p>For Reyes, the founder of Ontario-based breaking groups How Hip Hop Helps and <a href="https://www.youbeill.com/">You Be ILL</a>, returning to Hart House will be like a homecoming.</p> <p>“During my time at ϲ, Hart House meant community and gathering.&nbsp;I taught breaking with the ϲ Dance Club and hip hop dance at the Fitness&nbsp;Centre," Reyes recalls.&nbsp;"My dance group, as well as my students, performed at the Hart House ϲ Festival of Dance."</p> <p>Hosting the Ontario Open is just one of many ways Hart House has supported and showcased the art form of dance over the years.</p> <p>“There’s a substantial dance community at ϲ, and Hart House Theatre is a key part of this,” says <strong>Doug Floyd</strong>, Hart House Theatre's director of theatre and performance art.</p> <p>The theatre often hosts and collaborates with dance groups of all genres,&nbsp;including student-led ensembles&nbsp;such as the <a href="http://www.silhouettesdanceco.com/">Silhouettes Dance Company</a> –&nbsp;one of the largest ϲ dance troupes on campus –&nbsp;who will perform at Hart House Theatre later this year.&nbsp; Another student-run dance group, the <a href="https://www.onlyhumandancecollective.com/">Only Human Dance Collective</a>, often rents the Hart House Theatre to run classes for students of all experience levels.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uoftdanceteam/">ϲ Dance Team</a> –&nbsp;which won three consecutive dance competitions in March&nbsp;against 28 teams across Canada, are another campus group taking to the Hart House Theatre stage to wrap up their season, presenting some of their best dance pieces in a <a href="https://harthouse.ca/theatre/show/the-encore">performance on April 29</a>.</p> <p>Such collaborations are key to Hart House's ongoing commitment to programming dance, says <strong>Michelle Brownrigg</strong>, Hart House Theatre's senior director and chief program officer.</p> <p>“Community and academic partnerships are so important,” she says. “For example, we have several collaborative workshops with ϲ's <a href="https://www.cdtps.utoronto.ca/research/centres-institutes/IDS">Institute for Dance Studies</a>, with most recent support to their keynote on disability and dance earlier this year."</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/tikiballroom_web_v3.jpg" width="750" height="536" alt="Dancer, Kiki Ballroom Alliance"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Kiki Ballroom Alliance (supplied image)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Some of those partnerships include the one with Breaking Canada, rehearsal space for vogue dance group Kiki Ballroom Alliance&nbsp;and initiatives with Dance Immersion that focus on the African dance diaspora in tap and jazz dance –&nbsp;a connection that was fostered by <a href="https://www.cdtps.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/seika-boye"><strong>Seika Boye</strong></a>, director of&nbsp;the Institute for Dance Studies.</p> <p>Hart House Theatre's longstanding association with dance is highlighted each year through the annual <a href="https://harthouse.ca/theatre/show/2023-hart-house-u-of-t-festival-of-dance">Hart House ϲ Festival of Dance</a> –&nbsp;one of the largest university dance festivals in the country, the showcase offers a wide variety of performances across genres, including jazz, ballet, ballroom, modern, hip hop, musical theatre, Irish, Latin, belly dancing and k-pop. This year's event ran from March 31 to April 1 and included 60 different dance numbers.</p> <p>“Some dance groups have their own large shows, but some don’t –&nbsp;so the festival&nbsp;is even more important for those smaller companies," Floyd explains.</p> <p>“With such an abundance of dance groups associated with ϲ, participation in the festival is a great opportunity for dance groups to interact, collaborate and promote their own work and ventures.”</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-left"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/breakdance_web_v3.jpg" width="750" height="536" alt="Breakdancers during a class at the Hart House Fitness Centre"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Breaking Canada holds a class on breakdance at the Hart House Fitness Centre (supplied image)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Dancers don't have to be onstage to enjoy some fancy footwork at Hart House, which offers several popular classes at the Fitness Centre, including Zumba, cardio dance party, Afro cardio dance, Bollywood and k-pop.</p> <p>Those who get inspired by the breakdancing competition can take a new breaking class this spring. Breaking Canada, in partnership with Canadian Women &amp; Sport, will be offering B Thee Rise, a national b-girl initiative where participants will learn the fundamentals of breaking with guidance from leading&nbsp;b-girls.</p> <p>“Whether you’re a novice to breaking or looking to improve your abilities, this program is inclusive, safe and most of all, fun,” says <strong>Vanessa Treasure</strong>, director of fitness, wellness and recreation at the Fitness Centre.</p> <p>With its focus on experiential learning through the arts and active living, Hart House's longstanding <em>pas de deux</em> with dance offers something for everyone on campus –&nbsp;from showing off skills in the spotlight to learning new moves for the first time.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:01:50 +0000 siddiq22 301439 at ϲ student's musical, based on an Oscar Wilde classic, to debut at Hart House Theatre /news/u-t-student-s-musical-based-oscar-wilde-classic-debut-hart-house-theatre <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">ϲ student's musical, based on an Oscar Wilde classic, to debut at Hart House Theatre</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/Anthony_photo_crop.jpeg?h=7db43cb9&amp;itok=bQmdcWlL 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-04/Anthony_photo_crop.jpeg?h=7db43cb9&amp;itok=qQaDenuG 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-04/Anthony_photo_crop.jpeg?h=7db43cb9&amp;itok=4xVj0CS2 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/Anthony_photo_crop.jpeg?h=7db43cb9&amp;itok=bQmdcWlL" alt="Anthony Palermo"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-04-17T09:22:32-04:00" title="Monday, April 17, 2023 - 09:22" class="datetime">Mon, 04/17/2023 - 09:22</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>Anthony Palermo wrote and directed The Gray: A Wilde Musical in Concert, which explores self-expression, generational queer trauma and what it means to find home in LGBTQ+ spaces (supplied image)</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/megan-mueller" hreflang="en">Megan Mueller</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/drama" hreflang="en">Drama</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/music" hreflang="en">Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/theatre" hreflang="en">Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">ϲ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Months before graduating, ϲ Mississauga student&nbsp;<strong>Anthony Palermo&nbsp;</strong>will stage a production of his play based on Oscar Wilde's novel&nbsp;<em>The Picture of Dorian Gray</em>&nbsp;– but with an edgy 1970s glam-rock twist</p> <p>From April 20 to 22, Hart House Theatre will present an in-concert version of a new work titled&nbsp;<a href="http://harthouse.ca/theatre/show/the-gray"><em>The Gray: A Wilde Musical in Concert</em></a>,&nbsp;a twist on the Wilde classic.</p> <p>First produced&nbsp;as an audio version&nbsp;(currently&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/586Yc9hf2pApsQA6MZBdyn?si=yokKFtF4Tm2En9umLxhSWQ&amp;nd=1">streaming on Spotify</a>, Apple Music and YouTube)&nbsp;last year by the Victoria College Drama Society,&nbsp;<em>The Gray</em>&nbsp;will make its onstage debut at Hart House.</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/hh_theatre_gray_design_eblast_2023.png" style="width: 350px; height: 197px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;">The musical is the brainchild of Palermo, executive producer of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/english-drama/student-resources/english-and-drama-student-society-edss">English &amp; Drama Student Society</a>&nbsp;(EDSS) at ϲ Mississauga. Palermo is an actor, director, writer and composer who is graduating from ϲ/Sheridan College’s theatre and drama studies program this spring. In addition to directing the production, Palermo also created the book, music and lyrics for&nbsp;<em>The Gray</em>.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Hart House is very special to me&nbsp;–&nbsp;a&nbsp;wonderful platform, Palermo says. "It has been a place of connection&nbsp;–&nbsp;I’ve been able to network with so many theater professionals and artists.”</p> <p><em>The Gray</em>&nbsp;is only&nbsp;the latest work in a recent string of successes for Palermo. Last year, they&nbsp;were invited by the Musical Stage Company to compose and direct music for&nbsp;<a href="https://musicalstagecompany.com/in-community/one-song-glory/">One Song Glory</a>, a musical-theatre training intensive for youth, and also were a featured artist-in-residence for Soulpepper Theatre Company's Queer Youth Cabaret. Last June, Palermo wrote and performed a one-person musical that was reprised at the EDSS Performance Arts Festival in December.</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/Picture1_0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: right; width: 350px; height: 175px;">In addition to&nbsp;<em>The Gray</em>,&nbsp;Palermo wrote and directed another musical,&nbsp;<em>Mythic Women and their Cabaret&nbsp;to Save Humanity</em>,<em>&nbsp;</em>at&nbsp;ϲ Mississauga last year. They also directed&nbsp;<em>Dog Sees God</em>&nbsp;(Winter 2021) and&nbsp;<em>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</em>&nbsp;(Fall 2022) with the Victoria College Drama Society, and are&nbsp;currently directing&nbsp;<em>Angels in America</em>&nbsp;at St. Michael’s College.</p> <p>Palermo’s television work includes the CBC series&nbsp;<em>Workin’ Moms</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Macy Murdoch</em>, a spinoff of&nbsp;<em>Murdoch Mysteries</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h4>Informed by real events in queer history</h4> <p>Inspired by Wilde’s enduring story&nbsp;and set in&nbsp;<a href="http://thenandnowtoronto.com/2014/11/then-now-club-davids/">David’s Disco</a>&nbsp;–&nbsp;a nightclub that briefly existed in Toronto’s Gay Village in the late 1970s –&nbsp;<em>T</em><em>he Gray</em>&nbsp;follows Dorian, a young singer-songwriter determined to become a star. After his photograph is taken, he becomes obsessed with the image and the power it holds.&nbsp;With an original, glam-rock-inspired score, the musical&nbsp;explores self-expression, generational queer trauma and what it means to find home in LGBTQ+ spaces.</p> <p>“The inspiration came from events in the queer history of Toronto, with which I've always been fascinated,&nbsp;as well as [journalist] Justin Ling’s book&nbsp;<em>Missing from the Village</em>,”&nbsp;Palermo says. “I became extremely engrossed with that past as well as the queer themes in Wilde’s novel, and they sort of blended together in my mind.”&nbsp;</p> <p>“It's significant to have [<em>The Gray</em>]&nbsp;on stage and to have queer bodies performing. This is really special.”</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/The%20Gray%20first%20read%20team.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 563px;"></p> <p><em>From left: Nick Palazzolo, Nell Khayutin, Giustin MacLean, Stevie Hook, Jacob Moro, Anthony Palermo and Liam Peter Donovan (supplied image)</em></p> <h4>From audio to onstage</h4> <p><em>The Gray</em>&nbsp;was first produced as an audio drama,&nbsp;<a href="https://utdramacoalition.wixsite.com/utdramacoalition/dougies-2022">picking up wins</a>&nbsp;at the ϲ Drama Coalition Awards last year.&nbsp;From there, Palermo was contacted by&nbsp;<a href="https://harthouse.ca/profile/doug-floyd"><strong>Doug Floyd</strong></a>, director of theatre and performance art at Hart House, who connected him with playwright and director Aaron Jan, who helped with the stage adaptation.</p> <p>Palermo recalls how his&nbsp;connection to Hart House goes all the way back to when he was in high school.</p> <p>“In Grade 11, I wrote my first musical for the National Theatre School Festival. We went to regionals and performed on the Hart House Theatre stage,” says Palermo, who also&nbsp;worked at the theatre as a ϲ work-study student.</p> <p>Palermo credits Floyd and the rest of the Hart House Team –&nbsp;including education and production coordinator&nbsp;<a href="https://harthouse.ca/profile/gillian-lewis"><strong>Gillian Lewis</strong></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;marketing assistant&nbsp;<a href="https://harthouse.ca/profile/lindsey-middleton"><strong>Lindsey Middleton</strong></a>&nbsp;–&nbsp;for their support over the years.</p> <p>“They were such grounding forces for me – they helped me build confidence,” Palermo&nbsp;notes.</p> <p>As Palermo&nbsp;looks ahead to graduation, they have&nbsp;some advice for other students who dream of the bright stage lights.</p> <p>“Get involved everywhere – work as a producer for a theatre company at ϲ, gain experience as a designer … There are many different facets," Palermo says.</p> <p>&nbsp;"Try everything at least once, because we have such a rare opportunity at ϲ and at Hart House to be able to participate in so many things.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:22:32 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 301070 at For the Class of ’23, 23 suggestions for things to do before you graduate /news/class-23-23-suggestions-things-do-you-graduate <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">For the Class of ’23, 23 suggestions for things to do before you graduate</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-09-09T00:00:00-04:00" title="Monday, September 9, 2019 - 00:00" class="datetime">Mon, 09/09/2019 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-youtube field--type-youtube field--label-hidden field__item"><figure class="youtube-container"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JO3fXBXDvZw?wmode=opaque" width="450" height="315" id="youtube-field-player" class="youtube-field-player" title="Embedded video for For the Class of ’23, 23 suggestions for things to do before you graduate" aria-label="Embedded video for For the Class of ’23, 23 suggestions for things to do before you graduate: https://www.youtube.com/embed/JO3fXBXDvZw?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </figure> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/isabel-armiento" hreflang="en">Isabel Armiento</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school-2019" hreflang="en">Back To School 2019</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/astronomy-astrophysics" hreflang="en">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy" hreflang="en">Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/theatre-erindale" hreflang="en">Theatre Erindale</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-pan-am-sports-centre" hreflang="en">Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-libraries" hreflang="en">ϲ Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">ϲ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">ϲ Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-college" hreflang="en">University College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/varsity-blues" hreflang="en">Varsity Blues</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-college" hreflang="en">Victoria College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The ϲ is a large community, so it can be&nbsp;easy to let exciting opportunities pass you by while here. Whether you’re new to ϲ or getting ready to graduate, try these&nbsp;23 tips for a fun-filled university experience – or use them as inspiration to create a bucket list of your own.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT6391_20141002_UTSCMensBasketballGame_293-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(photo by Ken Jones)</em></p> <p>1. Join the ranks of students who #BleedBlue and cheer on the <a href="https://varsityblues.ca/index.aspx">Varsity Blues</a> at a sports game. With 44 Varsity teams competing in 26 sports, there’s something for every sports fan.</p> <p>2. Audition for a campus play. While it may sound intimidating, theatre troupes such as the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VicDramaSociety/">Victoria College Drama Society</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/UTMDramaClub/">UTM Drama Club</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/utscds/">UTSC Drama Society</a> and many others welcome total beginners. For all you wannabe thespians, this may be your chance to score a callback – and maybe even land a role.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/_DSC2705.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(Photo courtesy of ϲ Scarborough)</em></p> <p>3. Check out the daily specials at <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/programs/utscfood/category/hot-dog/">Nasir’s Gourmet Hot Dog stand</a>. Boasting low prices and rave reviews, this ϲ Scarborough establishment is a student staple.</p> <p>4. Treat yourself by taking an elective that’s purely for fun. Choose a course that’ll actually get you excited about homework. Some examples: If you’re obsessed with fantasy then pore over <em>The Lord of the Rings </em>in Tolkien's Middle Ages (ϲ Scarborough), or if you’d prefer to spend an evening watching <em>RuPaul’s Drag Race, </em>then Queer Popular Culture (St. George&nbsp;campus) might be for you.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/IMG_2623.jpg" alt></p> <p>(<em>Photo courtesy of ϲ Scarborough</em>)</p> <p>5. Visit the <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/sustainability/farmers-market">Farmers' Market</a> at ϲ Scarborough to buy fresh, locally sourced jams, honey, veggies, meats and more and debunk the myth that ϲ students subsist entirely on food truck fries.</p> <p>6.&nbsp;Take academics to new heights by studying for finals in a&nbsp;<a href="https://pharmacy.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/upload/about_us/Cross.pdf">suspended pod</a>&nbsp;at the Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building – or to new depths by taking your books to the&nbsp;<a href="https://utsc.library.utoronto.ca/mindfulness-space">Library Mindfulness Space</a>&nbsp;at ϲ Scarborough.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT18243_0W7A0250-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p>(<em>photo by David Lee</em>)</p> <p>7. Get an authentic tri-campus experience by riding the <a href="https://m.utm.utoronto.ca/shuttle.php">UTM Shuttle</a> (which is <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/shuttle/fares-boarding">free</a> for all ϲ Mississauga students).</p> <p>8. Attend a campus formal. Even if dances aren’t your thing, think of it as a rare opportunity to shed your sweatpants-and-a-T-shirt student aesthetic in favour of something chic.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT10384_20140208_UTMTheatreErindale_3882-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Theatre Erindale is the production company of the theatre and drama studies program at ϲ Mississauga (</em><em>photo by&nbsp;Paul Orenstein)</em></p> <p>9. Watch a show at a campus theatre, such as <a href="http://harthouse.ca/hart-house-theatre/">Hart House Theatre</a> at the St. George&nbsp;campus or <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/english-drama/theatre-erindale">Theatre Erindale</a> at ϲ Mississauga. Tickets are often discounted for students – bonus points if you score free tickets by writing a review for a campus newspaper. Plays range from Shakespearean tragedies like <em><a href="http://harthouse.ca/portias-julius-caesar/">Portia’s Julius Caesar</a>&nbsp;</em>to cult classics like <a href="http://harthouse.ca/the-rocky-horror-show/"><em>The Rocky Horror Show</em></a>, both featured in Hart House’s upcoming 2019/2020 season. &nbsp;</p> <p>10. Visit <a href="https://www.blogto.com/cafes/diabolos-cafe-toronto/">Diabolos’ Coffee Bar</a> at the University College Junior Common Room to grab a coffee – or, for that matter, lunch. With selections ranging from Nutella lattes to butter chicken, this café will satisfy any midday craving you might have.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT15321_1109_RemembranceDay012-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>ϲ Service of Remembrance at the foot of the Soldiers’ Tower&nbsp;(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</em></p> <p>11. Attend a <a href="https://alumni.utoronto.ca/alumni-networks/shared-interests/soldiers-tower/service-of-remembrance">Remembrance Day ceremony</a> at Soldiers' Tower for a moving recitation of ϲ alumnus <strong>John McCrae</strong>’s iconic poem <em>In Flanders Fields</em>.&nbsp;Remembrance Day services are held on all three campuses.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT12261_20160829_UTSCOrientation_250-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>ϲ Scarborough students play a game of quidditch (photo by Ken Jones)</em></p> <p>12. Compete in the Canadian Quidditch League (yes, they use actual brooms) by joining one of <a href="https://uoftquidditch.wordpress.com/about/">ϲ’s quidditch teams</a>.</p> <p>13. Listen to<a href="https://alumni.utoronto.ca/alumni-networks/shared-interests/soldiers-tower/soldiers-tower-carillon"> a carillon concert in Hart House Circle</a>. There are 51 bells making up the carillon, and they range in weight from 23 pounds to four tons.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT9571_20140826_TPASCPool_6368-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>The&nbsp;Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre at ϲ Scarborough (photo by Ken Jones)</em></p> <p>14. Take a gorgeous dip in <a href="http://harthouse.ca/locations/hart-house-pool/">Hart House’s pool</a>. With its columns, vaulted ceilings and skylight, you’ll feel like you’re in Rome. Alternatively, pretend you’re a world-class athlete and go for a swim in one of the Olympic-size pools at ϲ Scarborough’s <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/athletics/aquatics">Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre</a>.</p> <p>15. Attend a campus trivia night – after all, university students like nothing better than proving how smart they are. Impress your professors at a faculty trivia night or join a trivia club like the one at <a href="https://www.utsu.ca/clubs/academic-trivia-club/">ϲ Scarborough</a> for a longer-term commitment.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/64648440_446571019233077_4650647350396583936_o.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(Photo courtesy of ϲ Student Life)</em></p> <p>16. Train with a niche <a href="https://www.uoftintramurals.ca/">intramural</a> sports team (or <a href="https://www.uoftintramurals.ca/sports/2011/7/5/GEN_0705111531.aspx">start your own</a>) – there are a variety of options to choose from, ranging from ultimate Frisbee to cricket.</p> <p>17. Experience outer space without leaving campus with <a href="http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/astrotours/?page_id=25">AstroTours</a>. Offered by the department of astronomy and astrophysics, each tour includes star-gazing through the McLennan Physical Laboratories’ telescopes, as well as a trip to ϲ’s <a href="https://universe.utoronto.ca/planetarium-shows/visit/">planetarium</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>18. Venture beyond Robarts and study at least once in each of ϲ’s <a href="https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/visit">more than 40 libraries</a>. Hot tip: It is often easier to get the latest bestseller at ϲ Libraries than it is to wait months on hold at the Toronto Public Library.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT10392_20140626_UTMDeer_001-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(photo by&nbsp;Paul Orenstein)&nbsp;<font color="#002a5c" face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 13.75px;">&nbsp;</span></font></em></p> <p>19. Experience ϲ’s natural beauty. Plan a picnic at one of ϲ’s scenic quads or a hike through a ϲ <a href="https://www.trailforks.com/trails/utm-nature-trail/">Mississauga</a> or ϲ&nbsp;<a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/athletics/walking-and-running-trails">Scarborough</a> trail. You might even encounter the local wildlife – it’s seemingly impossible to avoid <a href="https://twitter.com/utmdeer?lang=en">spotting a deer</a> on a walk through ϲ Mississauga.</p> <p>20. Hang out with a prof during an <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/utm-engage/academic-support/engaging-faculty-events">Engaging Faculty Event</a> at ϲ Mississauga. These events offer students the perfect opportunity to get to know campus faculty and staff, whether it’s through a scenic nature walk across campus trails or a quirky <em>The Office</em>-themed murder mystery. &nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT14517_20171103_PhilosophersWalk_002.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(photo by&nbsp;Laura Pedersen)</em><em><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 42, 92); font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.75px;"></span></strong></em></p> <p>21. Wander through <a href="http://map.utoronto.ca/marker/philosophers_walk">Philosopher’s Walk</a> and have a deep philosophical debate. Or an existential crisis. Or an ethical dilemma. Or an afternoon nap.</p> <p>22. There's a lot to do at Hart House, but here's a practical suggestion: Think about getting&nbsp;<a href="http://harthouse.ca/about-us/services/">a haircut there</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>23. Write for a campus newspaper or magazine. Join the ranks of ϲ’s journalistic goliaths like <a href="https://thevarsity.ca/"><em>The Varsity</em></a> (tri-campus) or <a href="https://themedium.ca/"><em>The Medium</em></a> (ϲ Mississauga) – or if you’re feeling creative, try a literary journal such as <a href="https://thespectatorial.wordpress.com/"><em>The Spectatorial</em></a> or a satire paper like <a href="https://www.boundarynews.com/about"><em>The Boundary</em></a>. &nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 09 Sep 2019 04:00:00 +0000 noreen.rasbach 157708 at Welcome – or welcome back! Check out these September events /news/welcome-or-welcome-back-check-out-these-september-events <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Welcome – or welcome back! Check out these September events</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT5752_20140828_UTSCOrientation_998.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rAEI8pHt 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT5752_20140828_UTSCOrientation_998.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-u3QjEfi 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT5752_20140828_UTSCOrientation_998.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jRmthNi7 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT5752_20140828_UTSCOrientation_998.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rAEI8pHt" alt="photo of orientation at ϲ Scarborough"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-08-30T00:00:00-04:00" title="Friday, August 30, 2019 - 00:00" class="datetime">Fri, 08/30/2019 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Ken Jones)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/isabel-armiento" hreflang="en">Isabel Armiento</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/back-school-2019" hreflang="en">Back To School 2019</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sexual-violence-prevention-support-centre" hreflang="en">Sexual Violence Prevention &amp; Support Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-cities" hreflang="en">School of Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-music" hreflang="en">Faculty of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/lgbtq" hreflang="en">LGBTQ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mental-health" hreflang="en">Mental Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/orientation" hreflang="en">Orientation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">ϲ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">ϲ Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Summer has come to a close, but that doesn’t mean the fun is ending. Orientation week is packed with exciting – and informative – events that aren’t just for first-year students, including a parade, street festival, carnival and more.</p> <p>For a break from ϲ-related festivities, check out select TIFF films being screened on-campus. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a celebrity. &nbsp;</p> <p>There are plenty of September events sure to get you excited about going back to school. Here’s just a sample:</p> <h3>Sept. 1</h3> <p>Sign up with ϲ for the <a href="http://harthouse.ca/events/2019-academic-bicycle-challenge-2019-09-08/">Academic Bicycle Challenge</a> and win prizes for biking alongside – or against – peers, faculty members and other cyclists worldwide. Download the Naviki app (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.naviki&amp;hl=en_CA">Google Play</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/naviki/id371645683">iOS</a>) from Sept. 1 to 30 to participate in this global phenomenon.</p> <h3>Sept. 3</h3> <p>Tri-campus <a href="/back-to-school">orientation</a> begins. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable first week by familiarizing yourself with information about orientation at the <a href="http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/hello/orientation-calendar">St. George campus</a>, <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/transition/new-students/o-week">ϲ Mississauga</a> or <a href="https://orientation.scsu.ca/events">ϲ Scarborough</a>.</p> <p>Join ϲ experts at the tri-campus Facebook Live and Instagram conference <a href="http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/node/15356">ASKme Anything about ϲ</a> and get the answers to all your campus-related questions.</p> <h3>Sept. 4</h3> <p>Show your school spirit at the <a href="http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/node/15360">tri-campus parade</a>, beginning at 1 p.m. at Varsity Stadium, located at the St. George campus.</p> <p>Continue the festivities at the <a href="http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/node/15361">Clubs Carnival</a>, beginning at 3 p.m., located at King’s College Circle. St. George campus students should check out their college or faculty’s website to find out about college-specific club fairs.</p> <h3>Sept. 5</h3> <p><a href="https://www.tiff.net/">TIFF</a> (the Toronto International Film Festival) begins, running&nbsp;until Sept. 15, with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiff.net/tickets/?tab=year-round-tickets">student tickets</a>&nbsp;offered for only $11.50. On Sept. 11, catch the world première of&nbsp;<em>Judy</em>, starring Renée Zellweger as the legendary Judy Garland, without even leaving campus. The film is being <a href="http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/Connect/RotmanAlumni/Events/Tiff-at-Rotman">screened at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h3>Sept. 6</h3> <p>Hart House celebrates its 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary with story-weaving project <a href="http://harthouse.ca/encounters-at-the-edge-of-the-woods/"><em>Encounters at the Edge of the Woods</em></a>, running at the Hart House Theatre from Sept. 6 to 7.</p> <h3>Sept. 11</h3> <p>Take a break from classes and stop by ϲ’s annual <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2398403913774323/">Street Festival</a>, located at the St. George campus along St. George Street. Enjoy the activities, music and food trucks while learning more about campus life.</p> <h3>Sept. 12</h3> <p>Join the Faculty of Music for the first installation of the weekly series <a href="https://music.utoronto.ca/concerts-events.php?eid=2601">Thursdays at Noon</a>, featuring the Juno Award-winning Gryphon Trio. Check out the <a href="https://music.utoronto.ca/docs/2019_20_notes_web.pdf">Faculty of Music’s 2019/20 Season</a>&nbsp;guide for a complete list of events, classes and performances.</p> <h3>Sept. 14</h3> <p>Show your support for mental health awareness at the 2019 Toronto <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2019-toronto-concert-for-suicide-awareness-prevention-and-hope-tickets-63455564301">Concert for Suicide Awareness, Prevention, and Hope</a>. Listen to inspirational speeches and performances by ϲ faculty, lecturers and alumni such as <strong>Norine Burgess</strong>, <strong>Dr. Andrea Levinson</strong>, <strong>Nathalie Paulin</strong> and <strong>Monica Whicher</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <h3>Sept. 17</h3> <p>Garner mental health resources on- and off-campus while learning to prioritize wellness over academic success at <a href="https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/mindsredefined">2019 Minds Redefined</a>, a mental health and wellness conference by the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science that features&nbsp;keynote speakers Margaret Trudeau and Michael Landsberg and workshops such as “Navigating Career Uncertainty” and “failing excellently!”</p> <p>Navigate Toronto’s rapidly shifting urban landscape with the first lecture in a four-part lecture series, hosted by ϲ’s School of Cities in conjunction with the Toronto Public Library. <a href="https://www.schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/news/where-we-gather">Where We Gather</a> explores the interplay between city life and public spaces.</p> <p>Adapt your academic skills for the workplace at the ϲ&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/644834465992832/">Career Fair</a>, where you can network with more than 100 global organizations and employers.</p> <h3>Sept. 18</h3> <p>The Isuma artists’ collective works in conjunction with the Toronto Biennale of Art to produce <a href="https://artmuseum.utoronto.ca/exhibition/qaggiq-gathering-place/">Qaggiq: Gathering Place</a>, a collection of video works that focus on storytelling and language.&nbsp;View the exhibition at the ϲ Art Centre until Nov. 30.</p> <h3>Sept. 19</h3> <p>Explore a host of opportunities in your field at ϲ Scarborough’s <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc/fairs-events">Get Experience Fair</a>. Whether it’s through volunteering for a not-for-profit, working an on-campus job, assisting a prof’s research or studying abroad, there are plenty of ways to gain valuable – and relevant – experience.</p> <h3>Sept. 21</h3> <p>Learn how to use media and digital art as a narrative and rhetorical tool at <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mixture-digital-art-and-compositional-realities-tickets-60523649866">Mixture: Digital Art and Compositional Realities</a>, hosted by ϲ Mississauga.&nbsp;</p> <h3>Sept. 23</h3> <p><a href="https://sgdo.utoronto.ca/programs/queer-orientation/">Queer Orientation</a> is a tri-campus week of LGBTQ-focused and community-building programming, running from Sept. 23 to 28. &nbsp;</p> <p>Stay informed about ϲ’s <a href="https://forms.provost.utoronto.ca/psvsh-review/">policy on sexual violence and sexual harassment</a>. In-person consultation sessions are being held at all three campuses for staff, faculty and students: ϲ Mississauga on Sept. 23, ϲ Scarborough on Sept. 24 and St. George campus on Sept. 25.</p> <h3>Sept. 24</h3> <p>Show your support for the <a href="https://secure2.convio.net/cco/site/SPageServer?pagename=RFTC_NW_home">CIBC Run for the Cure</a> with ϲ Mississauga’s warm-up event – the <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/faculty-staff/2019-run-cure">Pink Campus Walk</a>. For more fundraising events and initiatives, join ϲ Mississauga’s Run for the Cure Ice Cream Day on Sept. 10 or their Run for the Cure Pink Luncheon on Sept. 17. &nbsp;</p> <h3>Sept. 26</h3> <p>Kick off the school year with a focus on wellness at <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/health/bewellutm2018">Be Well UTM</a>. Discover the wealth of wellness resources located on campus, including mental health supports, conflict resolution tools and fun drop-in fitness classes such as Introduction to Caribbean Dance.</p> <h3>Sept. 27</h3> <p>If you find yourself itching to do the Time Warp again or wondering whatever happened to Saturday night, head down to the Hart House Theatre for the opening night of <a href="http://harthouse.ca/the-rocky-horror-show/"><em>The Rocky Horror Show</em></a>. Catch this rendition of the cult classic for $12 to $15 until Oct. 12.</p> <h3>Sept. 28</h3> <p>Muse over works of musical genius with the first instalment of the Faculty of Music’s “What Makes It Great?” series – <a href="https://music.utoronto.ca/concerts-events.php?eid=2621">Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://harthouse.ca/events/the-garden-of-earthly-delights/">Join photographer Aubie Golombek</a> for a presentation on the relationship between form and image. Drawing on Bosch’s triptych painting “The Garden of Earthly Delights,”&nbsp;Golombek uses the dual media of contact print and lecture to synthesize his critical praxis.</p> <h3>Sept. 29</h3> <p>Take advantage of ϲ’s photogenic landscapes during the <a href="http://harthouse.ca/events/photo-walk-around-campus/">Photo Walk Around Campus</a>. Hosted by the Hart House Camera Club, this is the perfect opportunity to refine your photography practise, curate photos for your portfolio and network with other budding student photographers.</p> <h3>Sept. 30</h3> <p>Take a break from the clamour of courses to listen to a heartrending <a href="https://music.utoronto.ca/concerts-events.php?eid=2624">Faculty of Music performance</a> by soprano <strong>Nathalie Paulin</strong> and pianist <strong>Steven Philcox</strong>, inspired by Messiaen’s <em>Chants de Terre et de Ciel</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 30 Aug 2019 04:00:00 +0000 Romi Levine 157896 at Meet the ϲ faculty, alumni and supporters named to the Order of Canada /news/meet-u-t-faculty-alumni-and-supporters-named-order-canada <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Meet the ϲ faculty, alumni and supporters named to the Order of Canada</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-01-10-orderofcanada.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9EaHHdWy 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-01-10-orderofcanada.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=M7aSp5SD 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-01-10-orderofcanada.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=H8eRJ3Y4 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-01-10-orderofcanada.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9EaHHdWy" alt="Two order of Canada medals"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-06-27T09:46:35-04:00" title="Thursday, June 27, 2019 - 09:46" class="datetime">Thu, 06/27/2019 - 09:46</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/perry-king" hreflang="en">Perry King</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pediatrics" hreflang="en">Pediatrics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/history" hreflang="en">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hospital-sick-children" hreflang="en">Hospital for Sick Children</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/immunology" hreflang="en">Immunology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/john-h-daniels-faculty-architecture" hreflang="en">John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy" hreflang="en">Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-institute-studies-education" hreflang="en">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/order-canada" hreflang="en">Order of Canada</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/robarts" hreflang="en">Robarts</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sunnybrook-hospital" hreflang="en">Sunnybrook Hospital</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/varsity-blues" hreflang="en">Varsity Blues</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-college" hreflang="en">Victoria College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>From a critically acclaimed actor to a respected immunologist, the latest appointments to the Order of Canada include several members of the ϲ community, reflecting the range of expertise and the diversity that make ϲ one of the top universities in the world. &nbsp;</p> <p>The latest appointees to one of Canada’s highest civilian honours were named on Thursday by Governor General <strong>Julie Payette</strong>, a ϲ alumna and former astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency.</p> <p>Of the 83 Order of Canada honourees, at least 11 have close ties to ϲ, from faculty members to alumni and donors.</p> <p>The list includes Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor <strong>Donald Sutherland</strong>, who graduated from Victoria College in 1958, and ϲ Professor and acclaimed immunologist at the Hospital for Sick Children <strong>Chaim Roifman</strong>, whose research led to the discovery of a rare congenital disorder and its genetic roots.</p> <p>The recent Order of Canada honourees with connections to ϲ include:</p> <hr> <p><strong>Joseph Raymond Buncic</strong> is a ϲ professor of ophthalmology and a staff ophthalmologist at the Hospital for Sick Children. A 1965 graduate of McGill medical school, Buncic completed his ophthalmology residency at ϲ in 1970. He has maintained an interest in clinical research related to pediatric and central nervous system disorders during his career. “For his pioneering contributions to the field of pediatric neuro-ophthalmology, notably through his mentorship of multiple generations of pediatric eye specialists,” Buncic has been named a Member of the Order.</p> <p><strong>Chaim Roifman</strong> is a professor of pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine at ϲ and head of the division of immunology and allergy at the Hospital for Sick Children. He is best known for discovering a rare congenital disorder that bears his name – Roifman Syndrome – as well as uncovering its genetic cause. He was made a Member for his contributions to the field of immunology, “notably in the diagnosis and management of pediatric primary immunodeficiency.”</p> <p><strong>Dorothy E. Smith</strong> is a celebrated sociologist who is credited with helping to bring feminist principles and perspectives to the field. Recognized as the founder of the sub-discipline of feminist standpoint theory, Smith wrote several highly-cited books including <em>The Everyday World as Problematic: A Feminist Sociology</em>&nbsp;and <em>Conceptual Practices of Power: A Feminist Sociology of Knowledge</em>. She taught sociology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at ϲ for nearly 25 years until 2005. She was made a Member for “extending the boundaries of traditional sociology to incorporate a feminist perspective, and for developing institutional ethnography.”</p> <p><strong>Donald </strong><strong>Sutherland</strong> is a critically acclaimed actor whose career spans over 50 years and 100 film credits, from <em>The Dirty Dozen</em> (1967) and <em>M*A*S*H</em> (1970) to <em>Ordinary People </em>(1980) and <em>Citizen X</em> (1995). The Saint John, N.B.-born Sutherland had never seen a theatre play prior to enrolling in Victoria College at ϲ, but went on take part in several productions at Hart House Theatre before graduating in 1958 and going on to establish himself as a Hollywood heavyweight. Named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978, Sutherland has now been promoted to a Companion “for his sustained contributions to the motion picture industry before a global audience and for his championing of social issues.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/GettyImages-458538438.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Donald Sutherland had never seen a theatre play prior to enrolling in Victoria College at ϲ and went on take part in several productions at Hart House Theatre before going on to establish himself as a Hollywood heavyweight (photo by&nbsp;Sean Gallup via Getty Images&nbsp;for GQ)</em></p> <p><strong>Graham Fraser</strong>, who received both his Bachelor of Arts degree and his Master of Arts degree in history from ϲ, served as Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages from 2006 to 2016. Fraser, who has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada, is known as a champion of bilingualism and a defender of the rights of linguistic minority communities. As a journalist, he wrote in both English and French for many of Canada’s leading news publications. He also authored five books, including the highly influential <em>Sorry, I Don’t Speak French</em>.</p> <p>Alumnus <strong>H. Roger Garland</strong> is being recognized as a Member of the Order of Canada “for his influential leadership in business, and for his significant contributions to numerous art and health care institutions.” The certified chartered accountant is a former chief financial officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Prior to Four Seasons, Garland was vice-president of corporate banking with Citibank in Canada and Switzerland. Garland is the founding chair of the board of Soulpepper Theatre Company, a past director of the board for the Young Centre for the Performing Arts and was a chair of the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games in Toronto.</p> <p><strong>Lotfollah Shafai</strong> is a leading expert in the field of applied electromagnetic systems and telecommunications, and is a distinguished professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Manitoba. Shafai, who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from ϲ, is credited with an array of pioneering contributions to the telecommunications field. Shafai was named an Officer for his “fundamental contributions to the fields of electromagnetics and antenna and satellite development,&nbsp;which have led to renowned advancements in the telecommunications industry.”</p> <p><strong>Donald Schmitt</strong> earned a Bachelor of Architecture from ϲ before going on to co-found Diamond Schmitt Architects in 1975. Some of Schmitt’s recent designs include the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at the Hospital for Sick Children and the rejuvenation of the Senate of Canada and National Arts Centre buildings in Ottawa. The firm also worked on ϲ’s Gerstein Science Information Centre and Earth Sciences Centre and is involved with <a href="/news/u-t-s-robarts-library-expansion-featured-canadian-architect">the expansion of Robarts Library</a> and the contruction of a <a href="/news/u-t-reaches-agreement-build-23-storey-student-residence">new residence building on the downtown Toronto campus</a>. Schmitt was named a Member “for his rehabilitation of iconic heritage buildings and for his sustainable architecture designs.”</p> <p><strong>Nicholas Saul</strong> was made a Member for his “innovative vision and leadership as president and CEO of Community Food Centres Canada,” a national anti-poverty organization that supports access to food in low-income neighbourhoods. Saul graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from ϲ in 1990, and was also captain of the varsity basketball team.</p> <p><strong>John David Spence</strong> is a world-renowned expert in stroke prevention research, with hundreds of research publications to his name. A professor of neurology and clinical pharmacology at Western University&nbsp;and director of the university’s affiliated Stroke Prevention &amp; Atherosclerosis Research Centre in London, Ont., Spence graduated from the executive MBA program at ϲ’s Rotman School of Management. He was named a Member for his “contributions to our understanding of atherosclerosis and to the prevention of stroke.”</p> <p><strong>Aubrey Dan</strong> is a Canadian businessman, philanthropist and award-winning producer. The son of <strong>Leslie Dan</strong>, fellow Member of the Order of Canada and the namesake of ϲ’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Aubrey is the founder and president of Dancap Private Equity and the co-founder and executive chairman of EmpowerPharm, a speciality pharmaceutical company. As a philanthropist, Dan has donated millions to various charitable organizations – including to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, the Sunnybrook Foundation and the Baycrest Centre Foundation. As a producer and founder of commercial theatre company Dancap Productions, he has been dedicated to bringing Broadway-style theatre to the city of Toronto, including performances of <em>The Addams Family</em>, <em>West Side Story</em>, and <em>Jersey Boys</em>. Dan is being recognized for “his achievements in finance, and for his philanthropic contributions to health care, education and the arts.”</p> <p><em>Did we miss anybody? If you know of an Order of Canada honouree with ties to ϲ who was announced in this round but who isn't&nbsp;mentioned above, please let us know at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:uoftnews@utoronto.ca">uoftnews@utoronto.ca</a>.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 27 Jun 2019 13:46:35 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 157119 at 'I don't like gatekeepers': Mixed-media artist Andrew James Paterson wins Governor General’s Award /news/i-don-t-gatekeepers-mixed-media-artist-andrew-james-paterson-wins-governor-general-s-award <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'I don't like gatekeepers': Mixed-media artist Andrew James Paterson wins Governor General’s Award</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0W7A0216_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=uWhiPFUz 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/0W7A0216_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=sIEy--HV 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/0W7A0216_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ZIbM6Ycm 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0W7A0216_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=uWhiPFUz" alt="Photo of Andrew James Paterson in his Toronto home"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>perry.king</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-05-28T16:24:33-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 16:24" class="datetime">Tue, 05/28/2019 - 16:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Andrew James Paterson, a ϲ alumnus and Innis College graduate, was named one of eight recipients of the 2019 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts (photo by Perry King)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/perry-king" hreflang="en">Perry King</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/art" hreflang="en">Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/english" hreflang="en">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/film" hreflang="en">Film</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innis-college" hreflang="en">Innis College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/literature" hreflang="en">Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/visual-arts" hreflang="en">Visual Arts</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The artwork of<strong> </strong><strong>Andrew James Paterson</strong><strong>, </strong>a ϲ alumnus and interdisciplinary artist with a portfolio spanning nearly 40 years, is currently on display in the National Gallery of Canada after Paterson was named one of eight recipients of the 2019 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts earlier this year.</p> <p>A graduate of Innis College, Paterson’s videos, films and performances have appeared in Berlin, Seoul, Buenos Aires, Montréal and Toronto, among other places. He is an active programmer and curator for independent media and visual art exhibitions, including Cinematheque Ontario and Toronto’s Images Festival.</p> <p>Speaking from his home, nestled above the Cameron House music hall in downtown Toronto, Paterson said he was humbled by the honour and in awe of his fellow award winners, which include Indigenous art curator <strong>Lee-Ann Martin</strong> and environmental artist Marlene Creates.</p> <p>“It’s slightly unbelievable because, in some ways, [I think] ‘Me? Among that company?’” says Paterson, who sees some of his art as “conceptual one-liners” that take a critical eye to issues like language, technology, the human body, politics and capitalism.</p> <p>The Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts were created in 1999 by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Governor General of Canada. Paterson’s award – in the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award category – recognizes a body of work and its contribution to visual arts, the media arts and contemporary practices in the field.</p> <p>The winners are selected by a peer committee and receive a $25,000 prize. Governor General&nbsp;<strong>Julie Payette</strong>&nbsp;presented the 2019 award&nbsp;recipients with a bronze medallion during a March 28 ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/GG-Andrew-James-Paterson-web-embed.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Governor General&nbsp;Julie Payette and Andrew James Patterson at Rideau Hall earlier this year (photo by&nbsp;LS Anne-Marie Brisson, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2019)</em></p> <p>Paterson’s vast body of work draws upon literature, philosophy, queer aesthetics, performance art&nbsp;and music. His work&nbsp;“defies singular categorization,” says his nominator Scott Miller Berry, a filmmaker and festival organizer based in Toronto.</p> <p>Paterson began his career as a musician – he was the main vocalist and writer for the post-punk band The Government between 1977 and 1982. His passion for music and art was deeply influenced by his parents. His father,&nbsp;<strong>G. R. Paterson,</strong> was a ϲ professor emeritus in pharmaceutical chemistry and a big fan of classical music. His mother, Ida Paterson, was a painter.</p> <p>But Paterson wanted to evolve, to be more “than just a career musician,” he says.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4V4wN6EGI-k" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>Paterson found the experience of attending ϲ in the 1970s to be “stimulating.” Between courses in English and film studies, and time spent at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse and Hart House Theatre, Paterson was able to explore his different interests – a practice that he continued throughout his career.</p> <p>He also got involved with VideoCabaret, a Toronto-based mixed-media company that integrates music and video. “There was all this video around, so I started going, ‘What could I do with the medium?’” Paterson recalls.</p> <p>Paterson went on to produce small animation projects and performance-based pieces. He has published numerous books – including fiction and art commentary – and edited or co-edited numerous essays and anthologies. In 2018, he published a novelette,&nbsp;<em>Not Joy Division</em>, a fictional mystery that incorporates social media elements.</p> <p>To this day, Paterson refuses to limit his artistic reach, choosing instead to maintain a relationship to defined art “communities,” he says. “One thing that runs through my work is this ‘meta’ in relation to art worlds, or so-called ‘art communities.’ I try to avoid using the definite article with the word ‘community’ as much as possible.</p> <p>“I don’t like gatekeepers.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 28 May 2019 20:24:33 +0000 perry.king 156762 at Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House /news/paul-templin-behind-curtain-almost-four-decades-hart-house <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ky_kSAFb 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OHqN4cfF 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cD_7WVU0 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ky_kSAFb" alt="Paul Templin "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-01-29T12:50:54-05:00" title="Monday, January 29, 2018 - 12:50" class="datetime">Mon, 01/29/2018 - 12:50</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Paul Templin has retired after almost 40 years working at ϲ's Hart House (photo by Scott Gorman)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-staff" hreflang="en">Faculty &amp; Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><div>In his 36 years of managing events, programming and the theatre at Hart House, <strong>Paul Templin</strong> met many fascinating people, but a few memories are etched on his mind: Riding in an elevator with Yoko Ono, writing letters with Christopher Plummer and escaping a fire thanks to a resident, friendly ghost.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The former Hart House Theatre director worked for the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival, the Westwood Playhouse and the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles, but it was during his time at the ϲ that he experienced his greatest adventures in theatre.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>He says he will miss the magic of live theatre: Production sets where the imaginations of talented writers, actors and stage crew came alive. But he will also miss the space that he nurtured and helped grow. His favourite seat at Hart House Theatre is at Row K, seat 2 (it has a lot of legroom and allowed Templin to sneak in and out of shows). His favourite room at Hart House (outside the Hart House Theatre) is the Great Hall.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>Watch a&nbsp;360 video of Hart House's Great Hall, with Paul Templin as a guide</h3> <div><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SFr-ie_rdN8" width="560"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div>On Nov. 26, Templin celebrated almost four decades at ϲ at a retirement reception hosted by his colleagues at Hart House. As he closes this chapter of his life, Templin shares with us three memories of his home away from home,&nbsp;from ghostly to international sensations.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h2><strong>1. Escaping fires thanks to Bert the ghost&nbsp;</strong></h2> <div>When Templin managed Hart House Theatre, he would sometimes work long shifts, coming in at 8 a.m. and staying as late as 1 a.m.&nbsp;Sometimes he would even sleep in his office to avoid a long commute home.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One night, the door of his office swung violently open, hitting the cot that he was sleeping on and waking him up. Heavy smoke filled the room.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The door had a frosted windowpane and as it swung shut, Templin saw a figure behind the frosted door. He assumed someone had come to warn him of a fire that broke out at Hart House.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It turned out to be an electric fire, which spread throughout Hart House Theatre. “The hallway and the room next to my office were filled with smoke. There was smoke everywhere,” Templin recalls.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>As a small group met outside the burning building (the caretakers and the warden of Hart House, who lived there at the time), Templin asked which one of them came by his office. None of them did. “I attributed it to Bert,” says Templin, referring to a ghost that was purportedly spotted at Hart House on various occasions. Bert was a caretaker at Hart House before he died after being&nbsp;struck by a streetcar on College Street.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“A few years after the fire a woman came to see me and told me that I knew her grandfather,” says Templin.&nbsp; “I had no idea who she was talking about, but she insisted that I knew him.” The woman’s grandfather’s name was “Albert."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin took her on a tour around Hart House to show her where Bert would have worked. “And as far as I know no one has seen the ghost since,” he says. “It’s almost as though her visit expelled the ghost.”</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h2><strong>2. Pulling strings with Yoko Ono&nbsp;</strong></h2> <p><img alt="Paul Templin and Yoko Ono" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7429 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/paul%20%20yoko.jpg" style="width: 293px; height: 453px; float: left; margin: 5px 15px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>In 2002, Yoko Ono was in Toronto for a retrospective of her work at the Art Gallery of Ontario. “She wanted to do a live performance, and it ended up being at Hart House Theatre,” says Templin. When Ono came by for a rehearsal she asked Templin if she could use his office to get ready. Templin readily agreed and asked Ono if he might be able to get a photo with her.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <div>Later, hundreds came out to see her performance, which Templin says was an interpretive piece.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“It started as an interview with her and the president of the AGO, but at one point of the interview she took out a large black bag. She got into the bag and got naked and did the rest of the interview naked in the bag,” says Templin. “She later did a demonstration with a chair – 37 ways of using a chair, or something like that,” he says. “Then she had her assistants work around the auditorium, twisting the blue yarn around everyone, and pulling the yarn around both her toes so that everyone in the room felt the tugging.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin also says she gave a piece of a puzzle to everyone in the room and told them that in 50 years everyone should come back and put the puzzle together.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“As we were going up the elevator together, Yoko said loudly, ‘Stop!’&nbsp;and asked one member of her entourage to take a picture of us,” he says.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin didn’t think he would get to see the photo, but a month later she sent it to him in an envelope. “She was quite chatty and very nice and pleasant – a bit wacky.”</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3><a href="http://magazine.utoronto.ca/time-capsule/john-lennon-and-yoko-ono-rock-varsity-stadium/">Read about Yoko Ono’s first time at ϲ: Her iconic concert with John Lennon at Varsity Stadium in 1969</a>&nbsp;</h3> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h2><strong>3. Writing letters with Christopher Plummer</strong></h2> <div><img alt="Paul Templin with Christopher Plummer" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7445 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Paul%20Templin%20with%20Christopher%20Plummer_0.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 563px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></div> <div>In 2001, the <em>CBC </em>asked the renowned actor Christopher Plummer&nbsp;to talk about receiving the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Around this time, there were concerns that Hart House Theatre may have to close. Templin was working on a document that outlined incorporating the theatre into Hart House as a response to possible closure.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Plummer felt personally invested in the cause. “He loved it, all his friends loved it, and he wanted it to stay open to convey how important theatre is to society,” says Templin. “He wanted to give his speech for the <em>CBC </em>at Hart House Theatre."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin got to spend the day with Plummer during the <em>CBC </em>shoot, and afterwards Plummer wrote a letter in support of keeping the theatre open, which Templin included in his plea to keep Hart House Theatre open.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“He was a real gentleman, such a nice man. I had the pleasure of meeting him several times. Extremely talented and generous man with his time and wisdom,” Templin recalls. The two would keep in touch, and had dinner again years later when Plummer received his honorary degree at ϲ.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</div> <div>And Templin’s plan was accepted: The theatre was incorporated into Hart House for three temporary years, and stayed open thereafter.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>Below, Paul Templin in his favourite seat at Hart House Theatre. Photo and the 360 video by Veronica Zaretski.</em></div> <div><img alt="Paul Templin " class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7444 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Paul%20Templin%20in%20his%20favourite%20seat%20at%20Hart%20House%20Theatre_1.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 563px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 29 Jan 2018 17:50:54 +0000 vzaretski 128256 at Much Ado backstage: how a science grad landed at ϲ’s Hart House Theatre /news/much-ado-backstage <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Much Ado backstage: how a science grad landed at ϲ’s Hart House Theatre</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/lucymcfee.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5lp2C8Ra 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/lucymcfee.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=BlA4aunC 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/lucymcfee.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Aydi7owE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/lucymcfee.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=5lp2C8Ra" alt="Lucy McPhee"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lavende4</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-11T13:31:31-05:00" title="Friday, November 11, 2016 - 13:31" class="datetime">Fri, 11/11/2016 - 13:31</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Lucy McPhee: time management skills necessary in science and in theatre (photo by Scott Gorman)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/arthur-kaptainis" hreflang="en">Arthur Kaptainis</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Arthur Kaptainis</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/william-shakespeare" hreflang="en">William Shakespeare</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t" hreflang="en">ϲ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Lucy McPhee</strong> entered ϲ with wide eyes and an ambition shared by many&nbsp;undergrads: to become a doctor.</p> <p>So how did the&nbsp;double major in biochemistry and neuroscience, who graduated last June, end&nbsp;up as the stage manager of Shakespeare’s <em>Much Ado About Nothing</em> at the Hart House Theatre?</p> <p>She says the migration from laboratory to stage was gradual. She was fine with science coursework but less enamoured of the data-input duties that clinical studies entailed.</p> <p>“It’s very hands on,” she explained backstage. “That’s what I really like.”</p> <p>Feeling nostalgic for the extracurricular theatre and choir activities she enjoyed in high school, McPhee approached the Hart House Theatre late in her second year. As a University College student, she also volunteered for the UC Follies. But not as a performer.</p> <p>“I don’t like being on stage in front of people at all,” McPhee said. “I don’t want to be looked at. But I really like being part of the production and seeing all the parts that make it work.”</p> <p>McPhee thinks her grounding in science helped her&nbsp;as a young theatre professional.</p> <p>“You have to have time-management skills,” she said. “In labs, it’s all about recovering information, knowing what has happened at every moment. So when you write the lab report you can say, ‘Oh, at this time it was like this.’</p> <p>“It is similar in the theatre. You have to know that in this scene, at this time, this person is standing here. And they have this prop, and they’re wearing this costume.”</p> <p>While the position of stage manager might conjure an image of someone scurrying behind the curtain and yelling&nbsp;“five minutes!,” McPhee in fact spends much of her time at a control panel.</p> <p>As an assistant stage manager she became well acquainted with on-stage mishaps, including wardrobe malfunctions. Duelling and scuffling were abundant in the 2014 Hart House production of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s <em>Goodnight Desdemona</em> <em>(Good Morning Juliet)</em>.</p> <p>“So many Shakespearean doublets,” McPhee recalled. “I probably sewed every button on.”</p> <p>While the director is formally in charge during rehearsals, the stage manager has the unstated duty of making sure that people are present and paying attention.</p> <p>“After the show starts running, it becomes your show,” McPhee explains. “In some professional situations, they have a formal handing over for duties, with everyone on stage.”</p> <p>Personal interaction, in McPhee’s view,&nbsp; is what most distinguishes the theatre from the laboratory.</p> <p>“This aspect doesn’t really exist in the sciences,” she says. “It’s very much a solitary field. I’ve always liked working with people.”</p> <p>Her philosophy: respect begets respect. “Some people believe that actors are like children and have to be coddled. I think if you treat people like adults, they’ll step up to that.”</p> <p><strong>Doug Floyd</strong>, general manager of the Hart House Theatre, regards McPhee as a natural.</p> <p>“She gets the job done with a quiet confidence that builds trust with a company. This is what the very best stage managers do. Lucy has that gift.”</p> <p>He also regards McPhee as part of the Hart House Theatre family.</p> <p>“Lucy as a student fully immersed herself into the environment. She had the opportunity to work with some really terrific stage managers and absorbed that information and know-how like a sponge.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Drama or theatre may not have been part of her academic pursuits at ϲ but she left learning a trade, a craft. This is experiential learning at its best.”</p> <p><em><a href="http://harthouse.ca/much-ado-about-nothing/">"Much Ado About Nothing" </a>&nbsp;plays until Nov.&nbsp;19 at the Hart House Theatre.&nbsp;</em></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2459 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="325" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/audview_muchado.jpg?itok=8aU2BfHE" typeof="foaf:Image" width="506" loading="lazy"></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 11 Nov 2016 18:31:31 +0000 lavende4 102391 at Romeo, Juliet and Jeremy Hutton /news/romeo-juliet-and-jeremy-hutton <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Romeo, Juliet and Jeremy Hutton</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2012-11-19T04:36:01-05:00" title="Monday, November 19, 2012 - 04:36" class="datetime">Mon, 11/19/2012 - 04:36</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"> Nicolette Pearse, Erin Wotherspoon, Emily Dix, Alexis Budd, (front) Eric Finlayson (photo by Daniel DiMarco) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/anya-broytman" hreflang="en">Anya Broytman</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Anya Broytman</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Hart House Theatre blends Italian hip hop and Shakespeare</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em><strong>Anya Broytman</strong>, a first-year undergraduate student at Trinity College, asked <strong>Jeremy Hutton</strong>, artistic director of Hart House Theatre, to share some insights into</em> Romeo and Juliet. <em>Hutton’s energetic interpretation of the timeless love story, which premiered Nov, 7 runs until Nov. 24. (Tickets available <a href="http://www.uofttix.ca">here</a>.)</em></p> <p><strong>What can audiences expect from this production of <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>? Did you go classic or contemporary?</strong></p> <p>It's funny: the last time when I directed contemporized Shakespeare was at Trinity College in 1999 or 2000. It was the <em>Merchant of Venice</em> and since then I have never modernized any of the fifteen or sixteen Shakespearean plays that I've directed.</p> <p><strong>Why?</strong></p> <p>It's a very tough business and I certainly did not succeed at it when we did this at Trinity College. Some aspects of it were good, but there are some elements that are very difficult to work with, such as guns and telephones that come into play as soon as you modernize Shakespeare. These become a big issue: why doesn't the Friar just call up Romeo and let him know that Juliet is not actually dead? This is not to mention that the cultural and sexual politics have changed. In modern context, it is hard to understand why Juliet would not just leave her household. That being said, I am setting the play in a modern context.</p> <p><strong>How so?</strong></p> <p>Fully understanding the challenges that are inherent in that, I want to do it because staging the play classically often causes people to separate themselves very far from the action: they see it as something that used to happen but would never happen now. This is why setting Shakespeare in a modern context is appealing, but you have to deal with all the issues that come up carefully. You still want to tell the story that Shakespeare wrote rather than change it to fit your own vision. This happens a lot in modern adaptations of Shakespeare: people just alter the story to suit their needs. It's not really your job as a director; your job is to illuminate the story for the audience. So I had, for instance, to deal with guns while still finding a way to keep swords in the play.</p> <p>I set it in contemporary Italy and I made it really violent, steeped in insular family politics. I guess there is still a stereotype attached to Italian vendetta as well as the perception of their families being very controlling, very passionate about kinship. This helps explain the sexual politics: Juliet does not simply run away because she has this overbearing sense of obligation. Tybalt is driven by his outrage at how Romeo has "shamed" his family by showing up at their party. He feels that his family has been insulted and family insults cannot be tolerated. So, even in a modern context, contemporary stereotypes can help illuminate the story so that it makes perfect sense.</p> <p>As for the issue of cell phones, we have made sure that in our modern Italy – which is a bit fictionalized – no cell phone ever arrives on the stage.&nbsp;It is non-existent in this particular world. Besides, this place has a dirty, violent, hip-hop feel to it; people walk around in half-militarized gear with machetes hanging from their hips. So, in our Verona, they just don't have this technology. It is a small, insular location that has fallen into chaos – something resembling not modern-day Italy, but perhaps parts of Africa.</p> <p><strong>Music associated with <em>Romeo and Juliet </em>ranges from iconic songs such as "What Is a Youth?" in Zefferelli's movie version to Sergei Prokofiev's score for the ballet. What role does music play in your production?</strong></p> <p>I come from a music background – I studied music at ϲ – so it's a big part of all the shows that I do. It's funny that <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> has a mus<img alt src="/sites/default/files/Romeo-and-Juliet-11_250by320.jpg" style="width: 250px; height: 320px; float: left; margin: 3px 5px;">ical tradition because it's one of the few Shakespearean plays that doesn't have any songs written into it, unlike <em>Twelfth Night</em> or <em>As You Like It</em>. But everyone feels that it must have music, perhaps because of the party scene where we assume there is music and dancing. Once you put music into the show in one place, you have to put it in other places.</p> <p>For this production, I have been digging around in modern Italian music and came across a pretty rich tradition of Italian hip hop. I was surprised at the major role that hard-style electronic hip hop plays in their modern music. Also, their hip hop is political and controversial in its social commentary. This is very interesting because <em>Romeo and </em><em>Juliet</em> is set in political chaos; the prince cannot control Verona. If you think of him as a corrupt politician, this music works out pretty well as long as you are very sensitive to the moments where hip hop is not appropriate in terms of the storytelling.</p> <p>So, when Mercutio comes on and they go to the party, there is dubstep and hip hop but as soon as Romeo and Juliet meet, something has to happen. Not only in terms of the action and movement, but also in terms of the music – you can't just keep hammering out a hip-hop tune in the background. So, I took some modern classical piano music by an Italian composer named Ludovico Einaudi and I DJ'ed it all together so that when Romeo and Juliet meet, we slip from sharp hip hop into beautiful, sustained classical music.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What can we expect visually?</strong></p> <p>As I mentioned, there will be modern Italian costumes. Most young people will be wearing a sort of cobbled together semi-military gear (think child soldiers: a jacket, some straps, and a belt for a knife combined with a regular T-shirt and jeans). So, there will be a combination of self-arming, militaristic attire and just casual young people's clothes.</p> <p>The older people – the prince, Capulet and Montague – will be wearing suits. The set itself is a big monster. Structurally, it has elements of old Roman architecture, but it is made of very modernist materials. The music will create a certain atmosphere, and, since the play is modernized, be prepared: guns will come out from time to time.</p> <p><strong>What else is there to say about the design?</strong></p> <p>It is dirty and violent – especially violent – because this is, above all, a story about two young people who find love and try to make it work in a chaotic society and it simply cannot work. Not because of fate, but because of circumstances.</p> <p><strong>But fate is important to this story.</strong></p> <p>Yes, but if you play it fatalistically, then nobody has any stakes, right? At the end of the play everybody on stage – every single person except for the watchmen – is personally responsible for the bloodshed in front of them, for the deaths of Paris, Romeo and Juliet, and of Tybalt and Mercutio as well. There is not a single person on stage who is not guilty. Capulet, Lady Capulet, Montague, the Prince himself – for not doing anything about the strife, Balthasar – for leaving Romeo alone in the tomb, the Friar – for setting it all up and leaving before Juliet awakened. Everyone on stage is super-guilty of what has happened. Any one of them could have made a choice throughout the play that would have changed the ending.</p> <p>Therefore, it cannot be just fate – if fate could be used as an excuse, there would be no drama, no pathos. It is critical that when the curtain goes down, all characters on stage have had a hand in what has happened and realize that the tragic outcome is, to an extent, of their making. This is more dramatically exciting. You can never tell an actor to play fate. If there are no active choices, there is no theater.</p> <p><em>Inset photo (left to right): Paolo Santalucia and Darwin Lyons</em> <em>(photo by Daniel DiMarco) </em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/Romeo-and-Juliet-2_600by400.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:36:01 +0000 sgupta 4817 at