King Henry Five Cast Announcement

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Driftwood Theatre Group is excited to announce plans for their return to the road with The Bard’s Bus Tour. Back for the first time since 2019, Driftwood will present King Henry Five, running throughout Southern Ontario from July 14 – August 21, 2022. 

An ambitious adaptation of three Shakespeare plays (Henry IV pts 1 & 2, Henry V), King Henry Five is a powerful story about community, the families we inherit and those we choose, and the legacies we leave behind.

Set against the backdrop of an contemporary patio bar and featuring Driftwood’s signature blend of music, puppetry and Shakespeare’s captivating poetry, King Henry Five rolls into outdoor community spaces across Ontario this summer.

This compelling saga will be told with a cast of only five performers. Lead by Driftwood’s Founding Artistic Director, D Jeremy Smith the cast includes celebrated Canadian theatre veteran Hume Baugh (Our Town, Theatre Rusticle) as Falstaff, Richard Alan Campbell (14 productions, VideoCabaret) as Quickly/Henry IV, Ximena Huizi (Rosalynde, Driftwood Theatre) as Poins/Hotspur, and emerging theatre artists Rosalie Tremblay (Trafalgar 24, Driftwood Theatre) as Cathearine/Bardolph and emerging theatre artist Ben Yoganathan (Romeo & Juliet, X University) as Hal/Henry V. The production is designed by Julia Kim (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Driftwood) and will feature seven original songs with lyrics by Germaine Konji (2020 Musical Stage Company Banks Prize). 

CLICK HERE to meet our artists

“By the time we hit the road in July,” says Jeremy, “it will have been three years since we were last face-to-face with people across Ontario. I can’t wait to share this epic story and the work of these extraordinary artists with our audiences.”

Tickets for King Henry Five are now on sale online at driftwoodtheatre.com. In keeping with Driftwood Theatre’s vision of theatre for all people, all tickets are available for Pay What You Can Afford admission. Audiences are invited to select from four one of four  set admission prices ($5, $35, $50, $75) which best suits their circumstance.

Driftwood Theatre brings accessible, live, outdoor theatre across Ontario. Whether it’s Shakespeare or contemporary playwrights, Driftwood produces professional theatre that reflects a uniquely Canadian experience.

For tour dates and information, click here.

To book tickets, click here.

Job Notice, Stage Manager

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Driftwood Theatre invites applications from Stage Managers for it’s upcoming summer, touring production of King Henry Five.

 
Driftwood Theatre welcomes applicants from all backgrounds who reflect the many communities that make up the province of Ontario. In particular, we will prioritize applications from artists who identify as BIPOC and/or 2SLGBTQ+. Driftwood is also committed to providing an accessible and barrier-free environment for its staff and artists. If you have questions or concerns about the accessibility of this application process, or the production itself, please feel free to reach out to Producer, Ella Kohlmann at ekohlmann@driftwodtheatre.com [ekohlmann AT driftwodtheatre DOT com] for accommodations.
The Bard’s Bus Tour is an annual summer Ontario tradition, touring to outdoor venues across the province for over 25 years.
Rehearsals for King Henry Five will begin in June 2022 in Picton, Ontario, with public performances planned between July 19 – August 14, 2022 (with a possible extension to August 21). During the tour, Toronto will serve as the point of origin. The Bard’s Bus Tour contracts equity artists under the ITA as a ‘G’ House.

Driftwood tackles Shakespeare’s history plays for the first time as we adapt three of Shakespeare’s scripts (Henry IV pts 1 & 2, Henry V) into a single narrative using only five actors to tell the story of King Henry Five. Set in a contemporary Canadian patio bar, King Henry Five focuses on prince Hal’s questionable friendship with Falstaff as it comes up against Hal’s priorities as a leader and future king. This is a powerful story about community, the families we inherit and those we choose, and the legacies we leave behind.

Please submit, as a single PDF, your application including: a brief cover letter telling us what interests you about the project and working with Driftwood and your CV, to Artistic Director Jeremy Smith at jsmith@driftwoodtheatre.com.

 
Appication deadline: March 25, 2022

March Break Virtual Workshops

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This March, Driftwood is offering a number of exciting virtual theatre workshops for young storytellers and performers around Ontario! 

We’ll be offering three storytelling workshops in partnership with public libraries, one workshop about character-creation and movement with Ontario Power Generation’s Virtual Power Kids program, and last but not least we’ll be joining Visual Arts Mississauga at Riverwood as a special guest at the end of their week-long March break half-day camp.

Get ready to spark your imagination, get your body moving, and tell some stories!

Oshawa Public Library | March 15 at 11am

Click here to register.

King Township Public Library | March 16 at 10am

Click here to register.

Richmond Hill Public Library | March 17 at 2pm

Click here to register.

Visual Arts Centre Mississauga | Week-long, half-day camp

Click here to register (registration closes March 6)

Ontario Power Generation | March 24th, 10am

Click here to register. 

Call for Submissions: Beyond the Bard Playwrights Unit

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PLEASE NOTE: Driftwood Theatre has extended the deadline for submissions to the Beyond the Bard Playwrights Unit to Friday, March 11, 2022. 

What we’re doing:

Driftwood Theatre Group is now accepting submissions for our 2022 Beyond the Bard Playwrights Unit! This year, we are looking for early career playwrights who are interested in creating NEW short plays to be presented as part of our summer tour. Commissioned playwrights will be supported by our company dramaturg throughout the development process, and will participate in bi-monthly group meetings geared toward fellowship and professional development. Interested in the opportunity to have your work toured across Ontario this summer? Then get your application in! 

What we’re offering: 

  • A paid commission to write a 10-minute play for our 2022 season. 
  • A director and cast of professional actors made up of company members from our 2022 touring show, Henry V. NOTE: Playwrights will be made aware of the actors in their cast (max. two) before they are asked to begin writing. 
  • Ongoing dramaturgical support from our Company Dramaturg, Caitie Graham, for the duration of the Unit (April – June)
  • Bi-monthly “Fellowship Meetings” wherein the Unit convenes as a group of

artists working toward a common goal via different paths and perspectives. At these meetings, playwrights will be invited to propose discussion topics, or recommend reading material, about anything they feel is important to their artwork and/or the professional development of the group. 

We’re looking for applicants who are…

  • Inspired by the idea of creating a short play to accompany our touring production; knowing that your work will be presented publicly outdoors, at new venues each week, in different communities across Ontario, with minimal set, prop, and costume.
  • Committed to dedicating a significant amount of time to your project, and meeting mutually agreed-upon deadlines. 
  • Available to attend dramaturgy sessions, and join bi-monthly group meetings with the rest of the Unit. NOTE: While our tour and rehearsals will be in-person events, all Unit activities leading up to this stage will take place virtually.
  • ‘Early career’. By our definition, this means you have demonstrated a commitment to advancing a career in playwriting, but have not (yet) received a professional production of a full-length work. This does not include professional workshops or staged readings of works in progress. There are no age limits to apply. 

The Beyond the Bard Playwrights Unit welcomes applicants from all backgrounds who reflect the many communities that make up the province of Ontario. In particular, we will prioritize applications from artists who identify as BIPOC and/or 2SLGBTQ+. Driftwood is also committed to providing an accessible and barrier-free environment for its staff and artists. If you have questions or concerns about the accessibility of this application process, or the Unit itself, please feel free to reach out to Caitie at dramaturg@driftwoodtheatre.com for accommodations. 

Given that Driftwood recently moved our office from Toronto to Picton, we are also particularly interested in submissions from Ontario artists who are based in (or have a deep connection to) communities outside of Toronto.

What to submit:

Please click here to complete our submission form. On it, you will be asked to provide the following:

  • An Artist’s CV 
  • A Letter of Interest (max 1pg, PDF) OR Applicant Video (max 5 mins) that includes…
    • A brief introduction of who you are and where you feel you’re at in your career. 
    • Why you’re applying for the BTB Playwrights Unit, and what you hope to gain from the experience.
    • What is exciting (and also challenging) to you about writing for our tour.
    • Whatever else you may think is important for us to consider!
  • A writing sample (max 10 pgs double spaced, PDF)

***Please include your full name in the title of ALL attached files. 

All applicants will be contacted upon receipt of their submission, and again by early April regarding the status of their application.

Successful applicants will be invited to a short, virtual, interview with our Artistic Director and Company Dramaturg before official selections are made.

EXTENDED DEADLINE TO SUBMIT:  Friday March 11th, 2022 @ 11:59pm

For any questions and/or requests for accessibility accommodation, please reach Caitie at dramaturg@driftwoodtheatre.com

Click HERE to submit your application.