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ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS
This year saw a return to live performances after being shuttered due to COVID the previous season and a half. We crafted a slate of offerings intended to cautiously and thoughtfully invite patrons, artists and the Grand staff safely back into our space. Our fall season began with smaller capacity events and by the end of the season, we were allowed to have larger groups of our loyal audiences attend.
We began our season with the twenty-third annual HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT. While last seasons’ was purely online, this year’s offering was a filmed version utilizing students in outdoor venues throughout the city. Conceived and directed by Andrew Tribe, the students gathered and filmed broadway songs in the safety of outdoors under the title of THE GREAT GRAND ROAD TRIP. It was broadcast through our website and achieved approximately 1,500 registrations. We were pleased that the students could gather together in a safe environment and spend the time connecting with their peers – something that COVID had restricted.
In celebration of our recently completed extensive renovation, we conceived an original way to celebrate this new beautiful space. Using the banner of the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL, we invited four local artists to each create a special theatrical offering. Each of the four projects resulted in a specially curated evening involving various lobby spaces and the use of our two stages.
Mark Uhre created an original cabaret musical, SEEDS OF SELF, chronicling his life growing up gay in London which was presented on the newly refreshed Auburn Stage. His second act took the audience directly onto the Spriet Stage where they were invited to paint a painting together with Mark. With FINDING BLACK JOY, Alexandra Kane’s night began in the Auburn Stage with an art installation.
The finale was a concert of joyous celebration and examination of what it means to have and find Black Joy. Richard Gracious’s experience of being cooped up during COVID resulted in ONE YEAR - a mini rock musical chronicling his time unable to perform with his band live anywhere. And Summer Bressette wrote a new play, which was fully staged, LOVE SONG FOR THE THUNDERBIRDS. These events rotated nightly over three weeks and allowed small groups of audiences to experience these four artists and the artists hired to support their offerings, in an intimate and surprising way.
grand re:opening festival, OCTOBER 2021
Summer bressette, mark uhre, richard gracious, alexandra kane
In December, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS was presented on the Spriet Stage. This original 90 minute musical revue of holiday songs both old and new took the place of our regular, larger sized holiday musical. This scaled down holiday offering involved eight singers and a band of eight in an effort to celebrate the holidays in an easy and accessible way. Following each performance, the audience was invited to donate to our holiday fundraising event in support of the Food Bank.
In March 2020 our North American premiere production of Emma Donoghue’s ROOM was cancelled on opening night. Rescheduled for this season, it was to open in January of 2022. The Omicron COVID variation forced the theatre to close for another six week period. Eventually, ROOM opened in March in a triumphant debut. It was a mark of accomplishment that this much delayed project was finally realized. Audiences and critics agreed – it was a resounding success: Powerful, disturbing, and vital. Following the run here at the Grand, the production transferred to the Princess of Wales Theatre with Mirvish Productions. For an impressive six weeks, the Grand was showcased in downtown Toronto with ROOM.
Two of our announced and scheduled productions for this season, Andrea Scott’s CONTROLLED DAMAGE, and Andrea Menard’s RUBABOO, were cancelled for this season due to the closure of the company for six weeks due to COVID. Both productions have been moved into the Winter 2023 season. We look forward to their eventual debut. The world premiere of the musical GROW completed our season in a shortened run. This project was also cancelled in 2020 and so it was important to finally realize the musical. Audiences delighted in the examination of two Amish twins encountering the new world of legalizing cannabis – in musical form.
Our COMPASS new play development program continues to foster, enhance and support new work. GRAND GHOSTS, set to debut on the Spriet Stage in the fall of 2022, was developed further in a weeklong spring workshop led by playwright Trina Davies and director Jillian Keily and supported by eight actors. It was an invaluable and creative exploratory period – invaluable in discovering how best to tell the story of the Grand’s most famous ghost, Ambrose Small.
In the Spring, the Grand proudly announced a full slate of offerings for 2022-2023 signally a return to a full subscription season. This year was a season of artistic invention and consideration. It was challenging, stressful for all, and completely unpredictable. But it was also thrilling to be back after a year of not having any audiences in the theatre. The highlight of the season, no doubt, was the tenacity of our team at the Grand, our guest artists, and our volunteers to be as reactive and proactive as possible. In this way, this season will be remembered for the Grand’s team ability to endure and thrive - in spite of these challenges.
