On the subject of "The Future of Canadian Stage Company"...

Received the press release below this afternoon.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2008

Natasha Mytnowych Appointed Associate Director of Artistic and Audience DevelopmentNatasha Mytnowych Appointed Associate Director of Artistic and Audience Development

Toronto, ON (March 27, 2008) – Martin Bragg, Artistic Producer of The Canadian Stage Company, today announced that Natasha Mytnowych has been appointed Associate Director of Artistic and Audience Development, a newly created position, effective April 1, 2008.

Working in conjunction with the Artistic Producer, the Artistic Director (to be appointed) and the Director of Marketing and Communications, Ms. Mytnowych will be responsible for the Company’s artistic development and audience development strategy, programs and activities. This will include: creating and executing a long-term strategy for the development of artists including managing existing programs and developing new ones; overseeing all play development activity including sourcing scripts, facilitating workshops and organizing public presentations in collaboration with the Artistic Director and Consulting Dramaturg; and developing and executing an audience outreach and education strategy with the support of the Community Relations Manager.

Martin Bragg states, “Natasha is part of the vanguard of a new generation of artists who will ensure that our art form grows and develops. We look forward to a dynamic new era of development for our community of artists and the audiences of the future.”

Ms. Mytnowych is the Founder and Program Director of two of The Canadian Stage Company’s successful artistic development initiatives – BASH! and THE GYMNASIUM.

An award-winning producer, director, playwright and designer, Ms. Mytnowych was awarded the inaugural Mayor’s Arts Award for an Emerging Artist from the Toronto Arts Council Foundation in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments and potential as a director and arts leader. She was also nominated for the Ontario Arts Council’s John Hirsch Award for Emerging Directors and the Canada Council for the Arts’ John Hirsch Award for Emerging Directors.

Ms. Mytnowych has produced, directed and initiated numerous critically-acclaimed theatre and multi-disciplinary projects. She is currently Artistic Director for Company Theatre Crisis, dedicated to developing and producing contemporary works, and Artistic Director for Theatre Revolve, which empowers young women from diverse communities through the creation of live theatre, artistic training, mentorship and leadership development. For three years, she was the Artistic Producer of the Paprika Festival, a training program and festival of new works by artists under 21 at the Tarragon Theatre. She has been the Associate Producer for the AfriCanadian Playwrights Festival, Producer for the 26th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Artistic Associate for Nightwood Theatre, Associate Festival Director for Nightwood’s Groundswell Festival and Under-21 Associate Director for the Rhubarb! Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. She initiated and facilitated Nightwood’s Emerging Actor Program, was the Assistant Festival Director for the inaugural and second Hysteria: A Festival of Women for Nightwood Theatre/Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and co-produced and stage managed the Barbadian tour of Lisa Codrington’s Governor General’s Award-nominated play Cast Iron.

She has directed plays for numerous theatre companies in Toronto. Recent directing projects include: The Russian Play at Factory Theatre, a Dora Award-nominated play by Hannah Moscovitch; Gulag: Love Among the Russians/post-democracy/USSR; In Full Light; I Think of You Erendira; and Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Plays/365 Days (1st Constant). Upcoming projects include directing post-democracy by Hannah Moscovitch at the Banff Colony (a play recently presented at the Rhubarb! Festival), and assistant directing Mikel Rouse’s Dennis Cleveland for Luminato: Toronto’s Festival of Arts and Creativity.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mytnowych is awesome. Her work with Rubharb was excellent, and her direction on the Russian Play was excellent. And good on CanStage for bringing in someone who couldn't be more tapped in to the energy of the younger generation of theatre artists in they city.

Yet... It's a sinking ship, isn't it? What's she possibly to do?

B.A.F.

Sandy Katers said...

Wow. If there's one person who's up to this Herculean task, it's Natasha. How interesting.