Gracing The Stage

“The Cinnamon Hearts Present… Unlucky in Love“, w/ guests The Saucy Tarts, Ceci My Playmate, Mademoiselle Creme Brulee, @ Goodhandy’s, 9pm, $10

In a few short hours, the 8th edition of The Wrecking Ball will begin.

“Understated” is in no way an appropriate word to describe this politically motivated evening of brand new theatrical works, but compared to the 7th edition of the WB, it will be. The 7th edition of the Wrecking Ball was held simultaneously on October 6th across Canada in 10 different cities, and was instrumental in focusing enough pressure on the campaigning political parties that the Conservatives backed off from many of their planned cuts to arts and culture prior to the election.

Wrecking Ball 8: as always, ripped from the headlines of the day, and not afraid to push buttons.

This eighth edition of the WB is closer to its roots; held at a Toronto theatre space (this time around, it’s at Theatre Passe Muraille ) , with little advance publicity, and even less advance preparation for the participating playwrights, directors, and actors, who must adhere to two simple rules:

1)PLAYS MUST BE BASED ON CURRENT WORLD EVENTS – RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
2)PLAYS MUST BE WRITTEN IN ONE WEEK, REHEARSED BRIEFLY AND THROWN RAW BEFORE A HUNGRY AUDIENCE.

From these dictates emerges work that is often brutal, disturbing, thought provoking, and even inspiring in its immediacy. With so little time to second guess or censor themselves, many of Toronto’s best theatre practitioners have created work that, while only seen once, has its audience (these Balls are pretty much always at capacity by the time the show is underway) debating and discussing what they’ve seen for a long while after the evening’s performances.

Canadian star of stage and screen Lorne Cardinal, and one of tonight's featured playwrights (and honourary Senator), Tara Beagan. The original caption to this picture reads: "Come to Wrecking Ball to learn what this is all about."

The nights have served as a proving ground, and firestarter, for both established and up and coming artists; people who have then gone on (or continued) to do profound and relevant theatrical work in Canada. Judith Thompson’s “Palace at the End” had its middle monologue debuted at the first editon, and an early edition of Michael Healey’s “Generous” was part of the third edition.

Other WB alumni include Jason Sherman, Claudia Dey, Morris Panych, Hannah Moscovitch , Daniel Macivor, Aaron Willis, and many more of Canada’s most influential theatre artists. It’s even had international participants; tonight’s performances will include, at some point, a tribute to the recently deceased Harold Pinter , who contributed a short piece in 2006, “Press Conference“, that had its Toronto debut that night.

Tonight’s playwrights will include Ananad Rajaram (gracingthestage.ca’s first ever profile subject), Matt MacFadzean, whose work will be directed by Michael Healey (a founding member of the WB), spoken word poet Boonaa Mohammed, and Tara Beagan . Both Beagan and Healey have just today been named honourary Senators by the activist group Department of Culture , for their work with the group to combat the arts cuts that became a hot topic issue during the fall election. I might expect that more such hot topics will be broached on Passe Muraille’s stage this evening.

Wrecking Ball #8 occurs tonight, Monday February 9th, @ Theatre Passe Muraille. The box office opens at 7pm, and the show commences at 8pm; all tickets are at the door, and PWYC.