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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-03-15, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012. PAGE 23. Happy 1st Birthday to our beautiful girl Lots of love from Mommy, Daddy, Cassy, Ethan and Family March 20th Jean Williams Happy 80th Birthday Love, Mary & Frank, Edgar & Angie, Les & Brenda, grandkids & great-grandkids Entertainment Leisure&Cimolino named Stratford Festival’s Artistic Director Dr. Lee Myers and members of the Board of Governors are delighted to announce that Antoni Cimolino will be the next Artistic Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, following on the tenure of Des McAnuff. As Chair of the Board, Myers led a seven-person search committee that included other board members as well as actor and director Martha Henry. The six-month process included extensive consultations with a large number of internal and external stakeholders that ultimately provided very strong support for Cimolino’s candidacy. “His visionary presentation to the committee, with its impressive combination of enthusiasm, experience and new ideas, absolutely convinced us that Antoni is the best person to be our next artistic director,” said Myers. “His artistic vision includes a deep commitment to Shakespeare and classical theatre, great enthusiasm for the development of large-scale new works, terrific ideas about artist training and audience outreach and an inspiring perspective on the Festival’s role within the broader Canadian theatre landscape. We have absolute confidence that he will build on the outstanding accomplishments of Des McAnuff and all of our other great Artistic Directors to further the success of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival,” Myers said. “This is a day of enormous joy for me,” said Cimolino. “This great theatre changed my life as it has changed the lives of countless others in its almost 60 seasons. It has given me 25 years of growth as an artist and introduced me to wonderful people, great talents and a world of plays, characters and writing that have brought me as close as any man can be to heaven on earth. “Today I am being asked to make a new and deeper contribution to the Stratford Festival. I’m thrilled and honoured. I’m indebted to the Artistic Directors who came before me – many of whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with and learn from. I must particularly thank the late Richard Monette for his mentorship and Des McAnuff for his support. In the past, the announcement of a new artistic director has been followed by a season of transition, to give the appointee time to become familiar with the organization. In this case, however, Cimolino’s thorough inside knowledge of the Festival, both as an artist and as its current general director, makes that transitional season unnecessary. Accordingly, McAnuff felt it would be fitting to let the celebratory 2012 season mark the culmination of his tenure, and that Cimolino should assume the artistic directorship for the 2013 season. “I want to congratulate Antoni on his appointment, which I know is the completion of a long-held dream,” said McAnuff. “Last June, when I negotiated a contract through the 2013 season, I believed that I was giving the Board a suitable amount of time to conduct a search for my replacement. With the completion of the search process, it has become possible to announce the next Artistic Director several months earlier than I had anticipated. This means that we no longer need so lengthy a transition period. “Antoni comes from inside our institution and has been my partner for more than four years. Rather than making him wait until 2014 to take the artistic reins, it is much more sensible for the two of us to pass the baton at the end of this, our 60th season. Upon its conclusion, McAnuff’s tenure will have encompassed 69 Festival productions, including 19 plays by William Shakespeare. McAnuff will have directed 10 of those productions himself, including six by Shakespeare and three (including the upcoming A Word or Two) starring Christopher Plummer. “Des’s contributions to the Festival have been tremendous,” said Myers. “His productions have introduced some of the most exciting stagecraft ever seen in our theatres, and he has brought new lustre to our international reputation. He has attracted many new talented directors to Stratford and has shaped one of the finest ensembles in English theatre. “He has added a whole new dimension to our training initiatives by introducing the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction. He has also reinvigorated our New Play Development program with an abundance of commissions and productions of new Canadian works, along with the introduction of playwright residencies and the Playwrights’ Retreat. Cimolino first joined the Festival as an actor in 1988 and played Romeo opposite Megan Follows’ Juliet in 1992. Assistant director of Pirandello’s The Rules of the Game in 1991, he co-directed The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1995 with then Artistic Director Richard Monette and directed his first solo Festival production, Filumena (in which Monette played a leading role), in 1997. Since then, he has directed several classical works at Stratford including Ben Jonson’s Bartholomew Fair in 2009 – the first professional production of that 400- year-old play ever staged in North America – as well as Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, with Colm Feore; As You Like It with Sara Topham; King John, with Stephen Ouimette; Love’s Labour’s Lost with Brian Bedford; and Twelfth Night, with William Hutt. He has also won acclaim for his productions of more contemporary repertoire, including last season’s The Grapes of Wrath, with Tom McCamus and Evan Buliung, and The Night of the Iguana, with Seana McKenna. His most recent directing credit elsewhere was the enthusiastically received Canadian première of Enron, featuring Graham Abbey, which had a sold-out run at Theatre Calgary earlier this year. In 2012, his 25th season with the Festival, Cimolino is directing Shakespeare’s rarely-produced Cymbeline, with a cast that includes Graham Abbey, Tom McCamus, Cara Ricketts and Geraint Wyn Davies. In all, he has directed, co- directed or assistant directed 20 productions at the Festival, including 11 Shakespeare plays, while also fulfilling a series of leadership roles that culminated in his appointment as General Director in 2006. “In his new role with the Festival, Antoni will stand on the shoulders of many artistic giants,” said Myers. “We have great confidence that he will move the Festival to great heights under his enthusiastic artistic leadership.” Happy 65th Anniversary Jack & Mary Taylor March 15 Love your family United Communities Credit Union announced March 2 that it will open a new branch in Goderich, Ontario. “Since the tornado last August we’ve been determined to rebuild bigger and better,” said Deb Shewfelt, Mayor of Goderich. “The Goderich community has been working to re-establish many businesses and we’re eager to see new investments here. That is why we are pleased to officially welcome United Communities Credit Union as it opens a new branch.” The new branch at 74 Kingston Street will open in the summer of 2012. It will be approximately 5,000 square feet and employ 10-12 new full-and-part-time staff. Over the next year United Communities Credit Union will invest more than $1 million in resources and initiatives in Goderich and area, with an ongoing commitment to the community thereafter. “We have a substantial member base from the Goderich community and we have been researching the area for the past couple of years,” said Jim Lynn, President and CEO of United Communities Credit Union. “We are confident that there is solid potential for growth and development and that the time is right to introduce a new branch location.” United Communities Credit Union is already actively involved in the area having launched an innovative loan program to assist residents with their unique needs after the storm. They are also the lead sponsor of Young Canada Week Peewee Hockey Tournament and a contributor to the Goderich Disaster Relief Fund and in ongoing efforts to rebuild. With $1.2 billion in funds under administration, United Communities offers a full range of products and services including online and mobile banking, borrowing limits up to $10 million and a full range of investment services for personal, commercial and agricultural members. UCCU expanding to Goderich Continued from page 6 Andrew Lloyd Webber. After enjoying a week-long extension in Stratford, the show had a sold-out run at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, where it won the San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Touring Production. Now in previews, Jesus Christ Superstar opens on Broadway on March 22, providing the Festival with a new revenue stream. Tickets are on sale now for the Festival’s 60th season, which features 14 productions presented from April 12 to Oct. 28: Much Ado About Nothing, 42nd Street, The Matchmaker, Henry V, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The Pirates of Penzance, A Word or Two, Cymbeline, Wanderlust, Elektra, MacHomer, The Best Brothers, Hirsch and The War of 1812. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stratfordshakespearefestival.com or call 1-800-567-1600. Stratford ends 2011 with surplus Brodhagen Chamber of Commerce St. Patrick’s Dance March 17, 2012 featuring Tri Country Band 8:00 pm - 12:00 midnight at the Brodhagen Community Centre $10.00 per person Lunch provided For info call 519-345-2654 Brodhagen Chamber of Commerce Men’s Night March 30, 2012 Pigtails & Ribs Social 6:00 p.m. Dinner 7:00 p.m. at the Brodhagen Community Centre $20.00 per person 519-345-2209 or 519-348-0940