Nightwood Theatre announces Ga-la-licious 2008 with headliners Mary Walsh and Women Fully Clothed!

“Satire is a national sport and Mary Walsh has a wicked slapshot.” Maclean’s Magazine

“The five funniest women in Canada.” Eugene Levy (on Women Fully Clothed)

Ga-la-licious 2008

Tuesday May 20^th, 7 p.m.

Tickets: Early Bird $75 (before April 27^th), $100 (After April 27^th)

416.944.1740 x 5 or www.nightwoodtheatre.net

at the Courthouse Lounge, 57 Adelaide Street East

Toronto, ON… Get ready for a night at the Carnival! Ga-la-licious - Nightwood’s annual fundraiser, returns for its second year complete with the rock stars of Canadian comedy...Mary Walsh (from This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and comedy team Women Fully Clothed. Stand-up whiz-kid Kathleen Phillips keeps the evening trotting along as the Ring-Mistress, making sure the crazy magicians, stilt walkers, fortune tellers and other buskers are on their best behaviour.

Get ready to chow down on culinary delights from some of Toronto’s greatest restaurants and cooking schools: Mangia & Bevi Resto Bar, Aphrodite Cooks and Sasi/Mangrai Thai. And thanks to GQ Spa for their generous in-kind sponsorship of Ga-la-licious 2008.

As for the auction – Nightwood’s guests expect more than costly emollients and paper weights. This year co-star in your own version of “My Dinner with Andre” by making the winning bid on exclusive, unique dinners and experiences with fascinating luminaries like Deepa Mehta, Stephen Lewis and Anna Maria Tremonti. Other goodies include: trips, spa packages, an electric scooter, unique adventures and much, much more. All proceeds from Ga-la-licious 2008 will go towards enhancing Nightwood Theatre’s production and training programming.

Selected Bios:

Mary Walsh

Founded the award-winning CODCO comedy troupe of Newfoundland (1987 to 1992, CBC Television) and starred in This Hour Has 22 Minutes (CBC). In 1993 Mary Walsh was chosen to deliver the prestigious Graham Spry Lecture which was broadcast nationally on CBC Radio. In 1994, Walsh addressed the United Nations Global Conference on Development in New York. She won Best Supporting Actress at the Atlantic Film Festival in 1992 for her performance in Mike Jones' Secret Nation. She has won several Gemini Awards for writing and performing during the CODCO years on CBC Television. She was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on April 27, 2000 for her services to broadcasting and performing arts in Canada.

On November 4, 2006 Mary Walsh and Ed MacDonald picked up a Gemini Award for the best writing in a comedy or variety program for their work in Hatching, Matching and Dispatching.

Women Fully Clothed

Women Fully Clothed stars Kathryn Greenwood from Whose Line Is It Anyway/This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Robin Duke from Saturday Night Live/SCTV, Debra McGrath from Getting Along Famously/Little Mosque on the Prairie, Jayne Eastwood from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Chicago and Billable Hours, and Teresa Pavlinek from History Bites/The Jane Show.

Kathleen Phillips

Kathleen Phillips is a character monologist who has been featured on radio including CBC, television including the Comedy Network and on the web on goodmorningworld.com and YouTube. She was nominated for the 2005 Tim Sims Encouragement Award. She has performed in Toronto, Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, and the U.K. Kathleen Phillips is a founding member of The Laugh Sabbath Comedy Series at the Rivoli.

ABOUT NIGHTWOOD THEATRE

Nightwood Theatre – Artistic Director Kelly Thornton and Producer Monica Esteves.

For 28 years, Nightwood Theatre has developed, produced and toured landmark, award-winning plays by and about women. The company’s tremendous work in play creation bore fruit to many renowned and acclaimed plays that are now part of the Canadian theatre canon. These include Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann-Marie MacDonald, The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God by Djanet Sears, The Danish Play by Sonja Mills and over 50 other new Canadian plays by women.

Nightwood plays have won Canada’s highest literary and performing arts honours, including Governor General, Chalmers, Dora Mavor Moore and Trillium Awards. Nightwood is a valued member of various communities, at a local, regional and national level. Through our youth initiatives and mentorship programs, our various festivals, productions, events, colourful history, an important mandate and an exciting fundraisers and collaborations with other organizations, Nightwood is a growing, thriving success story with an important mandate and an exciting future.

Check out these exciting shows:

An Italian Straw Hat

By Eugène Labiche and Marc Michel

Translated by Lynn and Theodore Hoffmann

Directed and Designed by L. Garth Allen

May 1 to 17, 2008

Fairview Public Library Theatre, 35 Fairview Mall Drive

To order tickets call or click 416.299.5557 or http://www.stagecentreproductions.com/SCP_SingleTickets.htm

Dancemakers Presents: Les Angles Morts

Choreography by Mélanie Demers

May 22-24, 2008

Dancemakers

Dancemakers’ Centre for Creation, The Distillery District, 55 Mill Street, The Cannery, Bldg. 58, Studio 313

Call or Click 416.367.1800 or info@dancemakers.org; www.dancemakers.org

3rd Annual Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival - May 20-25, 2008

Join us for a third year of sketch comedy featuring groups from:
Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, New York, Toronto and New Zealand!

Shows Nightly @ 8pm, All Tickets $12.

For More Information Contact Eric: Theatre Ste-Catherine 264 Ste. Catherine E. (514) 284 3939

*****
The 2008 Montreal Sketch Festival Schedule

TUESDAY - Opening Night Short Films and Special Event @ 8pm
BAD PUBLICITY - Rodney Ramsey (MONTREAL)
ADAM SUSSER (MONTREAL)
SOFT AND MANLY (CALGARY)
BOOYA PICTURES (MONTREAL)
DDP (TORONTO)
SEAN DWEN (NEW ZEALAND)

WEDNESDAY - Best of Montreal Sketch @ 8pm
TERENCE BOWMAN (MONTREAL)
UNCALLED FOR (MONTREAL)
VANGUARD PRODUCTIONS (MONTREAL)

THURSDAY - Best of Montreal Sketch @ 8pm
LAUGHBAG (MONTREAL)
BEST FRIENDS CLUB (MONTREAL)
THE GREAT ROBOT INVASION (MONTREAL)

FRIDAY - Best of Toronto Sketch @ 8pm
MORBIO (TORONTO)
FRENZY (TORONTO)
PRESS, RELEASE, REPEAT. (TORONTO)
ACCIDENTAL COMPANY (TORONTO)
7 MINUTES IN HEAVEN (TORONTO)

SATURDAY - Best of the Rest @ 8pm
BLEAK (NEW YORK)
JON LAJOIE (MONTREAL)
SOFT AND MANLY (CALGARY)
THE BOOM (TORONTO)

SUNDAY - Celebrity Improv @ 8pm
THE BEST OF THE FEST IN AN IMPROV CHALLENGE!
--
The Montreal Sketch Comedy Festival
www.montrealsketchfest.com
www.theatrestecatherine.com

NACO, May 10: Eugene Levy - Music and Humour: TD Canada Trust Family Adventures

Ottawa (Canada) – Canada’s own crazy comedian Eugene Levy joins the National Arts Centre Orchestra for Music and Humour, the final TD Canada Trust Family Adventures concerts of the season on Saturday, May 10 at 13:30 and 15:30 in the afternoon. Eugene Levy and Principal Youth and Family Conductor Boris Brott, with the help of Ottawa actor Pierre Brault, pianist Gabriel Thibaudeau, and the Bangers and Smash percussion duo, will take the NAC Orchestra on a romp through the funny side of music. Meet the many composers who had a well developed funny bone in a concert that will leave you in hysterics! The one-hour bilingual TD Canada Trust Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra are perfect for kids 5 and up, and their grown-up friends

The concert ticket includes “TUNETOWN”, pre-concert activities in the NAC Foyer organized by Friends of the NAC Orchestra 45 minutes prior to each concert, beginning at 12:45 for the first concert and 14:45 for the second concert. Activities on May 10 include a percussion instrument petting zoo led by students from the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and the University of Ottawa; a display of humorous books from the Ottawa Public Library; a Tongue-Twister bowl; comedy improvisation with the students of Lisgar Collegiate Institute’s Improv Team; a sing-along of funny songs with Music for Young Children; a display of Chuckle Bros cartoons with NACO violinist Brian Boychuk, and a craft station where kids can make their own hippo pencil toppers.

Eugene Levy was one of the founding members of Second City (SCTV) and has appeared as supporting actor in a long string of movies including the American Pie series, three Christopher Guest “mockumentaries” which he co-wrote – A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show – and four movies with Steve Martin including Father of the Bride. He has been inducted twice into the Canadian Walk of Fame – both as a member of SCTV in 2002 and solo in 2006 – and one week prior to the NAC Orchestra concert he is being honoured for Lifetime Achievement at the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards at the NAC where his longtime friend Martin Short will be his presenter.

The concert includes musical selections from Haydn’s Surprise Symphony; Leroy Anderson’s The Waltzing Cat; Big Business both written and performed by pianist Gabriel Thibaudeau, and themes from Hockey Night in Canada and The Simpsons. John Serry’s Waltz will be performed on percussion by Bangers and Smash, and Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony will be performed with the help of some young members of the audience. Eugene Levy together with Pierre Brault will provide the hilarious baseball sportscasting for Peter Schikele’s famous take on Beethoven’s Fifth. The concert will also incorporate cartoons by the NAC Orchestra’s own funnyman Brian Boychuk of the internationally syndicated Chuckle Bros comic strip.

All TD Canada Trust Family Adventures feature NACOtron presented in collaboration with Rogers Television. Five television cameras positioned on stage and in the hall capture live video images of the musicians while they are performing, and these images are projected onto a giant screen above the stage allowing the audience to watch the action in close-up.

The Ottawa Citizen is the media partner of the TD Canada Trust Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra.

Tickets for Music and Humour with Eugene Levy on Saturday, May 10 at 13:30 and 15:30, including TuneTown Pre-Concert Activities, are $12.00 for children and $20.00 for adults (including GST and Facility Fee where applicable). They are on sale now at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Visit the National Arts Centre’s web site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

Denis Drolet - Dernière chance à Montréal

LES DENIS DROLET – LES DROLETTERIES

DERNIÈRE CHANCE À MONTRÉAL

16 MAI - CINQUIÈME SALLE DE LA PLACE DES ARTS

Montréal, le 30 avril 2008 – Incarnant tout ce qui est contraire à la logique et à la structure, les Denis Drolet fouleront la scène de la Cinquième Salle le 16 mai dans le cadre de la dernière représentation montréalaise des Droletteries.

Sillonnant le Québec avec Les Droletteries depuis janvier 2007, ce spectacle en aura séduit plus d'un, comme en fait foi cette sixième représentation en sol montréalais. Au programme, de nouveaux personnages débridés ainsi que l'irremplaçable Just-To-Buy-My-Love, des textes imprévisibles et déroutants, des chansons tirées de leur album 2d et des fous rires garantis !

Les dignes représentants du non-sens vous invitent pour la dernière fois à l'intérieur de l'univers savoureusement délirant des Droletteries, suite à quoi les Denis Drolet s'éclipseront afin de plancher sur de nouveaux projets. Parions que les nouvelles activités de notre duo absurde préféré seront aussi rafraîchissantes que leurs spectacles !

"Leur humour est toujours aussi hilarant, déstabilisant… et irrésistible! Les Denis Drolet sont toujours aussi rafraîchissants dans le merveilleux monde de l'humour québécois. S'ils n'existaient pas, il faudrait les inventer."

Maxime Demers, Journal de Montréal

"On rit à en avoir mal au ventre."

Isabelle Massé, La Presse

"Quelque chose de totalement unique, où l'on passe de Claude Gauvreau aux Démons du midi."

Catherine Perin, Première chaîne

« Du pur bonheur! »

Caféine, TQS

Hip-di-Hip hourra!!! Billets en vente maintenant sur le réseau Admission

(514) 790‑1245, sans frais au 1-800-361‑4595, www.admission.com.

La tournée Les Droletteries tire à sa fin! Plus qu'une représentation à l'extérieur de Montréal !

24 mai – Ste-Anne-de-Sorel (Théâtre du Chenal-du-Moine)