Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts

Toronto, July 30, 2007 – The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) applauds the recent purchase of Theatre Passe Muraille by the City of Toronto for $1.2 million.

?This is a win-win situation for the city and for Theatre Passe Muraille?, says Celia Smith, TAPA Board President. ?This is in keeping with the city?s Culture Plan for the Creative City and is a smart capital acquisition for the city which is only going to gain in value while helping to protect affordable and sustainable cultural space.? The purchase assures that Theatre Passe Muraille can continue to operate at 16 Ryerson Avenue in the historic building that it has called home since the mid-1970s and is a landmark of the Queen Street West neighbourhood. Originally built in 1902 for Nasmith Bakeries, the building was designated in 1977 a heritage building for its architectural value. Many of the country’s most respected artists consider Passe Muraille as their starting point. Writers emerged to create original works which have become Canadian classics. The Farm Show, 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt, an award-winning stage adaptation of Margaret Laurence’s The Stone Angel, and of course, Michael Healey’s The Drawer Boy, have all triggered a response in the creative community as well as with audiences across the country.

In a three-way partnership with the city and Toronto?s Artscape, Theatre Passe Muraille will lease back the venue and will continue to be responsible for the day-to-day management of the venue. Artscape has an excellent track record of managing cultural assets. ?Theatre Passe Muraille has been facing financial difficulty, and this is definitely good news for the Toronto theatre community?, says Jacoba Knaapen, Executive Director at TAPA. ?Passe Muraille has been an incubator to many independent theatre companies who have rented the popular and intimate secondary venue, ?The Backspace?, to create and develop new Canadian work. For Passe Muraille to have lost the building would have left a very large hole in the community?. Last year the Toronto theatre industry saw the loss of two popular venues, Artword Theatre (at Portland and King) and the Poor Alex Theatre (at Brunswick and Bloor). Theatre Passe Muraille is undergoing a number of other changes, notably the appointment of Andy McKim as the new Artistic Director, and most recently, the announcement of Hugh Neilson as incoming new General Manager. ?This is all very positive?, continued Ms.Knaapen, ?and TAPA applauds the Economic Development Committee and the Culture division at the city for its work in helping to make this happen?.

Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts:
TAPA is an arts service organization that represents nearly 200 professional theatre, dance and opera companies in the City of Toronto and works to create an environment in which the performing arts may flourish and maintain its leadership role in the vitality and livability of the City of Toronto.

Among the programs and services provided by TAPA are: T.O. TIX ? Toronto?s One-Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square, The Dora Mavor Moore Awards, Go Live Toronto the city-wide arts marketing campaign www.goliveto.ca, and the Commercial Theatre Development Fund.

For more information:
Jacoba Knaapen
TAPA Executive Director
jacobak@tapa.ca
416-536-6468 ext 25