Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts

Mozartiana
The ballets of George Balanchine are characterized first and foremost by their sublime and seemingly effortless musicality. Nowhere is this trait so clearly in evidence as in the works he set to Tchaikovsky's music.

Mozartiana, a late work from 1981 (revised from an earlier version made in 1933) differs from his other Tchaikovsky-inspired ballets in that it is also a response to Mozart. The audience gets the best of both worlds. Its crisp, classical elegance and sprightliness suggests the Viennese master; its Russian seriousness grounds it in a voluptuous emotion.

Song of a Wayfarer
Based on the famous song-cycle for baritone and orchestra by Gustav Mahler, Maurice Béjart’s powerfully moving ballet Song of a Wayfarer is a work of riveting emotional intensity for two male dancers.

In the work, a young student wanders grief-stricken and disconsolate until he encounters the figure of fate, who calms and placates him. The work was originally conceived for Rudolf Nureyev, who premiered the ballet in 1971 in Brussels. It became one of the works with which he was most closely identified.

In The Upper Room
In The Upper Room is quintessential Twyla Tharp: quick, vigorous, highly physical and rambunctious dancing that almost but never quite loses control.

Twyla Tharp's choreography embodies a variety of cultural and choreographic influences that range from pop iconography to classical purity and she absorbs them all and refracts them as a wholly new way of looking at dance - and movement itself.

Set to a stunning electronic score by Philip Glass, In The Upper Room is a workout for artists and audiences alike, leaving everyone breathless but exhilarated.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
North American Premiere

A co-production of The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet

The premiere of a new full-length story ballet is a special occasion for any ballet company. When the work is by a choreographer such as Christopher Wheeldon the anticipation is that much greater.
Wheeldon's unique synthesis of neo-classical and modern dance vocabularies has established him as one of the most important – and sought-after – choreographic artists at work today.
 
National Ballet of Canada audiences who have seen performances of Wheeldon's breathtaking Polyphonia will have some sense of the range, subtlety and instinctive authority he brings to his ballets.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a co-production between The National Ballet of Canada and The Royal Ballet and is, of course, based on the famous Lewis Carroll book of the same name. The Alice stories have long fascinated and attracted other artists, including choreographers, both for their fantastic effects and the rich psychological and emotional terrain they present.

Wheeldon’s ballet, however, seeks to restore the book's fundamental appeal: its brilliantly anarchic and unfettered evocation of the imaginative world of childhood, a world that, having lived it once, we all carry within us.

"I think the characters cry out for movement – it's a very physical story, which was what attracted me."

In May, home sweet home estates will be inviting you to become a resident of Toronto’s smallest suburb, a cardboard community of neat streets and magnolia houses just waiting to be turned into homes. On arrival, you will select a plot of land and a flat-packed house to turn into your cardboard home. The development boasts a number of services to help settle you in – a notice board, a postal service and even a local radio station. Meet your neighbours, explore the city, and get to know the world around you. Residents can come and go as they please. On the final night there is a street party for neighbours where you can raise a glass and celebrate the formation of a unique community. When you leave you can take your home, home. Come and play with home sweet home communities and make your property owning dreams a glorious cardboard reality! To find out how you can get involved in this exciting presentation, visit harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage

Braidie wonders if the teen accused of a shocking act of violence is so very different from her and her friends. This "monster in the shape of a girl" propels Braidie to examine her own past and confront the truth of her often-terrifying teenage world. Is she courageous enough to intervene when her friends' bullying of a classmate goes too far? This gripping and powerful play is inspired by a true story.  

Performance dates and showtimes vary. Please call the box office at 416-862-2222 or visit us at www.lktyp.ca for details, schedules, and tickets.

Orfeo has lost his beloved Euridice and goes – literally – to hell and back to find her. Robert Carsen makes his much-anticipated return to the COC to direct his acclaimed production. Lawrence Zazzo and Isabel Bayrakdarian star in the title roles of Gluck's masterpiece, in which love confounds death, and art triumphs over all.

On stage May 8 to 28, 2011
May: 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 24, 26, 28

 

At the Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W., Toronto. Performance time is approximately one hour, 30 minutes with no intermission. Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™.

 

 

Conductor: Harry Bicket
Director: Robert Carsen
Set and Costume Designer: Tobias Hoheisel

Orfeo: Lawrence Zazzo
Euridice: Isabel Bayrakdarian
Amore: Ambur Braid

Revival of a Smash Hit

ZADIE’S SHOES by Adam Pettle

One of the most successful Canadian plays of the last decade, premiering at Factory in 2000 before transferring to Mirvish Productions, where it enjoyed a nearly sold ‐ out run.  Zadie's Shoes is a hilarious yet moving look at the nature of luck and the power of faith.

   

   

 

“a sure ‐ fire winner” Toronto Star
 "The smart money is on this play" National Post
"plunk your money down... you're guaranteed a winner" NOW Magazine

 

 

In this opera-within-an-opera, madcap backstage melodrama is just a precursor to onstage expressions of love, loss and spiritual transformation. Sir Andrew Davis makes his COC debut, conducting Strauss's sublimely beautiful score. Neil Armfield directs a stellar cast, including Adrianne Pieczonka, Richard Margison and – making their COC debuts – Jane Archibald and Alice Coote.
On stage April 30 to May 29, 2011
April: 30
May: 3, 12, 15, 18, 21, 27, 29

 

At the Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W., Toronto. Performance time is approximately two hours, 25 minutes with one intermission. Sung in German with English SURTITLES™.

 

 

Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis
Director: Neil Armfield
Set and Costume Designer: Dale Ferguson

A Music Master: Richard Stilwell
The Composer: Alice Coote
The Tenor/Bacchus: Richard Margison
Zerbinetta: Jane Archibald
The Prima Donna/Ariadne: Adrianne Pieczonka

In this electrifying drama, a young soldier has been convicted of war crimes committed during a genocide. Just as he is about to be executed, a mysterious woman who is both his saviour and tormentor offers him freedom − at a price. The Monument, by Canadian playwright Colleen Wagner, has been translated into several languages and has won the Governor General's Award for Drama. The play is a torpedo aimed directly at the nature of evil as it dissects the roles of victim and perpetrator in unflinching detail. Intimately staged with song and African drumming, this highly physical and imagistic production puts its finger on the pulse of humanity as it paints a contemporary portrait of a country whose resilient voice continues to be a beacon of hope and reconciliation. Performed in Kinyarwandan with English surtitles.

Rossini’s sparkling rendition of the beloved fairytale Cinderella is charged with both comedy and pathos. This timeless tale of the triumph of goodness over cruelty comes to life in a riotously colourful story book production. A spectacular cast of Rossini specialists will supply the virtuosic cascades of vocal fireworks.

On stage April 23 to May 25, 2011

 

April: 23, 28
May: 1, 7, 10, 13, 19, 22, 25

At the Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W., Toronto. Performance time is approximately two hours, 55 minutes with one intermission. Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™.

 

Conductor: Leonardo Vordoni
Production Team: Els Comediants
Director: Joan Font
Set and Costume Designer: Joan Guillén

Angelina (Cenerentola): Elizabeth DeShong
Don Ramiro: Lawrence Brownlee
Dandini: Brett Polegato
Don Magnifico: Donato DiStefano

In Nigel Charnock’s Children, two people are plunged into the ecstasy and the agony of trying to stay together for the sake of their kids. The second piece, A Few Minutes of Lock, revisits three Édouard Lock’s duets, including excerpts from 2 and Salt. Known for her work with La La La Human Steps, this is the first time Lecavalier has performed in Toronto since founding her own dance company in 2006. Her fascination is in the impulse of movement, which precedes all forms of human communication and allows us to read the soul. At 50, Lecavalier brings a unique perspective to her work by examining the relevance of dance through time. This is an absolute must-see for dance fans.