THEATRE NEWS ITEMS: Einstein goes to the beach; York U and Canadian Stage team up
8 Dec'10

JOHN COULBOURN - QMI Agency

In the wake of a qualified success with Rufus Wainwright's PRIMA DONNA, Luminato is once again preparing to feature the North American première of a new operatic production as part of it's annual spring celebration of the arts. But they will wait until 2012 to do it.

Luminato officials announced Tuesday that the 2012 edition of the Toronto-based festival of arts and creativity will feature the North American première of a new production of EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH: AN OPERA IN FOUR ACTS. Written by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson, it premiered almost 40 years ago and was last performed nearly 20 years ago.

Produced by Pomegranate Arts, the new production has been commissioned by Luminato and various other international arts organizations, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where this new production of EINSTEIN ON THE BEACH will once again have its New York première, as earlier productions did in 1984 and 1992.

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York University and Canadian Stage have teamed up in an initiative that offers a Master of Fine Arts Degree rooted in specialized, advanced training of a very much hands-on variety in large-scale theatre directing.

At a news conference Tuesday, officials from both organizations teamed up to finalize arrangements for the two-year York University MFA in Theatre — Stage Direction, in collaboration with Canadian Stage. The program will be open to two candidates per year, and will culminate with each candidate directing a work on either CanStage's Berkeley Street Stage or its annual Dream In High Park. Applications for the first class, slated to begin next Sept., will be accepted in Feb., 2011, with the successful candidates named in April.

Award-winning director Kim Collier, whose STUDIES IN MOTION is currently playing at the Bluma Appel, has been engaged as an Associate Artist with Canadian Stage to work with the students. The Vancouver-based Collier will assume her new duties in Sept., 2011.