31 August, 2020 • Posted by Priscilla Pilon
2020-2021 Season: Our Solidary Solitudes
The 2020-2021 Season marks an important milestone in the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario‘s (TNO) history as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary in Spring 2021. Unsurprisingly, our 50th Season is going to be a bit different than what we had in mind, but in this time of physical distancing, bubbles, and face masks, theatre and the arts continue to have an important role to play in our communities. With our 2020-2021 Season, the TNO wants to take apart solitude and offer our audience members human experiences that will, hopefully, remind them that we’re all in this together.
This season, in response to the current climate and the general uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the TNO is going to announce its programming and events progressively, in small bites over the course of the year. This will allow us to react and adapt easier to a situation that’s constantly evolving. This press release is our first such announcement! Yay!
Below, you’re invited to discover the first pieces of our 2020-2021 Season!
a Word from the Artistic Director
While the TNO might not have a brochure or our usual launch party this year, Marie-Pierre Proulx, our Artistic Director, still wanted to take a moment to address our audience members:
“The most important thing for us this season is keeping theatre ALIVE in our community despite everything happening around us. It’s to stay connected to one another. It’s for our solitudes to be solidary.”
Solidarity Pass
During this unusual season, our Season Subscription is also changing shape! For a set price of $50.00, an audience member can purchase a Solidarity Pass. Purchasing a Pass helps support our artists in these difficult times, all while granting the holder a few advantages!
Solidarity Pass holders will be entitled to:
- Receive exclusive announcements before anyone else;
- The opportunity to reserve their seats early, which comes in handy for events with limited seating; and
- A 30% discount on their tickets during the entire season.
Lâche pas la patate : A Traveling Chip Stand for the Soul
Since for now we can’t invite the public to our place, we have no choice to to go to them! The TNO is hitting the road with Lâche pas la patate : un casse-croûte ambulant pour l’âme (A Travelling Chip Stand for the Soul)!
Named after and inspired by a popular French expression meaning “don’t give up”, this multidisciplinary travelling theatre, coproduced with La Slague in collaboration with the Salon du livre du Grand Sudbury, assembles a group of local artists, actors, clowns, poets, puppeteers, and musicians, who will don their aprons to pay homage to the Northern Ontario summer staple: the chip stand. Over the course of two weeks, the general public is invited to bring their blankets and camping chairs and stuff their faces with comforting, whimsical artistic performances. Performances will take place outdoors at the following dates and locations:
- Thursday, September 10 @ 7 PM: Rudy’s Restaurant – 483 Lasalle Blvd, Sudbury
- Friday, September 11 @ 7 PM: @827 Fish & Chips – 827 Highway 64, Alban
- Saturday, September 12 @ 2 PM: Sudbury Indie Cinema – 162 Mackenzie St, Sudbury
- Thursday, September 17 @ 7 PM : Salute Coffee – 2195 Armstrong, Sudbury
- Friday, September 18 @ 7 PM: Sudbury Indie Cinema – 162 Mackenzie St, Sudbury
- Saturday, September 19 @ 2 PM: Don Poulin Potatoes – 830 Montée Principale, Azilda
All performances are free. Access to the area will be on a first come, first served basis. Space will be limited to ensure both adequate physical distance between audience members and the best experience for all. Additional health measures will be in place to ensure the safety of all.
TNO: Unplugged
In our Unplugged series, a small audience will have the chance to experience stripped-down, intimate readings of new plays in development by local authors, both emerging and established alike. Only 10 to 15 seats will be available per reading, with each work only being read once.
The first reading, taking place on Friday, September 25th at 7 PM, is presented in the context of Les Feuilles vives, a biennial franco-ontarian play-reading festival. Being read is Mylène parle, the newest work from franco-ontarian staple Michel Ouellette. Directed by newcomer to Sudbury Dillon Orr, it will be performed by Maude Bourassa-Francoeur, Éric Lapalme et Caroline Raynaud.
The remainder of the series, including the identities of the other authors and the dates for the readings, will be announced over the course of the fall.
Offices, Box Office, and Health Measures
To ensure the safety and well-being of our public, our clients, and our staff during the developing situation concerning COVID-19, our offices remain closed to the general public during regular hours. Our team remains available and can be easily reached by email or by phone.
The Box Office is resuming its regular hours of 12:30 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Friday.
To learn more about our enhanced health and safety measures, please consult the “COVID-19” section of our website.