Bob Naylor
Re: “Shakespeare collides with contemporary Toronto,” Arts, Sept. 29, 2010
I recently read Ernest Reid’s article and was surprised to see the Stratford Shakespeare Festival described as being out of touch with youth and reliant on an aging subscription base.
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival has never been a subscription-based theatre, but our theatre is 96 percent supported by box office revenue.
The youth market is a growing segment for ticket sales, though it has never lagged. In fact, each year we attract between 60,000 and 90,000 students – this year the number was around 73,000.
We also have a very active 16-to-29 market that is part of our Play On membership, which has thrived since it’s inception in the early 2000s.
The Shakespeare School, Shakespeare on Wheels, our new Stratford Shakespeare Challenge and the Peter Pan project are examples of the ef- forts we make to bring Shakespeare to youth in Canada and beyond.
Our artists work with teachers in classroom in Ontario and Michigan to make Shakespeare’s text come alive for young people and we insure that students, no matter their financial resources, are able to come to productions at Stratford.
Our productions are anything but old-fashioned. Our artistic director, Des McAnuff, refuses to treat the plays of Shakespeare as museum relics that are dusted off from time to time.
He presents Shakespeare as timeless, directing plays magnificently set in both period and modern dress. His choice of music and composers also opens new doors for youth to access Shakespeare, as does his commitment to diversity in casting.
I would like to extend an invitation to Ernest to attend McAnuff’s current production of As You Like It, with songs written by Justin Ellington, whose musical career is divided between theatrical composition and hip hop and R&B artists, including P Diddy, Ciara and Ludacris, and whose cousin, Duke Ellington, composed for the Festival in the 1950s.
McAnuff’s production of The Tempest has been filmes in HD and will be screening at Cineplex theatres in November. It is interesting to note that the music for our last production of As You Like It in 2005 was composed by the Barenaked Ladies.
Do please join us at Stratford before the season ends at the end of the month.
Ann Swerdfager
Publicity Director of Stratford
Shakespeare Festival
Re: “An insider look at York’s other food options,” Features, Oct. 6, 2010
I feel your article about York’s food options in the recent Food and Drink Supplement left out an important on-campus restaurant.
Michelangelo’s is hidden in the Atkinson cafeteria in the Atkinson College basement. It is absolutely my favourite place on campus, and many would agree it’s one of the only places on campus to get a real home-cooked meal.
They specialize in pasta, but can make a number of great dishes. One of the attractions that first drew my friends and me there was their all-day breakfast, so for all of you students out there that don’t start their day until 2 p.m., it’s the perfect place to get an amazing omelette when you’re ready!
It may be a hard place to find, but I strongly suggest you go check it out; the food is well worth the journey!
Amelia Ruthven-Nelson
Re: “Pimp my library,” News, Oct. 6, 2010
Okay, let’s have some fun.
Primp: to dress or groom (oneself ) with meticulous or excessive attention to detail Pimp: a man who is an agent for prostitutes and lives off their earnings.
“Pimp my library”? It would seem that there is some kind of action going on here. Unfortunately, the article does not tell us the hourly rate or special services that Scott Library will provide once the pimping renovations are complete. Where will the “action” be consummated? Will you need to pimp your car? Will your car agree to what is going on?
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.”
Remember, “primp” before you “pimp!”
