It’s a strange time to announce a theatre season, isn’t it?
It is, we know.
A new, unexpected round of cancellations, postponements, and pivots.
It’s exhausting, and sad, and provokes feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
However.
At Shakespeare in the Ruff we are holding on tight to hope.
As the new leadership team, we came on board in November with big dreams and big plans. And whether we ourselves will have to cancel, postpone, pivot, or not, we have been busting at the seams to share these dreams and plans with a wider audience. In part because, as we said, we are hopeful. But also as a way to introduce ourselves, and our vision for the company, with you, our Ruff community.
And so, here we go. Our plans for 2022.
Our vision for Shakespeare in the Ruff begins with our collective leadership model: five artists from different intersections bringing different perspectives to Shakespeare’s plays, and the great big question of why we (and so many others) keep doing them. Each year, we will choose a play that is speaking to us in the current moment and explore it from many different angles throughout our season. This year, that play is Othello.
We are thrilled to announce that our mainstage production this summer, presented once again under the willow trees in Withrow Park, will be Otîhêw; an Indigenized reinterpretation of Othello, written by collective member PJ Prudat. Set during the fur trade era, Atihêw is the story of an Indigenous woman warrior bound in the historical “custom-of-the-country” to Desmond, a fur-trader under HBC conquest. Cast and creative team will be announced in the spring.
To interrogate the play at the root of each summer production from another perspective, we are introducing a new annual winter offering, Ruff’s Winter Tale. This season, we are presenting a reading of Joseph Jomo Pierre’s Shakespeare’s Nigga, directed by collective member Kwaku Okyere. We are also launching Ruff Reads, a monthly book club featuring works that spring out of, or feed into, the themes, ideas, and questions of our season.
Ruff’s annual Masterclass has been transformed into The Playground, an umbrella under which all of our artist and community training programs will now live. Reimagining the Canon for theatre creators will be led by Jeff Ho (playwright and actor) and collective member Patricia Allison (creator and choreographer). Introduction to Understanding Shakespeare, led by collective members Christine Horne and Jeff Yung, will be an opportunity for non-professionals and theatre enthusiasts from our audiences and community to feel more confident and comfortable with the language of these plays.
The artistic leadership will soon be joined by a new Education Coordinator (TBA very very soon!) who will work with us to redevelop our beloved Young Ruffian Apprenticeship Program. Due to the care, inspiration, and commitment of the previous leadership team, the YRAP flourished online during the past two pandemic seasons. We are excited to merge those incredible discoveries with a return to in-person creation and mentorship in Withrow. We are also excited for the Young Ruffs to assist us in another new initiative: Rufflings Story Time, a weekly gathering for the babies, toddlers, and caregivers that populate the park during the summers.
We can’t wait to share more details with you over the coming months. (And if you’d like to support us as we launch this exciting season, please consider joining The Ruff 100.)
See you soon!
Patricia, PJ, Jeff, Christine and Kwaku
Leadership Collective
2022: Othello
Ruff’s Winter Tale – Shakespeare’s Nigga by Joseph Jomo Pierre
February 2022
A staged reading directed by Kwaku Okyere
Ruff Reads
March – July 2022
In partnership with Queen Books
Our new book club, dedicated to further examining the themes of Ruff’s season.
The Playground
A reimagined hub for Ruff’s artist and community training initiatives.
April 2022
- “Reimagining the Canon” with Jeff Ho and Patricia Allison
A development workshop designed for professional playwrights and multidisciplinary divisors.
May 2022
- “Introduction to Understanding Shakespeare” with Jeff Yung and Christine Horne
A beginners guide to Shakespeare’s language for theatre enthusiasts.
July-August 2022
- Rufflings Story Time
Weekly songs and stories for babies, toddlers, and caregivers that frequent Withrow Park.
Young Ruffian Apprenticeship Program
July-August 2022
Ruff’s training and creation program for young people.
Summer Mainstage Production – Otîhêw
August-September 2022
An Indigenized reinterpretation of Othello by PJ Prudat