Lane's Week, April 15, 2013

A Week in The Nation's Theatre
by Chris Lane
@chrislanetweets

A full house of season announcements: 
Opéra de Montréal’s next season features works by Verdi, Puccini and Delibes, along with Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with an all-black cast. They will also present Hansel and Gretel in their first collaboration with the National Circus School. One of Montreal’s première French-language stages, Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, will feature Cyrano de Bergerac alongside works by Michel Tremblay, Robert Lepage, Jean Genet and more. Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille will be presenting a season that includes everything from Bollywood to a song-cycle-inspired musical to a site-specific show on a medical emergency call. And The Cultch in Vancouver announced a season featuring new works by Hawksley Workman and acclaimed puppeteer Ronnie Burkett as well as the Canadian première of South Africa’s Mies Julie.

Seasons were also announced by the French side of Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, Montreal’s Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui and Geordie Productions (all-ages theatre), Toronto’s Acting Up Stage, Winnipeg’s Prairie Theatre Exchange, and the Hudson Village Theatre near Montreal.

Hats off to: 
Actors Viola Léger and Eric Peterson are among the artists honoured with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award this year.

In memoriam: 
This past week, CharPo mourned the passing of Greg Kramer (right) an acclaimed actor, writer and director who has entertained audiences across the country.