Welcome to our new space for sharing updates and community work! We have created Dandelion Diaries to keep our community updated on projects and events we are working on behind the scenes. Even if we aren’t actively producing a play or festival, we always have something in the works to bring you local and engaging content, like this newsletter! We are also opening this up as a communal space for writers to submit their work that may not fit into our other work like short stories, small dialogues, poetry, and even jokes! Our community is special because of YOU! We want you to help shape our newsletter because we are nothing without the love and support of our community, so this is one small way that we can give back by showing the art and talent of our people. On top of all this, we will be including team recommendations to let you know what we are reading or watching that inspires us, and even including a recipe in each newsletter that has been tested and approved by Dandelions rumbling tummies!
So, what have we been up to? As we wrap up the first year since our launch, we are planning a new season, learning from our past projects, and developing an exciting year of further growth. To celebrate our first year anniversary, we produced a cabaret and fundraiser to give back to the community that gives so much to us. We raised $850 for The Stop (a Toronto food bank) through a silent auction with donatable items from small local businesses and artisans. Thank you to all who donated and participated in the auction!
Our year is off to a great start as we have also expanded our Dandelion team! We are happy to welcome a new Associate Artistic Director and Outreach Coordinator, Tymika Tafari and Reid Martin! We are thrilled to have a growing family and can’t wait to continue to grow as our company grows. You can learn more about our new members below in our Members Spotlight. In each newsletter, you will see the different faces of Dandelion through our team, cast and crew members, and community supporters!
To give you a special sneak peek of what is to come this year, we are working hard to bring back a new and improved In Bloom Festival! Our Perennial In Bloom Festival has been restructured as a month-long writers workshop. We will feature plays by three emerging Canadian playwrights throughout the month of July, and in the last week, we will present a unique collaborative work created by all three of them! Keep an eye out on our socials for special announcements on how to get involved! With love, The Dandelion Theatre Team
Members Spotlight:
Associate Artistic Director: Tymika Tafari!
Tymika Tafari is an artist based in Toronto. Tymika has spent her quarantine diving into RuPaul’s Drag Race, dabbling in the world of VO and drinking juuust enough water. Known for her performances in The Marijuana Chronicles (Samuel Goldwyn Films), Tymika is excited to join the Dandelion Team as their Associate Artistic Director. Here’s to trying new things!
Outreach Coordinator: Reid Martin!
Reid Martin is an actor, singer, and performer who just recently moved to Toronto. She is a graduate of Sheridan College and the University of Toronto's Theatre and Drama Studies program where she holds a diploma in Professional Actor Training and an HBA Specialist Degree in Theatre and Drama Studies. She has been involved in theatre since she was 11 when she discovered her local community theatre and has been either onstage or backstage supporting and creating ever since. Her parents used to say they knew theatre was for her when she refused to skate during hockey practice unless she had someone in the “audience”. Reid has been a great admirer of Dandelion Theatre since its inception and is overjoyed to be welcomed into the community so warmly! She’s excited to meet everyone and celebrate in person once it’s safe to do so!
Community Work:
*if you have original work (poetry, short stories, short dialogues, jokes, visual art, etc.), please submit to dandeliontheatreto@gmail.com and your work will surely be featured in our next edition!
Young Love - Emily Doucette
This evening I was looking out the window;
I noticed a small apartment across from me was lit up,
Not only with lights, but with joy and laughter too.
A young couple were dancing together like no one was watching,
And though they were far away, their love was radiating beyond their four walls.
I wonder if there was even music playing while they danced the night away,
Or if they relied on each other to sing songs like we used to.
In the Clouds - Emily Doucette
On a day, just like any other normal day, Melody sat in her backyard watching the clouds. In a dream-like state looking up, she thought; Oh, that’s a pig with a top hat. And that one looks like dollar signs. That one... why, that one looks like nothing at all! Melody laughed to herself thinking about all the silly shapes in the clouds that sometimes resemble life, and sometimes do not. Melody loves to watch the clouds and pretend she is on top of them looking below at the greenery and serene landscapes. Oh, how she longs to smell fresh flowers, watch deer roam freely, and take a sip of clean water running through the natural riverbeds. However, when she became aware of the real world again, she looked down at the barren ground covered in old plastic, and then to her small run-down house. Though this makes her sad, she still feels lucky to have a home, regardless of whether it has water and electricity or not, because at least she has a place to lay her head safely at night so she can return to her dreams again where people are free, animals are free, and especially the lands are free to blossom once again.
Recommendations:
Here you can find recommendations from Dandelion’s team members! Each diary will include a new list of our updated favourites! Have you watched or read something that you think we should know about? Shoot us a message on our facebook, instagram, or twitter with your recommendations!
The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred (Written by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein)
“Anyone fascinated by the inner workings of the universe will get something out of this book. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein discusses theoretical physics, race theory, and particle cosmology, while maintaining an open, sympathetic, and straightforward scholarly voice making it feel like you are engaged in a discussion with perhaps the wisest friend you will ever have. Her revolutionary look at the fundamental building blocks of life and the universe are simultaneously massive in scope and ambition, yet still remain easily digestible for a more casual physics student (like myself). Highly recommend!” - Max Ackerman (Founder and Artistic Director
Rocketman (dir. Dexter Fletcher, 2019)
“I had never seen Rocketman when it first came out in 2019, but wow was I blown away seeing it recently. It gave me everything I wanted from Bohemian Rhapsody. The music? Amazing.
Everyone involved gives a beautiful vocal performance that can sometimes equal Elton John. Acting? Top notch. Taron Egerton cements himself as one of this generation’s great actors. Plus it doesn’t shy away or sugar coat anything that happened in Elton John’s life. I had never listened to a full Elton John album before this movie, but I went on a two month binge of his music right after watching it. If you’re looking for a musical with some beautiful cinematography, stellar performances, and some of the jauntiest tunes you’ve ever heard, I can’t recommend Rocketman enough.” - Joshua Sidlofsky (Founder and Executive Director)
Please Like Me (2013)
“If you’re anything like me, ‘handling’ problems look a lot like avoidance with a heavy coat of sarcasm. This Australian comedy-drama tackles some real life things in such a raw perspective that makes you feel all the things while also having a chuckle at the relatability of it all. Warning though, binging will commence and you will have no regrets.” - Patricia Pham (Marketing and Events Coordinator)
Recipes:
A Dandelion tested and approved recipe sure to bring joy to your afternoon picnics or midnight snacks!
THE BEST White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies! Check out the recipe from Live Well Bake Often through the link provided below!
Beautiful