Summer has never felt so good with the sun shining and new productions on the horizon. Summer theatre is alive and well, friends! We have not one, but two exciting projects underway!
As you may remember from previous years, we are hosting our In Bloom Festival this month and it will be in person for the very first time! We will be at the Assembly Theatre on July 14th and 15th with two live play readings. We are so happy to be presenting My Mother Didn’t Tell Me This by Tessa Bourchier and Solitaire by Asenia Lyall!
As for our second project, we are so happy to be presenting our first Shakespeare production. Though our production will be in late October, we will be hosting our first reading with the cast on July 16th at the Assembly Theatre to end our In Bloom Festival. Here is a special show announcement from our Artistic Director:
“I’ve always wanted to direct The Winter’s Tale. It is marvellously complex, weird, and fantastical. It feels real and yet unreal, as if happening in a mirror dimension. We have martial disputes, and political controversy, mirrored against bears and magic statues. It’s at once Hans Christian Andersen and Aaron Sorkin rolled into one. It’s tragic, funny, and gloriously surreal. It’s not unlike our present reality. As we emerge into our post COVID existence it is important to ask ourselves: after so much time apart, how do we reconnect? And what is lost in that reconnection? Through this play we will examine these ideas of reconnection, and consumption; through emotion, personal conflict, and, inevitably, through time. We invite you into the court of Sicilia, and into the fields of Bohemia, where you may eat, drink, and bear witness to a crisis that unfolds over a few days, and a reconciliation sixteen years later, all in the span of a few hours. Mamillius, the young prince, says early on in this play ‘a sad tale is best for winter. I have one of sprites and goblins.’ When the logic of reality fails, we journey to the supernatural for answers. Join us as we inhabit the space between, and get swept up in the ever rapid river or time.”
—Max
If you are interested in purchasing tickets for In Bloom and/or The Winter’s Tale reading, you can find them on our website or click the button below. Each In Bloom night will feature both new plays, so you won’t miss out if you can attend one night but not the other! You can buy a single ticket for one In Bloom night on the 14th or 15th OR The Winter’s Tale reading on the 16th for $8 each. If you want access to all three nights you can buy tickets for $14. Buy your tickets soon to secure your spot because this is going to be an experience you don’t want to miss!
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!
Book:
The Body Keeps Score
“Trauma is something that often isn’t talked about. We don’t like to look back at the things in our life that hurt us more than we can imagine. Regardless of whether we’re aware of the traumatic events that took place in our life, they inevitably follow us for years after they’ve happened.
This is what “The Body Keeps the Score” by renowned psychologist Bessel Van Der Kolk, is all about. The book looks at how we’ve analyzed trauma over the past fifty years. After years of dealing with troubled youth, victims of severe abuse, as well as veterans returning home from war with PTSD, his views on how to deal with trauma changed drastically. Over time, what he once viewed as a problem solely affecting the brain soon changed into an infection spreading through the entire body. He realized that even though the original trauma may not still inflict pain on the person, the ripple effect that the traumatic incident causes can fester inside a person for as long as they live.
The book is incredibly insightful in regards with not only how trauma effects a person, but also an extensive list of healthy ways people can heal from it. This includes meditation, yoga, journaling about specific honest feelings, and at least three different forms of therapy. The option that surprised me the most was theatre. Bessel found that putting yourself in a safe environment where you know exactly what will happen, while experiencing extremely intense emotions, and letting yourself be fully present in the moment can be a unique kind of release.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the study of trauma, or for people trying to heal from certain things that may still be haunting them.” - Joshua Sidlofsky (Associate Artist)
TV Show:
Landscapers
“Based on the true story of Chris and Susan Edwards, Landscapers follows an elderly couple who are arrested for the murder of Susan’s parents fifteen years previously. Olivia Colman and David Thewlis offer heartbreakingly beautiful performances against the stunning yet understated visuals which manage to break the fourth wall in a way that draws the audience even deeper into the story. The show focuses on the couple’s relationship, their awkward neuroses and their monotonous fugitive lifestyle contrasting with the romance of Susan’s Golden Hollywood fantasies and the high octane investigation that centres around the couple. Poignant, whip smart and immaculately designed, Landscapers is a short and bittersweet look into a marriage and the consequences of love and loyalty.” - Ash Haslett Cuff (Managing Associate)
Movie:
Everything Everywhere All at Once
“This might be the wildest movie I have ever seen. Everything Everywhere All at Once really does feel like everything everywhere all at once!! It kind of feels like a fever dream while you are watching it so I recommend being 100% sober or your brain may explode. This movie explores an infinite amount of universes where every choice you make branches into a completely different life that you will never know about. I feel lost in even explaining it because half the time I was like, ‘is this real? Did that just happen?’ but in the best way possible! I think this movie is great to watch with some pals, but you have to be committed to the watch because if you look away for one second you are guaranteed to miss something! Without giving anything away, I will give you some key words to describe the movie and leave you with that: hot dog fingers, Raccaccoonie, everything bagel, and taxes” - Emily Doucette (Managing Director)
Recipes:
A Dandelion tested and approved recipe sure to bring joy to your afternoon picnics or midnight snacks!
Max’s Basil Fried Rice
I made this recipe a lot as a nanny (manny if you will). It’s hard to beat, it’s full of delicious and nutritious fresh veggies, herbs, and is a great way to get rid of some leftovers too.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 cups day old rice (fresh made is fine but the day old will be a bit less starchy)
2 generous handfuls fresh basil, chopped
1 cup frozen peas (or fresh, shelled peas)
2 medium carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, crushed and minced
3-4 eggs
Selection of fresh green herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives, whatever you have available)
Soy sauce to taste
Mirin to taste (optional)
Instructions:
First heat some oil in a large saucepan or pot. Coconut oil is my favourite as I like the flavour and it gets much hotter than EVOO but any vegetable oil is fine.
When the oil is hot turn heat down to medium high and add the carrots. Cook until almost soft. Then add the peppers. Cool both until they are soft.
Add onions and cook, stirring regularly, until translucent.
Add garlic and combine. Add fresh green herbs and combine (I usually try to have at least parsley and chives). You’ll need to move fairly quickly so the garlic and herbs don’t burn. Keep basil to the side.
Once your aromatics have bloomed, crack our eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add them to the pan.
Quickly add your rice on top of your eggs and cover your pan. This will allow the rice to absorb the eggs and coat each grain nicely.
After a minute or two uncover your pan and stir everything to combine. Then add your peas. Stir thoroughly.
Turn heat down to medium. Add your basil and stir, scrapping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom.
Add soy sauce and any other cooking liquids you choose (I love the sweetness mirin offers) and stir until everything is sufficiently coated and seasoned.
Serve hot and enjoy!