SWAN SONG OF MARIA--FUNDRAISING LETTER
December 1, 2009
Dear Friend of the Theatre,
Threshold is known for its dynamic and unpredictable brand of theatre that blends the verbal and visual, personal and political, social and poetic. Our latest project, in association with El Destino Productions, is playwright/actor Carol Cece Anderson's critically acclaimed new play, Swan Song of María: A Tragic Fairy Tale. I am excited about directing this piece, which imaginatively fuses language, classical ballet, tap, and Afro-Cuban-Latin-Jazz music, to depict the story of Jillian and Joe, an interracial couple, together since the late 1960's. As Jillian, an aging tap dancer, confronts Alzheimer's, she is haunted by her playwright husband, Joe's ever present muse: María, a beautiful ballerina he met briefly, decades earlier, in the midst of a revolution. Jillian wonders where she belongs in Joe's life, and Joe is ultimately compelled to face his own fading idealism, and the painful promise Jillian once asked him to make. Swan Song of Maria is a poignant story of two hearts struggling to rediscover love before it is lost forever.
Anderson began working on her play in 2006, and honed it as playwright-in-residence at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, during their 2008/09 season. This culminated in an NAC sponsored staged reading in July 2009, at Dancemakers in the Distillery District. Threshold and El Destino assembled an extraordinarily talented creative team for the reading, all of whom have expressed interest in participating in our planned Toronto production. These artists include: actors, Lili Francks & John Blackwood; Cuban pianist, Hilario Durán; National Ballet of Canada, dancer, Bridgett Zehr; ballet consultant, Evelyn Hart; choreographers, Roberto Campanella & Debbie Wilson; and NAC dramaturg, Paula Danckert. In November 2009, Black Theatre Workshop presented the successful world premiere of Swan Song of María at the MAI Theatre in Montreal.
Threshold Theatre and El Destino Productions are committed to staging Swan Song of María, in Toronto in 2010. In order to do this, we need your help. Our fundraising target is $50,000.00. So far, we have raised $26,000.00 from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. We have set a fundraising target of $24,000.00 from individual and corporate supporters. Your donation will contribute directly to the Toronto premiere of this powerful new Canadian play. A reply letter is below. Your contribution to Threshold Theatre, no matter how large or small, is 100% tax-deductible, and a charitable receipt will be issued to you, with our deepest gratitude.
Sincerely,
Mark Cassidy
Co-Artistic Director Threshold Theatre
www.thresholdtheatre.ca
Yes! I wish to support Swan Song of María: A Tragic Fairy Tale by making a charitable contribution to Threshold Theatre. Name ________________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________________ City ___________________________ Prov ___________ Postal Code ________________
Phone _________________________ Email______________________________________________________________________
Please make cheques or money orders payable to: Threshold Theatre.
I would like to make a contribution of: $100 $75 $50 $25 Other amount _________
About Carol Cece Anderson's Swan Song of María: A Tragic Fairy Tale:
"A poetic blend of word and image…A melancholy ballad of a play…Carson McCullers and her Ballad of the Sad Café come to mind…The play's intermingling of art forms creates an unforgettable ambiance that leaves the audience spellbound…A bittersweet joy…A gem. Anderson doesn't preach, she weaves." - The Montreal Gazette
"There is much human frailty here…Anderson's probing play, achieves a moving portrait of difficult subject matter." - The Rover
"Characters prevail in a beautiful tragedy…The play is innovative, fusing language, dance, and music to tell a story." - The McGill Tribune
"The play is realistic in its depiction of Alzheimer's, and the story of two lovers losing their deep-seated connection is powerful and heartbreaking."
- The Concordian
Please mail cheques or money orders to: Threshold Theatre c/o El Destino Productions 465 Yonge Street, P.O. Box 73013
Toronto, Ontario,
M4Y 1X0
We will be accepting donations for this project from December 1, 2009 - September 30, 2010.
Charitable Registration #846280956 RR0001
