The Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Toronto’s Distillery District Arts Community

Last week in the Distillery we had  the return of winter even though we had the arrival of  the spring like weather conditions.   Officially as of March 20, 2011 spring had arrived. However, the weather conditions were not in agreement.  Unfortunately, it was a little quiet for business owners in the Distillery last  Thursday so I walked down Mill Street and took a turn towards the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The snow flurries were definitely blowing in my direction. I pushed on against the western directed wind flurries determined to find a story. My friend quickly ran up ahead to bolster himself from the unexpected cold wind on his ears.

I chuckled to myself while thinking he was not prepared for this venture.  He definitely should have worn a hat.  Fortunately, I could endure more of the flurries. I took my time walking the streets of the Distillery District appreciating our harsh Canadian winter weather and reveled in it’s unbelievable beauty.

Atrium Cafe/Bar at the Young Centre

Despite the cold weather  I experienced a warm friendly environment when I entered the Young Centre for the Performing Arts doors. It was  worth the efforts of bundling up and going outdoor to find. There were other adventurous people inside enjoying the warm fare of the new cafe situated in the building. I noticed the gorgeous and well lit Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Atrium has a full time cafe/bar that offers delicious food and beverages. I enjoy finding new spaces that hold lots of character and charm. I could feel the creative vibe as I entered the atrium. This is a location I will definitely store in my memory bank for future meeting places. I visualized meeting a friend or colleague here. The appeal of the space also invites a visit with a sketch book, camera, journal or laptop to enjoy a drink while sitting with character and charm.  A good place to get the creative juices flowing.

George Brown College and Soulpepper Theatre Make a Home

The Young Centre staff also gave me plenty of information on the programming and theatres.  I had only ventured into the atrium and did not have tickets to see any performances. I envisioned a lot more exciting artistic inspiration in this venue. The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is the home of George Brown College and Soulpepper Theatre Company. It is obvious that Toronto’s art community is alive in this historical heritage building.  Soulpepper has a year around classical repertory as well as George Brown College’s Theatre School and other leading artists and arts organizations across all performance disciplines. In the fall of 2008, the Young Centre launched an exciting programming involving four major streams of activity. Festivals, presentations, incubation and outreach are a part of this slate of programming. There are twelve Resident Artists who lead the programming in music, theatre, dance and spoken word with all the collaborative possibilities in between. The space offers flexible venues with it’s different stage configurations. They consist of the proscenium, thrust and arena staging. A performance artist dream.   I admire this major investment in the future of this Toronto community and hope others do as well.

paper SERIES presented by the Cahoots Theatre Company

I was impressed with the amount of performances taken place at the Young Centre. It seems like there is always an artistic  performance to  experience here. The theatre loving staff pointed out to me that The Cahoots Theatre Company in association with The Young Centre for the Performing Arts is currently presenting paper Series by David Yee March 18 until April 9, 2011. It is directed by Nina Lee Aquino. The paper Series is a collection of six short plays that explore how society uses paper to create, amuse, define, and communicate. It sounds very exciting and profound. It is comprised of stories involving: fortune cookies, an origami crane, counterfeiters, orphans with paper cut-out dolls, and a Dear John letter. All very intriguing subjects worth venturing out in the unexpected spring Canadian weather to witness and enjoy. I might have to find a way to buy tickets.