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40-712: The George Brown Theatre School is often cited as one of the best theatre schools in Canada. It is known for training actors and theatre artists who graduate with varied experience from many instructors, guest teachers, and guest directors. Furthermore, it has earned a national reputation for the high-calibre work of its graduates, many of whom have earned accolades and built successful careers in theatre, film, television, and other entertainment industries. George Brown College began offering several theatre arts courses in theatre, music, and dance in 1973 as part-time electives for its general student populous. In an effort to bring more cohesion to

80-427: A Soulpepper production's equity deputy, when she complained about a fundraising event where dinners with female cast members were auctioned off. Black box theater A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black box

120-618: A black box theater can be adapted from other spaces, such as hotel conference rooms. This is common at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where the larger venues will hire entire buildings and divide each room to be rented out to several theater companies . "The Black Box Theatre" in Oslo, Norway , and the Alvina Krause Studio at Northwestern University are theaters of this type. Black box theaters have also been known to come with

160-634: A classical approach to acting through voice, movement, speech, dance, and music classes, which students are required to take throughout the entire three-year advanced diploma program. Students learn a wide range of acting styles through these classes as well as through other required courses including stage combat, improvisation, neutral mask, character mask, clowning, commedia dell'arte , storytelling, film and television technique, and various classical and contemporary scene studies . In addition to this, students take courses in text analysis, contact improvisation , dialectology , audition technique, theatre history,

200-588: A handful of disadvantages. The open space may leave "too many" options that can leave many at a loss for direction or inspiration. Lighting issues arise as the primary lighting is typically above the performance area. During blackout scenes, the close proximity of the audience allows them to still see the transitions happening on stage. Black box spaces also see success within the music industry. These spaces are known to be used to host vocal and instrumental performances, rehearsals, shows, and competitions. Most older black boxes were built like television studios , with

240-452: A large proscenium theater, as well as a black box theater. Not only does this allow two productions to be mounted simultaneously, but they can also have a large extravagant production in the main stage while having a small experimental show in the black box. Black box spaces are also popular at fringe theater festivals; due to their simple design and equipment they can be used for many performances each day. This simplicity also means that

280-480: A low pipe grid overhead. Newer black boxes typically feature catwalks or tension grids , the latter combining the flexibility of the pipe grid with the accessibility of a catwalk. They were designed to be able to be spaces that can be molded into different settings easily for multiple performances. Black box theaters accommodate smaller audiences with the goal of having more intimate experiences. The interiors of most black box theatres are painted black, although that

320-506: A stage instigated a half-century of innovations in the relationship between audience and performers. This idea would again be re-visited by Harley Granville Barker , using Appia's design as his basis. Barker would have ideas of directing productions in “a great white box,” which would see success in 1970. As time went on, black boxes were decided on instead as black provided the most neutral setting for productions. Antonin Artaud also had ideas of

360-575: A stage of this kind. The first flexible stage in America was located in the home living room of actor and manager Gilmor Brown in Pasadena, California. While the domestic decor meant that Brown's stage was not a proper black box, the idea was still a revolutionary one. This venue, and two subsequent permutations, are known as the Playbox Theatre, and functioned as an experimental space for Brown's larger venue,

400-640: A year after graduation. Third-year students are also offered three-week-long workshops in motion capture and voice-over work at the school. Beyond its three-year program, the George Brown Theatre School offers a one-year certificate program known as the Preparation Program (formerly the Introduction to Performing Arts Careers program). This program is designed for students wishing to obtain basic skills needed to enter into theatre schools or

440-658: Is a former Canadian actor, director and the founding artistic director of Toronto 's Soulpepper Theatre Company . He resigned his position with Soulpepper after sexual allegations against Schultz became public in January 2018. Albert Hamilton Schultz was born in Port Hope, Ontario , on July 30, 1963. He is the son of Virginia and Peter Schultz, the publisher of the Port Hope Evening Guide . He has an older brother (Henry) and sister (Amanda). His father died of leukemia when he

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480-539: Is a relatively recent innovation in theatre. Black box theaters have their roots in the American avant-garde of the early 20th century. The black box theaters became popular and increasingly widespread in the 1960s as rehearsal spaces. Almost any large room can be transformed into a "black box" with the aid of paint or curtains, making black box theaters an easily accessible option for theater artists. Storefronts, church basements, and old trolley barns were some examples of

520-551: Is based predominantly on the success of a 3-stage audition process: an initial first round of performance auditions — in which candidates are requested to perform a contemporary monologue, a classical monologue, and an a cappella song — a second round of callback auditions, and a third round of interviews. Auditions are held in-person in April and May of each year in Toronto, as well as via Skype if necessary for candidates unable to travel for

560-429: Is not exclusive (a black box doesn't have to be black to be considered a black box, though black is most common). The absence of colour not only gives the audience a sense of "anyplace" (and thus allows flexibility from play to play or from scene to scene), it also allows for an innovative lighting design to shine through. The architecture of black box theaters typically allow for easy modifications and decorations, but at

600-469: The Pasadena Playhouse . Such spaces are easily built and maintained. Black box theaters are usually home to plays or other performances requiring very basic technical arrangements, such as limited set construction . Common floor plans include thrust stage , modified thrust stage, and theater in the round . Universities and other theater training programs employ the black box theater because

640-872: The Stratford Festival , including Romeo in Robin Phillips' production of Romeo and Juliet , and at Soulpepper, including the title roles in Shakespeare's Hamlet , Chekhov's Platonov , and Alan Ayckbourn 's The Norman Conquests . He also played the stage manager in Our Town , Henry in The Real Thing , Alceste in The Misanthrope , Vershinin in Three Sisters , Astrov in Uncle Vanya , El Gallo in

680-940: The Tarragon Theatre . Schultz is the recipient of several awards, including: a Gemini Award , several Dora Mavor Moore Awards , Toronto Critics Awards, the Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction, the Salute to the City Award, the Toronto Life Award, the Barbara Hamilton Memorial Award, the Toronto Arts Council William Kilbourn Award, and the Queen's Jubilee Medal for his work on behalf of UNICEF . In 2013, he

720-579: The Cityscape Development group to take possession of Tank Houses 9 and 10, creating what became the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The vision of this partnership was to create a performing arts, education and community outreach facility and home to the school, Soulpepper, and Toronto’s independent arts community. In 2002, the architectural firm of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects

760-575: The College by 2020. The school has since undergone several changes in response to the publications, namely the hiring of new acting professors, changes in faculty, and the succession of Sue Miner as Program Coordinator after James Simon. In November 2001, the Distillery Historic District Project was announced as a new Toronto attraction. The partnership of the George Brown Theatre School and Soulpepper immediately began negotiations with

800-458: The College's performing arts division, Dean of Academic Studies Bradley Webb, along with the artistic leadership of veteran actor and director Joseph Shaw, founded the George Brown Theatre School in 1976. The school began classes in September 1976 as a two-year, 20-student program housed at the College's Kensington Campus with a focus on both theatre performance and production. It moved and expanded in

840-475: The College's then Dean of Business and Creative Arts, approached Albert Schultz , then Artistic Director of the Soulpepper Theatre Company , about creating a formal partnership between the company and the George Brown Theatre School. This eventually led to the creation of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, a professional performance facility located in Toronto's Distillery District where both

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880-502: The Michael Young Family Foundation in 2003 which secured funding for its development. The George Brown Theatre School, which operates in a 9080 ft area of the building, began classes at the partially-completed centre in September 2005 prior to the Young Centre's official opening on January 15, 2006. The theatre school regularly performs in three theatres in the Young Centre. The Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre,

920-415: The Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Additionally, second-year students devise and present a children's theatre show each November and December based on the stories of children’s author Robert Munsch . In addition to training and performances, the school provides a mentorship program in which third-year students are individually paired with a successful theatre practitioner who mentors each student for

960-415: The addition of a children's theatre show performed by second-year students. Following Piller's retirement in 1997, Paul Lampert served as Artistic Director of the school for three years. During this time, the school expanded its training by launching the one-year Introduction to Performing Arts Careers (IPAC) program. James Simon took over as Artistic Director in 2000. In December of that year, Paul Carder,

1000-467: The allegations that are being made, I have made this decision in the interest of the future of the company into which I poured the last 20 years of my life, and in the interest of the aspirations of the artists and administrators of the company." On August 1, 2018, representatives of Schultz, Soulpepper and the four female cast members stated that the law suits were settled. No details were released publicly. Ann-Marie MacDonald has spoken of her time as

1040-414: The articles, allegations of abuse were reported to George Brown College and the George Brown Theatre School administrations by former students in 2007 and as early as 2000. In 2017, additional reports cited acting professor Todd Hammond as the primary perpetrator of abuse, resulting in his leave of absence. He was removed from the theatre school's faculty directory in 2018 and was no longer paid or employed by

1080-406: The audition. Although up to 32 students are admitted into the school in first year, a typical graduating class has about 14 to 19 students. Similarly, a typical second-year cohort has, on average, 19 students. However, in 2021, 25 students graduated — one of the largest classes in recent history. The George Brown Theatre School is a conservatory-based institution. Its primary curriculum is built on

1120-455: The business of acting, and the Alexander technique . The program is intensive, sometimes requiring students to train for upwards of 11 hours on a single day. Students also participate in five full-scale productions throughout their three years of training. Third-year students work with professional directors, stage managers, designers, and technicians to produce a full season of plays performed at

1160-492: The earliest versions of spaces transformed into black box theaters. Sets are simple and small and costs are lower, appealing to nonprofit and low-income artists or companies. The black box is also considered by many to be a place where more "pure" theatre can be explored, with the most human and least technical elements in focus. The concept of a building designed for flexible staging techniques can be attributed to Swiss designer Adolphe Appia , circa 1921. The invention of such

1200-429: The entertainment business. Graduates of the preparation program often successfully audition into the school's three-year performance program. Notable George Brown Theatre School alumni include: 43°39′05″N 79°22′13″W  /  43.65127°N 79.37025°W  / 43.65127; -79.37025 Albert Schultz Albert Hamilton Schultz ( / ʃ ʊ l t s / SHUULTS ; born July 30, 1963)

1240-503: The following year with the acquisition of a performance space at 530 King Street East while training continued at the College's Casa Loma campus. Upon Shaw's retirement in 1986, Heinar Piller became Artistic Director of the school. Piller engaged Peter C. Wylde as Head of Acting and under their leadership, the program was expanded from two to three years. The curriculum was redesigned with a focus on classical text and expanded performance elements to showcase its graduating students, including

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1280-578: The largest of the three, is a flexible space that seats up to 378 patrons and is host to the second-year children's show. The graduating class' season, meanwhile, alternates between the Michael Young Theatre, which seats a maximum of 269 patrons, and the black box Tank House Theatre, which has a capacity of 110. The George Brown Theatre School is a highly competitive program which only accepts 30 to 32 students each year into its three-year advanced diploma program out of 650 to 700 applicants. Admission

1320-683: The musical The Fantasticks , Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross , Macheath in The Threepenny Opera and Martin in Edward Albee's The Goat . . Schultz's television career includes the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) 1988 film The Squamish Five , the legal drama Street Legal , the medical drama Side Effects , the comedy The Red Green Show (where he played roofer/country singer Arnie Dogan),

1360-754: The musical film Youkali Hotel , and the role of Conrad Black in CTV 's Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story . He was executive producer of the CBC series Kim's Convenience . Schultz has directed Soulpepper's productions of: Death of a Salesman , Twelfth Night , As You Like It , Oh, What a Lovely War! , The Caretaker , Waiting for Godot , No Man's Land , A Chorus of Disapproval , The Time of Your Life , Angels in America, Parts I and II , Amadeus , and Of Human Bondage . He also co-created and directed Soulpepper's musical adaptation of Spoon River . He directed Susan Coyne 's Kingfisher Days for

1400-552: The performing arts in the past performance year. In January 2018, Schultz was publicly accused of sexual misconduct by four professional actresses who worked with him at Soulpepper Theatre Company. The women involved are Kristin Booth , Diana Bentley, Hannah Miller and Patricia Fagan. Lawsuits on their behalf were filed against both Schultz and Soulpepper. Schultz resigned his position as artistic director on January 4, 2018, saying: "While I will continue to vigorously defend myself against

1440-536: The school and Soulpepper are now located. Classes officially began at the Young Centre on September 6, 2005. In January 2018, the Toronto Star, CBC, and the Dialog published articles describing bullying, discrimination, harassment, and abuse perpetrated by a George Brown Theatre School faculty member against students. The incidents reported by former students were said to have taken place between 2000 and 2015. According to

1480-481: The space is versatile and easy to change. The black backdrop can encourage the audience to focus on the actors, furthering the benefits. Additionally, as the audience is now closer to the stage due to the lack of a proscenium , a more intimate atmosphere is able to be created. This intimate space may also serve to try and eliminate the implied mental distance between the audience and actors, while it still physically remains. Many theater training programs will have both

1520-406: Was hired to design the centre with Thomas Payne as the principal architect. The design offered three professional theatres, four rehearsal studios, two classrooms, a costume shop, a student lounge, artist garden, public lobby, cafe, and administration offices for the theatre school and Soulpepper. George Brown and Soulpepper each raised half of the $ 14 million cost in addition to a $ 3 million gift from

1560-651: Was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as a founding member and artistic director of the Soulpepper Theatre Company and for his commitment to training generations of theatre artists." In May 2014, Schultz received the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards , recognizing work of an extraordinary nature and significance in

1600-551: Was six, and his mother moved the family to Napanee, Ontario . He grew up in Okotoks , Alberta . Schultz studied drama at Toronto's York University from 1981 to 1982, and at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art from 1984 to 1985. He received an honorary doctorate at Queen's University in 2008 and from Bishop's University in 2009, which has since been rescinded. His theatre career as an actor includes several roles at

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