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Martin Bragg to leave top post at Canadian Stage Company

18.06.2008 21:02 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

Martin Bragg will step down as artistic producer of Toronto's Canadian Stage Company at the end of the 2008-2009 season.(Tony Hauser/Canadian Stage)

Martin Bragg, head of the Canadian Stage Company, announced Wednesday he is stepping down from his post at the end of the upcoming season.

Bragg, whose contract is set to expire in June 2009, said he will not be seeking a renewal following the 2008-2009 season — his 17th with the Toronto company.

"I'm still a little bit numb about making the decision," Bragg told CBC News Wednesday afternoon.

However, when considering his contract renewal, he asked himself "Do I really want to go another round, whatever that length of time might have been?"

With his youngest son set to start university in 2009 and realizing there are other opportunities he'd like to pursue, Bragg said he needed "to make myself free enough to figure out what they're gonna be."

CanStage is looking for a smooth transition and Bragg said he would support the search for a new leader "in whatever way I can."

Criticism in recent years

The downtown Toronto theatre troupe has faced a host of changes and challenges over the past year.

In May 2007, the company promoted longtime artistic consultant David Storch to artistic director, while executive producer David Abel added general manager responsibilities to his job.

This management restructuring was meant to take some of the load off Bragg, who was initially named artistic producer in 1997 when the company combined the positions of artistic and managing director. He had held the latter post since 1992.

'Not to say that I haven't made mistakes, but unless you take risks, you're never gonna move the ball forward and I think I've taken my fair share of risks.'—Canadian Stage artistic producer Martin Bragg

However, after just six months in the post, actor and director Storch resigned, saying the demands of the job were "not ones which I feel are in my creative interests to pursue."

A week later, the company laid off some staffers, citing financial difficulties over the past two seasons, and asked the City of Toronto to guarantee its line of credit for up to $800,000 so it could pursue further restructuring.

In recent years, some have criticized the company for staging fewer "intellectual" productions in favour of more populist fare, such as the musical Little Shop of Horrors and the Stephen King-inspired Misery.

Canadian Stage was also denounced for passing on the controversial play My Name is Rachel Corrie, subsequently picked up across Canada by smaller troupes: Calgary's Sage Theatre, Vancouver's newworldtheatre, Montreal's Teesri Duniva Theatre, Edmonton's Theatre Yes and Catalyst Theatre and Toronto's Theatre PANIK.

"Calling me faint-hearted [for passing on Rachel Corrie ] is completely ridiculous — just because I didn't program one play," Bragg said.

He pointed to his company's staging of Judith Thompson's Palace of the End, "an extremely hard-hitting, controversial play that sold buckets of tickets" this past season.

"I'm very proud of the work that we've done," he continued.

"Not to say that [his tenure] has been perfect, not to say that I haven't made mistakes, but unless you take risks, you're never gonna move the ball forward and I think I've taken my fair share of risks."

Proud of new season, Berkeley co-productions

Bragg announced in February an eight-play 2008-2009 season, including mainstage productions of Frost/Nixon, It's a Wonderful Life, Miss Julie: Freedom Summer, Shirley Valentine and Doubt, A Parable.

The company will also stage Wild Dog, Blackbird and Hardsell — three contemporary co-productions with smaller, independent troupes at its more intimate Berkeley Street Theatre stage.

His successor shouldn't be "afraid of partnering with other companies, both in Toronto and around the world," Bragg said, adding that whoever is hired "had better be extremely creative in looking at different ways to produce great art, i.e. the old ways [are not the] only way of doing things."

Though open to new opportunities as an artistic director, general manager or even another dual-role position, Bragg admitted he's "not necessarily going to put my feet in cement and say I [have to] run another arts organization."

"They take a toll.… When you're running organizations this big, this public, it sometimes feels like you're going in for a boxing match. So it will be nice to take myself out of the limelight for a while."

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Canadian Stage creates artistic, audience outreach post Canadian Stage picks Frost/Nixon, Shirley Valentine for new season Layoffs at Toronto's CanStage theatre company Director resigns from top post at Canadian Stage Top jobs at Toronto's Canadian Stage revamped FEATURE: From Hell: Judith Thompson's new play finds scapegoats and heroes in Iraq FEATURE: Hot-button drama: Small theatres bring controversial Rachel Corrie play to Canada

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