Jovanni Sy, Artistic Director of Gateway Theatre
Posted by David Ip
on Jul 18, 2012
Jovanni Sy and our new president Dave Rogers
After a brief introduction by Suzanne Haines, fellow Rotarian from the noon club and the General Manager of Gateway Theatre, Jovanni began his speech on “What’s so bad about feeling bad”.
Jovanni joined Gateway in April this year from Toronto. His role as the artistic director is to choose shows for each season and he compared this as the head coach of the Canucks because everyone has an opinion on how to do it better! Out of the shows in the upcoming season, Fiddler on the Roof is most likely going to be the best selling show as people feel good after the show.
The question for him: why not make more shows like Fiddler on the Roof?
Jovanni gave three reasons:
1) it is a masterpiece show and it is not easy to find another one like that
2) it is an expensive production and not feasible to do every show like that
3) need to have a balance of shows
He further expanded on the third point and stated that feeling good is overrated and theatre should do more than just leaving the audience feel good, it should make people feel. Jovanni used the “ice-cream” analogy – he likes ice-cream but cannot eat it for all three meals everyday.
Jovanni introduced a Japanese phrase “Mono no aware”, generally meaning appreciation of sadness as everything needs a balance. Feeling bad can accentuate feeling good.
For the upcoming season, Gateway has six shows in the lineup:-
Sylvia – story on an empty-nester couple and their dog, Sylvia which is played by an attractive young actress
Winners & Losers – the two show’s creators sit at a table playing a game where they name people, places or things and debate whether they are winners or losers
Fiddler on the Roof – story on a Russian milkman and his daughters
Sisters – inspired from Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters with setting change from Russia to China, written by Simon Johnston, past Artistic and Executive Director for Gateway
Harvest – story about a couple who moved from their farm into the city and rented their farmhouse to a couple who turned the house into a grow-op
Moliere’s Don Juan – set in Louie XIV about the defense of individual freedom
Jovanni encouraged members to become subscriber of the theatre to enjoy all the shows in the upcoming season. More information can be found on their website:
https://www.gatewaytheatre.com/index.html
Suzanne added that The Gateway Academy’s Summer Musical Theatre Camp presents Lost and Found next Wednesday to Friday (July 25-27). The show is a heart warming musical about change, friendship and working together, Lost and Found tells the story of the animals at the SPCA who pull together to find a lost cat. On the way they meet a dragon, a movie star, and discover that friendship can sometimes be found where you least expect it. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at Gateway’s box office.
Jovanni joined Gateway in April this year from Toronto. His role as the artistic director is to choose shows for each season and he compared this as the head coach of the Canucks because everyone has an opinion on how to do it better! Out of the shows in the upcoming season, Fiddler on the Roof is most likely going to be the best selling show as people feel good after the show.
The question for him: why not make more shows like Fiddler on the Roof?
Jovanni gave three reasons:
1) it is a masterpiece show and it is not easy to find another one like that
2) it is an expensive production and not feasible to do every show like that
3) need to have a balance of shows
He further expanded on the third point and stated that feeling good is overrated and theatre should do more than just leaving the audience feel good, it should make people feel. Jovanni used the “ice-cream” analogy – he likes ice-cream but cannot eat it for all three meals everyday.
Jovanni introduced a Japanese phrase “Mono no aware”, generally meaning appreciation of sadness as everything needs a balance. Feeling bad can accentuate feeling good.
For the upcoming season, Gateway has six shows in the lineup:-
Sylvia – story on an empty-nester couple and their dog, Sylvia which is played by an attractive young actress
Winners & Losers – the two show’s creators sit at a table playing a game where they name people, places or things and debate whether they are winners or losers
Fiddler on the Roof – story on a Russian milkman and his daughters
Sisters – inspired from Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters with setting change from Russia to China, written by Simon Johnston, past Artistic and Executive Director for Gateway
Harvest – story about a couple who moved from their farm into the city and rented their farmhouse to a couple who turned the house into a grow-op
Moliere’s Don Juan – set in Louie XIV about the defense of individual freedom
Jovanni encouraged members to become subscriber of the theatre to enjoy all the shows in the upcoming season. More information can be found on their website:
https://www.gatewaytheatre.com/index.html
Suzanne added that The Gateway Academy’s Summer Musical Theatre Camp presents Lost and Found next Wednesday to Friday (July 25-27). The show is a heart warming musical about change, friendship and working together, Lost and Found tells the story of the animals at the SPCA who pull together to find a lost cat. On the way they meet a dragon, a movie star, and discover that friendship can sometimes be found where you least expect it. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at Gateway’s box office.