HartHouseAnnualReport-2017-18

Spanish architectural historian and
theorist Beatriz Colomina examined the
bedroom as an architectural space turned
modern day office. French geographer
Luc Gwiazdzinski contemplated how the
24-hour cycle shapes city life. US art
historian Tom McDonough looked at the
role of boredom in the visual arts. U of
T’s Janine Rivière investigated the history
of nightmares and their interpretation
from medical, political, religious and
supernatural perspectives. Activities
included a midnight swim in Hart House
pool, screenings of Andy Warhol’s
film Sleep and Max Richter’s 8-hour
lullaby, and an Instagram sweepstakes
#nightofideas that sent the winner on a
trip to Paris, France.
UPROOTED AND
DISPOSSESSED:
PORTRAITS OF WOMEN
CAUGHT IN CONFLICT AND
COLONIALISM
In spring 2018, Hart House participated
in the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography
Festival. Partnering with Human Rights
Watch (HRW), the Hart House Talking
Walls exhibit space was used to display
U of T legal academic Samer Muscati’s
moving visual display of his most recent
work documenting the plight of women in
Iraq, Syria, South Sudan, Kenya, Zambia,
and Canada. As a researcher for HRW
for seven years, Muscati documented
the aftermath of some of humanity’s
darkest acts. His particular area of
concentration was international women’s
rights in conflict areas, with a particular
emphasis on Africa and the Middle East.
Gathering the testimony of his subjects
was often harrowing, and Muscati found
photography invaluable in processing his
own experience. He shared the portraits
with the women he was interviewing,
finding that the medium served as a
kind of bonding agent. Sarah Milroy and
Simone Wharton organized the exhibit. It
was named one of “20 must-see shows
at Contact Photography Festival 2018” by
NOW Magazine.
View the exhibit online at
uprootedanddispossessed.com
2017–2018 THEATRE
SEASON
The season’s lineup at Hart House
Theatre was a diverse mix of classical and
contemporary work that featured a cult
rock phenomenon, a popular musical,
an American classic, and Shakespeare’s
bloodiest tragedy. The season opened in
September with Hedwig and the Angry
Inch, an award-winning musical that
transformed the theatre into a wild punk
rock show. Known for its titillating material
presented by Hedwig, an East German,
gender-fluid, rock superstar goddess, it
was a delightfully raunchy tale of love and
bittersweet regret.
Below (clockwise from left): Titus Andronicus at Hart House Theatre; two images from Night of Ideas
The second show and second musical of
the season took us from a rock concert
to a middle school auditorium. The
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee, which opened in November, was a
charming, Tony Award-winning musical
set in a small-town spelling bee. With
quirky contestants vying for the prize
and some unconventional teachers
running the show, the musical revealed
the universal truth that winning is not
everything.
January saw the opening of a classic
play, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. A
cautionary tale that warns of the deadly
consequences of a society allowing fear,
suspicion and superstitious gossip to rule
over facts and reason, it is a timeless and
pivotal work.
The season ended with the
Shakespearean tragedy of tragedies,
Titus Andronicus. Critically praised for
its clever depiction of onstage gore and
violence, the show delved into the depths
of humanity’s most vile traits revealing the
true price of revenge.
Hart House Theatre supports student
experience and alumni participation,
all while showcasing Canada’s next
generation of theatre professionals and
fostering the next generation of Canadian
theatre audiences. Approximately 450
student volunteers were involved on stage,
backstage and in the wings. And over
6,000 students saw the shows! Students
(age 18–24) accounted for almost 50% of
the audience throughout the season.
Hart House gives
you the freedom to
express yourself.
Top (clockwise from left): The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee; Night of Ideas; photographer and
human rights researcher Samer Muscati
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