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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just thought I'd send out the url for the Equity in
Canadian Theatre report for interested parties.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Please feel free to distribute far and
wide.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Cheers,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rebecca</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<H1 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: left" align=left><U><FONT size=3>For
Immediate Release</FONT></U></H1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">October 27, 2006</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B><SPAN
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</SPAN></SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times">Adding It Up:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B><I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times">The Status of Women in
Canadian Theatre<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><FONT size=3>A Report on the Phase
One Findings of <SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Times"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></H2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="mso-fareast-font-family: Times">Equity in Canadian Theatre: The Women’s
Initiative</SPAN></B><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 84.75pt"
align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 1">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 84.75pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">In
1982 <B>Rina Fraticelli</B> released her report “The Status of Women in the
Canadian Theatre” and exposed disturbing inequities on the nation’s stages. Over
twenty years later the report was re-opened by a national committee of women
theatre artists and academics who were unsatisfied with the stagnant numbers and
imbalances revealed by 21<SUP>st</SUP> century polls of the theatre industry.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">The
Equity in Canadian Theatre initiative, co-chaired by <B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Hope McIntyre</B> (Artistic Director of
Winnipeg’s Sarasvàti Productions and President of the Playwrights Guild of
Canada) and <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Kelly Thornton</B> (Artistic
Director of Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre), conducted forums, panels and
discussions with women across Canada over the last four years. In 2005, a
national survey was sent out to over two hundred theatre companies in Canada,
and Main Researcher, <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Rebecca Burton,</B>
started collecting research materials and tallying the results of the survey
respondents to write one of the most comprehensive reports on the status of
women in Canadian theatre ever undertaken.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in">“Canadian society in
general seems to feel that we have gained so much ground in terms of gender
equity, but when you look at the numbers, it just doesn’t add up,” says study
Co-Chair Hope McIntyre. The study found that women currently account for only
33% of the nation’s artistic directors, 34% of the working directors, and 27% of
the produced playwrights. </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in"><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">To
view the full report </SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">or<B>
a condensed version of the study’s findings</B>, complete with recommendations
for actions to redress the industry’s gender imbalances, please v</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">isit <A
href="http://www.pact.ca/">www.pact.ca</A> and follow the link from the homepage
(situated on the top right), or visit <A
href="http://www.pact.ca/">www.pact.ca</A> and click on the tabs at the top for
“Services - Communications/Publications” and look under “What’s
New.”</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"> </SPAN><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in center 3.0in right 6.0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">For
more information and/or interviews, contact:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0.2pt 0pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in center 3.0in right 6.0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Rebecca
Burton, Main Researcher<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0.2pt 0pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in center 3.0in right 6.0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Equity
in Canadian Theatre: The Women’s Initiative <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in center 3.0in right 6.0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Phone:
(416) 536-0916 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in center 3.0in right 6.0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt">Email:
<A
href="mailto:becca_burton3@hotmail.com">becca_burton3@hotmail.com</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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style="MARGIN: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in; tab-stops: .5in center 3.0in right 6.0in"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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30 -<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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