Welcome to Artword's home page. Artword is the creative team of Ronald Weihs, director and playwright, and Judith Sandiford, designer, artist, manager. We have produced original theatre since 1993. From 1993 to 2006 we also operated a facility (Artword Theatre and Artword Gallery) at 75 Portland Street in downtown Toronto Canada. In 2007 we relocated to Hamilton, where Artword Theatre continues to create, produce and tour theatre. More About us

2008 Artword Resources

Artword Theatre: 2008-2009 Season
in Hamilton

Artword News

Visit our free events listing service:

Reviews and opinions:
ArtwordBlog: reviews & opinions

Map of Toronto performance venues, links to what's on in Toronto:


Contact us:
Hamilton:
166 Prospect Street S.,
Hamilton ON L8M 2Z4
905-543-8512 or
905-548-0341

Toronto:
128 Portland Street,
Toronto ON M5V 2N5
416-203-3437

Email:
artword at artworddotnet

Send listings to:
artwordlist at artworddotnet

Fri July 3, 2009 at 8 pm, Sat July 4 at 3 and 8 pm Tobacco TroubadourArtword on the road!Three shows in the heartland of tobacco country: Fri & Sat, July 3 & 4, 2009 at the Backstage Capitol Theatre 93 King St., Delhi, Ontario, 519-582-7272.


Sat June 27, 2009 at 8 pm "New Dance, New Music" Artword Theatre presents a one-night festival of performance adventure. New dance, new music collaborations and improvisations, at The Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street, Hamilton $10. Call 905-548-0341.
Sat May 23, 2009 at 8 pm "Theatre +..." a theatrical double-bill, at The Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street, Hamilton $10. Call 905-548-0341 "One Night, the Rain", a theatrical adaptation of a short story "Maria dos Prazeres" by G.G. Marquez. Artword Theatre presents"Langston Hughes vs Joe McCarthy". Is poetry subversive? In 1953 U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy thought so. Directed by Ronald Weihs, this reading is based on testimony and the poems of Langston Hughes.
Artword Theatre's spring 2009 season at The Pearl Company in Hamilton: three original new shows based on Hamilton themes
April 15 to 26, 2009 Tobacco Troubadour, a new show based on the songs of Hamilton songwriter and musician J.P. Riemens, with script by Ronald Weihs, about growing up in tobacco country and its lively dance hall scene.. Supported by The Ontario Arts Council.
March 25 to April 5, 2009 Sunamabeach, a new show by Charly Chiarelli, takes an irreverent look at Hamilton, directed by Ronald Weihs (Artword originated Charly's hit shows Cu'Fu? and Mangiacake!).
February 12 to 22, 2009 Rascals and Numskulls a musical entertainment about the thrilling adventures of Robert Land, Hamilton's first white settler after the American Revolution. Written and directed by Ronald Weihs, performed by the Artword Theatre Ensemble, music by Gary Santucci.

Fri Feb 27, 2009 at 8 pm "Langston Hughes vs. Joe McCarthy" Artword Theatre presents a dramatic reading for Black History Month. With Andrew Amoah and members of the Artword Theatre Ensemble, at The Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street, Hamilton
BACK December 4 to 7, 2008 !

You Are What You Do December
The critics and audiences loved the show so we're bringing it back for four shows.
Group discounts. Call Artword at 905-548-0341
Performances at The Pearl,16 Steven Street, Hamilton. Thurs to Sat at 7:30, Sun at 2:00 pm

Artword's first production in its 2008 Hamilton home: Oct 16-26, 2008
You Are What You Do an original musical play celebrating the lives of working people, written and directed by Ronald Weihs. A theatrical collage of stories gathered from men and women about how work has shaped their lives. Thurs to Sat at 7:30, Sun at 2:00 pm , at The Pearl Company,16 Steven Street, Hamilton.
Artword @ The PearlArtword 2008-2009 season launch Sat Sept 13 at 8 pm at The Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street, Hamilton.
Our recent hit If Cows Could Fly has been invited to the 2008 Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto, Sun Aug 31 at 1:30 and Mon Sept 1 at 5 pm. in the Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, $15 advance, $18 day of. Harbourfront Box Office 416-973-4000 If Cows Could Fly is a musical play, written and performed by Allan Merovitz, directed by Ronald Weihs, about growing up Jewish in the Ottawa Valley, with an on-stage Klezmer band (Henri Oppenheim accordion, Frank Rackow clarinet and Ronald Weihs fiddle).
If Cows Could Fly also runs one night in Hamilton at Beth Jacob Synagogue, 375 Aberdeen Avenue, on Thurs August 28 at 7 pm Regular: $25, students under 18 and children: $10, 905-522-1351.
Artword's 2007-2008 past season on the road:

March 2008: Rave reviews for Cows!
Thank you, Ottawa! The reviewers loved our show (see If Cows Could Fly) The audiences came out in large numbers, despite the worst blizzard in decades on our final weekend (March 8, 9). Wow!
February 15 & 16, 2008 in Hamilton,
February 21 to March 9, 2008 in Ottawa
If Cows Could Fly Artword remounts an Artword favourite, two days in Hamilton and a three-week run in Ottawa at the new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre mainspace. If Cows Could Fly is a musical play about growing up Jewish in the Ottawa Valley, written and performed by Allan Merovitz, with an onstage Klezmer band.
Ghost Ship posterSeptember 30, 2007, 3:30 & 8 pm, in Toronto
Ghost Ship Artword mounts a new workshop production about the Senegalese migrants to Europe. Directed by Ronald Weihs, script by Judith Sandiford and Ronald Weihs, music direction and performance by Waleed Abdulhamid, performed by Seifu Belachew, Muoi Nene, Alexandra Semakula, Stella Umeh. At Trane Studio, 964 Bathurst St. Toronto. Funded by the Ontario Arts Council.

NEWS! "Tobacco Troubadour" goes on the road. Fri & Sat, July 3 & 4, 2009 at the Backstage Capitol Theatre 93 King St., Delhi, Ontario, 519-582-7272.


Artword's websites for 2009 shows
Rascals and Numskulls
Sunamabeach
Tobacco Troubadour

Artword in the Hamilton press
* Brian Morton's review of Tobacco Troubadour in View Magazine, April 2009
* Robin Pittis's review of Sunamabeach in View Magazine, April 2009
* Gary Smith's article on Charly Chiarellli and Sunamabeach in The Hamilton Spectator March 2009
* Gary Smith writes about Rascals and Numskulls in The Hamilton Spectator, Feb 2009
* Gary Smith, a mini review of You Are What You Do, at the end of the linked article in The Spec, Oct 2008
* Brian Morton's review of You Are What You Do, October 2008 in View Magazine
* Article by Jeff Mahoney, Hamilton Spectator, Oct 2008 "First show in Artword's new home"
Artword's spring 2009 season. Three original new shows about Hamilton! For info call Artword 905-548-0341. All three shows run at The Pearl Company, 16 Steven Street, east of Victoria at King William.

Artword Toronto Archive

Gateway to Artword Archive
1993-2006:
Artword's website of all activity at 81 and 75 Portland facility (it was a busy place!) You can the Artword archive.


Artword Theatre's own productions, directed and/or written by Ronald Weihs, designed by Judith Sandiford.

• Top Ten in 2006! John Coulbourn: "...forced to close the doors of Artword Theatre..." more...
• Creative haven dies, but indies live on 2006 Buzz: Our Loss Richard Ouzounian: more...
• Jan. 26, 2006 "Going up against the house: Artword Theatre a new condo site. ..." by Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star more...
• Jan 21, 2006 "Enter stage right: a condo boom" by Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail more...

Oct 24, 2005 Press Release: Artword Theatre has been given notice that it must wind up operations in its present location at 75 Portland Street by March 1st, 2006, to make way for a condominium development. more...

Artword founders Ronald Weihs and Judith Sandiford awarded a joint Harold Award, May 12, 2003: more