Welcome to the Yorkminstels web site!
The Yorkminstrels is the largest community theatre group in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
We're dedicated to serving the community with quality musical theatre, mounting two full-scale musical productions a year for over 50 years!
And our Show Choir reaches out by providing entertainment for seniors, shut-ins, etc.
Get all of the most recent updates by joining our mailing list!
We want to be able to get all of our exciting news and information to you as easily and quickly as possible, and email lets us do that! Please fill out our mailing list form with your most up to date information and we will make sure you don't miss a thing! Even if you are already on our mailing list, but have updated information, fill out the same form and we will update your profile.
If you don't have an email address, but would like to join our mailing list, please visit our contact page to find our phone number and give us a call.
Recent News
It's time again for the Show Choir's Spring Spectacular!
Mar 17, 2007
The show will have two evening performances on Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 7:30pm. For all of the details, please see the show choir page.
As If We Never Said Goodbye was a rousing success!
Dec 1, 2007
The Yorkminstrels Fall 2007 musical cabaret, As If We Never Said Goodbye, was a fantastic success and a wonderful show! Thank you to all of you that came out to support us and cheer us on!
All of the hard work put in by the directorate, supporting members and the cast made for a great night!
You can check out the details on our past shows page.
The Yorkminstrels are back on stage!
August 19, 2007
The Yorkminstrels Theatre Company is excited to present for your enjoyment, the cabaret style production As If We Never Said Goodbye, a poignant, yet lighthearted, look at relationships, including a special tribute to our troops stationed overseas. The cabaret has been created by a stellar production team and features both choral and solo performances by a wonderfully talented cast.
The show runs October 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th & 27th, 2007
Currently in a year of rediscovery and rebuilding, the production of As If We Never Said Goodbye has been designed as a fundraiser for the Yorkminstrels. Included will be a 50/50 draw and the sale of tickets for many fabulous door prizes, graciously donated by our many loyal members and supporters of community theatre. Beer and wine, soft drinks and cheese & fruit plates will be available for purchase throughout the evening to enhance what should prove to be a spectacular evening of entertainment.
Tickets go on sale Sept 11, 2007 and ticket order forms will be available shortly from our current show page!
Dear Friends of the Yorkminstrels Theatre Company:
January, 2007
As you may know, the past few years have provided financial challenges for many community theatre groups throughout the GTA, including the Yorkminstrels. Despite these challenges, we have endeavoured to provide you, our patrons, with the same quality, professional theatre you have come to expect of us throughout the years. But, after 50 years, the times are changing and the Yorkminstrels are up for the challenge!
After considerable reflection and much soul searching, the Board of Directors has decided that the time is ripe for the Yorkminstrels to rediscover itself. We are determined to rebuild financially and find ways of reaching a new and more diversified audience base, while at the same time remaining true to our ideals and dedicated to the provision of high quality entertainment to our loyal, long standing patrons.
As part of the process, for this upcoming year, the Yorkminstrels will take a hiatus from its regular annual program of two full-scale musical theatre productions. Instead, among other things, we are planning a wonderfully entertaining Cabaret production, plans for which are already well underway. Performances by the talented Yorkminstrels Show Choir are also being considered as part of our season’s offering. The Choir will, at the same time, continue to perform throughout the year at retirement and nursing homes, community functions and fundraisers.
Final details of Yorkminstrels’ upcoming shows will be released shortly. In addition, we will keep this website updated with new information as it becomes available.
During this challenging period of rebuilding, long term plans will be determined, fine tuned and put into place, culminating in a more vibrant and exciting Yorkminstrels Theatre Company, with a new focus, a varied repertoire and a broad audience appeal. We invite you to join us on our journey of rediscovery and assure you it will be well worth the trip!
Grease is the word!
Dec 4, 2006
The Yorkminstrels were proud to present Grease Nov 25 - Dec 3, 2006 at Leah Poslun's Theatre in North York, Ontario. It was a fantastic show!
You can find all of the details on the show in our Past Shows area.
Oliver! Please sir, may I have some more!
May, 2006
Congratulations to the Spring 2006 cast, directorate, orchestra and crew of Oliver! on a fantastic run!
You can still find lots of information about the show, including lists of the cast and production team, on its page in the
Past Shows area.
Ongoing Items
Become a Patron
We now have a Patron program, allowing you to help us keep producing quality musicals and also receive some exciting benefits. Details and a mail-in form are on the Be A Patron of The Yorkminstrels! page.
The Show Choir Seeks Men
The Show Choir is seeking some new tenors, basses, and baritones. The choir allows its members to share the joy of music without the rigorous rehearsal schedule of one of our stage shows. Any men interested should send us an email with some contact details. We would love to have a few more join us in January. You can come out to a rehearsal and see what we are all about, without any obligation. Pass this information on to any other men you think might be interested. Our email address and link is on our Contact Us page. Read more about the choir on the Show Choir page.
Inquiring About Auditions
Wondering when we will be holding our next auditions for a stage show? Want to know what to expect? See our Auditioning page for scheduling hints, plus links to pages with details on our audition process and cast member responsibilities.
Production Staff Needed
We are looking to fill several production team openings for upcoming productions. Set, costume, lighting
and sound designers are among the positions to be filled.
If you are experienced in any of these areas and interested in working on this fun show, send us your résumé,
attention Executive Producer. See our Contact Us page for our mailing address.
Sponsors
We have a corporate sponsorship program in place, and are working on presentation material to attract more contributions. The plan provides sponsors with charitable donation tax receipts and other benefits, depending on the level of sponsorship. If you or your business are interested in supporting The Yorkminstrels in this manner, please contact us using one of the options on our Contact Us page.
Supporting Community Charities
We are pleased to announce that a portion of our ticket sales will be donated to the North York Women’s Shelter.
The North York Women's Shelter is an emergency shelter for abused women and children. The shelter also provides women and their children with the support and resources they need to get their lives back on track after leaving an abusive relationship.
North York Women's Shelter
592 Sheppard Avenue West
P.O. Box 77570
Toronto, Ontario M3H 6A7
We also facilitate donations to the North York Harvest Food Bank.
When you come to see one of our shows, bring along a non-perishable food item and drop it into the bins provided.
North York Harvest Food Bank
640 Lawrence Ave. West
Toronto ON M6A 1B1
416-635-7771
www.northyorkharvestfoodbank.com