Welcome to the Show One blog! As we’re all figuring out what this new reality is going to look like, it is undeniable that the performing arts is reaching a new digital age. Here at Show One Productions, we are eagerly looking forward to when we can all be together in performing spaces again, in the meantime we relish the opportunity to reach out and engage with you through this shared virtual space. The Show One gears have been constantly running during this lockdown to bring you closer to the arts at the earliest possibility, the result of which is the groundbreaking Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit. The doors to the exhibit will open to you on June 18 for the first ever Drive In Arts Exhibit and will open for foot traffic on July 1st.
To launch this new digital initiative, we will begin with a look back at how the last fifteen years of Show One productions have placed us in a position to take on the uncertainties and opportunities that are to come.
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At the heart of this company is the passion that its founder, Svetlana Dvoretsky, has for the performing arts and her relentless drive to realize her vision. When she immigrated to Canada from Russia in 1998, Svetlana pursued her dream of becoming a producer in the industry before making the bold decision to start her own production company in 2003. Show One Productions was born in April 2004 and by October of that year had its first concert with Moscow Virtuosi and Vladimir Spivakov. This launch was a resounding success met enthusiastic press coverage; the rest, as they say, is Show One history.
The dream from the start was bringing international performers in Classical music and dance to the Canadian public in general, as well as channelling special productions for Russian communities in Canada. That vision was quickly realized and Show One was immediately profitable, and the organization was able to donate a portion of its proceeds to various charities as early as 2005. The company’s growth is also owed to its hard working team, which grew in 2010 when Anna Kharkhourin and Boris Groisman; both of whom worked wonders for the company’s influence specifically in the Ethnic (Russian/Israeli/ Ukranian) markets.
Creating strong partnerships in Canada’s performing arts community has been one of the company’s strengths since its inception. That remains the case, and we are incredibly grateful for partnerships with organizations such as the TO Live family, Koerner Hall, Place des Arts, and Luminato Festival, among others.
In 2019, Show One embarked on ambitious partnership with Starvox entertainment, to develop the company’s latest project, the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit:
“Show One and Starvox formed a company, called Lighthouse Immersive, with a long term plan to roll out various types of exhibits around the world. The Van Gogh Exhibit is major project that is meant to change Toronto’s art landscape, adding a permanent fixture and taking the lead on presenting different art forms. The Toronto exhibit originally planned to open on May 1, 2020 and will do so as soon as it is possible. In the meantime, we will continue to plan, develop, create and keep the fire going — always!” Svetlana Dvoretsky
The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit is indeed the kind of exciting and unprecedented projects that will be championed by Show One Productions in this new era of growth and experimentation. Visitors to the exhibit will be immersed in 600,000 cubic feet of projections animating Van Gogh’s paintings and illuminating the mind of the genius. The installation includes the Mangeurs de pommes de terre (The Potato Eaters, 1885), the Nuit étoilée (Starry Night, 1889), Les Tournesols (Sunflowers, 1888), and La Chambre à coucher (The Bedroom, 1889). The exhibition is custom designed for the historic space that housed the Toronto Star’s printing presses at 1 Yonge Street — transforming the industrial into the artistic.
In the weeks and months to come, this blog will be a platform to share with you all the exciting new adventures that Show One Productions will embark on. It will also be a place to discuss and engage with the artists that have partnered, now and in the past, with the company. In these isolating times, we are especially committed to reaching out to the performing arts community around us and giving them a platform to share their experiences, engage with their audience directly, to create in innovative ways.
We hope you’ll join us for the journey!
