PRE-JUMBLIES

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1991-1998 – Ruth Howard designs large-scale Community Plays in Rockwood Ontario (1990), FortQuappelle, Sask. (1992), Blyth Ontario (1993), Torquay UK (1995), inspired by the UK work of the ColwayTheatre Trust, & produces Pageants and Puppet Projects in Toronto.

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1998-2000 – Ruth produces Twisted Metal & Mermaids Tears in South Riverdale, Toronto, a large-scaleoutdoor multi-lingual community play.

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2000 – Ruth undertakes a community project in Lawerence Heights, Toronto – resulting in an outdoortheatre performance based on Haitian Folk talk: I’m Tapingi Too!

 

Feb. 2001 – Ruth founds & incorporates Jumblies to continue this work.

 

DAVENPORT PERTH RESIDENCY

 

Sept. 2001 – Ruth brings her new company, Jumblies, to a residency at Davenport Perth NeigbhourhoodCentre (DPNC), where the Executive Director, Keith McNair, had gained some Trillium Foundation fundsto start a community arts initiative. She launches a variety of activities and brings in guest artists, whilegetting to know the place, partner and people, and names the venture Arts for All.

 

Spring 2001 – Ruth creates and produces The Magic Fish, a musical outdoor performance & feast in thebackyard of DPNC.

 

2002-2004 – Many workshops, activities and smaller projects at DPNC, lead to the creation &performance of a large-scale theatre piece, Once A Shoreline, written & designed by Ruth Howard,composed by Wende Bartley, directed by Varrick Grimes, with many other artists and 100+ communityperformers.

 

2005 - At the invitation of the curator of Montgomery’s Inn, Jumblies moves on to a new multi-yearresidency in Etobicoke in a Toronto Community Housing complex on Mabelle Avenue, and startsworking towards a new large-scale community play. Arts4All, under the leadership of LisaMarieDiLiberto becomes Jumblies first Offshoot.

 

ETOBICOKE RESIDENCY

 

2005-2007 – Growing from many workshops, activities & smaller projects & events, including Who LivesHere? (2005) and Tea and Bridges (2006) Jumblies produces & presents Bridge of One Hair, atHabourfront Centre Brigantine Room, as part of the New World Stage Festival, written & designed byRuth Howard, Composed by Alice Ping Yee Ho, directed by Faye Dupras, choreographed by PennyCouchie, inspired by poetry from Somali oral poet, Hawa Jibril, and Indigenous poet Duke Redbird, withmany other artists, and 100+ community performers.

 

2008 - Mabelle Arts becomes Jumblies second Offshoot, under the artistic direction of Leah Houston;Jumblies moves on to a new residency in East Scarborough, based at Cedar Ridge Creative Centre.

 

SCARBOROUGH RESIDENCY

 

2008-2011 - Growing from many Etobicoke workshops, activities & smaller projects & events, including Nesting (2008) and Three Lands of Scarborough (2010), Jumblies produces Like An Old Tale at aScarborough venue: an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, written & designed by RuthHoward, composed by Wende Bartley, directed by Varrick Grimes, choreographed by Penny Couchie,with many other artists, opera singers, dancers, production crew, and 200+ community performers fromScarborough, around Toronto and beyond.

 

2012 on - The Community Arts Guild, based at Cedar Ridge Scarborough, becomes Jumblies thirdOffshoot, led Beth Helmers.

 

CAMP NAIVELT

 

2006-2008 – Ruth & Jumblies produce a 3-summer project about the history of Camp Naivelt, historic homeof Toronto’s Jewish Left, resulting in the 12 th Jewish Children’s Commune Reenactment and theproduction of Oy Di Velt Vet Vern Yinger (Oh The World Will Grow Younger), at Camp Naivelt (2007) &Mayworks Festival (2008).

 

This project led to continued summer projects and programs at Camp Naivelt, including an annual‘Music Week’ and ‘Arts Week’, often with Ruth as a lead/collaborating Artist.

 

THE GROUND FLOOR

 

2013 – Jumblies moves on to a new home-base in downtown Toronto, The Ground Floor (132/126 FortYork Blvd), in the new high-rise neighbourhood of City Place, & shifts focus from neighbourhood-basedresidencies to theme-based projects and cultivating and operating within a network of partners andprojects in Toronto, Ontario and cross-Canada.

 

INDIGENOUS COLLABORATIONS & HISTORIES

 

2013-2015 - Train of Thought: workshops across Ontario & Canada leading to 2015 6-week cross-country west-to-east tour by train & other means, with a core & shifting team of travelling artists, manypartners & participants along the way, and a theme of Indigenous collaborations and learning.2017 Touching Ground Festival: a 7-week suite of new multi/interarts works on the theme of Toronto’slayered & Indigenous histories, including films, print publications, visual & fabric arts, new musicalworks, theatre & more.

 

2015-2023 -Talking Treaties: led by Mohawk Artist and Associate AD, Ange Loft, a multi-year project,exploring & expressing Toronto’s Indigenous & Treaty histories and responsibilities, producing a pageantat Historical Fort York, 2 films (By These Presents, ‘Purchasing Toronto’ & Dish Dances), a book (A TreatyGuide for Torontonians) & an educational website.

 

2016-2025 - What Was My Backyard?: a musical interactive school/community touring project, inspiredby a 1900 news story of ancient footprints of Indigenous migrating people found embedded in blue clayunder Lake Ontario, evolving into a school touring show, in partnership with the Community Arts Guild.

 

2019-2024 - Odaabaanag: a string quartet, & choral work for community choir, based on oral historiesfrom residential school survivors in Lac Seul First Nation (Sioux Lookout, ON), composed by Melody &Beverley McKiver – performed in Toronto & Ottawa.

 

OTHER TOURING PROJECTS & COLLABORATIONS

 

2016-18 - Four Lands: travelling to Canadian locations from Vancouver to Halifax, with 1-2 weeks in eachplace, local partners, artists & participants – exploring people’s perception of where they live(Goodlands, Badlands, Lostlands, Dreamlands), through making, exhibiting & performing miniatureworlds.

 

2016-2017 - Endings: a musical and visual/movement performance piece, composed by Lieke van deVoort, for professional singers & community choi, responding to Claude Vivier’s ‘Musik fur das Ende’, inpartnership with Soundstreams.Mentoring & Partnering on Northern Ontario Community Plays: Dances of Resistance (Aanmitaagzi,Nipissing First Nation, 2014), The Rivers Speak (Thinking Rock Community Arts, 2017.)Tilescapes, Take this Card, Soft City Place, Other/smaller projects?

 

2018-2025 – Grounds for Goodness (www.groundsforgoodness.ca): an interdisciplinary arts projectexploring the theme of ‘social goodness’, before, during & after the Covid Pandemic, with virtual andactual touring to cross-Canada locations, with the latest episode in Stratford, Ontario in January 2025.See website for more info. on this project.

 

LEARNING & MENTORSHIP

 

2005-Present - Ruth and Jumblies associates develop an intentional and integrated learning andmentorship program for community engaged arts, including the foundational week-long workshop,Artfare Essentials, which continues to be offered at least once annually in Toronto as well as in manyother places across Canada, Mentorship, and other Workshops and Resources.

 

SUCCESSION

 

2023 - Sharada Eswar steps up as Jumblies second Artistic Director, Ruth maintains Jumblies connectionas ‘Founder & Consultant’, while pursuing her own independent projects & collaborations, includingCarePlay, More Grounds for Goodness, Belongings (with Femmes du Feu Creations, Welland), and the Naivelt 100 Project and Social Fabric (with Thinking Rock Community Arts).

 

2022-2024 - blue skies, red earth & tall pines: exploring the theme of ‘Border Crossings’ metaphorical &actual, through multiple art forms, led by Sharada Eswar, with a final event (installation & concert) inSpring

 

2024-2025 onwards – new projects led by new AD, Sharada Eswar, see www.jumbliestheatre.org for info.

 

JUMBLIES OFFSHOOTS

• Arts4All (www.arts4all.ca)

• Mabelle Arts (www.mabellearts.ca)

• Community Arts Guild (www.communityartsguild.ca)

 

VIDEO LINKS

 

• Collage of Jumblies early community plays & productions: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1037068424

• Jumblies Touring Projects Excerpts (Train of Thought & 4 Lands) https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/937775283

• Touching Ground Festival Collage: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/262771782

• Grounds for Goodness Collage: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1046159020

• Oy Di Velt Vet Vern Yinger Trailer https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1025296088

• ArtfareEssentials:

• 2012, Regina: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1025296547

• 2014 Toronto: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1025296649

• Odaabaanag Excerpts: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1046163777

• Talking Treaties Collage: More available on request.

 

PHOTOS

• Jumblies Photos & Resources, Including:

• Artafe Companion 2014Arts-based Research Slide-ShowPhoto

• Selection from Jumblies History (under development): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/195gy3rKEvGcJ-RVAvnWh-3ovsVjQZFfM