Frontmezzjunkies reports: SATE and Ted Dykstra launch an exciting summer lineup of staged readings, music, and new Canadian creation at The Vault
When Coal Mine Theatre announced its ambitious upcoming season a few weeks ago, what excited me just as much was the promise of everything happening alongside it. The Vault was introduced not simply as another performance venue, but as a creative home where new Canadian work could be explored, tested, and shared with audiences while still taking shape. That vision is already becoming reality, and two summer presentations have quickly found their way onto my calendar.
The first arrives July 15 through 18 with The Listening, written and performed by acclaimed Toronto songwriter and vocalist SATE, daughter of the legendary Salome Bey. Directed by Djanet Sears, the four-night engagement grows from an earlier one-night presentation that left such a powerful impression it has now returned as part of The Vault‘s inaugural season. Blending live music, storytelling, memory, and personal reflection, The Listening explores the invisible threads connecting mothers and daughters, family history, myth, and identity. It sounds like the kind of intimate theatrical experience The Vault was created to nurture
In August, Coal Mine co-founder and artistic director Ted Dykstra takes the stage himself with Ted (Actually) Talks, directed by Diana Bentley. Part memoir, part music, and part theatrical conversation, the new one-man show promises stories spanning his remarkable career, from 2 Pianos, 4 Hands and Evangeline to personal memories involving figures such as Wayne Gretzky and Martha Henry. Knowing Dykstra’s warmth, wit, and gift for storytelling, I suspect audiences will come away feeling as though they’ve spent an evening with an old friend who simply happens to have lived an extraordinary theatrical life.
One of the things that excited me most about Coal Mine‘s upcoming season was its commitment to building a complete artistic ecosystem, one where finished productions and works still finding their voice could exist side by side. These summer events feel like the first glimpse of that vision taking shape. Whether through SATE’s deeply personal exploration of family and memory or Ted Dykstra’s reflections on a lifetime in Canadian theatre, The Vault is already becoming the kind of place where audiences are invited not just to watch new work, but to be part of its journey. As someone who has long admired everything Coal Mine accomplishes, I can’t imagine a better way to begin exploring what this new creative space will become.
THE LISTENING
Written and Performed by SATE
A staged reading with live music, directed by Djanet Sears
July 15-18, 7:30 Nightly
This July 15-18, Toronto songwriter, vocalist and daughter of Canadian songstress Salome Bey, SATE returns to The Vault with THE LISTENING. As a part of The Vault’s inaugural season, SATE and the Polaris Music Prize brought an intimate, one-night experience to The Vault—an offering so resonant it returns as a four-night run directed by Djanet Sears. The Listening is not a traditional concert but a living ritual—an intimate new work weaving music, memory, story, and unfiltered thought. Emerging from the creation of her debut theatrical work, the evening explores the threads between mothers and daughters, the living and the beyond, memory and myth—tracing the unseen lines that shape who we are and who we are becoming.
“A tornado of stage presence.” NOW Magazine
“I can tell you sincerely that she is one of the most resounding artists I’ve heard.” Lithium Reviewer
TED (ACTUALLY) TALKS
Written and Performed by Ted Dykstra
A staged reading with live music, Directed by Diana Bentley
August 12-15, 7:30 Nightly
Next up in August, Co-Founder and Artistic Director and 7-time Dora Award Winner Ted Dykstra (2 Pianos, 4 Hands, Waiting for Godot) steps onto The Vault stage and takes to the piano. Ted debuts his brand new one-man show Ted (Actually) Talks, directed by partner Diana Bentley. In this one-hour special, Ted sits at the piano and shares personal stories, memories, career highlights (and low lights), and music that spans from his childhood to the present. Ted opens up about his career, including stories of touring Canadian classic 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, the making of Evangeline, and moments with Susan Wright, Wayne Gretzky, Martha Henry, and many more.
Tickets at www.thevaultcreationlab.ca
