The audience is silent and still. A dim light contours a man in boxing gloves and shorts, his slightly bent head and shoulders gleaming with sweat. There is a ripple of anticipation as he takes a deep breath, lifting gloved fists — in that moment, the figure is both the bow drawn taut and the […]

Exploring the distance between what appears to be true and what actually is, Dancing at Lughnasa is a bittersweet memory play about five sisters in depression-era Donegal.  Set in 1936, when Michael is just seven years old, the play juxtaposes Michael’s overwhelmingly positive memories of the last summer his family spent together with his adult self’s reflection […]

As part of the Fall 2018 programme, the Lower Ossington Theatre has mounted The Producers! Any chance to see this show in any form should be taken – totally hilarious, pithy, and self-referential, it’s a wonderful show for those well versed in Musical Theatre. However, the nature of the show itself is also great for […]

Pearle Harbour’s Chautauqua- presented at Theatre Passe Muraille, written and performed by Justin Miller in his Critics’ Pick Award-winning role- is what’s been missing in theatre. With the political climate, we are starving for a noble leader and Pearle Harbour steps up to fill that role. The show is set in a mid-century wartime tent, similar to what […]

 

The Rendezvous with Madness Festival – known for its films – expanded this year to include visual art and performance. The mental health themes addressed in the festival are relevant in today’s world more than ever, and the programming was fittingly launched on World Mental Health Day. I had the opportunity to catch some of […]

Watching Mirvish’s production of Ain’t Too Proud was an absolute joy. I am a bigtime Motown music lover, and was so excited for the evening of music and to learn even more about “The Life and Times of The Temptations”. My Motown mix is the most frequently played playlist in my home: its use is […]

 

Toronto-based choreographer and dancer Esie Mensah’s Shades premiered at the Factory Theatre with a short run, September 27 to 20, 2018. Shades is an exploration of the discrimination between lighter-skinned and darker-skinned members of communities of colour, known as shadeism. This work addresses how the privileging of skin tones leads to fractures in communities of […]

Adapted and directed by Leighton Alexander Williams, BDB Productions’ Judas Noir…