September was a BUSY month! So many exciting productions were happening all over the city. October is going to be another theatre-filled month. I’m also going to be trying out some new things on social media and new tools like Linktree so that you all have quick access to what’s new and happening on my blog; it’ll be a big adventure for all of us!

          

The First Stone

October 2 – 16, 2022 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

            An epic exploration of history, war, and forgiveness, The First Stone delves into the exploitation of child abductees, the communities from which these children are stolen, the determination to bring them home, and the hard road to reconciliation that follows. Through poetry and song, this world-premiere production follows one family’s effort to reunite, measuring the cost of holding on, and of letting go.

  BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO

            October 11 – November 6, 2022 at Crow’s Theatre

Crow’s Theatre and Modern Times Stage Company present the Toronto premiere of BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Modern Times Artistic Director Rouvan Silogix.

Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominated, and National Endowment for the Arts award winner for Outstanding New American Play, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO is set amid the chaos of the 2003 American occupation of Iraq. In this darkly comic tale, the lives of two American marines intersect with an Iraqi gardener as they search through the rubble of war for friendship, redemption, and a toilet seat made of gold.

The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery

October 11 – 23, 2022 at Red Sandcastle Theatre

A mysterious murder has occurred amidst the Family Crow and now Horatio P. Corvus (Sorter Outer of Murders) is on the scene to crack the case. ​Eat your heart out, Agatha Crowstie.

THE FAMILY CROW was created by internationally celebrated puppeteer Adam Francis Proulx and directed by Byron Laviolette of Morro and Jasp and Pearle Harbour fame. With original music by Alex Baerg, costuming by Jessica Smith, and set designed by Kathleen Black.  Winner of Best New Play London Fringe 2020, Patrons Pick Orlando Fringe 2022, Best Original Script Critic’s Choice Award – Orlando Fringe 2022, Best of Fest Orlando Sentinel 2022, Best of Fest Orlando Weekly 2022.

My Sister’s Rage

October 11 – November 6, 2022 at Tarragon Theatre

My Sister’s Rage is a Tarragon presentation, in association with Studio 180 Theatre and TO Live.

In this new work from Anishinaabe-Ojibwe & South Asian playwright Yolanda Bonnell, we drop in on the lives of a family of women and 2 spirit living on after a great loss, exploring intergenerational connection, trauma, shame, assimilation and the strength of the characters’ ma’iingan kwe heritage. My Sister’s Rage tells the story of ancestral pain, strength and connection, and how, across time, an incident from the not-so-distant past is woven into the continued identity of an entire community.

From the critically acclaimed playwright behind the Dora Mavor Moore Award-nominated bug, Yolanda Bonnell’s My Sister’s Rage is a play about the nuances of holding trauma and joy simultaneously, and how laughter is medicine.

            The Good Thief

            October 15 – 25, 2022 at Noonan’s Irish Pub

When a seemingly routine job goes terribly wrong, a small-time thug finds himself on a desperate run across Ireland, trying to stay one step ahead of the police, his boss, and quite possibly the IRA.

Directed by Rod Ceballos (cited by Now Magazine for Outstanding Direction/2013 Toronto Fringe), The Good Thief will be presented for 6 performances only, and features David Mackett (Dublin Carol with Fly on the Wall; Cymbeline with Shakespeare BASH’d), reprising a role he first performed at the 2006 Toronto Fringe.

            The Year of the Cello

            October 15 – 29, 2022 at Theatre Passe Muraille

THE YEAR OF THE CELLO is told by Wen, as she and her friend Li-An are forever changed by their encounter with the Cellist, whose music unlocks all that was left unspoken. A lament for love lost, and a Hong Kong that once was. Starring Rong Fu as Wen, she is joined by cellists Bryan Holt and Brendan Rogers, who alternate performances as The Cellist. The production is directed by Marjorie Chan, with Njo Kong Kie creating the score and soundscape. Additionally, Echo Zhou brings her unique touch as the production designer. 

            Dido and Aeneas

            October 20 – 23, 2022 at the Elgin Theatre

Opera Atelier is delighted to announce the company’s return to the Elgin Theatre with its iconic production of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, on stage October 20 and 22 at 7:30pm and October 23 at 2:30pm. Universally acknowledged as the greatest opera written in the English language, Purcell’s masterpiece is drenched in longing as Dido’s obsession with the Trojan prince Aeneas plays out against a backdrop of relentless fate and magic.

            The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale

            October 18 – November 4, 2022 at Soulpepper Theatre

Haley McGee was on the phone with Visa, promising to pay off her bill by having a yard sale, when she realised the only things she could sell were gifts from her exes. Inspired by this call, The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale is a hilarious and daring show about calculating the cost of love… or what love costs us. 

            The Waltz

            October 22 – November 13, 2022

Marie Beath Badian returns to the Factory stage with the World Premiere of The Waltz – the sequel to her 2013 hit comedy, Prairie Nurse.

Romeo Alvarez is travelling across the country from Scarborough, Ontario to Vancouver, British Columbia to attend University when he makes a pit-stop in Saskatchewan to connect with some of his mom’s old friends. His journey leads him to a remote cabin where his unexpected arrival is greeted by a suspicious Bea Klassen. It is here, on these doorsteps of a rustic cabin in North East Saskatchewan that two teenagers, whose histories are serendipitously interweaved, spend one evening with a boom box under the magnificent Saskatchewan sky at dusk.

A 90s romantic comedy that is sure to capture the hearts of audiences, The Waltz explores whether we ever truly feel at home in the world.

Dollhouse of Deadly Sins

October 27 – 30, 2022 at Red Sandcastle Theatre

The red door opens at the haunted Red Sandcastle Theatre to reveal Doc Wuthergloom, Eldritch Theatre’s resident necromancer, presenting an evening of demented puppetry and feats of dark parlour magic which tell blood curdling cautionary tales of foolish mortals whose sins beget their grim demise, both in this life and the grim here-after. Returning from its SOLD OUT pandemic premiere for a limited run. Recommended for those with mature and jaded hearts.

At the Stratford Festival:

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I cannot express how grateful I am to all of you who are on this journey with me and to these amazing companies for having me out to their productions. I’m very hopeful for what lies in store for me with my writing, and I’m just feeling so lucky to be able to do what I’m doing. I’ve already got my eyes on some shows for November, and then the Christmas productions come along! There’s always so much to do and I can’t wait to take you all along with me!