I’ve got another fantastic list of events happening not only here in Toronto, but in Montreal as well! While I wish I could be everywhere at once, science hasn’t gotten us there yet, so until then y’all will just have to let me know how awesome these shows are!
The Rhubarb Festival – Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Back for its 45th year, Rhubarb transforms Buddies into a hotbed of experimentation, with artists challenging our notions of what art-making and art-watching can be. As Canada’s longest-running new works festival, Rhubarb is the place to encounter the most adventurous ideas in performance and to catch familiar and unfamiliar artists venturing into uncharted territory.
This year’s festival continues to push boundaries with a curated selection of one-of-a-kind presentations. Curated by an Artist Committee including daniel jelani ellis (Obsidian Theatre), Leelee Oluwatyosi Eko Davis (TO Love-In), Ludmylla Reis (Buddies in Bad Times), and Jordan Campbell [STARLIGHT] (xLq, SummerWorks), under the leadership of Rhubarb Artistic Producer Sue Balint, this year’s festival promises to be a celebration of experimentation and queer audacity in the true spirit of Buddies.
February 8 – 18
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre – 12 Alexander Street
The Rhubarb Festival — Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Omaagomaan – Native Earth Performing Arts
The Anishinaabe of Grassy Narrows are resilient. They are stitching their fractured landscapes back together from the impact of mercury poisoning. Using dance, movement, sound, and storytelling, the Dora-award winning Waawaate Fobister embodies Omaagomaan, a two-spirit being, and a manifestation of the earth and man-made poisons that have seeped into the earth’s crust. A fierce shape-shifter inspired by Anishinaabeg worldview and cosmologies, Omaagomaan forces us to reckon with the ways the maanaadizi (ugly) and the onishishin (beautiful) collide.
February 15 – 18
Aki Studio – 585 Dundas St E
Omaagomaan – Native Earth Performing Arts
Dance to the Abyss – Art of Time Ensemble
Art of Time Ensemble is thrilled to announce its latest production of 1920s cabaret and jazz-inspired music, DANCE TO THE ABYSS, as part of its 25th anniversary final concert season. This new musical production from the Weimar Republic is set to captivate audiences at Harbourfront Centre Theatre from February 23rd to 25th, 2024.
Experience the music that captured the zeitgeist of a culture on a path to catastrophe. This program features music celebrated in the 1920s and later dismissed as “degenerate” by the Third Reich, including excerpts from The Threepenny Opera Suite by Kurt Weill and music by Mischa Spoliansky, Erwin Schulhoff, and other artists whose names are largely lost to history.
Featuring a stellar lineup of acclaimed soloists Martha Burns, John Millard, and Patricia O’Callaghan, paired with the exceptional musicians of the Art of Time Ensemble, DANCE TO THE ABYSS promises to push musical boundaries, and illustrate its censorship in the most visceral way possible.
February 23 – 25
Harbourfront Centre Theatre – 231 Queens Quay West
Dance To The Abyss — Art of Time Ensemble
WINTER DOUBLE BILL – TORONTO DANCE THEATRE
Featuring new works by Fran Chudnoff in collaboration with Driftnote and Angela Cabrera, as well as Andrew Tay in collaboration with TDT ensemble members, the Winter Double Bill is shaped by vibrant, colourful aesthetics, and unique collective experiences – on stage at the Winchester Street Theatre February 8-10 and 15-17, 2024.
February 8 -10 and 15 – 17
Winchester Street Theatre – 80 Winchester Street
Winter Double Bill | Toronto Dance Theatre (tdt.org)
Swipe! Or Be Swiped! – $20 Sandwich
Looking for a hilarious way to spend Valentine’s Day? Look no further! Join us at The Assembly Theatre for an evening that promises to be as heartwarming as it is side-splitting. You may recognize $20 Sandwich from some of their viral videos, asking questions like: Cereal… is it soup? And now the foursome blends their comedic styles to present their take on Valentine’s Day, and other stuff, live and in person!
Whether you find yourself single, happily taken, or simply in pursuit of a good time, this show guarantees to tickle your funny bone and make your cheeks hurt from laughter. The talented ensemble of $20 Sandwich, directed by the incomparable Rob Baker, has crafted a performance that transcends relationship statuses and resonates with everyone, ensuring a night of shared joy and camaraderie.
February 10 at 8pm
The Assembly Theatre – 1479 Queen St W
Swipe or Be Swiped: A Valentine’s Day Comedy Show Tickets, Sat, 10 Feb 2024 at 8:00 PM | Eventbrite
Improv Double Feature – Knifefight Theatre
Grab your Valentine and get ready to laugh! On February 17, Knifefight Theatre will take the stage once again at Parkdale’s Assembly Theatre.
We’re bringing you 2 awesome shows stacked with some of the funniest people in the country. Check out this line up!!!
Kumite Improv – Feb 17 @ 8 pm
KUMITE IMPROV: Valentine’s Day Special Tickets, Sat, 17 Feb 2024 at 8:00 PM | Eventbrite
Olymprov: Improv of the Gods – Feb 17 @ 10:30
Wildside Festival 2024 – Centaur Theatre
Centaur Theatre is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated return of the WILDSIDE FESTIVAL 2024, set to captivate audiences from January 18 to February 8, 2024, presented at both Centaur Theatre and La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines. This year’s Festival promises to be a dynamic and boundary-pushing experience, showcasing an exceptional lineup of innovative and thought-provoking performances across Montreal.
Featuring an exciting array of productions, THE WILDSIDE FESTIVAL 2024 promises to ignite the imagination and spark meaningful conversations. Audiences can expect an eclectic mix of genres, including gripping dramas, hilarious comedies, immersive experiences, and genre-defying performances that push the boundaries of storytelling.
At Centaur Theatre:
Still Life, a work in progress presented by Talisman Theatre – Jan 18-20
Ricki, presented by Scapegoat Carnivale – Jan 30-31, Feb 1-3
Choose Your End, presented by Wind Up Radio – Jan 26-27
Plays for the End of the World, presented by Scaredy Cat Theatre – free play reading, Jan 21
Confabulation (MTL) presents: The Shortest Story XIV – January 27
Montréal Music with Sarah Segal and the Lasers – free event, Feb 2-3
At La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines:
Fé·e·s sans foi – Jan 29-Feb 2
Pearle Harbour presents Agit-Pop! – Feb 6-8
January 18 – February 8
Centaur Theatre | Current Season & Entertainment Events
The Flood – Imago Theatre
The Flood is based on true and hidden Canadian histories of women in the prison system, and the injustices that they face. In the basement prison below Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market at the end of the 19th century, two women named Mary, one a shunned, pregnant Irish immigrant, the other a vilified Mississauga woman, become an unlikely pair as they form a friendship. Their bond threatens fellow inmate Sophia who calls herself the first Black woman in Canada and the leader of the prisoners’ plots to use the women to gain better treatment for herself. Beautiful and brutal, The Flood gives voice to the little-known stories of women prisoners in Canada, while examining our systemically racist justice system.
February 15 – 25
Centaur Theatre – 453 Saint Francois Xavier St, Montreal, Quebec
A View from the Box 