April is a notoriously busy month in the theatre community, and this year is proving to be no exception. I’ve got plenty of exciting things to see this month, and hopefully you’ll be able to check them out as well!
Paradise Lost – Randolph College for the Performing Arts
The seventeenth century and present day are seamlessly intertwined as Satan vents to an audience about her frustration at being cast out of Heaven and her thoughts on oppression. When she finds out that God has created delicate new creatures called “humans,” she crafts a plan for revenge and betrayal on the Almighty.
Erin Shields turns Heaven and Hell upside down in this witty, modern, feminist retelling of John Milton’s epic poem about the first battle between good and evil. Shields’s wickedly smart and funny script questions the reasons of the universe, the slow process of evolution and the freedom of knowledge. The debate over right and wrong has never been so satisfying.
April 1 – 5
The Annex Theatre – 736 Bathurst Street
Paradise Lost — Randolph College For The Performing Arts
Masque of the Red Death – St. Stella
In a moment when billionaire bunkers, disastrous climate change horrors and vigilante avengers gunning down the ultra-wealthy dominate headlines, this explosive reimagining of Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” strikes at the heart of modern inequality. Inside a luxury compound where tech elite shelter from environmental collapse, a resistance brews beneath the surface of a cabaret. Through an intoxicating blend of burlesque, drag, song and immersive theatre, the performers weave a web of seduction and subterfuge, turning entertainment into ammunition against the privileged few who believe wealth can buy salvation from a dying world.
The line between audience and accomplice blurs in this darkly delightful production, as live performances become increasingly dangerous acts of defiance. When a wealthy founder invites hand-picked guests into his fortress of excess, he unknowingly welcomes in a troupe of performers with revolution on their minds. At the center of this powder keg stands Ariadne, his trusted assistant, torn between loyalty and liberation as the performers execute their intricately choreographed plan for justice. This timely adaptation transforms Poe’s gothic masterpiece into a rallying cry for our era, asking not if the ultra-wealthy will face a reckoning, but when – and at whose hands? In a world where eat-the-rich hashtags trend alongside climate disasters, this show dares to imagine what happens when the entertainment becomes the revolution.
Created and directed by Stella Kulagowski.
April 8 – 12
The Assembly Theatre – 1479 Queen Street West
Masque of the Red Death Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
Feast – Tarragon Theatre
A culinary tour, a global crisis, and yet, still always hungry.
Can one ever be truly full? From celebrated artist Guillermo Verdecchia, Feast is a biting look at a world where some are movers and some are moved and how long we can last when your family is falling apart.
Mermaid or siren? Paradise or dystopia? Travel the globe, just don’t forget your loved ones…or your soul.
April 1 – 27
Tarragon Theatre Mainspace – 30 Bridgman Ave
David and Jonathan – Opera Atelier
The opera’s story is taken from the Hebrew Bible’s books of Samuel, and closely follows King Saul’s jealousy of the youthful warrior, David. Despite the loving relationship between David and Saul’s son, Jonathan, the two friends are eventually forced to join opposing armies in the opera’s final battle. Both Jonathan and Saul are mortally wounded and die in David’s arms. In a bittersweet victory, a devastated David is acknowledged as the new King of Israel.
Hailed for its “choral and choreographic elements…projected with pinpoint precision” (Musical America Worldwide), Opera Atelier’s Toronto premiere of David and Jonathan, sung in French, will feature a cast of Opera Atelier audience favourites, joined by two of the principal soloists from the original Versailles production. French baritone David Witczak, one of France’s most important interpreters of French Baroque repertoire, will make his North American debut singing the role of Saul, and tenor Antonin Rondepierre returns to Opera Atelier to sing the role of the villain Joabel.
April 9 – 13
Koerner Hall – 273 Bloor St. W
Charpentier’s David and Jonathan — Opera Atelier
ART – King Theatre Company
Following the sold-out success of their debut production, Salt-Water Moon, KTC continues its mission of delivering high-quality theatre to King Township with “ART” —the first of three productions in the company’s 2025 season.
How much would you pay for a white painting?
When Serge spends a fortune on an all-white canvas, his longtime friends Marc and Yvan are stunned. Is it a masterpiece or a meaningless joke? As their heated debate escalates, the question of art’s value takes a backseat to something far more personal—the shifting dynamics of their friendship.
Brilliantly sharp and outrageously funny, “ART” is a Tony Award-winning comedy that explores the fine line between taste and absurdity, loyalty and honesty.
Packed with biting wit and unexpected tenderness, this modern classic will have you laughing, thinking, and questioning the true meaning of both friendship and art.
April 9 – 19
King Heritage and Cultural Centre – 2920 King Road, King City
Benevolence – Tarragon Theatre
Kevin is a theatre creator. Kevin is Hakka (客家)…he thinks.
Out of the blue, he gets a phone call asking him to write a play about Hakka identity. For seniors. In Markham.
From creator and performer Kevin Matthew Wong (The Chemical Valley Project) comes a charming and intimate story that transforms into a layered Chinese-Canadian tale spanning continents, migrations, and generations.
April 8 – May 4
Tarragon Extraspace – 30 Bridgman Ave
Benevolence – Tarragon Theatre
Mahabharata Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit – A Why Not Theatre production presented by Canadian Stage with Why Not Theatre
Mahabharata is a contemporary take on a Sanskrit epic that is more than four thousand years old and foundational to South Asian culture. This gripping story of a family feud is an exploration of profound philosophical and spiritual ideas. A visually stunning spectacle presented in two parts, Mahabharata takes audiences on a journey through the past in order to write a thrilling new future.
Exploring themes of storytelling, ecocide, and dharma (empathy), Part 1 begins Mahabharata‘s epic journey that asks, “How can one end the spiral of revenge when everyone believes they are right and their opponents wrong?”
King Janamejaya is holding a ritual sacrifice in which he will kill all the snakes in the world to avenge his father’s death. In hopes of ending this cycle of revenge, a storyteller is summoned to tell King Janamejaya the tale of The Mahabharata. The storyteller tells of the rival Pandava and Kaurava clans, and the choices that lead to their infamous Game of Dice. Through playful narration, classical Indian dance, and a live band, the ensemble tells the stories of humans struggling to build a just world in the face of competition, jealousy, and rage.
April 8 – 26
Bluma Appel Theatre – 27 Front Street
Mahabharata Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit
Mahabharata Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose – A Why Not Theatre Production presented by Canadian Stage with Why Not Theatre
Continuing the story from Part 1, King Janamejaya is told of the war fought by his ancestors – the battle of Kurukshetra and its devastating destruction of the planet, the mass extinction that follows, and of the survivors left behind to rebuild.
In Mahabharata’s Part 2 (Dharma), the storytelling tools evolve into captivating projections, dynamic digital soundscapes, and poetic stage design. The stories delve simultaneously into philosophical and political ideas, and abstract and absolute truths. Interrogating the themes of justice and revenge, Part 2 includes a 15-minute Sanskrit opera adaptation of the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God), which is the most famous chapter of the Mahabharata epic.
In times of division, how do we find wholeness? Are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors? Can we build a new world? King Janamejaya is confronted with both the battle of Kurukshetra and the battle inside his own heart.
April 11 – 27
Bluma Appel Theatre – 27 Front Street
Mahabharata Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose
FLEX – Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre
A tribute to both the awesome power and potential of young Black women and to the cultural energy of the 90’s, FLEX takes audiences back to 1997 and the WNBA changing the game. Every player on Plainnole’s Lady Train High School basketball team dreams of going pro. But first, they must navigate the pressures of being young, Black, and female in rural Arkansas, where a mistake on the court can become a foul in real life. With the swagger, determination, and adrenaline of a four-quarter game, FLEX celebrates fierceness, athleticism, and what it means to take your shot.
Directed by Obsidian’s celebrated Artistic Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, the production features an electric ensemble of Black talent including Jewell Bowry, Jasmine Case, Asha James, Trinity Lloyd, Shauna Thompson, and Sophia Walker.
April 15 – May 18
Guloien Theatre at Streetcar Crowsnest – 345 Carlaw Ave
Shedding a Skin – A Nightwood Theatre Production in association with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Shedding a Skin is a one-woman buddy comedy for the heartbroken—a series of exquisitely observed, quietly radical scenes that offers a hand to those feeling the weight of the world. It’s a play about finding kindness in unexpected places; about understanding what our elders can teach us; it’s new skin honouring old. It’s a play about joy, healing and protest. Drop your baggage at the door. Connection is resistance.
April 22 – May 4
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Mainspace – 12 Alexander Street
Shedding a Skin – Nightwood Theatre
Sanguine – Cahoots Theatre
“What happens when what we do is no longer who we are? In a society that glorifies constant achievement, we forget how to simply exist. Can you sit with yourself, without distraction, and just be?”
These are some of the questions that the multi-talented Parastoo Amanzadeh says that Sanguine poses, adding that “This story is a reminder of our essence beyond careers — a reflection on identity, stillness, and the courage to face ourselves.” Amanzadeh and fellow multidisciplinary artist Mina Zaghari, co-conceivers and devisors of Sanguine, graduated from Humber College’s Theatre Arts Performance program and found themselves facing the harsh reality of a live performance industry at a standstill. The aspiring theatremakers applied to and were both invited to take part in Crossing Gibraltar, Cahoots’ online creators unit for immigrant, refugee and newcomer artists. Both Amanzadeh and Zaghari hail from Iran.
Taitt was drawn to the energy she could feel from each of them through a screen. Following the program’s completion, she continued to occasionally follow their individual artistic offerings on social media. “I wanted to offer a devised solo show to one of them, but I wasn’t sure to whom.” Taitt says. “Then one day as I was watching one of Parastoo’s videos, Mina just floated into the frame, which took me by surprise. I only had to watch them together for two minutes before I knew that I wanted to give the opportunity to both of them.” Although the pair initially began creating all aspects of Sanguine together, it soon became apparent that Zaghari would take the lead on writing, and Amanzadeh on movement. Creating the piece has been a multi-pronged task, as much of the script was penned first in Farsi, the artists’ first language, and then rewritten by Zaghari in English.
April 27 – May 10
The Theatre Centre – 1115 Queen St. W
Life Sucks – Outliers Theatre Collective
With Life Sucks. Posner, who has previously taken aim at Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull with Stupid F*cking Bird, offers a contemporary riff on Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya — hearts yearn, family and relations clash, and everyone is looking for meaning. Outliers Theatre Collective aims to give audiences an unforgettable journey into Chekhovian angst and may even have them wondering…does life really suck?
April 30 – May 10
Small World Centre – 180 Shaw Street
Outliers Theatre Collective | Toronto, ON
Thank you to my Patrons:
N. Bushnik, S. Fisher, B. Kinnon, D. Moyes
And to my supporters who’ve bought me a coffee:
Angelica and Paul, Anonymous, Adrianna, Caitlin, and Jonathan
Would you like to become a Patron? Check out my Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox
Or, you can buy me a coffee at: buymeacoffee.com/aviewfromthebox
A View from the Box 