Toronto

The Climate Commissions – Why Not Theatre

A triple bill, THE CLIMATE COMMISSIONS features workshop presentations of MATRIATE written by Tara Beagan, 2025 Governor General Award for Drama Winner for Rise, Red River, and the 2020 Siminovitch Prize Laureate; MANY WATERS written by Sabrina Mahfouz, award-winning British writer who was grew up in London, UK, and Cairo, Egypt; and A RITUAL OF RETURN created by Ta-Nia, an American-based duo dedicated to creating uncompromising BLK spaces of liberation by challenging traditional boundaries in the theatre.

June 4 – 7

BMO Incubator at The Theatre Centre – 1115 Queen St West

https://theatrecentre.org/event/why-not-theatre-presents-the-climate-commissions/

Sweet Ephemera – DanceWorks

Sweet Ephemera asks what it means to carry culture, identity, and grief in the body, and what happens when we allow others to witness that weight. Across two works, performers use food, ritual, improvisation, and sensory experience to move between tenderness and release, memory and mourning, control and care.

June 18 – 20

The Theatre Centre – 1115 Queen St West

https://www.danceworks.ca/sweetephemera2026

DramaWay’s Annual Performance Showcase 2026 – DramaWay

Audiences will experience an exciting lineup of original theatre, live vocals, and dynamic dance

performances created specifically to celebrate the talents and voices of performers with intellectual and

developmental disabilities.

This year’s headline production, “Wonderland: The Next Chapter,” reimagines the beloved world of Alice in Wonderland through a bold and contemporary lens. Audiences will follow an older, wiser Alice as she journeys through a colourful world of chaos, curiosity, music, and self-discovery. Performed by multiple DramaWay theatre groups from across Toronto and Mississauga, the production blends acting,

choreography, storytelling, and song into an unforgettable theatrical experience!

Sunday’s showcase continues with “Midnight Special at the Roadhouse Honky Tonk,” a high-energy vocal performance inspired by Roots Rock, Gospel, Country, and Blues, featuring music by legendary artists including Tina Turner, Tracy Chapman, and Blue Rodeo.

June 6 and 7

Papermill Theatre – 67 Potter Road

https://www.dramaway.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Around Ontario

Invisible Threads – Theatre of the Beat

When a retail employee discovers a factory worker’s handwritten note inside a new pair of jeans, he begins to pull at the threads, entwining himself in a sprawling overseas network that leads right back home.

Written by Theatre of the Beat’s Artistic Director, Cedric Martin, and developed in consultation with subject experts and people with lived experience, Invisible Threads is an investigative drama that exposes our connections to hidden systems of forced labour, unsafe workplaces, and human trafficking that enable exploitation, offering multiple perspectives while raising awareness of how our everyday choices connect to these injustices.

See website for dates and locations: https://theatreofthebeat.ca/invisiblethreads

Romeo and Juliet – Theatre on the Ridge

In this thrilling and accessible adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, multi–Dora Award–winning composer Landon Doak teams up with Bluebirds director Iain Moggach to bring Shakespeare’s most famous love story to life in a way you have never seen before.

With live music woven throughout and a focus on the heart of the story (two young people caught between loyalty and love) this production promises an intimate, emotional night at the theatre that’s perfect for long-time fans and first-time Shakespeare-goers alike.

Romeo & Juliet is a remount and update of a production originally staged at Old Flame Brewery in Port Perry 10 years ago and is now being adapted specifically for the Theatre on the Ridge tent.

In addition to the public performances, a limited number of school packages are also available in partnership with Scugog Shores Museum.

June 17 – July 5

Theatre on the Ridge – 16210 Island Rd., Port Perry

https://theatreontheridge.ca/romeo-and-juliet-2/

Something Old – Talk is Free Theatre

Lily Chan is engaged. While her mother, Stephanie, is excited to begin planning and embark on this once-in-a-lifetime journey with her only daughter, Lily has a different vision for her wedding: she wants to throw a traditional Chinese wedding to celebrate her heritage. Leaning on her beloved Pau Pau to support her in integrating these traditions into her big day, the status quo of this family is put to the test and tensions run high. But when a wrench is thrown into Lily’s plans, the family must put aside their differences and rally to help her pull off a wedding that honours both where their family has come from and who they are today.

June 18 – 27

Morrison CPA – 1895 Commerce Park Drive, Innisfil

https://www.tift.ca/shows/something-old

Liars at a Funeral – Capitol Theatre Port Hope

Grief has never been so hilarious!

When an estranged family gathers to mourn the passing of Mavis, the family matriarch, the funeral erupts into a more dysfunctional family reunion than any of them could have imagined. If everyone can keep it together, they might just break the intergenerational curse and make it out alive!

This new Canadian comedy turns grief into a hilarious journey, bursting with eccentric characters, witty banter, and hidden identities that will make you laugh at life, death, and family.

Written by Kingston native, Sophia Fabiilli.

June 12 – 28

Capitol Theatre – 20 Queen St, Port Hope

https://capitoltheatre.com/events/liars-at-a-funeral-2026-06-12-730-pm/

Born to Be Bad: The Villains of Broadway – Capitol Theatre Port Hope

A hero is only as good as their villain.

From the evildoers we adore to the scoundrels we love to hate, this new solo show from Capitol Theatre favourite Tahirih Vejdani (Little Shop of Horrors, Sleeping Beauty, Billboard in Concert) shares the best of being bad. Featuring some of Broadway’s most fearsome foes, Born to be Bad promises to be a night that celebrates all things evil from your favourite Broadway musicals.

Tahirih’s iconic vocal stylings will wow you as she takes on iconic roles all in one entirely wicked show.

June 30 – July 5

Capitol Theatre – 20 Queen St, Port Hope

https://capitoltheatre.com/events/born-to-be-bad-the-villains-of-broadway-2026-06-30-200-pm/

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