At times, the darkest situations can yield some of the most true and genuinely funny comedy. Jordi Mand has certainly tapped into that beautiful duality with her latest play In Seven Days. In a co-production with The Grand Theatre, and directed by Philip Akin, In Seven Days will have you laughing and crying in equal…
Young People’s Theatre’s “Unwritten: The Improv Show”
What happens when you have a stage full of set and prop pieces, three actors, and no script in sight? Improvisational theatre, that’s what! Unwritten: The Improv Show both teaches audiences the tools to perform improv while also delighting them with skits and long-form improv pieces. Directed by YPT’s Artistic Director Herbie Barns, Unwritten is…
Stage Door Dialogues – Mariya Khomutova of Soulpepper Theatre Company’s produciton of Punctuate Theatre’s “First Métis Man of Odesa”
When Matthew Mackenzie and Mariya Khomutova first met in Ukraine, they never could have guessed at the incredible, and often terrifying, journey they would go on together to become a family. They talk about this, and so much more, in their play First Métis Man of Odesa, on right now at Soulpepper Theatre Company. I…
Beyond the Box – May, 2024
As always, there's plenty of amazing live performance happening in Toronto. I wish I could make it to everything, but hopefully you'll be able to make it out to one of these exciting shows. Forward March Festival - Theatre Direct Canada The Forward March Festival is an invitation for emerging artist companies to explore their…
Waiting in the Wings – May, 2024
April is always such a whirlwind of a month, however it looks like May will be just as busy! I'm excited to see plenty of exciting new theatre this May, and to share my thoughts with all of you! Unwritten: The Improv Show - Young People's Theatre For the first time in its 58-year history,…
Pleiades Theatre’s “Tyson’s Song”
Waiting for the TTC, particularly in the middle of the night, certainly can make you feel like you’re stuck in one of Samuel Beckett’s plays. Peter N. Bailey’s Tyson’s Song takes this feeling to the next level with his thought-provoking story about two friends on the brink of a new phase of their lives. As…
Studio 180 Theatre’s “Four Minutes Twelve Seconds”
How long does it take to destroy a life? For Cara, it’s a mere four minutes and twelve seconds and her life will never be the same. The North American Premiere of James Fritz’s Four Minutes Twelve Seconds, directed by Studio 180 Theatre’s Artistic Director Mark McGrinder, is poignant and unpredictable. The stellar cast who…
Stage Door Dialogues – Jordi Mand of “In Seven Days”
Jordi Mand is getting to bring her latest play In Seven Days home to Toronto! After a successful run at the Grand Theatre in London, ON, Mand’s play is coming to the Greenwin Theatre in May. I got to send some questions to Jordi about her process, what it’s like writing for stage vs screen,…
zippysaid productions’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
After-parties can get pretty rowdy, but you wouldn’t expect that from two professors and their wives in 1962, would you? Yet that’s exactly what we witness in Edward Albee’s classic work Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? This production, directed by David Agro, uses the intimate venue of the Red Sandcastle Theatre to make this an…
Scarborough Theatre Guild’s “Trap for a Lonely Man”
A secluded chalet high in the French Alps becomes occupied by a newlywed couple, what could go wrong? According to Robert Thomas’ Trap for a Lonely Man, the answer is plenty! Directed by Kevin Shaver, this production of Thomas’ genre-defining work confounds and delights with a twisty plot that’ll keep you guessing. Jamie Sherman, Makenzie…