By Megan Mooney
At Mooney on Theatre we are grateful for the support from our sponsors. We hope that to reward their support of the arts in Toronto you go and check out their show.
I’m talking about The Whores at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The show has been getting some positive buzz. I am hearing great things and hope I get a chance to see it.
Darreck Chua, the president of the board for the Toronto Fringe Festival (aka, the Toronto Fringe God) named this one as a play to see.
And, an awesome added bonus, A portion of the proceeds from these performances will go to support Maggie’s Toronto, an advocacy group for sex workers.
Some words from the fishstick productions who are presenting the show:
The Whores takes the audience deep into the world of prostitution.
Frequently poignant, funny and powerful, The Whores will destroy preconceptions about the World’s Oldest Profession. Written by Halifax playwright Charles Crosby, the play is based on his extensive interviews with real working prostitutes.
The play debuted to sensational notices in Halifax in 2007, and was described by the Chronicle-Herald as “A fast-paced, well-written documentary style play… effecting and insightful.”
Crosby introduces us to an upscale escort, an aging streetwalker, a manic hypersexual, a university student, and a drug-addicted single mother. Without resorting to stereotypes or cheap hyperbole, Crosby’s play takes the audience on a guided tour through a world that manages to mix degradation and empowerment, laughter and sorrow, and the best and worst of humanity.
The Whores stars both theatre veterans and emerging young talent including Sarah-Illiatovitch-Goldman, Joanne Williams, Claire Blackwood, Jennifer Kenneally and Hayley Fisher, and is directed by Fringe veteran Tanisha Taitt. For complete bios and more information on the play go to www.fishstick.ca.
The Whores will be playing at both the Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals.
The seven Toronto performances (dates and times below) will be held at the George Ignatieff Theatre at 15 Devonshire Place (south of Bloor). Advance tickets can be purchased for $11 by phone at 416 966-1062, online at www.fringetoronto.com and in person at the advance ticket box office June 30 – July 11, noon – 8 pm. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door for $10.
“The Whores”, Toronto Fringe Dates
Venue 7 George Ignatieff Theatre
75 min.
Wed, June 30 10:30 PM – 703
Sat, July 3 5:15 PM – 716
Mon, July 5 8:00 PM – 730
Tue, July 6 3:00 PM – 733
Thu, July 8 Noon – 745
Fri, July 9 8:45 PM – 757
Sat, July 10 4:00 PM – 761
The seven Hamilton performances (dates and times below) will be held at the Downtown Arts Centre (DAC) Gym at 28 Rebecca St. Advance tickets can be purchased for $9 online at www.hamiltonfringe.ca. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door. For more information, visit www.fishstick.ca.
As an added bonus, not only did they have the good taste to sponsor Mooney on Theatre, but also, it’s apparently a fantastic show!
I’m seeing comments like:
“I went to this show presuming to gain some insights into why women would choose this profession…I believe the production does this effectively… At the performance I attended, much of the audience rewarded the cast with a well-deserved standing ovation…worth seeing….”
“This was a very powerful and insightful play. Prostitution is a taboo topic in society and so it is never really explored. This play gives the perspectives of several different prostitutes each with her own niche in the industry. It was interesting to hear their points of view. The nudity was great too, if you know what I mean.”
“This play brings together so many wonderful disparate elements… humour and sadness, anger and joy, degradation and elation. I was lucky enough to see a preview and was shocked by the power of the performances, the strength of the script and the beauty of this show. The show is gritty and raw, and the nudity punctuates the milieu without being gratuitous. Add this play to your fringe list, and you will not be disappointed… the best $10 you will spend this year. :)”
TWISI says: “The Whores is intense and really well acted” and that The Whores was her fav of the shows she saw Monday. http://bit.ly/aRnlNN (that link is to a review)
And, last but not least, our own reviewer said:
“The Whores is a wonderful play. Not easy, a bit harrowing, but well worth seeing.” http://www.mooneyontheatre.com/2010/07/the-whores-fishstick-productions-2010-toronto-fringe-review/
Congrats guys! And also, thanks for having a great show, it makes the whole sponsoring thing that much more satisfying!