All posts by Catherine Jan

A former freelance translator in Paris, Catherine Jan now enjoys writing in Toronto and about Toronto. Especially about Toronto theatre. She also blogs about translation, copywriting, editing and other word-related past-times at Catherine Translates. Are you on Twitter? Join @translatetrad‘s 2,000 followers who keep up with her workin’ girl tweets.

Review: Amigas Cheetas (Theatre Centre)

photo of Amigas Cheetahs performersEclectic comedy show delivers big laughs in Toronto

Amigas Cheetahs is a stand-up comedy show at Toronto’s Theatre Centre that’s part of a 5-day festival Comedy Is Art. Showcased are comedians who are LGBTQIA2+ and people of colour, and they are non-stop, laugh-out-loud funny.

The show begins with the two hosts dancing, and it sets the tone for a funny, expressive evening. While Brandon Ash-Mohammed and Ben Sosa Wright don’t have all their steps in sync, they make up for it by letting us in on the challenges of rehearsal.

Continue reading Review: Amigas Cheetas (Theatre Centre)

Review: Rabbit Hole (Scarborough Players)

Poster image from Rabbit Hole - hold in the grown surrounded by green grass with a pair of discarded pink running shoesThe Rabbit Hole, a Pulitzer-prize winning story by David Lindsay-Abaire, is playing at the Scarborough Village Theatre. It’s a touching family drama that’s tightly directed by Maureen Lukie, and it won’t leave anyone indifferent.

A little boy has been accidentally killed. The tragic loss still permeates every word and gesture of his family members eight months after the fact.

Continue reading Review: Rabbit Hole (Scarborough Players)

A Woman’s Guide to Peeing Outside (Holly M. Brinkman) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review

Alice Jones and Holly M. Brinkman in A Woman's Guide to Peeing Outside at the 2019 Toronto Fringe FestivalA Woman’s Guide to Peeing Outside by Holly M. Brinkman is a conversational, coming-of-age story. It’s playing at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival and it’s well worth watching for Brinkman’s humour and clever way of tying various urination incidents with her making discoveries about her body, identity and the culture around her.

Brinkman reads parts from A Woman’s Guide to Peeing Outside which is an actual book that’s been translated into several languages. So “peeing” gets mentioned dozens of times, and I’m happy to report that I’ve taken away a technique or two.

Continue reading A Woman’s Guide to Peeing Outside (Holly M. Brinkman) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review

The Knitting Pilgrim (Ergo Arts Theatre) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review

picture of Kirk Dunn in The Knitting Pilgrim

Tonight, we sat in pews at a church which had that solemn old church smell to see a thoughtful, moving play. It shares one man’s questions about Christianity, Judaism and Islam  — via knitting. The Knitting Pilgrim, workshopped by Ergo Arts Theatre and playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival, is indeed a beautiful work of art that culminates in three knitted tapestries. Each one represents a religious faith.

Continue reading The Knitting Pilgrim (Ergo Arts Theatre) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review

Review: Welcome to My Underworld (RARE Theatre Company/Soulpepper)

photo of Bilal Baig in Welcome to My UnderworldToronto’s Rare Theatre Company presents a collection of plays featuring marginalized voices

Welcome to My Underworld is like a theatrical collection of short stories. Playing at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto’s Distillery District, these nine poignant plays give voice to many untold experiences, under the direction of change-maker Judith Thompson. Continue reading Review: Welcome to My Underworld (RARE Theatre Company/Soulpepper)