All posts by Dorianne Emmerton

Dorianne is a graduate of the Theatre and Drama Studies joint program between University of Toronto, Erindale campus and Sheridan College. She writes short stories, plays and screenplays and was delighted to be accepted into the 2010 Diaspora Dialogues program and also to have her short story accepted into the 2011 edition of TOK: Writing The New Toronto collection. She is also a regularly contributing writer on http://www.sexlifecanada.ca. You can follow her on twitter @headonist if you like tweets about cats, sex, food, queer stuff and lefty politics.

Review: Caesar (Wolf Manor Theatre Collective)

A troupe of five take on the many characters of the Bard’s Caesar on stage in Toronto

In a dank, creepy basement accessed via a back alley in Kensington, I sat down in a folding chair with a sense of wariness to see Wolf Manor Theatre Collective‘s take on Caesar. Happily, I need not have worried: dedicated performances from the five person ensemble carry the narrative in a tight grip. Continue reading Review: Caesar (Wolf Manor Theatre Collective) →

Review: Wildfire (Soulpepper/RARE Theatre)

Soulpepper presents Wildfire a new play by Judith Hompson and Toronto’s RARE Theatre

I find it impossible to criticize Wildfire, produced by Soulpepper/ RARE Theatre which manages to be endearing while still addressing serious issues of the abuse and neglect of disabled people who were instiututionalized in the Huronia Regional Centre during its existence, as well as the continuing  stigma and marginalization in broader society. Continue reading Review: Wildfire (Soulpepper/RARE Theatre) →

Review: True Crime (Crow’s Theatre)

True Crime delves into the mind of a convicted murderer, on stage in Toronto

In True Crime, the current offering from Crow’s Theatre, Torquil Campbell delves into the dark side of his own psyche via his fascination with convicted murderer, kidnapper and impostor Christian Gerhartsreiter, aka Clark Rockefeller, among other aliases. Shifting between an impersonation of Gerhartsreiter and his first person narrative detailing the creation of the play, Campbell explores what compels them both to do the things they do. Continue reading Review: True Crime (Crow’s Theatre) →

Review: Everything Is Great Again (Second City)

Everything Is Great Again is funny, touching, and nuanced, and on stage in Toronto

The world is a bit of a mess these days. It always has been, but a couple of key events have made fighting the good fight feel even more exhausting. We’ve got to keep our fists up, but to do that sometimes we also need to laugh, and to cry, and to scream fruitlessly into the abyss. Everything Is Great Again, Second City‘s current Mainstage Revue, delivers catharsis on all of those levels. Continue reading Review: Everything Is Great Again (Second City) →