The Watershed, currently onstage at Tarragon Theatre, details playwright Annabel Soutar’s investigation of the Experimental Lakes Area controversy that began in 2012. Using inspired stagecraft and deft performances that recreate real people such as politicians, activists, scientists and her own family, this production dives deep into the tension between economic and environmental concerns.
Blind Date is sweet and engaging, on stage in TorontoIn Blind Date, currently onstage at Buddies In Bad Times, a clown selects a member of the audience to play the role of their blind date. This is the queer version of the original concept by Rebecca Northan. On opening night the clown in question was Mimi (Julie Orton), who invited another woman to join her onstage; on some nights it will be Mathieu (David Benjamin Tomlinson) who is expected to choose a man. This is a binary conception of gender and sexual orientation, but the site does say they are open to trans and genderqueer dates, and there has been talk of a nonbinary clown in future productions. Regardless of the complexities of identity, the show is extremely fun, and surprisingly touching.
School is in session with a drag twist, now on stage in TorontoTucked away in the difficult-to-find Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, Justin Miller’s drag alter ego Pearle Harbour teaches Pearle Harbour’s Sunday School class to the audience. We are her boys and girls and other non-traditional gender identities, learning Christian theories with a dark undercurrent. The somewhat haphazard focus of the show is on the catchphrases and concepts of current progressive ideologies. Continue reading Pearle Harbour’s Sunday School (Pearle Harbour)
Toronto’s Theatre Genesis presents a double bill of Canadian comedic playsTheatre Genesis Toronto‘s inaugural production is A Canadian Comedy Double Bill: WILF by James Wade and Harold and Vivian Entertain Guests by Jessy Ardern. Both are fast-paced and smartly written, with superb acting and direction, and effective humour both verbal and physical. However, I did like one more than the other. Continue reading WILF and Harold and Vivian Entertain Guests: A Canadian Comedy Double Bill (Theatre Genesis Toronto)
Iza The Brave, by Iza’s Productions is playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival as part of FringeKids. It tells the story of Iza (Amaka Umeh) who is afraid to go to bed because of monsters, and her counterpart HariYel (Sarah Marchand ), a monster who would like to live in the clean land of the humans.
Continue reading Iza the Brave (Iza’s Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review