Samantha is both a writer and a fan of the arts and has been able to find numerous ways to pair the two. Aside from being an editor here at Mooney on Theatre, she's a photojournalist for Been Here Done That, a travel, dining and tourism blog that focuses on Toronto and abroad and previously for Lithium Magazine, which got her writing and shooting about everything from Dave Matthews Band to Fan Expo. She's passionate about music, theatre, photography, writing, and celebrating sexuality -- not necessarily in that order. She drinks tea more than coffee, prefer ciders over beers, and sings karaoke way too loudly. You can follow her on various social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Stencilboy takes a gritty look at the world of visual art and the past, present, ideals and dark secrets hidden, reflected, and highlighted in the brush strokes on the canvas.
For all lovers of show tunes, The Musical of Musicals the Musical is playing at Toronto’s Panasonic Theatre
Take everything you love about musicals and blend that with everything you hate about musicals. Then add in everything you love to hate and hate to love and you get The Musical of Musicals the Musical playing this holiday season at the Panasonic Theatre. It’s a hilarious romp of all things song and dance complete with jazz hands and diva moments.
The concept evolved from the question of why have one musical when you could have five? The same story — girl can’t pay her rent, landlord is happy to take her as payment instead, snarky neighbor offers girl snarky advice, boy-in-love comes in for the rescue — is retold multiple times in the style of musical theatre’s most beloved names: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Kander & Ebb.
Korean cultural dance blend with drums and martial arts for a unique performance at Toronto Centre for the Arts
2013 was designated the Year of Korea in Canada and what better way to cap off the year than with a performance of Korean cultural dance both classical and modern? A performance that also incorporates elements of martial arts, swordplay, mask work, strong man stunts and even audience participation. It’s sure to be a unique experience.
On the night of our first major blizzard this winter, my friend Vance and I trekked through near whiteout conditions to The Toronto Centre for the Arts for Korean Dance Studies Society of Canada‘s (KDSSC) with Ryu Art Company’s performance of K-Dance Revolution. Though we both debated the rationality of traveling in the storm, we persevered — our mutual appreciation for cultural studies driving us on for what would hopefully be an eye-opening performance.
Chicago mobsters take center stage in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui playing at Toronto’s The Great Hall
When I read the play listing for The Red Light District‘s production of Bertolt Brecht‘s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, the premise of mobsters in 1930s Chicago monopolizing the vegetable industry in the only way the mob knows how — intimidation, brute force, and an increasing body count, I was sold. It’d be like watching The Sopranos on stage I thought, but more Al Capone and tommy guns.
Reaching out to my theatre types in search of my plus one, my friend Grace chimed in, “I love Brecht!” she told me. Considering I didn’t know much about the German dramatist who wrote the play in the span of three weeks during 1941 when he was in exile in Finland, I knew that bringing Grace along would shed some needed light on this production.
It was time for me to get schooled on Berlin-style cabaret and epic theatre.
Three actors explore gay identity in The Gay Heritage Project playing at Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Three young gay performance artists take an in depth look at what it means to be gay and the legacy left behind from the trail blazers of queer culture in The Gay Heritage Project. In a 90-minute production of skits filled with a respectful combination of comedy and thoughtfulness, Damien Atkins, Paul Dunn and Andrew Kushnir explore gay heritage and if the idea of a heritage for the gay community actually exists.
Arriving at Buddies in Bad Times with my friend Momo and his partner Jamie, we took our seats in front of a stark stage, with a raised backdrop used for projections. The sides were lined with chairs — more than necessary for the three performers. When I considered how minimal the stage was, I realized that these actors would rely solely on themselves with the help of sound and projection to carry the length of the show without intermission.
The start of a new year of theatre gets a proper kick off with the Next Stage Theatre Festival. This year’s selection certainly looks promising and if Paradigm Productions‘ Stencilboy and Other Portraits is any indication, I’m sure the festival won’t disappoint.
