Elbow Room – Toronto Fringe 2019 Press Release

From Press Release

Elbow Room, a debut theatrical production from playwright Lana Lovell, of Gloria Grethel Productions, opens at the Toronto Fringe Festival on Thursday, July 4, 2019 at 8:15pm in the Annex Theatre

The one act play is directed by veteran actor Conrad Coates (Star Trek: Discovery, Degrassi: The Next Generation), and features performances from a cast of burgeoning multi-racial Toronto actors.

Elbow Room unites a group of actors at an audition for the lead role in a remake of the iconic “Cleopatra Jones,” Black exploitation film. The women of Elbow Room are ensnared in the competitive nature of the scenario, and find themselves trading barbs, information and insights as they jostle for psychic position.

“I’ve elbowed my way into this audition because I’m the person to play Cleopatra Jones”, says Nancy, the play’s antagonist. Together with her frenemy, acting rival Saada and newcomer Kia, tension boils hot as they revisit past differences, all the while giving the casting assistant, Hanna a bird’s eye view.

“This is a story rooted in women’s pursuit of excellence. The rivalries, victories, injuries and absurdities in Elbow Room provide a glimpse into that space where women experience growth as they become their better selves.” Lana Lovell, playwright.

During the past 20 years, Lana Lovell has written, directed and produced documentaries and factual based pro-grams for CBC, Bravo television, and Omni Television. Since 1985, Conrad Coates has acted in theatre, film, television and radio and performed in over 60 stage productions across the continent. Elbow Room is his third directorial opportunity.

Gloria Grethel Productions
Elbow Room
Producer/Writer Lana Lovell
Director Conrad Coates

Elbow Room runs from Thursday, July 4 to Sunday July 14, 2019
Performances:
July 4, 8:15pm
July 6, 1:15pm
July 8, 3:45pm, R
July 9, 9:15pm, R
July 12, 6:30pm
July 13, 2:30pm
July 14, 6:00pm
Please note that latecomers will not be accommodated, except at relaxed performances (R).
Annex Theatre
736 Bathurst St
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1Z5
Tickets are available for purchase at: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/elbow-room

Eusha (Shortgirl Productions) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review

Photo of Elisa Benzer as Eusha in the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival

You’re very lucky, you know. You’ve been in a frightful accident. But you’ll be all right. Eusha‘s here, the night nurse, the best night nurse you could ask for. She lives to help: she’s got a gift for it. As time passes, you’ll come to understand each other very well. You’ll get better. She’ll make you better. It’s what she does.

As the title suggests, Eusha (playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival) is a character study, a one-hander set in a hospital ward. And don’t we all want to be healed?

Continue reading Eusha (Shortgirl Productions) 2019 Toronto Fringe Review →

The Ladies Foursome (Scarborough Players)

Scarborough Players ends its 60th season with Norm Foster’s play The Ladies Foursome

Picture of poster for The Ladies FoursomeThe Ladies Foursome is the final
production of the Scarborough Players’ 60th anniversary season. This is a community theatre, but as I walked to my seat I was surprised to see that the theatre space and set design have a professional gloss (Set Design/ Master Carpenter Greg Nowlan). Continue reading The Ladies Foursome (Scarborough Players) →

In Waking Life – Toronto Fringe 2019 Press Release

From Press Release

Spicy Day brings the silly and supernatural with In Waking Life at
the Toronto Fringe

This July, Spicy Day presents the “side-splittingly funny” In Waking Life at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The hilarious and heartwarming play will be performed in the Crow’s Theatre studio space in Leslieville for seven performances between July 4 and 14. This is the first time a Fringe venue has extended East past the Don Valley Parkway.

A partially-improvised comedy, In Waking Life follows two psychic
sisters as they welcome you into their business and their lives. Fortunes are told, dreams are dissected, and love matches are made as the Synsk Sisters fix all of your problems (and ignore their own).

Having received rave reviews everywhere it has been performed since its 2016 debut, In Waking Life has been described as “Wild, high energy, and intimately memorable […] an emotional roller coaster from its goofball beginning to its shell-shocking end” (Showbill Victoria), and “A cavalcade of non-stop action” (Apt613).

Spicy Day is an Ottawa-based theatre company founded by Lauren
Welchner and Monica Bradford-Lea. Often working in diverse styles and in non-traditional performance venues, the company seeks to create unique theatrical experiences, using humour and heart to provoke conversation about topics we don’t often see on stage. In just three years operating as a company, Spicy Day has created five brand new theatrical productions and presented these works at Fringe Festivals across the country. This will be Spicy Day’s first time at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

In Waking Life will be presented at the Crow’s Theatre studio space, 345 Carlaw Ave, from July 4 to 14. Tickets can be purchased at https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/waking-life or at the door.
Performance Schedule
Thurs, July 4 / 6:45pm
Sat, July 6 / 10:15pm
Mon, July 8 / 4:00pm
Wed, July 10 / 5:45pm
Thurs, July 11 / 4:15pm
Sat, July 13 / 8:30pm
Sun, July 14 / 2:30pm

Swallowed Whole – Toronto Fringe 2019 Press Release

From Press Release

Irrelephant is proud to present its first staged sketch comedy production! “Swallowed Whole” at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival is a collection of sketches from the mind of surreal artist Rachel Parry, premiering Friday July 5th and running through til Sunday July 14th at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. We are extremely pleased to be providing full ASL and Deaf Interpretation on our Monday July 8th show.

Swallowed Whole features a collection of relatable (and occasionally hateable) characters inspired by actual human people as well as stereotypes and tropes that are in abundance in society today. Rachel (and, later Chris O’Bray) spent some time in 2018 working with writer/producer Bruce Hunter in developing various comedic stories, a few of which have evolved into these sketches. About the process of writing “Swallowed Whole” Rachel says “The writing experience, at least for this show, was like screaming long into Nietzsche’s abyss until it screamed back into me.”

Rachel Parry is an accomplished visual artist in the realm of acrylic on canvas. Her work has been displayed in galleries, cafes, bars, and in people’s personal collections all over Toronto. Chris O’Bray is a film/TV and theatre actor who has appeared in CBS’s “Star Trek: Discovery” and on stage as Ash in “Evil Dead: the Musical” at Mansfield’s Cabaret in Oshawa – a 3 month run that goes down as Oshawa’s longest-running musical! Carly Telford is a Toronto-based award-winning director (“Beard Cover” TO Short 2019) and actor. Raechel Fisher is a lover of theatre, music and above all else, a nice hearty slice of her mom’s pecan pie.

Irrelephant Productions in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents Swallowed Whole by Rachel Parry, starring Chris O’Bray, Carly Telford and Raechel Fisher. Stage Managed by Jennifer Vieno.

Venue: Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse 79 St. George Street, Toronto ON (Accessible venue).

Tickets: $11+$2 service chg.

Fri Jul 5, 8:15pm ($6 + $2 service chg. preview performance)
Sun Jul 7, 1:15pm
Mon Jul 8 6pm (ASL Interpreted performance)
Wed Jul 10 10:30pm
Thur Jul 11 5pm
Sat Jul 13 6:45pm
Sun Jul 14 8pm

Tickets available online and by phone now. fringetoronto.com or 416-966-1062. Tickets also available in person during the festival at POSTSCRIPT, the patio at the Toronto Fringe. Located in the Hockey Rink at 275 Bathurst Street (Dundas & Bathurst).