From Press Release

WOKE ‘N BROKE, the millennial experience of navigating race, sexuality and avocado toast in a fast-changing world.

Woke ‘n Broke is the ultimate millennial experience told through sketch comedy. Featuring a full cast of people of colour, the show explores themes of identity, religion, and politics from a range of perspectives. Highlighting the cultural clash between navigating the present-day as a young adult versus the experience your parents had, Woke ‘n Broke encourages the audience to challenge their current views of millennial life.

Woke ‘n Broke’s diverse cast was brought together in an effort to speak to the different experiences and backgrounds of each performer. Written cooperatively, the show features unique perspectives from each cast member and presents millennial life in a completely new light that has never been brought to the stage before. “It is about how we fit into a world that is rapidly changing and finding our place within it,” Zohaib Khan says, one of the cast members of Woke ‘n Broke.

Woke ‘n Broke is directed by Anand Rajaram, Second City alumni and creator of the award-winning mime fantasia, Cowboys & Indians. The cast features Zohaib Khan, a member of Bad Dog’s Featured Players Season 3 and creator of the very successful improv show Sixty in 60; Rob Michaels, co-creator of the successful sketch channel Wishful Genies and graduate of The Second City Conservatory; Nkasi Ogbonnah, a comedian who has been featured at JFL42 and is a current member of The Second City’s House Co.; Carolyne Das, a fellow of the Second City’s 2018 Bob Curry Diversity Fellowship; Sima Sepehri, an actor and comedian who has been featured in TV shows and commercials including Private Eyes and Condor and is the producer and host of Working Nights – a monthly standup comedy show featuring some of Toronto’s best acts; and Neha Kohli, producer and co-host of the wildly popular comedy variety show OTHER and graduate of The Second City Conservatory.

Woke ‘n Broke is guaranteed to bring big perspectives and even bigger laughs to its audience. From parental acceptance to a sketch about terrorism, this show explores everything that comes with millennial life in 2019.

Woke ‘n Broke
Written by and Starring: Zohaib Khan, Rob Michaels, Nkasi Ogbonnah, Carolyne Das, Sima Sepehri, and Neha Kohli
Directed by: Anand Rajaram
Stage Managed by: Jana (Liz) Gillis

https://www.wokenbroke.show/

Opens July 3, 2019 runs to July 13, 2019
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
79 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario M5S 2E5

Performances:
July 3, 6:15pm July 5, 2:30pm July 6, 8:45pm
July 7, 10pm July 9, 9:45pm July 11, 6:45pm
July 13, 1pm

Tickets:
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse is located at 79 St. George St. and is a wheelchair accessible venue. Tickets go on sale June 9, 2019.
Purchase online: fringetoronto.com
By Phone: 416-966-1062
In Person: During the festival at POSTSCRIPT, the patio at the Toronto Fringe. Located in the Hockey Rink at
275 Bathurst Street (Dundas + Bathurst).

From Press Release

UNRAVELLED: A NEW MUSICAL

3 Classic Love Stories Intertwined & Reimagined plays at Fringe Toronto, Ontario…

Three of the greatest love stories of all time, intertwined and reimagined in a new musical by “ECHOES” writer, Andrew Seok.

Chaos & Light is pleased to announce that UNRAVELLED: A NEW MUSICAL will play as part of the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival (July 3 – July 14). UNRAVELLED will be performed at Grace Toronto Church (383 Jarvis Street, 2 blocks east of College subway station) in its beautiful Sanctuary.

It opens on Thursday July 4, 2019 with showtimes of:

Thurs July 4 at 7pm

Fri July 5 at 7pm

Sat July 6 at 6pm

Mon July 8 at 7pm

Thurs July 11 at 7pm

Fri July 12 at 7pm

Sat July 13 at 6pm

UNRAVELLED is written and directed by Andrew Seok, who after the sold out success of his 2016 Fringe show “ECHOES” (which subsequently became a feature film premiering at the Montreal World Film Festival) drew upon classics in literature to tell this story of love and sacrifice.

“Romeo & Juliet”, “Orpheus & Eurydice”, and “The Gift Of The Magi” are all brought together in this new musical with soaring songs in the style of “Les Misérables” and cleverly interwoven plot akin to “Into The Woods”. These three classic tales are retold and reimagined to create an entirely new and epically romantic story.

The principal cast of UNRAVELLED: Jeff Lillico (Dora Award Winner / Soulpepper, Shaw), Laura Larson (Could I Have This Dance?), Andrew Seok (ECHOES), Victoria Houser (Foreign Tongue), Michaela Mar, Keenan Smits.

From Press Release

The Weight of it All

Comedian Gillian Bartolucci measures up in The Weight of It All

_____________________________________________________________________

Held at Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace (Venue #11)

16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto, ON

Running time: 50 Minutes

The Weight of It All is an original solo sketch comedy revue written and performed by Gillian Bartolucci (The Sketchersons, Just For Laughs, JFL42), directed by Carly Heffernan (Second City Toronto, Second City Chicago, She The People), and features a uterine fibroid that makes Gillian look 5 months pregnant! The Weight of It All is a hormonal journey that makes pit stops along body image, disordered eating, fertility issues, the new sex ed curriculum, and death, all while Mercury is in retrograde! The Weight of It All is a mission to find value in the things that cannot be measured with a scale. This show will make you laugh, cry, and order fries with no shame!

The weight is almost over! 

SHOW TIMES:

THURS // JULY 4th – 6:00PM

FRI // JULY 5th – 6:30PM

SAT // JULY 6th – 3:15PM

SUN // JULY 7th – 2:45PM

MON // JULY 8th – 10:45PM

TUES // JULY 9th – 3:15PM

THURS // JULY 11th – 8:00PM

SAT // JULY 13th – 4:30PM

FEATURING:

Gillian Bartolucci

Gillian Bartolucci is an alumnus of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts as well as a graduate of the Toronto Second City Conservatory Program. Gillian has performed at Just For Laughs (Rapp Battlez), JFL42 (New Faces: Character Showcase), and both Toronto and Montreal (Best of the Fest), Sketch Comedy Festivals. Gillian has written two one-woman sketch revues, Full Body Pull, and The Weight of It All for the Toronto Fringe, and has made NOW Magazine’s Top 10 Comedy Show lists numerous times. Currently Gillian performs weekly with the Canadian Comedy Award-winning sketch collective The Sketchersons, and Bad Dog Theatre’s Drosselmeyer. Gillian is also a part the Toronto based arts collective Echo Productions where she performed in Charlie: Son of Man, and Echo and Narcissus. Most recently Gillian choreographed the Second City Toronto revue She The People, which is now on stage!

NNNNN – NOW Review for PANACEA

“Brave and Ballsy” – Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine

“Gillian Bartolucci sweats through 50 minutes of sketch comedy, taking the audience all the way from high-energy belly laughs to more thoughtful moments…” – Crystal Wood, Mooney On Theatre 

CREATIVE TEAM:

Carly Heffernan (Director)

Carly Heffernan is an award winning writer, director, actor, improviser and Capricorn. She is an alumna of the Second City Toronto where she wrote and performed in four main stage revues. She became the youngest resident director in Second City Toronto history when she directed the critically acclaimed, main stage hit, Come What Mayhem! She co-wrote, Second City’s Guide to the Symphony, which played such historic venues as Roy Thomson Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center. Carly has written for Second Jen (City), The Irrelevant Show (CBC Radio), George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (CBC), Canadian Air Farce NYE (CBC), Canadian Air Farce 150 (CBC), Almost Genius (CMT), SketchersonsTV (Rogers) and others. Select acting credits include, Second Jen, The Other Kingdom, Lost & Found Music Studios,Spun Out, Odd Squad, But I’m Chris Jericho, The L.A. Complex, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and she’s quite good at charades.

Matthew Keevins (Stage Manager)

Matt is a graduate of the Comedy Writing and Performance program at Humber. He is a performer, writer and stage manager with stage management credits that include, ‘Ted and Lisa’s Date Me,’ Melody Johnsons one woman show: ‘Person of Interest,’ and most recently 2018 fringe hit ‘Prank!’ Matt uses this bio on all his dating profiles. It doesn’t work.

TICKETS

• Tickets: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/weight-it-all
• On sale June 6th!

MEDIA

• Facebook (Page)

https://www.facebook.com/itsgillianbartolucci/

• Facebook (Event)
  https://www.facebook.com/events/1150432111808543/

From Press Release

MadFandango Theatre Collective

presents

The Trophy Hunt by Trina Davies

Go on a hunt to stalk something wild and dangerous…you just might find it.

Parker has waited his whole life for this trip. Jan makes this same trip every day, she doesn’t have a choice. Soraya wishes they’d all leave her alone to enjoy the sun. Amy just wants a good review on Trip Advisor. The Trophy Hunt is an exploration of who eats who in our canned hunt of a world where everything is observed, everything a zoo.

Based on the ‘rolling world premiere’ concept used by the National New Play Network in the U.S., separate teams of professional artists will interpret and present The Trophy Hunt in different ways at Fringe Festivals across the country this summer (Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto Vancouver, and Victoria). Go on a safari in the heart of Toronto with MadFandango Theatre Collective’s site-specific, roving production at 401 Richmond St. West.

This world premiere play is written by Governor General Literary Award finalist, Trina Davies: The Romeo Initiative, Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell(National Arts Centre and The Grand Theatre), directed by multi Sterling Award nominee/winner, Nancy McAlear: Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Citadel Theatre), Hello From Bertha and Talk to me Like the Rain (Shaw Festival), and starring Dora and Canadian Comedy Award winner, Richard Beaune, recent George Brown Theatre graduate, Bonnie Ings, Priya Laishram, and Hillary Warden.

MadFandango Theatre Collective

In association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents

The Trophy Hunt

Written by Trina Davies

Directed by Nancy McAlear

Starring: Richard Beaune, Priya Laishram, Hillary Warden, Bonnie Ings

Opens July 4th – July 13th

At 401 Richmond St. West Toronto ON M5V 3A8

Performances

There are multiple shows per night as follows:

Thursday July 4 @ 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM
Friday July 5 @ 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM
Saturday July 6 @ 6PM, 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM
Thursday July 11 @ 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM
Friday July 12 @ 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM
Saturday July 13 @ 6PM, 7PM, 8PM, 9PM, and 10PM

Tickets

Purchase online: fringetoronto.com

By Phone: 416-966-1062

In Person: During the festival at POSTSCRIPT, the patio at The Toronto Fringe. Located in the Hockey Rink at 275 Bathurst St. or at the door 1 hour before the performance at 401 Richmond St. West (Richmond and Spadina).

From Press Release

Creating Dialogue Through Art – Community Theatre Intimately Explores  Mass Shootings & Survivors Guilt in The December Man (L’homme de décembre)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, ON – As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Danforth shooting in Toronto, the creative team at Theatre@Eastminster felt compelled to present The December Man (L’homme de décembre), by Canadian playwright Colleen Murphy as part of the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival.

Murphy’s play is set in the aftermath of the 1989 Montreal Massacre and is a harrowing exploration of the supports necessary to help individuals impacted by this kind of horrific violence, and what happens when these supports are absent. Throughout the play, opportunities for healing and discussion are offered . . . and ultimately missed as the fictional Fournier family suffers the aftermath in private.

Just as the Montreal Massacre is permanently etched on the Canadian consciousness, so too, are the events of last summer still rippling through the Toronto community. Creative Director, Jennifer CD Thomson, a Danforth resident & high-school drama teacher, was called by the messaging of the play. “After the shooting, I felt compelled, as an artist, educator and mother, to help my children and students learn how to cope, as well as the broader community.”

Following each performance, audience members are invited to participate in a discussion on the themes explored in the work, facilitated by expert partners. Theater@Eastminster’s creative team hopes that, by sparking discussion in a safe space, they are offering a rare and unique opportunity for the community to come together for open dialogue.

Talk backs will be facilitated by the Sashbear Foundation, which provides support and training for families impacted by emotional dysregulation, joined by Mark Farrant, an expert on the subject of PTSD and violent crime, and East End United’s reverend, Sarah Miller.

Opens July 4, 2019 runs to July 14, 2019

EASTMINSTER UNITED CHURCH COMMUNITY SPACE
310 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON M4K 1N6
Venue Details: Accessible – Limited (Narrow Hallways) / Air Conditioned – No / Outdoor – No

Performances

July 4, 6:00pm I July 5 7:30pm I July 6, 4:30pm I July 12, 7:30pm I July 13, 6:00pm I July 14, 1:00pm

Runtime: 90 minutes

Tickets Available Now!
Online: fringetoronto.com I By Phone: 416-966-1062 I In Person: During the festival at POSTSCRIPT (the patio at the Toronto Fringe) located in the Hockey Rink at 275 Bathurst Street

Creative Team:

Directed by Jennifer CD Thomson

Starring Stephen Flett, Kris Langille and Jonas Trottier

Producer: Shawn McDonald
Voice & Dialect Coach: Christine Berg

Stage Manager: Adele Thomson

Assistant Stage Manager: Katie Norman

Set design: Ron McKay

Lighting Design: Chris Bennett