In Conversation
iPhoto caption: Members of the company of 'Play Dead.' Photo by Alexander Galliez.
Play Dead trades death-defying circus tricks for bigger emotional risks
“The idea of consequences in [Play Dead] can make someone think the show is a little dreary, but we think of it more as a surreal celebration of all the little things that make up life,” says performer and People Watching co-artistic director Jérémi Lévesque.
iPhoto caption: Dance Macabre cast. In photo: Keira Marie Forde (front). Back: [L to R] Uche Ama, King Cosmos, Theresa Gomes and Thomas Fournier. Photo by Tiku Romello Fisher (TRF Media).
At the 2026 Toronto Fringe, Caribbean artists stage collisions of identity, power, and desire
In separate video conversations, the lead artists behind Danse Macabre, Ex-Change of Words, and Momme Domme spoke about approaching themes of Blackness, diaspora, power, and desire.
iPhoto caption: Marissa Orjalo as Ariel with members of the company in 'The Tempest.' Stratford Festival 2026. Photo by Ann Baggley.
For Marissa Orjalo, this season at Stratford is such stuff as dreams are made on
“Every day feels like a new adventure,” says Orjalo. “I always look to the people who've come before me, and they're always very generous. I'm on this journey of learning, and I hope to learn for the rest of my life.”
iPhoto caption: Members of the company of 'Theatre of Dreams.' Photo by Tom Visser.
It’s tough to tie Shechter’s style to any one dance lineage, but modern floorwork; commonplace gestures rendered sharp and frenzied; and loose, hip-circling movements often reserved for low-lit clubs evoke the woozy surreality of half-revealed consciousness.