Openings & Closings – Week of October 16
OPENINGS
These are the shows that are opening in Toronto the week of October 16, 2017.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16
GUSWENTA GATHERING, Soulpepper
Programmed by Falen Johnson and Cole Alvis, the Guswenta Gathering brings Indigenous artists to Soulpepper with presentations of theatre, dance, music and art. Programming will highlight art that speaks to the lands and waterways where The Young Centre for the Performing Arts sits.
At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, ends October 21
HUFF, Soulpepper/Native Earth Performing Arts
After his mother’s death, Wind’s fantastic dream world bleeds into reality when he’s preyed on by the Trickster. With biting humour, and raw imagery, Cliff Cardinal’s award-winning solo show shines an unflinching light on life on the Reserve.
At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, ends October 28
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17
SALT-WATER MOON, Mirvish Productions
The First World War is over and every day, the villages of Newfoundland are abandoned for a new life in the big city. Under the light of the moon, two former lovers meet to confront their past choices and contemplate a possible future—together.
At the Panasonic Theatre, ends October 29
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18
THE ONE MORE NIGHT FESTIVAL, Brick & Mortar
Five days of in-demand, award-winning theatre, including Real Actors, Not People, Circles, She Grew Funny, and more.
At the Commons, ends October 22
OTHER SIDE OF THE GAME, Cahoots Theatre/Obsidian Theatre
This kinetic political script gives voice to black women who support their men and live with a ride-or-die philosophy. Set in contemporary Toronto, as well as during the black civil rights movement, the play intersects these shifts in time with a prison waiting room, where the women are forever waiting.
At the Aki Studio, closes November 5
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19
THE FUTURE THEATRE FESTIVAL, Seven Siblings Theatre
Three plays of fantastic realism: New World, which tells two parallel stories simultaneously, one of a father in 17th century London preparing to sail to North America, and of a 21st century daughter departing to colonize Mars; Tactile Maladies, where a historian invites us into a quarantined home during a plague; and “this place.”, where a woman named Leah is being haunted by the ghost of her dead husband.
At the Attic Arts Hub, ends October 29
ROMEO & JULIET, lost&gone
This immersive, interactive take on Shakespeare is at a secret location, starts with a scavenger hunt, and allows viewers to choose their own ending.
At a secret location, closes October 28
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20
CLOUD, Scapegoat Collective
The story of humanity’s creation of a collective consciousness—a more efficient internet that can share thought files, emotion files, and tactile files in real time—exploring themes of ownership, love, non-monogamy, and the need to feel special. Casting announcement here.
At the Artscape Sandbox, closes November 5
THIRTEEN HANDS, Alumnae Theatre
Follow the lives of many women over three generations who find connection and support through a weekly game of bridge.
At Alumnae Theatre, closes November 4
CLOSINGS
These are the shows that are closing in Toronto the week of October 16, 2017.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21
ASKING FOR IT, Nightwood Theatre/Crow’s Theatre/Necessary Angel
A documentary play that looks at gender roles and sexual consent in the wake of the Ghomeshi scandal. Playwright Ellie Moon speaks with people of all ages and backgrounds about their assumptions and experiences around consent to sexual relations, and with crown prosecutors and legal experts about the current state of sexual assault law in Canada. Casting announcement here.
At Streetcar Crowsnest
ASSASSINS IN CONCERT, Beyond Boundaries
A staged reading of a musical that lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States. This one-act historical play explores the dark side of the American experience from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald.
At Eastminster United Church (310 Danforth Avenue), to benefit the Out of the Cold Program (OOTC), one night only
GUSWENTA GATHERING, Soulpepper
Programmed by Falen Johnson and Cole Alvis, the Guswenta Gathering brings Indigenous artists to Soulpepper with presentations of theatre, dance, music and art. Programming will highlight art that speaks to the lands and waterways where The Young Centre for the Performing Arts sits.
At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts
HMS PINAFORE, Stratford Festival
With witty dialogue, endearing characters, memorable tunes and a hilariously happy ending, these are the silliest shenanigans ever seen aboard a ship! Since its première in 1878, Gilbert and Sullivan’s wildly popular operetta has delighted audiences with its nautical tale of love across class divides.
At the Stratford Festival
ROMEO AND JULIET, Stratford Festival
Falling headlong in love, two teenagers defy the long-simmering hatred between their families. But daring to love one’s enemy comes with a terrible cost, as the needless sacrifice of young lives brings this heartbreaking story to its tragic conclusion.
At the Stratford Festival
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL, Stratford Festival
In a society awash in gossip, rumours and backbiting, an uncle arrives home in disguise to test the worthiness of his nephews – but truth has a way of tumbling out in this hilarious, fast-paced comedy.
At the Stratford Festival
TWELFTH NIGHT, Stratford Festival
Shipwrecked twins, a lovesick duke and a self-important servant who becomes the ultimate fashion victim: love throws everyone for a loop in a comic riot of misdirected desire.
At the Stratford Festival
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SHADOW, Theatre Lab
A hysterically funny yet heartwrenching musical that follows the adventures of Tom Shadow as he travels through the mystical and magical Cloud Kingdom. This irreverent tale, though full of magic and whimsy, is definitely not for kids. Think Peter Pan meets anyone messing with Liam Neeson’s kids.
At Factory’s Studio Theatre
FLASHING LIGHTS, Bad New Days/Ahuri Theatre
Combining a fantastical absurdist narrative with a highly physical theatrical style using technology like smart phones and tablets as puppets, masks, light, and sound sources, Flashing Lights speaks to the growing anxiety about the future and to the vertiginous feeling that time itself is speeding up.
At the Theatre Centre
THE ONE MORE NIGHT FESTIVAL, Brick & Mortar
Five days of in-demand, award-winning theatre, including Real Actors, Not People, Circles, She Grew Funny, and more.
At the Commons
TRAGEDIE OF LEAR, Ad Hoc Collective
Though we see the question of caring for the elderly as a modern problem, Shakespeare was able to explore it in his day through King Lear, proving that this is a universal concern which spans centuries. An exploration of the relationship between aging parents and their adult children through the lens of mental illness.
At the Palmerston Theatre
TREASURE ISLAND, Stratford Festival
A map from a dead man’s chest, a sinister one-legged seafarer – and a parrot! They’re all here in this new adaptation of the thrilling classic that has inspired every pirate story since.
At the Stratford Festival
iPhoto caption: Vancouver’s Third Beach. Photos courtesy of Sarah Afful
Openings & Closings – Week of January 8
These are the shows that are opening and closing the week of January 8, 2018.
Closings – Week of December 25
These are the shows that are closing the week of December 25, 2017.
Closings – Week of December 18
These are the shows that are closing the week of December 18, 2017.
Openings & Closings – Week of December 4
These are the shows opening and closing the week of December 4, 2017.
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