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Ilana Lucas
Ilana Lucas is a professor of English in Centennial College’s School of Advancement. She is the President of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from Princeton University, an MFA in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University, and serves as Princeton’s Alumni Schools Committee Chair for Western Ontario. She has written for Brit+Co, Mooney on Theatre, and BroadwayWorld Toronto. Her most recent play, Let’s Talk, won the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival’s 24-Hour Playwriting Contest. She has a deep and abiding love of musical theatre, and considers her year working for the estate of Tony winners Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green one of her most treasured memories.
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iPhoto caption: Photo by Elana Emer.
REVIEW: Icarus Theatre’s DNA paints a disturbing mural of teenage rebellion
While director Erik Richards’ tendency toward snappy, thriller-esque pacing doesn’t suit all of DNA’s more intimate moments, it adds electricity to the drama’s group scenes, bringing playwright Dennis Kelly’s reflections on groupthink and collective grief into clear view.
iPhoto caption: Jessica B. Hill in 'Pandora.' Photo by Ann Baggley.
REVIEW: Jessica B. Hill’s Pandora thinks outside the box at Stratford’s Here For Now Theatre
With its assemblage of theatrical meta-commentary, mythical allusions, science facts, and weasels, at face value Pandora resembles random chaos. But weave those parts together and a story emerges that is equal parts moving and fascinating.
iPhoto caption: Headshot of Njo Kong Kie. Photo by Tam Chi Chun.
For composer Njo Kong Kie 楊光奇, the word ‘artist’ is a complicated label
At the ping pong table, eating pastries that Njo had thoughtfully laid out, I listened as this artist reflected on the back and forth of a career that’s bounced between multiple genres and disciplines.
iPhoto caption: Mazin Elsadig in 'The Comeuppance.' Photo by Dahlia Katz. Set design by Shannon Lea Doyle, costume design by Ming Wong, lighting design by Jason Hand.
Macabre and drama-filled yet surprisingly gentle, The Comeuppance will probably be most compelling to the around-40 crowd who share its specific touchstones and millennial angst from a high-school experience bookended by Columbine and 9/11.
iPhoto caption: Christina Tannous and Béatrice René‑Décarie in 'Le Malentendu.' Photo by Mathieu Taillardas.
REVIEW: TfT delivers humour and cruelty in striking rendition of Camus’ Le Malentendu
Director Karine Ricard banishes all earthly joy from the scene, leaving behind an almost lunar coldness.
iPhoto caption: Headshot by Andy Moro.
Tara Beagan wins 2025 Governor General’s Award for drama
Published by Playwrights Canada Press, her multilingual play Rise, Red River connects environmental devastation with the intergenerational impacts of colonial violence.
iPhoto caption: Mazin Elsadig in 'The Comeuppance.' Photo by Dahlia Katz. Set design by Shannon Lea Doyle, costume design by Ming Wong, lighting design by Jason Hand.
Macabre and drama-filled yet surprisingly gentle, The Comeuppance will probably be most compelling to the around-40 crowd who share its specific touchstones and millennial angst from a high-school experience bookended by Columbine and 9/11.
iPhoto caption: Kaylee Harwood with members of the 'Bright Star' ensemble. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Garner Theatre Productions’ Bright Star coasts on charm and likability
Bright Star covers it all: thwarted love, coming of age, family drama, the power of art, the importance of remaining true to oneself. Yet co-writer Steve Martin’s wit, which blazes in plays like Picasso at the Lapin Agile, merely twinkles here.
iPhoto caption: The company of 'Ride the Cyclone.' Photo by Taylor Long.
REVIEW: Shifting Ground Collective delivers heartfelt, overloaded Ride the Cyclone
Director 郝邦宇 Steven Hao hits the carnival bullseye when it comes to heart and fun, but just misses the top prize by expanding the cast and reducing the original’s compelling creepiness.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Dave Malloy’s Octet vibrates with sublime vocal beauty at Crow’s Theatre
Malloy’s intricate a cappella compositions, rich with complex harmonies, are the hymns and confessionals in a show about a support group for internet addiction. Regardless of what form their ego-feeding or doomscrolling compulsions take, the characters know it’s actually about appeasing what they call “the monster” inside — that gaping maw of emptiness that begs for shiny treats in the absence of real connection.
iPhoto caption: The company of 'The Welkin.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: The Welkin careens from raucous comedy to crushing tragedy
The problem with human rights is that, if you believe in them, you have to apply them to everyone. Political opponents. Murderers. Your ex. People whose phones go off at the theatre. Women. The character of Sally puts this theory to a stress test; in bahia watson’s assured hands, she’s gleefully unlikeable, glorying in a storm of suspiciously modern swearing, lacking any flicker of conscience, and biting the hands that are trying to help her.
iPhoto caption: Heeyun Park 박희윤 in 'The Great Comet.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 dazzles in Mirvish transfer
The upscaled edition is slightly different, but it’s still a rave in multiple ways, with lived-in performances making it seem at times even more immediate than at Crow’s. The show feels more like a vibe than anything cohesive, but what a vibe it is.
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