“I want us, as a community, to be confident in our own work,” says Theatre Aquarius artistic director Mary Francis Moore. “I want us to get to a place where we don’t need the validation of outside communities to tell us that we’re good. I want us to be in a place where we have the resources to take chances, so our projects don’t have to leave the country to find success.”
By Nathaniel Hanula-James /Dec 15, 2025
iPhoto caption: Richard Alan Campbell and Mary Long in 'The Time Capsule.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
As the evening progresses and the characters begin open up and butt heads, the play becomes a comedic yet heartfelt reflection on memory. We learn that the past is never as far away as we might think, that a moment forgettable for one person could be life-changing for another, and that it takes more than just a Hamilton Ticats pin or a Tim Hortons cup to memorialize a city and its people.
By Charlotte Lilley /Oct 8, 2025
iPhoto caption: (L to R) Stephanie Sy, Richard Alan Campbell, Deborah Drakeford, Richard Young, and Lorna Wilson in The Time Capsule. Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Playwright Matt Murray hopes audiences who see The Time Capsule will think, “‘this is like a weird little slice of my life. I’m not in this church basement, at this meeting, but there’s so much of me represented [in] all these characters.’”
By Nathaniel Hanula-James /Sep 24, 2025
iPhoto caption: Photo of Staircase Theatre by Aleena Faisal.
For this set of reviews, I’ve tried to capture the breadth of this year’s theatrical offerings, visiting nearly half of the festival's venues to take in productions ranging from new dramas and musical comedies to experimental collaborations with technology.