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Mike Payette

'Narnia' in rehearsal. iPhoto caption: 'Narnia' in rehearsal. Photo by Dahlia Katz.

At Soulpepper, Bad Hats’ Narnia completes a trilogy of musicals championing a child’s-eye view of life

"What emerged for us was this idea of life cycles,” reflects Narnia adaptor-director Fiona Sauder. “‘What happens when you get stuck in one season [of life], and what happens when that season comes to an end? [What things] have to die and fall away in order for new things to grow?’”

By Nathaniel Hanula-James / Nov 19, 2025
iPhoto caption: Jordan Pettle, Janelle Cooper, and Monique Mojica in CHILD-ish. Photo by Jae Yang.

Tarragon’s upcoming show gives audiences a verbatim taste of children’s wisdom, wit, and weirdness

The first inklings of CHILD-ish came to Drake in 2017. “I got to an age where I started having a lot more kids in my life,” he said. That “got me curious about what adults can learn from kids: playing with and flipping that power dynamic of who’s the learner and who’s the teacher.”

By Nathaniel Hanula-James / Oct 26, 2025
Production photo of Craze at Tarragon Theatre. iPhoto caption: Photo by Roya DelSol.

REVIEW: Tarragon’s Craze lacks focus — that’s what makes it fun

A frenzied test of endurance, Craze whips along like a social media feed on steroids, sprinting from image to image with wild, masculine bravado.

By Liam Donovan / Nov 29, 2024
iPhoto caption: Troy Adams image courtesy of Tarragon Theatre.

The Legend of Daddy Hall makes music from an epic life and a neglected history

Come Home — The Legend of Daddy Hall, written by Audrey Dwyer and staged by Tarragon artistic director Mike Payette, pays tribute to the extraordinary life of John “Daddy” Hall.

By Nathaniel Hanula-James / May 10, 2024