Alexandra Chubaty-Boychuk writes, “Are you scared to have another baby?” This is a question Christina Serra gets asked solely because her son, Bruno, has cerebral palsy. She used to perform in Ahuri Theatre’s This is the Point, but then made the decision not to anymore. Her husband Dan Watson explains during the show t…

Carousel Players is known for bringing thought-provoking theatre to a younger crowd as they tour their inventive creations to school gyms across Southern Ontario. Their latest play Whole World explores themes of communication and understanding through the story of Omar, a young refugee who has newly arrived in Canada.…

Members of the DARTcritics class of 2019 deliberate on the nature of masculinity and how it manifested itself in PARADIGM Productions‘ premiere of The Scavenger’s Daughter. The show ran from January 15th – 27th and was presented at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.  Josh Loewen writes, Dispatch: More Cook. Characters call…

In the first round of reviews from the 2019 DARTcritics class, students Heather Janser and Matt Lazaris-Brunner offer their takes on Rajiv Joseph’s play Gruesome Playground Injuries. Gruesome Playground Injuries, directed by Chris Bretecher, was presented at The Assembly Theatre and produced by Leroy Street Theatre.  H…

In the winter, Toronto’s Factory Theatre becomes home to Fringe Toronto’s Next Stage Festival, the self-described “curated, boutique” festival. For those unfamiliar with the Toronto Fringe Festival, it’s an annual theatre festival that features indie artists performing all over the city. Rather than plan the roster by…

For their final review of the term, the DARTcritics class of 2017-18 caught Machine de Cirque at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. This is the group’s first time reviewing a touring show – and a circus show, to boot. While individual responses varied, none were without passion: Abigail Bloomfield writes,  Hugh J…

The DARTcritics class of 2017-18 recently saw Tarragon’s remounting of Hannah Moscovitch’s Bunny. Originally premiering at the Stratford Festival in 2016, Bunny explores the themes of desire, shame, female sexuality, and friendship. Our critics weigh in on these themes below:  Emma McCormick writes, With its raw acting…

The DARTcritics class of 2017-18 took on the challenge of reviewing theatre for young people, catching Carousel Player’s production of Jordi Mand’s new play The Will Be Excellent at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, where it performed two public matinees before resuming its tour of elementary schools in Southern…

The DARTcritics class of 2018 share their thoughts on Jordan Tannahill’s newest play Declarations, a post-dramatic exploration of grief that premiered at Toronto’s Canadian Stage in January: Catherine Tait writes, How does one approach the imminent loss of a parent? In the case of Jordan Tannahill the answers are exqui…

For their first review of 2018, the DARTcritics class attended Matt MacKenzie’s Bears, a co-production between Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts and Punctuate! Theatre, in association with Native Earth Performing Arts at The Theatre Centre in Toronto. MacKenzie’s dark comedy is both an exploration of Indigenous cosmol…