For their final review of the term, the DARTcritics class take on The National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, playing at Mirvish’s Princess of Wales Theatre. The acclaimed production may have won both Olivier and Tony Awards, but our critics have more mixed reviews: Abigail B…

Essential Collective Theatre (ECT) is a St Catharines staple. Their latest production, The Welland Canal Play, takes another local icon as its subject matter, tracing the complex and contentious history of the Welland Canal’s construction. Here, critics Sumer Seth and Kristina Ojaperv share their thoughts: Sumer Seth w…

In October, the DARTcritics class of 2017/18 saw the Shaw Festival’s production of Alan Bennett’s 1994 historical dramedy The Madness of George III. Cue an impassioned discussion about madness and metatheatricality:  Colin Williams writes, As I enter the auditorium of the Royal George Theatre, I am immediately whisked…

The DARTcritics class is back in session! Our 25 budding theatre critics tested their critical skills on local St. Catharines company Stolen Theatre Collective’s production of House by Canadian theatre darling Daniel MacIvor. Here’s a taste of what they thought. Welcome, DARTcritics class of 2017/18! Anthes as Victor.…

Director Daryl Cloran puts a vaudeville twist on a Shakespearean classic in Theatre Aquarius’ production of The Comedy of Errors. A talented cast serves up some stage magic with a dash of slapstick comedy, but misses the mark when it comes to the representation of some female characters. The Comedy of Errors follows th…

It isn’t often that a play begins with a three-minute sequence of a man making a sandwich, and ends up becoming one of the most touching pieces of theatre you can imagine. Essential Collective Theatre’s production of The Drawer Boy, directed by Monica Dufault and written by Michael Healey, brings us back to the summer…

Elena Belyea as Tick. Photo by Lauren Garbut. If you had to choose between watching a solar eclipse or rebelling against a higher power, which would you opt for? For the intelligent and free-spirited characters in Matt Mackenzie’s Tick the decision isn’t an easy one. On Tuesday February 21st in E.I McCulley Elementary…

The concept of time has been debated, theorized, and even denied throughout history by scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers alike. In Hannah Moscovitch’s Infinity the push and pull of time is deeply felt by three characters whose experiences and tribulations in love and intimacy take centre stage. Performed at…

On Thursday January 19th 2017, the night before one of history’s most controversial U.S. presidential inaugurations, St. Catharines’ own Twitches and Itches theatre company took to the Robertson Hall stage at the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre with an engaging, critical theatrical reimagining of Euripides’ The Ba…

What do you get when you mix the tale of Romeo and Juliet with a touch of Twelfth Night’s Viola, and then the story of Shakespeare himself? A smorgasbord of laughs, tears, and exploding ovaries. Directed by Declan Donnellan, Stratford Festival’s North American premiere of Shakespeare in Love is a witty, and surprisingl…