Toronto Theatre

Rick Roberts’ Orestes, directed by Richard Rose, confronts the progressively blurring lines between real life and virtual life in a heightened version of the bloodthirsty frenzy of online existence — an experience amplified by quarantines and self isolation. Running from February 3-14 at Tarragon Theatre, it satirized…

Pre-recorded digital theatre can reduce performers to ghosts. The moment of ephemerality has passed; a recording hopes to capture its spirit for the viewer. I am going to examine this effect in two productions of the musical Ghost Quartet, specifically the 2015 production filmed at the McKittrick Hotel in New York, sta…

“You must take your rightful place as Queen.” What a refreshing line to hear after countless stories about men murdering each other for a crown, men waging wars for royal power, and men pulling swords out of stones to become King. Kate Hennig’s Mother’s Daughter is the third play in her Queenmaker Trilogy that puts wom…

Andrea Donaldson’s take on Harold Pinter’s Betrayal oozes the same qualities as Emma (Virgilia Griffith)’s yellow jumpsuit, designed by Ken Mackenzie – it’s sexy, elegant, and very 1970s. Pinter wrote the play in 1978, and director Donaldson decided to keep the setting in that time period. In an interview for Intermiss…

The DARTCritics journied to Crow’s Theatre to see Stephen Massicotte’s play Mary’s Wedding, directed by Kent Staines. Students Dani Shae Barkley and Gwen Anderson express their thoughts below, although in relatively different formats. Dani Shae conveys her experience through text while Gwen elects to explore criticism…

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…

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 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…