Isabella Perrone - Page 6

THE BLACK DRUM is a multi-sensory examination of oppression and self-expression that shows just how necessary deaf theatre is. Produced by the Deaf Culture Centre and Soulpepper and directed by Mira Zuckerman, the story, written by Adam Pottle, draws from classic tropes - placing a down-and-out hero in an unfamiliar world, good faces off against evil, and a group of sidekicks with wildly different personalities - to great effect.

Defined as a "bio-mythical monodrama," 11:11 is an introspective and deeply personal look into writer and performer Samson Bonkeabantu Brown's life. From childhood to adolescence and into adulthood, Brown constructs his own paths as he discovers more about his gender, his family, and his ancestry. The connection to spirituality is a major aspect of the performance, with dance, vocalization, and narration adding to the emotionally heavy story.

In a new production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, director Jackie Maxwell guides a 13-person cast through the highs and lows of the Weston family during a family tragedy. In Maxwell and the ensembles' capable hands, Tracy Letts's delicate balance of comedy and cruelty is presented as fully as possible.

Clare McConnell has made a name for herself as a dynamic force in the world of Toronto comedy . Her work with the Second City allows her to transition her own experiences and feelings into content and share it on a national level, in addition to her work with film and television, and in an interview with BroadwayWorld she delves into the details of her creative process, working with her colleagues, and tackling nerves.

WELCOME TO MY UNDERWORLD, directed by Judith Thompson and produced by RARE Theatre Company in partnership with Soulpepper, is an interesting anthology of human stories. Its diverse ensemble draws on personal experiences to explain their perspective on topics like mental health, transgender and LGBTQ+ community issues, and sexual abuse, among others.

THE BROTHERS SIZE, directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu and produced by Soulpepper, is a look into the lives of two brothers following the youngest's return home from prison. Tarell Alvin McCraney's 2000 work is an emotional examination of brotherhood and redemption in the deep south.

What would a world where women held power and men were nothing more than eye-candy and tools for reproduction look like? How would women maintain that power, and what would happen to the men who lived there? Factory Theatre's BEAUTIFUL MAN, directed by Andrea Donaldson, looks at all of this and more with exceptional use of satire - sometimes funny, sometimes frightening, and always accurate to what women experience in their day-to-day life.

Eraser Theatre's ERASER, presented as part of Why Not Theatre's RISER project, is a highly interactive piece of theatre that forces audiences to walk and talk with students in a sixth-grade classroom. Directed and choreographed by Bilal Baig and Sadie Epstein-Fine, ERASER explores the lives of six students returning to school from their summer break. From this point, the story splits off based on which student audience members are assigned to, and the groups follow that student's journey and relationships throughout the interactive one-hour performance.

Young People's Theatre closes their season with the world premiere of Jeff Ho's ANTIGONE, which stands as an impressive contemporary take on Sophocles' classic play. The story begins with the title character's brother Neikes (Jeff Yung) leading a breakout from the re-education facility he's held in alongside his friend Haemon (Simon Gagnon). Before he can escape and lead the demonstration against the facility in the city's sacred square, he is met by the headmistress Tiresia (Soo Garay) who allows him to leave relatively easily, swayed by the memory of his mother who's been left as a "ghost in a shell" after heavy re-education. Yung offers an intense yet endearing depiction of the rebel, and regardless of his placement within the in-the-round theatre commands attention.

The women of The Second City return to the mainstage to present SHE THE PEOPLE: THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES, a follow-up to 2018's SHE THE PEOPLE. While the cast and creative team remains mostly the same as the original show, this reimagining explores a wider scope of true-to-life and absurd comedic scenarios. Under direction of head writer Carly Heffernan, the broad capabilities of the actors and creative team were utilized to fully translate the female experience in 2019.

Dark comedy and puppets seem to be a natural link, given the number of film and theatre stories that have incorporated both in the last several years. Coal Mine Theatre's season-closing production of HAND TO GOD, written by Robert Askins, examines the duality of man and the struggle between good and evil through the eyes of a young teenager struggling with his emotions, family, and a particularly vocal and troublemaking hand puppet named Tyrone.

End of the Century was the album that skyrocketed the Ramones into the public eye, and in FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN writer John Ross Bowie delves into the strain and tension that came with its recording sessions. The collaboration between the Queens, New York band and infamous producer Phil Spector examines how The Ramones were torn apart by their own habits and Spector's divisive management.

Renowned theatre director and critic Richard Ouzounian returned to the Toronto arts scene once again this month with his production of FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN, a fictionalized account of what happened during the collaboration between the Ramones and infamous producer Phil Spector. The play investigates the dynamic between the band members, Spector's control over the musicians, and a love triangle between lead singer Joey, guitarist Johnny, and the fiery Linda.

Late playwright Lorena Gale's ANGELIQUE makes its Toronto debut in this Black Theatre Workshop and Tableau D'Hote co-production, presented by Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre. The play follows the true story behind Marie Joseph Angelique, an enslaved black woman, as she attempts to navigate the cruel world of slavery in 1700s Montreal. Her story, like many enslaved peoples, ends in tragedy as Angelique is hanged based on accusations of setting a fire that destroyed a large part of the colony in 1734.

In director Soheil Parsa's THE CHERRY ORCHARD, produced by Modern Times Stage Company in association with Crow's Theatre, the concept of nostalgia versus progress seems to be the underlying message. At several moments throughout it's brought front and centre, however the sheer number of characters to keep up with and a range of unresolved plotlines distract from the political and societal issues that struggle to remain in focus.

Mirvish and Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre's production of A DOLL'S HOUSE PART 2 does for theatre what is usually reserved for blockbusters and novels - it provides a sequel, many years down the road, to one of Henrik Ibsen's more controversial works (A Doll's House). Written more than a hundred years after the original play's debut, Lucas Hnath has composed a script that investigates what Nora, the wife and mother who left her family, has been up to since her prompt departure. While the cast and creative team navigate the fine line between humour and solemnity the show requires well, there are moments where it seems like something's missing from the narrative.

The Second City's 82nd revue WALKING ON BOMBSHELLS is undeniably a look into the many aspects of what it's like to live in Toronto. From the Osgoode subway station backdrop in its sad, dirty yellow glory and throughout every sketch performed in the show, the latest mainstage offering from the company balances the sillier parts of city living with some hard-hitting political commentary in a well-rounded manner.

Rife with references to some of Alfred Hitchcock's best-known works, THE REAR WINDOW, based on Cornell Woolrich's short story, It Had To Be Murder, offers a tense look into solitude and desperation. 

Making its world debut in the Project: Humanity and Crow's Theatre production, TOWARDS YOUTH brings five different drama classrooms from around the world, transitioning from Toronto to England, Greece, Taiwan, and India. Written by Andrew Kushnir based on his travels with Dr. Kathleen Gallagher to conduct her research on the narratives and cultures within drama classrooms, the play explores how the strains of society trickle into the lives of students.

Matthew MacKenzie's award-winning play BEARS has returned to Toronto, taking residency within Factory Theatre. Produced by Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts and Punctuate! Theatre, the play follows Floyd (Sheldon Elter) as he flees from the scene of a workplace accident. While on the run from the RCMP, Floyd encounters a range of flora and fauna portrayed by an impressive chorus and transitions into a freer, wilder version of himself.