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Our favourite theatre productions of 2024, in Toronto and beyond

End-of-year lists are personal. When it comes to theatre, the question isn’t really what shows you liked most, but which ones left the strongest imprint, continuing to pinball around in your mind and heart even after the set is gone and the cast no longer recalls their lines.

Why should you go to the ballet?

My childhood memories of learning to dance were front and centre for me when I attended opening night of The Nutcracker, performed by the National Ballet of Canada at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

REVIEW: A Christmas Story feels fresh at Theatre Aquarius

If you want to catch A Christmas Story before it closes, good luck — the show is close to sold out, and with the talent on that stage, it’s not hard to see why.

REVIEW: Yes, Holiday! An Improvised Musical really is different every night

Putting aside its opening number and a single proper noun, every word of Bad Dog Theatre’s Dora Award-nominated Holiday! An Improvised Musical has the potential to change from performance to performance.

REVIEW: Canadian Stage revives the Ross Petty panto with pop songs, puns, and a pinch of Ozdust

Making a case for the panto’s return, The Wizard of Oz is full of local references and charm, and perhaps even some surprise guests to fill audiences with hometown pride.

REVIEW: Titaníque loves Céline Dion with all its heart

Content quibbles aside, Titaníque’s inarguable accomplishment is musical: What an amazing showcase for a Canadian cast’s vocal chops and capacity to deliver character through song.

Factory Theatre welcomes new audiences with shows that explore human connection

“I feel like I’m really looking to theatre for joy right now,” says artistic director Mel Hague. “I don’t mean works that are specifically funny or happy. I’m talking about something deeper where you can feel connected to the art on stage, the space that’s hosting it, the other people in the audience, and yourself.”

Roberto Zucco marks a new era in Buddies’ history of queer theatre

Toronto theatre can be a bit risk-averse. Artistic directors, constrained by limited funding, program obvious crowd-pleasers over boundary-pushing experiments. Playwrights, afraid to ruffle feathers, create spaces that validate the public’s...

How SummerWorks confronts a theatre industry steeped in hustle culture

“As far as our sector goes, there’s this idea that how busy you are is a reflection of your values,” says director-dramaturg Harri Thomas. “We also tend to emphasize a person’s career over the body of work they’ve produced. There are certain things that we can do at a community level, particularly when it comes to resource sharing. But we also need to consider the fact that we operate in a scarcity environment where we’re so focused on individual shows that we often neglect the larger ecology.”

Director Hillar Liitoja was ‘pathologically uncompromising’ in his pursuit of great art

His creations brought together all the joy and terror and beauty and chaos of being alive.

As the new artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times, ted witzel will ‘connect two generations of queers’

"Nightlife trends come and go," says witzel. "But there’s no reason a queer party space can’t be a creative site as well as a way to fund art."

‘It’s Definitely Worth the Trip’: In Conversation with The 39 Steps at County Stage

The two-time Tony-winning story will see its first ever site-specific outdoor production, courtesy of the County Stage Company.