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Nathaniel Hanula-James
Nathaniel Hanula-James is a multidisciplinary theatre artist who has worked across Canada as a dramaturg, playwright, performer, and administrator.
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iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Pride and Prejudice gets a postmodern makeover at London’s Grand Theatre
In spite of some missed opportunities, Pride and Prejudice ends up a lighthearted recontextualization of its source material, which should appease all but the most stolid Janeites.
iPhoto caption: 'A Strange Loop' photo by Dahlia Katz.
Announcing the winners of the 2025 Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards
The Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards jury has announced its 2025 results — 22 winners across 17 categories, plus a pair of special citations.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Takwahiminana explores what healing means when the past never quite lets go
While playwright Matthew MacKenzie’s lyrical storytelling is always a delight, there’s something astringent and detached about Takwahiminana that produces a distancing effect, preventing it from reaching the emotional highs of his other recent work.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Waitress blends retro charm with contemporary flair at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius
This co-production with the Grand Theatre stands up to its Broadway counterpart and makes for a truly delightful night out.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: A Strange Loop cycles between audacious spectacle and deeply personal reflection
A Strange Loop challenges the conventions of large-scale musical theatre while carving its radical place in the Broadway canon.
iPhoto caption: Graphic by Krystal Abrigo.
York University’s Facing Backlash symposium builds solidarities in tough times
The symposium’s two packed days felt to me like the collective pursuit of an elusive, shape-shifting prey. But as participants shared experiences, and common-interest groups opened up their internal dialogue to the rest of the symposium, the contours of what we’re all up against started to come into focus for me, and I felt a collective sense of purpose growing.
iPhoto caption: Photos courtesy of Lighthouse Festival.
Lighthouse Festival shines a light on Canadian comedies this summer
“When you laugh with a character, you connect with their story,” says artistic director Jane Spence. “You have more empathy and compassion for whatever their journey is. I believe that humour opens us up to each other’s life experiences. It’s what connects us.”
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of York University.
“I think the fundamental issue is that the foundation of inequity is still intact,” says co-curator Mariló Nuñez. “If you think about when Canadian theatre was first established, the theatre we were watching and learning about was Eurocentric, Western theatre… We place everything against that [perceived] ideal. Until that changes, I don’t think we can really make a change.”
iPhoto caption: Photo of Ada Aguilar by Dahlia Katz.
Speaking in Draft: Ada Aguilar
“I'm really passionate about the role of stage management as social activism, and as a way to provide safety and support for a production and its people,” says Aguilar. “We put everything of ourselves into these productions, but we also have to be good to ourselves.”
iPhoto caption: Miriam Fernandes as the Storyteller, with Anaka Maharaj-Sandhu as Arjuna and Neil D'Souza as Krishna in Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata (Shaw Festival, 2023). Photo by David Cooper. Set design by Lorenzo Savoini, costume design by Gillian Gallow, lighting design by Kevin Lamotte, projection design by Hana S. Kim.
For the creators of Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata, nothing is more contemporary than an ancient epic
“I’ve been [telling] the company to embrace time as a collaborator,” says director Ravi Jain ahead of the show’s April run at Canadian Stage.
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of the CBC.
As the trade war rages on, CBC’s PlayME stays true to its mandate of platforming Canadian writers
“I think all five of these shows really help us plant a stake in saying who we are as Canadians,” says PlayME co-creator Chris Tolley.
Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro promise to hold nothing back in thoughtful but naughty cabaret
“Cabaret is like a smorgasbord,” says Cumming ahead of the show's engagement at The Rose in Brampton. “You can turn on a sixpence. [It’s about] shocking you with the extremes of what might happen. I think we certainly live up to that.”
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