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The Show Before The Show

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/By / Mar 26, 2024
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Brock Poirier
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Brock Poirier

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Jake Epstein as Frank and Isabella Esler as Alice in Life After. iPhoto caption: Pictured (L to R): Jake Epstein as Frank, Isabella Esler as Alice. Photo by Michael Cooper.

REVIEW: Britta Johnson’s Life After shimmers in large-scale Mirvish transfer

The show’s tender excavation of grief’s ambiguities hasn’t lost any power in its journey to a bigger house; in fact, it’s clearer than ever.

By Liam Donovan
Kamyar Pazandeh and Julia McLellan in 'Waitress.' iPhoto caption: Kamyar Pazandeh and Julia McLellan in 'Waitress.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.

‘Props come with no instructions’: How the Grand and Theatre Aquarius’ Waitress brings diner food to the stage

Ahead of the musical’s upcoming run at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius, I spoke with the production’s props and scenic design department to find out how they’re making the pie magic happen.

By Amanda Cosby-Nesbitt
Kevin Matthew Wong watches a projected video of his grandmother. iPhoto caption: Photo by Jae Yang.

REVIEW: Tarragon’s wonderful Benevolence reflects on diaspora, community, and place

Playwright-performer Kevin Matthew Wong’s script is heartfelt, conversational, and at times poetic, moving effortlessly between heavier moments of grief and lighter moments of joy and humour.

By Charlotte Lilley
Aerial view of York University's Keele campus. iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of York University.

A York University symposium is inviting artists and scholars to discuss strategies for combatting repression

“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.”

By Nathaniel Hanula-James
Alanis King. iPhoto caption: Photo by Blaire Russell.

Spotlight: Alanis King

The 40-year career of Alanis King began much the same way that so many careers in theatre do: in front of very small audiences. “The show must go on if you have the same amount of audience members as in the cast,” was King’s motto in the early days. But today, the multihyphenate Odawa artist has no difficulty finding people interested in her work.

Written by Frances Koncan, Photography by Blaire Russell
Neil D'Souza as Krishna and Anaka Maharaj-Sandhu as Arjuna in Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata (Shaw Festival, 2023). iPhoto caption: Photo by David Cooper.

REVIEW: Why Not Theatre’s Mahabharata is a glorious theatrical banquet

This extraordinary ensemble of artists has made something truly harmonious, truly epic: a story that speaks to a mythical past, honouring a range of South Asian artistic traditions while also drawing a direct line to where — and who — we are now.

By Naomi Skwarna