Announcing Canadian Stage’s 2023-2024 Season
Canadian Stage has announced their electrifying 2023-2024 season, jam-packed with the signature blend of theatre, dance, and multidisciplinary performance the company has become famous for.
“The 2023-2024 season speaks to the human experience as it is right now by addressing some of the most fundamental issues of our time: how capitalism has shaped society globally, the climate crisis, Blackness in North America, responsibilities of care, and more,” said artistic director Brendan Healy in a press release.
“We are thrilled to be bringing must-see works from Broadway and around the world to Toronto this season and presenting them alongside some of the most vital Canadian creators working today — this balance is the essence of what we always want to be doing at Canadian Stage.”
Here’s what you can expect at Canadian Stage this year.
Topdog/Underdog
September 22 – October 8 at the Berkeley Street Theatre
Written by Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Tawiah M’Carthy
A Pulitzer Prize winner, Topdog/Underdog investigates sibling rivalry and fractured memories, asking its audience: “what’s in a name?”
Jungle Book Reimagined
October 12 – 14 at the Bluma Appel Theatre
Written by Tariq Jordan, created by Akram Khan, based on the book by Rudyard Kipling
Canadian Stage brings the acclaimed Akram Khan production of Jungle Book Reimagined to Toronto, revisiting the beloved children’s story through a whole new lens. A family-friendly epic dance work.
The Lehman Trilogy
November 14 – 26 at the Bluma Appel Theatre
Written by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power, directed by Philip Akin
A historical epic about the largest financial crisis in history. A cast of three plays the Lehman brothers, their sons, and grandsons in the three-part drama.
Red Sky at Night
November 3 – 5, 2023 at the Berkeley Street Theatre
Directed and choreographed by Sandra Laronde in collaboration with the performers
Red Sky at Night takes audiences back through the highest highs of Red Sky Performance’s illustrious performance history, featuring a lineup of outstanding Indigenous performers and special guests.
Kidd Pivot: A New Creation
December 6 – 9 at the Bluma Appel Theatre
Co-created by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young
Following the massive successes of Revisor and Betroffenheit, Canadian Stage will co-commission a new work about myth, exile, and everything in between by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young.
The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes
January 18 – 28, 2024 at the Berkeley Street Theatre
A Back to Back Theatre production presented by Canadian Stage
Written by Mark Deans, Michael Chan, Bruce Gladwin, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, and Sonia Teuben
Written and performed by neuro-divergent actors, this play explores human rights, sexual politics, and the projected dominance of artificial intelligence.
Universal Child Care
February 13 – 25, 2024 at the Berkeley Street Theatre
A co-production between Quote Unquote Collective, The Broad Collective, and Canadian Stage
Created by Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken
Following the immense success of their play Mouthpiece, Universal Child Care is part concert, part play, and dives into the lack of affordable child care in Canada while making comparisons to child care around the world.
The Inheritance Parts 1 and 2
March 22 – April 7, 2024 at the Bluma Appel Theatre
Written by Matthew Lopez, directed by Brendan Healy
A multi-Tony Award winner, The Inheritance reimagines E.M. Forster’s Howard’s End as a contemporary portrait of the generation after the height of the AIDS crisis.
Canadian Stage Platform — A Vanguard Performance Series
Searching for Eastman
April 4 – 7, 2024 at the Berkeley Street Theatre
By Charles Smith
Through music, poetry, theatre, dance, and video, Searching for Eastman reveals the complexities of Black, queer, minimalist composer Julius Eastman.
Nomada
April 18 – 20, 2024 at the Berkeley Street Theatre
Co-created by Diana Lopez and Alejandro Ronceria, directed by Diego Marulanda
Nomada blends together aerial dance, installation art, and contemporary Mexican Indigenous dance.
Dream in High Park’s 40th Anniversary
Young, Gifted, and Jazz
July 6 – 8 in the High Park Amphitheatre
Concept and choreography by Raoul Pillay, musical direction by Alexa Belgrave, dramaturgy by Natasha Powell
An electrifying, immersive experience of all things jazz culture, from fashion to dance to, of course, music.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
July 21 – September 3 in the High Park Amphitheatre
Directed by Jamie Robinson
40 years of Shakespeare in High Park! The Bard’s most beloved comedy returns to Toronto’s favourite outdoor venue.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's senior editor and an award-winning arts journalist with bylines including the New York Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CBC Arts, and Maclean's. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
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iPhoto caption: Poster art by Jesús Rivera Zavala.
In GCTC’s FLOP!, three actor-comedians craft a musical from scratch
This December, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company will present Klif Entertainment’s FLOP! An Improvised Musical Fiasco, created by Ron Pederson and director Alan Kliffer.
iPhoto caption: Courtesy of the St. Michael's College Troubadours.
A Lord of the Flies adaptation hits the Hart House Theatre stage this weekend
Andrea Perez is set to direct the student-led production, which will reimagine the story through a de-colonialist lens.
iPhoto caption: Photo of Annemieke Wade courtesy of TAPA.
TAPA appoints Annemieke Wade as new executive director
Wade steps into the position with an extensive background in theatre, with past roles including executive director of Roseneath Theatre and Theatre Direct and company manager of Tarragon Theatre.
iPhoto caption: Beowulf in Afghanistan graphic courtesy of GCTC.
Beowulf in Afghanistan to make world premiere at GCTC
As part of its 50th anniversary season, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company will program the world premiere of Laurie Fyffe’s Beowulf in Afghanistan, in a production directed by Company of Fools artistic director Kate Smith.
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of The Hive
Brampton On Stage partners with local companies to present contrasting pair of fall productions
Brampton Music Theatre is head-banging to the stage with a community theatre production of We Will Rock You, while The Hive Performing Arts is staging Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe’s Every Brilliant Thing.
iPhoto caption: Poster courtesy of CBC Podcasts
PlayME releases trailer for new audio drama Tunnel Runners
Launching on October 30, the series follows Cam, a 16-year-old gifted student whose struggles with anxiety and depression lead him into a labyrinth of hidden subway tunnels beneath Toronto.
iPhoto caption: A Christmas Story production still by Dahlia Katz.
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.
iPhoto caption: Madame Minister production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Madame Minister is a star vehicle for actor Laura Condlln
Laura Condlln and Cyrus Lane offer performances that are worth the drive to Barrie — the two have terrific chemistry and timing.
iPhoto caption: Production still courtesy of The Bee's Knees.
REVIEW: The Bee’s Knees falls short of its timely premise
The Bee’s Knees might evolve into a stronger project down the line, but at present, the play and production feel swept away by the spangled allure of the 1920s setting.
iPhoto caption: J. Kelly Nestruck headshot courtesy of The Globe and Mail.
An exit interview with Globe and Mail theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck
J. Kelly Nestruck has left the building. (Or at least the aisle seat.)
iPhoto caption: Photo of Annemieke Wade courtesy of TAPA.
TAPA appoints Annemieke Wade as new executive director
Wade steps into the position with an extensive background in theatre, with past roles including executive director of Roseneath Theatre and Theatre Direct and company manager of Tarragon Theatre.
iPhoto caption: Beowulf in Afghanistan graphic courtesy of GCTC.
Beowulf in Afghanistan to make world premiere at GCTC
As part of its 50th anniversary season, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company will program the world premiere of Laurie Fyffe’s Beowulf in Afghanistan, in a production directed by Company of Fools artistic director Kate Smith.
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