Five for Twenty (Or Less)

by Leanne Milech

Cheap Toronto Theatre for the Week of March 29, 2010

Feast your eyes on five eclectic Toronto theatre options – all of which cost $20 or less.  This week, we suggest opera (for free!), improv at Toronto’s Bad Dog Theatre, radiant physical theatre, a coming-of-age tale and theatre about art (think thought-provoking rather than hoity-toity). Here are the dirty deets on our cheap theatre picks for the week of March 29, 2010:

1) A Boy Called Newfoundland (Theatre Smash)

– Fifteen-year-old Newfoundland Willow deals with loneliness, crushing on a girl he meets at French camp and a home life cracking at its very foundations

– Show runs until April 11, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2:30 pm at Tarragon Theatre, Extra Space (30 Bridgman)

– Grab tickets (priced as low as $15) by visiting the box office, calling 416-531-1827 or online at tarragontheatre.com

2) I’m So Close . . .

We love this show! I personally vouch for a night of indie theatre to cheer for if you check out I’m So Close. . . Revel in the show’s meditations on technology, human connection and love.

– Originally part of the Theatre Centre’s Free Fall ’10 Festival, this production continues its run from tonight until Saturday, April 3 at the Theatre Centre (1087 Queen St. W.) at 8 pm

– Tickets are $20 and are available online at www.theatrewhynot.org or through the box office at 416-973-4000

3) Isis and Osiris

– Tomorrow, Wed. March 31, check out free opera at the Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W.) in the gallery’s Walker Court

– The gallery’s website describes Isis and Osiris as an opera “based on the major myth of ancient Egypt. The first great love story in the canon, Isis and Osiris is the larger-than-life tale of sibling jealousy, lust for power, fratricide and the quest for immortality.”

Produced by Ariaworks and Opera in Concert

4) Art

– Another show reviewed by Mooney on Theatre and another show we loved.  Read Dana Lacey’s commentary on Art here.  Then follow her advice and go check out this show about art appreciation starring comedic Canadian icon Colin Mocherie.

– Art runs until April 10th, 2010 at Canadian Stage’Bluma Appel Theatre27 Front Street East, Toronto

– Showtimes: Mon. to Sat. at 8 pm, matinees Wed. at 1:30 pm and Sat. at 2 pm

– Tickets are $20 and up with PWYC Mondays (if purchased in person) and are available at the box office, by phone (416.368.3110) or online

5) Bad Dog Theatre’s 9 To 5

– I’ve had more than a few good nights at Bad Dog Theatre, which is perhaps Toronto’s best known improv company.  This month, they perform 9 To 5 every Friday at 10 p.m., a show that pokes fun at the daily grind of working in an office.  The kicker?  A computer program randomly picks a business name from the Yellow Pages, and the actors improv working there on the spot.  Super fun and super original!

– Reserve your $10 tickets online here or call 416-419-0777