SummerWorks Festival
Pretty Little Instincts (Renegade Outdoor Theatre) 2011 Summerworks Review
By Sonia Borkar
I watched Pretty Little Instincts last night under a tent at the Fort York National Historic Site in pouring rain while being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I was not in a good mood to say the least, but having said that I’m quite positive that this wasn’t the reason that I didn’t like this show.
The “stage” is just a low coffee table with nine chairs spread out in a semi-circle. Nine women painted an eerie chalk white and wearing identical long black dresses with matching hair pieces come running through and start serving the audience tea and cookies. They are creepy. Think Stepford Wives meet vampire zombies. Read the rest of this entry »
Caught Our Eye Playlistings: Favourites so far from our SummerWorks Writers
By Sonia Borkar
Just about a month after fringe, we’re at it again, covering every show at this year’s SummerWorks Festival. This week’s “Caught our Eye” listings consist of some of our writers’ favourite shows so far. Hopefully their recommendations inspire you to get out and catch some shows before the Festival is gone for another year. Read the rest of this entry »
Out At Sea (Actors Repertory Company) 2011 SummerWorks Review
Three men are stuck on a raft in the middle of the ocean. They are out of provisions and are considering cannibalism. But how will they decide which one of them will be eaten? Because they are humans and not animals, issues of such importance must go through a fair and transparent process… through the microcosm of the raft, Out At Sea is Theatre of the Absurd which shows just how unfair and untransparent our social systems can be. The processes of democracy and justice are played out in a fashion that show their inherent weaknesses – the way they can be manipulated by those who are more selfish, and more avaricious and controlling than others. Read the rest of this entry »
White Rabbit, Red Rabbit (Necessary Angel and Volcano Theatre Co) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Winston Soon
At the heart of Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit, Red Rabbit is a cry for help. Necessary Angel and Volcano Theatre have brought this ground-breaking show to Toronto as part of this year’s SummerWorks festival. It features a new, completely unrehearsed performance each night by a new actor. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t completely happy to walk into the drippingly hot Theatre Centre and discover that I would watch the phenomenal Eric Peterson play the role. Read the rest of this entry »
Waterfront: The Blessing (Les Nouvelles Theatre) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Winston Soon
Waterfront: The Blessing may not be a family show but it is definitely a show about family. In particular, it is about the lifelong relationships of siblings. I would recommend anyone who has had to deal with family rivalry and death to see Les Nouvelles Theatre’s Waterfront: The Blessing at this year’s SummerWorks. It is a very relatable show.
Leah Jane Esau has written a two hander and we get to meet brothers Jeremy and Ed directly following the death of their father. Despite a water influenced theatrical device (used for changes of scene and thought) this show is very down to earth. It is impossible not to get drawn into the relationship of these brothers. Myself, I have two siblings and I felt it impossible not to reflect on my relationships with both throughout this piece. Read the rest of this entry »
Freda & Jem’s Best of the Week (Fine and Thompson Presents) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Winston Soon
When I found out I would be reviewing SummerWorks shows, I raced to make sure I was the first in line to dibs this one. The program for Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week reads like a list of Canadian theatre All-Stars and it is impossible not to imagine this show as well conceived and beautifully executed play. I was not disappointed. It is not one well known theatre company that made this show happen but rather is presented as “Thompson and Fine Presents” (meaning the writer and director). It’s a show that claims to shine a light on “dyke moms, queer spawn and butch/fem interplay”. I would say that is pretty accurate. Read the rest of this entry »
The Intruder (Alameda Theatre Company) 2011 Summerworks Review
By Winston Soon
The Intruder is the latest piece from Alameda Theatre Company’s writer in residence, Amaranta Leyva. It is a charming show that feels particularly suited for Theatre for Young Audiences as it deals with issues both political and personal through the eyes of a young girl. It is one of the SummerWorks plays that endures the heat, humidity and, on the night I was there, the insects of the Factory Studio Theatre. Read the rest of this entry »
THE SAFE WORD (The Forthcoming Collective) 2011 SummerWorks Review
A safeword, a concept popular among people who enjoy erotic roleplay or dominance and submission games, is a word that – when uttered – stops all the action immediately so everyone can regroup. Conversely, it frees the participants to use words like “no” and “stop”, in their roles, without fear that their partners will actually stop.
THE SAFE WORD, the SummerWorks play presented by The Forthcoming Collective, touches briefly on this concept but honestly, there were several times during the play I would have used a safeword if I thought it would make the production stop and regroup. The play wasn’t awful – in fact, it had some transcendent moments – but it seemed at intervals to have forgotten itself, or simply lost its way.
Oh, Ryan (Lost at Sea Theatre) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Jenna Rocca
One-man show Oh, Ryan offers a series of abstract, loosely connected monologues vaguely referencing the topics of belief, relationships and astronomy. Avoiding any concise plot or character development, playwright and performer Shawn Desouza-Coelho and Lost at Sea Theatre bring us this strange opportunity to just “be.”
Exit, Pursued By A Bear (Quality Slippers) 2011 SummerWorks Review
Exit, Pursued By A Bear is a multidisciplinary puppet play about Evelyn – played by Adriana Disman – whose dreams are haunted by a grizzly bear. She also has recurring flashbacks of her dead father, all while talking to a prophetic beggar, both of which are played by David Schaap. It will be running at the Theatre Passe Muraille for the duration of the festival.