Cheap Theatre in Toronto for the Week of December 31st, 2012

Ten for Twenty (Or Less)

Would you look at that? We’ve made it through another year. Welcome, welcome, welcome to 2013. We’re hoping to jump-start your theatre year with some great independent shows initially featured in past Fringe festivals. Below are 10 bite-sized, budget-friendly theatre bits that are all part of Fringe Toronto‘s Next Stage Festival. You’ll definitely want to check them out. See you at the beer tent!

AWAKE by Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley (Expect Theatre/Spark Collective/Next Stage Theatre Festival). Based on interviews with youth, cops and moms who’ve lost sons, this fusion of dancehall, hip-hop and theatre looks at gang violence. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

LIZA LIVE! by Jennifer Walls (Total Betty Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). This talk show/game show cabaret looks at 60 years of the film and stage icon’s music and memories. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $10, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Antechamber, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

MEMORIAL by Steven Gallagher (Next Step Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). A dying man plans to attend his own memorial and expects his family to throw him a great party. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

PITCH BLOND by Laura Anne Harris (Convection Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). Famous for playing dumb blondes in movies, Judy Holliday outwits Senator McCarthy’s anti-communist inquisition. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $10, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Antechamber, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

POST EDEN by Jordan Tannahill (Suburban Beast/Next Stage Theatre Festival). A girl exhumes her dead pet in this fantastical play about a day in the life of a fractured suburban family. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

SALT BABY by Falen Johnson (Salt Baby Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). An aboriginal woman’s European features cause identity issues on the reservation and in the city. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

SUDDEN DEATH by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman (Pyretic Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). This play looks at the last night in the life of a violent, drug-addicted hockey player. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

THE PEACE MAKER by Natasha Greenblatt (Pomme Grenade Productions/Next Stage Theatre Festival). A young Jewish woman visits Israel and Palestine and wrestles with ideas of identity and justice. Opens Jan 3 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Mainspace, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.

WITH LOVE AND A MAJOR ORGAN by Julia Lederer (QuestionMark-Exclamation Theatre/Next Stage Theatre Festival). This comedy depicts tragic, bold and hopelessly romantic characters with lots of heart and little social grace. Opens Jan 2 and runs to Jan 13. $12-$15, passes $48-$88. Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst. 416-966-1062, fringetoronto.com.