S. Bear Bergman has great faith in the power of theatre to make change, and has been putting his money where his mouth is on that one for some time. A writer, performer, and lecturer, Bear works full time as an artist and cultural worker and loves to see as much live performance as possible – making this a fantastic gig for him.
Bearing is an eye-opening opera about residential schools, part of the 2017 Toronto Luminato Festival
The hero quote on the Luminato page for Michael Greyeyes and Yvette Nolan’s Bearing is Michael Greyeyes searing comment: “Every person in Canada is surviving residential schools, because if you’re Canadian you’re part of it.” My relation to residential schools is not personal – there are no residential school survivors in my family – but the need to learn about them, and to engage in reconciliation comes through ethical and treaty obligations. I am a treaty person, because I live on land that was part of the Toronto Purchase.* With this in mind, I went to see Bearing expecting to be implicated, to learn, and be moved. I did not have the experience I expected.
Morro and Jasp failed to connect with our writer in Stupefaction, on stage in Toronto
Off the bat I should tell you: I am a tremendous Morro and Jasp fan, and I looked forward to Morro and Jasp in Stupefaction like any kid counts down to an especially desirable event. I prattled on with glee the whole way to the new Streetcar Crowsnest theatre to my two companions about how much I have loved every single Morro and Jasp show I have ever seen.
Louis Riel is a glorious think piece, on stage at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto
Even mid-performance, reviews of Louis Riel at the Canadian Opera Company were being expressed all around me. The individual sitting behind me chewed gum loudly and sighed repeatedly, exasperatedly, during all of the second and third acts. Beside me, a young woman sat rapt and motionless, her face slack with pleasure. It’s a rare opera that inspires such extreme reactions, but even the cheerful bar manager at the first-floor bar commented that she had heard so many opinions and none of them were tepid. “Everyone has something to say about this one,” she said. “It’s quite different.” And so it is.
Young People’s Theatre’s play brings the stories of Robert Munsch to the Toronto stage
With a pair of seven-year-olds and a stalwart spirit I ventured to Young People’s Theatre on a sunny Saturday for their new show Munschtime! Adapted from four classic Robert Munsch tales by longtime YPT director Allen MacInnes and collaborator Steven Colella. The stories are framed by a granddaughter who keeps asking for just one more story and her grandparents who, of course, indulge her. I wasn’t ready for another after the show on Saturday, but I liked the ones I got just fine.
Daniel Barrow works from the middle of the room. In the middle of the audience, lit by the light of the overhead projector, he layers images, manipulates them, and tells a story that is mesmerizing, satisfying, and deeply disturbing. It’s totally compelling, and leaves you full of questions.
Bearing is an eye-opening opera about residential schools, part of the 2017 Toronto Luminato Festival
Morro and Jasp failed to connect with our writer in Stupefaction, on stage in Toronto
Louis Riel is a glorious think piece, on stage at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto
Young People’s Theatre’s play brings the stories of Robert Munsch to the Toronto stage