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.
The Body Politic looks further into Toronto’s queer history on stage at Buddies in Bad Times
One might worry, if one were less nerdy than I am, that twogay historical productions in a single season could be considered an excess of history all together at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. But for those of us who relish the stories of what happened before we arrived and our connection to the people who helped create the current political moment (for good or ill), The Body Politic satisfies a particular kind of itch.
Cahoots Theatre’s Ultrasound is Rich and Interesting
A day later, I am still digesting Adam Pottle’s play Ultrasound, which opens tonight at Theatre Passe Muraille. When I arrived home after the production and some vigorous post-show discussion with my companions for the evening, our daughter asked: “Was it good? Did you like it?” Without hesitation, I replied: “It was very, very good. But it’s not really a play you can ‘like’.”
Starvox presents the original Star Wars trilogy in a one-man show on stage in Toronto
I took Starvox at their word about One Man Star Wars Trilogy being suitable for “ages six to Yoda” on opening night at Bluma Appel Theatre and brought my favorite six-year-old Star Wars fan, Stanley, along to see Charles Ross’ solo rendition of all three movies, by himself, in 75 minutes. With nothing but a mic and a remarkable array of mouth noises, Ross recaps the entire trilogy. Though obviously a heroic endeavor, and clearly very appealing to the three guys sitting behind me, my small companion and I concurred – not really our cup of tea.
Toronto’s Harbourfront World Stage presents Portraits in Motion, a show featuring flip books
Portraits In Motion, curated as part of the Harbourfront World Stage series, is…not really theatre. It has a performative aspect to it, I suppose, and it’s interesting in it’s own way, but I feel compelled to open this review with the following above-the-folk piece of information: there is nothing performative about this presentation. The materials attached suggest that photographer Volker Gerling has invented “an entirely new form of theatre,” but I am not convinced. It seems, really, like a long version of a TED talk or an unusually good invited lecture in the Fine Arts department.
Few stories have such cultural traction in young hearts and minds as The Wizard of Oz does, and few cultural institutions gets so much so right about what interests young people as does Young People’s Theatre. So it makes perfect sense that during their silver anniversary season (50 years!), YPT tackle the venerable, delightful tale of a young person who dreams vividly of a different life.
The Body Politic looks further into Toronto’s queer history on stage at Buddies in Bad Times
Toronto’s Harbourfront World Stage presents Portraits in Motion, a show featuring flip books