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.
I hit the door of the Al Green Theatre for my first show of the Toronto Fringe, The Urinal Dialogues, full of enthusiasm.
As a gender-studies enthusiast and former bar employee, my experience with all genders of washrooms is vast; I also recently saw and reviewed Queer Bathroom Stories for this site. I was perhaps more enthusiastic than I’ve ever been to be faced with a row of urinals. My excitement, regrettably, did not last.
Artistically thrilling and politically affecting, Rufus Wainwright’s If I Loved You delights at Luminato Festival
Let me be perfectly honest: I have never adored Rufus Wainwright. It’s not that I’ve disliked him, exactly, I have just never really found myself in the same groove when I’ve heard recordings or seem him do a song or two at special events, and have been a bit confounded at how many ardent fans he has. Last night at If I Loved You at Luminato, I finally got it – somewhere between swooning over countertenor Brennan Hall (be still, my heart) and delighting at the sheer brass of Steven Page, it clicked.
Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno Comes To Life On The Toronto Stage
More than once, in conversations about Susan Sarandon, I’ve quipped: “I would pay money to watch her make oatmeal, and if she ate it when she was finished I’d pay double.” It’s my way of saying that I find her so compelling that anything she chooses to perform becomes interesting and stylish. Last night, watching Isabella Rossellini talk at length about biology and animal reproduction, I discovered within myself a sudden new appreciation for material that I ignored during grade 10 biology class (which I’m sure we all would have aced if Ms. Rossellini had been teaching it). If you have seen the 18 episodes of Green Porno already, you should know that there’s not much new material in this Luminato show. But, if you like listening to Isabella Rossellini (and who’s kidding who, there’s a great deal of pleasure in that) you will want to be in the theatre for this.
In time for World Pride in Toronto Queer Bathroom Stories is playing at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
I squinted at the program when we arrived at Buddies, saying “Queer Bathroom Stories?” I thought this was called “Queer Bathroom Monologues.” Whipping out my phone, I was able to confirm that the name had changed since I saw it at the Toronto Fringe Festival three years ago, and I was anxious to see what else might have changed in this singular production about the experiences of LGBTQ people in public washrooms, based on extensive interviews. Answer: quite a bit, and much for the better.
Who’s Your Daddy, a father’s story of interracial adoption, is part of Toronto’s East End Performance Crawl
With the East End Performance Crawl, it’s clear that Crow’s Theatre hopes to begin luring people to the theatre on the east side on the Don Valley. Their tactic is to install solo artists in odd locations around the neighborhood where their theatre is being built, and encourage us to visit them all. My first foray into this excellent ideal was John O’Callaghan’s Who’s Your Daddy, and it was…not excellent.
I hit the door of the Al Green Theatre for my first show of the Toronto Fringe, The Urinal Dialogues, full of enthusiasm. 
