All posts by Lin Young

Lin Young is a PhD candidate in the English Department at Queen’s University by day, an insatiable theatre-goer by night. She truly loves seeing innovative indie theatre, the strange sort of hole-in-the-wall shows that big companies would never take a risk on. She’s seen plays in basements, gardens, bars, and in old dilapidated houses, to name a few. She’s always on the lookout for the next theatrical experiment in the city, and loves seeing shows that have some quality of fantasy, historicity, or strangeness to them – especially if they involve puppets! She tweets about theatre, comics and the 19th century at @linkeepsitreal.

The Harvester (Rabbit in a Hat Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

 Eric Davis and Melissa Carter in The HarvesterWhen you walk into the Factory Theatre to see The Harvester (Rabbit in a Hat Productions) at the Toronto Fringe Festival, you’re greeted by glowing blue bottles set against a dark stage. These pretty little things are harbingers of humanity’s end, as it turns out–once humanity figured out how to liquify time, it was pretty much all downhill from there. Now, only one man appears to remain on Earth to harvest it.

Think Bioshock meets  Fallout meets E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops.  Continue reading The Harvester (Rabbit in a Hat Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

To Jane With Love – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

To Jane with Love tells the tale of a recovering alcoholic struggling with a painful past.”

To Jane With Love Poster

From press release:

Promise Productions is excited to present To Jane with Love as part of the 27th annual Toronto Fringe Festival, June 29th – July 10th, 2016.  The Fringe Festival is Toronto’s largest theatre and performance festival— with more than 155 productions featured at over 30 venues across the west end of Toronto, drawing more than 90,000 people over 12 days each year. There is something for everyone, with musicals, comedies, family programming, drama, dance, improv and anything else you can imagine on offer. “Having my play as part of The Fringe Festival is both honouring and fulfilling. I just want the message delivered far and wide,” says Deon Denton, writer and director of To Jane with Love

The play comes on the heels of Promise Productions’ artistic offering, No Visible Scars, to the New York International Fringe Festival. To Jane with Love tells the tale of a recovering alcoholic struggling with a painful past. Henry is a middle-aged College Professor living a quiet and happy life with his wife Jane. He is about to make tenure and could not wish for more when a life altering event changes his path. Locked in a cycle of hopelessness and delusions, Henry’s new neighbours test his limits of neighbourly love and friendship.  Soon he is forced to confront his past and reconcile with his present, in this gripping drama about finding courage and forgiveness to move on after a painful loss.

Showtimes:

  • Thursday June 30th, 10:30 pm
  • Friday July 1st, 08:15 pm
  • Sunday July 3rd, 05:00 pm
  • Monday July 4th, 01:00 pm
  • Thursday July 7th, 05:45 pm
  • Friday July 8th, 08:00 pm
  • Sunday July 10th, 02:15 pm

Venue: Al Green Theatre (750 Spadina Ave)

Details:

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo provided by the company.

BINGE – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

“After the death of their lead singer, two band members embark on an Ontario-wide Pub Crawl.”

Luke Pieroni and Joel Edmiston

From press release:

Beer. Music. Hallucinogens. After the death of their lead singer, two band members embark on an Ontario-wide Pub Crawl. Performed concert style with live original music in a functioning bar, BINGE pits self-discovery against self-destruction as two musicians push their livers and their sanities to the breaking point.

Featuring a creative team full of emerging artists ready to make their mark on the Toronto theatre scene: Luke Pieroni (KATA, Theatre Parallax, strangeness and breath, Epigraph Collective) Joel Edmiston (The 10/10/10 Project, Then They Fight Theatre. Cloud Nine, Theatre@York) and Curtis te Brinke (Love Me Forever Billy H Tender, Videofag. The 10/10/10 Project,Then They Fight Theatre.) BINGE marks Epigraph’s first commissioned development of a play, after a year of workshopping with playwright Joel Edmiston. Exhibiting both emerging theatrical and musical talent, BINGE is an immersive theatrical experience where the audience will be welcomed with an opening band of local talent and invited to share a drink along with the cast and crew.

 

Showtimes:

  • Wednesday June 29th, 07:30 pm
  • Thursday June 30th, 07:30 pm
  • Friday July 1st, 07:30 pm
  • Saturday July 2nd, 07:30 pm
  • Sunday July 3rd, 07:30 pm
  • Monday July 4th, 07:30 pm
  • Tuesday July 5th, 07:30 pm
  • Wednesday July 6th, 07:30 pm
  • Thursday July 7th, 07:30 pm
  • Friday July 8th, 07:30 pm
  • Saturday July 9th, 07:30 pm
  • Sunday July 10th, 07:30 pm

Venue: The Round (152 Augusta Ave.)

Details:

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo: Luke Pieroni and Joel Edmiston. Photographer Andrew Pieroni.

Scenes From Plays I Never Wrote – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

Scenes from Plays I Never Wrote embraces this do-it-yourself approach to creation as it poses the question, “What’s stopping you from pursuing your passion?””sfpinw_image_2_ayesha_mansur_brittney_filek-gibsonFrom press release:

Coming to the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival, Scenes from Plays I Never Wrote is a new work by Toronto-based teacher, actor, director and playwright Greta Papageorgiu. This production, in collaboration with actor and producer Brittney A. Filek-Gibson and Full Circle Theatre Company, was born out of a desire to more clearly define the concept of “creating your own work” and to address some of the challenges and deficiencies in women’s roles on stage.  “I was tired of hearing people complain about the lack of good roles for women, so I decided to write them,” explains Papageorgiu. “What I love about Greta’s story,” adds Filek-Gibson, “is that, while it was a deliberate decision to put women at the fore, the characters and conflicts are relatable regardless of gender. It’s a play about people—and, in this case, those people just happen to be women.”

Bolstered by an almost entirely female cast and creative team, Scenes from Plays I Never Wrote embraces this do-it-yourself approach to creation as it poses the question, “What’s stopping you from pursuing your passion?” Confronted with this question and unable to finish a script, playwright Katherine grapples with the voice in her head that’s controlling her life. In a race against the clock, Katherine works her way through the detritus of her half-finished plays in search of resolution. A comedy about what drives us forward, what holds us back, and how to achieve your dreams!

Show times:

June 30th at 8:15 PM
July 3rd at 1:45 PM
July 4th at 7:00 PM
July 6th at 9:15 PM
July 7th at 12:00 PM
July 8th at 4:00 PM
July 9th at 11:00 PM

Venue:  Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace

Details:

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo credit: Mike Last Photo (www.mikelastphoto.com)
Actors: Ayesha Mansur, Brittney A. Filek-Gibson

(in)decision – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

“When a woman is asked a life-altering question hundreds of frantic thoughts go through her head, and she will need all the advice she can get to make up her mind.”

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From press release:

Decisions are hard, and the clock is ticking. When a woman is asked a life-altering question hundreds of frantic thoughts go through her head, and she will need all the advice she can get to make up her mind. (in)decision is a fun and quirky one-woman show you will not want to miss at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival. Created by Tamlynn Bryson and Kyle Kimmerly, two acting graduates from the University of Windsor, (in)decision had its Fringe debut at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe Festival where Bryson brought home the Emerging Artist Award for her performance. It also appeared in the 2016 Windsor-Walkerville Fringe Festival in May, where Tamlynn Bryson won the Spirit of Fringe award.

(in)decision is set in the mind of Tess, and begins just after she has received a marriage proposal. Caught between whether to say yes or no, Tess holds an impromptu meeting inside her head in the 10 seconds before she answers her boyfriend. She frantically explores any decision-making device she has at hand, runs through every possible scenario that could ensue, and opens the door for the audience members to have their unique opinions heard about the life-changing decision she is about to make.

(in)decision has been praised by reviewers and peers alike for its clever writing, sense of humour, and outstanding performance. “Majestic comic timing” (Allan Mackey, Onstage Ottawa), “Not a show to be missed” (Arielle Follett, Apartment 613), “Rides the cliff of audience interaction to poignant and hilarious heights” (Wes Babcock, New Ottawa Critics), “Shameless humour and surprising poignancy” (Hani Yassine, The Lance).

Showtimes:

June 29th at 6:30 PM
July 2nd at 12:00 PM
July 3rd at 5:15 PM
July 5th at 10:15 PM
July 6th at 7:30 PM
July 8th at 9:15 PM
July 10th at 12:00 PM

Venue: Randolph Theatre

Details:

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Featured in photo: Tamlynn Bryson. Photography: Alice Lundy. Design: Ariana Sauder.