All posts by Samantha Wu

Samantha is both a writer and a fan of the arts and has been able to find numerous ways to pair the two. Aside from being an editor here at Mooney on Theatre, she's a photojournalist for Been Here Done That, a travel, dining and tourism blog that focuses on Toronto and abroad and previously for  Lithium Magazine, which got her writing and shooting about everything from Dave Matthews Band to Fan Expo. She's passionate about music, theatre, photography, writing, and celebrating sexuality -- not necessarily in that order. She drinks tea more than coffee, prefer ciders over beers, and sings karaoke way too loudly. You can follow her on various social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Enjoy the Hostilities (Pressgang Theatre) 2018 Toronto Fringe Review

Photo of Robin Black from Enjoy the Hostilities

Do you remember Robin Black? I do. His was a name and face that was as ubiquitous to MuchMusic as Ed the Sock. With his band, he proudly proclaimed that “some of you boys and most of you girls would love me“. If being a glam punk rocker wasn’t enough, Black then immersed himself in the world of MMA cage fighting, putting his Tae Kwon Do and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills to the test before setting his goals to becoming  a commentator for the UFC. At the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival, Black along with the help of writer Graham Isador, presents Enjoy the Hostilities, an in-depth look at the life of Robin Black.

Continue reading Enjoy the Hostilities (Pressgang Theatre) 2018 Toronto Fringe Review →

Wagon Play – Toronto Fringe 2018 Press Release

Photo of Cappellacci, Emma Banigan, Alexis Gontan, Lindsey Middleton, Brandon Gillespie in Wagon Play by Owen Fawcett

From Press Release

Theatre By Committee presents the world premiere of Wagon Play by Ben Hayward. Directed by Theatre By Committee’s Ben Hayward (Best Play, Hamilton Fringe Festival ’16) and Owen Fawcett ​(Thom Pain, Omnium Gatherum, The Food Project), Wagon Play explores media culture and contemporary worship, asking the audience to consider the fabric of their plugged-in lives. Featuring a cast of Emma Banigan, Katherine Cappellacci, Brandon Gillespie, Alexis Gontan, Brendan Kinnon, Lindsey Middleton and Jonathan Walls, ​this site-specific dark comedy inducts you into The Way and shows you the light. Opening Friday July 6, ​the show runs to Sunday July 15 as part of the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival​ at Majlis Art Garden​.

Tired of easy answers and a higher power? Awaken the power within yourself and learn that you need look no higher. Amber Moon, former pop princess turned modern day guru, will take you through a whole new way to see the world and your place in it. She and The Way have rejected the old ways and are travelling the country telling people how to embrace the new. Join the movement that is about to set the world on fire.

Details

  • Wagon Play plays at the Majlis Art Garden. (163 Walnut Ave.)
  • Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Content Warnings: Audience participation; Mature language; Outdoors.
  • The Fringe Festival considers this venue to be wheelchair-accessible.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

  • Friday July 6th, 8:00 pm
  • Saturday July 7th, 8:00 pm
  • Sunday July 8th, 5:00 pm
  • Sunday July 8th, 8:00 pm
  • Friday July 13th, 8:00 pm
  • Saturday July 14th, 8:00 pm
  • Sunday July 15th, 5:00 pm
  • Sunday July 15th, 8:00 pm

Photo of Cappellacci, Emma Banigan, Alexis Gontan, Lindsey Middleton, Brandon Gillespie by Owen Fawcett

F*cking Perfect – Toronto Fringe 2018 Press Release

Photo of Jessica Bowmer, Iliana Spirakis, Adriana MoraesMendoza and Jeysa Caridad in F*cking Perfect by Jaimee Hall

From Press Release

Chocolate Kiss collective is comprised of Jeysa Caridad, Jessica Bowmer, Adriana Moraes-Mendoza and Iliana Spirakis. All recent graduates of Humber Theatre Performance they begin their foray into professional theatre with a piece entitled “F*cking Perfect.” It takes place at The Factory Theatre MainStage, in Toronto’s Fringe Festival from Saturday, July 6th – 14th. Further information on location and tickets may be found on the Toronto Fringe website. The piece aims to dismantle and explore the process that forms the female psyche through truncated narrative. It investigates themes of love, illusion, and perception of gender and personhood with an aching relevance to today’s social and political landscape. 

Details

  • Fucking Perfect plays at the Factory Theatre Mainspace. (125 Bathurst St.)
  • Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Content Warnings: Sexual content; Mature language.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible through a secondary route.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

  • Friday July 6th, 5:00 pm
  • Saturday July 7th, 9:15 pm
  • Monday July 9th, 6:45 pm
  • Tuesday July 10th, 3:00 pm
  • Wednesday July 11th, 12:00 pm
  • Friday July 13th, 11:00 pm
  • Saturday July 14th, 7:30 pm

Photo of Jessica Bowmer, Iliana Spirakis, Adriana MoraesMendoza and Jeysa Caridad by Jaimee Hall

The Truth* – Toronto Fringe 2018 Press Release

From Press Release

In this original comedy, hilarity and heartbreak ensue when four dictators fight to conquer new land. Using mime, clowning and vaudevillian humor, A Muse Zoo takes you on a wild ride!
The five members of A Muse Zoo met in a physical theatre master class in the mountains of Ashland, OR where they honed their craft. In AMZ’s first meeting, they decided that no one wants to see a clown show. In that same meeting, they all agreed to put on a clown show. The idea for The Truth* sparked. A Muse Zoo decided to get down to brass tacks and dedicated an entire summer to rehearsals, five days a week. What did they do during those long, grueling rehearsals, you ask? They wrote and wrote and rewrote, scrapped half their show and wrote it again. They found costumes, researched, made clown noses, sewed, hot glued, power tooled and built props. They previewed the show for friends, and finally, built a set that’s mobile and easy to set up and take down. They directed, acted, designed, built, sweat, bled and sacrificed their social lives (and a newborn goat) in order to produce this show.
Two of A Muse Zoo’s five members, Sarah Brizek and Mikey Hays, spent a season at Ashland’s renowned repertory theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Mike Dias spent 11 years in Los Angeles as a professional actor and was a founding member of the award winning sketch comedy group Monster Party.
THE TRUTH* is a skillfully eccentric physical comedy play that explores the absurdities of political power. Laughter, tears, and insanity ensue as we learn that the truth is not always relevant, but the experiences of the people always are.

Details

  • The Truth* plays at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. (79 St. George St.)
  • Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Content Warning: Mature language.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

  • Friday July 6th, 4:45 pm
  • Saturday July 7th, 8:45 pm
  • Monday July 9th, 6:15 pm
  • Tuesday July 10th, 7:45 pm
  • Thursday July 12th, 12:00 pm
  • Saturday July 14th, 11:00 pm
  • Sunday July 15th, 1:45 pm

Photo of Alice Glass, Sarah Brizek, Mikey Hays, Mike Dias, and Kenzie Bizon by Michael Bryant

Restless Spirit – Toronto Fringe 2018 Press Release

From Press Release

Do you believe in ghosts?

Nell has a secret. Ghosts have been talking to her all of her life. And after years of being ignored, they no longer want to stay quiet.

Restless Spirit is inspired by the lives of the Fox Sisters, who were born in Consecon, Ontario in the early 1800’s and are considered to be the first Mediums. They began speaking to ghosts through a series of knocks or “rappings”. By the late 1800’s, Spiritualism, the belief that the spirits of the dead exist and have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living, a phenomenon that had over eight million followers. And it all started with a knock…

Restless Spirit lets you return to a time where communicating with a departed loved one was a miraculous experience and the chance to be a part of a live séance was not to be missed.

Details

  • Restless Spirit plays at the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace. (16 Ryerson Ave.)
  • Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Content Warnings: Fog or haze effects; Audience participation.
  • This venue is wheelchair-accessible. Accessible seating is in the very front row.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

  • Friday July 6th, 4:00 pm
  • Sunday July 8th, 11:00 pm
  • Monday July 9th, 9:00 pm
  • Tuesday July 10th, 8:00 pm
  • Thursday July 12th, 5:15 pm
  • Friday July 13th, 12:00 pm
  • Sunday July 15th, 6:45 pm

Photo of Catherine Meyer and Nicole Marie McCafferty by Richard Burdett