From Press Release

A coming-of-age comedy of first times, second chances and third wheels.

Acclaimed humourist Sam Mullins (CBC’s The Irrelevant Show, CBC’s Definitely Not the
Opera) is proud to be back at the Toronto Fringe with his new solo show Weaksauce.

It was the summer Sam turned 16… It was his first time away from home. He got his first summer job. He fell in love for the first time. He was involved in a love triangle for the first time. He lost his virginity. And then he got into a fistfight with a monkey – a literal monkey. Y’know… Regular ‘becoming a man’ type stuff.

“A very funny and touching show about the nature of love and growing up.” -PLANK
“This show has a big heart.” -Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight

From the creator of 3-time BEST OF FEST WINNER Tinfoil Dinosaur

PASSE MURAILLE BACKSPACE
Thu, July 4th 930pm
Sat, July 6th 315pm
Sun, July 7th 245pm
Mon, July 8th 730pm
Wed, July 10th 445pm
Thu, July 11th 430pm
Fri, July 12th 1030pm
Sun, July 14th 215pm

 

From Press Release

David Ives’ Saint Francis Talks to the Birds

Marks RPP’s 10^th Toronto Show, First Fringe Show and Finds Out What Life is Like If We Were Birds

Royal Porcupine Productions first Fringe outing certainly captures the spirit of what a Fringe show should be; an absurdist comedy with a drag-king performance of a famous Saint in a life or death situation chatting it up with two actors decked out as full beak-and-feather birds performed by an emerging company and written by a recent Tony nominee.

 

If it seems like RPP knows what to do at the Fringe that should come as no surprise; company co-founder and Artistic Director Adam Bailey directed last year’s Fringe hit The Enchanted Crackhouse (deemed one of the 25 shows most worth seeing in the 2012 Fringe by Mooney on Theatre) and has been a part of several avant-garde performance groups over the years. The company itself has given several international plays their Canadian premiers including Terrorism, Crazy Gary’s Mobile Disco and The Shadow of a Boy and has done some very fringy productions such as a run of No Exit at the Big Bop’s Holy Joe (Now a CB2). Core artistic members Annemieke Wade, Cameron Johnston and Tanya Rigely(formerly Tanya Lynne), each of whom have given notable performances in the past, form the back-bone of the production as St. Francis and a pair of birds with marital issues. The last time Cameron Johnston and Tanya Rigley performed with each other, it was buck naked in a dramatically charged scene of sexual dominance; Christopher Hoile noted for Eye Weekly  that, “The subtlety of their…acting almost makes one forget they are both completely nude”.  Now they will appear fully clothed thanks to costumes by Ima Barbosa (The F Word).

 

Despite being a comedy Mr. Bailey credits dealing with the death of his grandmother to his choice of material. Also no surprise as the company has a history of pairing dark material with comedic treatment. David Ives’ play deals heavily with mortality and faith all while keeping a manic, farcical energy that is bound to entertain the hardiest Fringer.

 

Make sure to catch what is sure to be a highlight of the Fringe and RPP’s funniest play to date.

 

Royal Porcupine Productions
in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents

Saint Francis Talks To the Birds

written by David Ives

directed by Adam Bailey

featuring Annemieke Wade, Cameron Johnston and Tanya Rigely
costume design by Ima Barbosa

stage managed by Rachel Liley

 

Opens  July 4^th runs to July 14th

Helen Gardiner Phelan; 79 St George St Toronto

 

Performances:

Thursday July 4th at 7pm

Saturday July 6th at Noon

Sunday July 7th at 10:45pm

Monday July 8th at 2:45pm

Wednesday July 10th at 7:30pm

Friday July 12th at 3:30pm

Sunday July 14th at 7:30pm

Please note that there is absolutely no latecomer seating.

Tickets:

At-the-door tickets: $10

At-the-door tickets are available at YOUR VENUE starting one hour prior to show time – cash sales only.

 

Advance tickets: $11

50% of tickets are available for sale in advance.

Advance tickets go on sale June 15^th, 2013.

From Press Release

Flying Radio Theatre is proud to present its debut production, One Side of an Ampersand, by Julie McCann, as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival at the Randolph Theatre, July 3^rd-14^th. Co-directed by Julie McCann and Jasmin Goode, and featuring Zoe Brownstone, Hilary McCormack, Rebecca Perry, and Chris Whidden, One Side of an Ampersand is produced by a team of current and recently graduated Ryerson Theatre School students.

With the international focus on achieving marriage rights for people lesbians and gays, it’s easy to forget that not every relationship is as easy as “meet, fall in love, get married.” Alice (Hilary McCormack) and Helen (Zoe Brownstone) are quite happy with their no-strings-attached, casual, whatever-this-is-who-needs-labels relationship, thank you very much. But when Helen offers Alice a key to her apartment, Alice revolts, and the two of them battle over whether this new stage in the relationship will keep things as they are, or make them Helen & Alice, each trapped on One Side of an Ampersand. A visit from recently engaged Daisy (Rebecca Perry) sparks a heated debate over marriage. The situation grows more complex when Helen’s former lover from university (Chris Whidden), freshly departed from his wife, comes back into the scene to try to re-kindle long lost love. Julie McCann’s new play questions the normative, hetero-approved model of happiness, and offers a fresh, funny, and warm look at a loving, non-traditional relationship.

Flying Radio Theatre is a new company devoted to developing original works that explore relationships in our changing society. By focusing on non-tradtional relationships we aspire to start conversations about the roles of love, sex, and gender in today’s world. Julie McCann’s One Side of an Ampersand is our first production.

A play with play where theatre truly gets social thanks to Mammalian Diving Reflex in Toronto

I do believe that was the most fun I have had all summer, and with strangers. For the past 2 weeks Mammalian Diving Reflex has used the Theatre Centre Pop-Up as their home base for their performance art show Socialist* Games. The show set about converting audience members into socialists*, that is the kind of person who is “inclined to seek out and enjoy the company of others”. I definitely felt much more like a socialist* after that evening. Continue reading Review: Socialist* Games (Mammalian Diving Reflex) →

Avenue Q is the adult’s Sesame Street, back at Toronto’s Lower Ossington Theatre

Watching Avenue Q at the Lower Ossington Theatre was like eating a large bowl of your favourite comfort food. In my case, it was like eating my childhood favourite, spaghetti and meatballs! It hits you in all the right places and makes you yearn for more. If there was ever a show that could physically touch you and tickle you until you couldn’t stop smiling, than Avenue Q would be that show.

I generally love musicals but I was a bit wary about watching puppets and puppeteers sing and dance for a whole evening. Having not heard the music before, I admittedly was a little curious to see what all the hype was about. Why were people raving about seeing puppets?

Continue reading Review: Avenue Q (Lower Ossington Theatre) →