One of the most exciting things about theatre is its power to inspire more than one interpretation of the same story. The shows in this week’s Cheap Theatre list all investigate the idea of reinterpretation. Some play with the traditional genders of characters (and performers) in Shakespearean plays. Others tell the tales of characters reconsidering their lives by taking a walk in another’s shoes. But all of them cost less than $20 a ticket! Nothing deep to interpret there – just Cheap Theatre! See our suggested shows below:
Review: Cineastas (Luminato)
Real life and storytelling play out side by side in Cineastas playing as part of Toronto’s Luminato Festival
Art imitates life. It’s the most fundamental principle of creating art — create what you know. It’s seen throughout every art form out there — from still life to motion picture, from writing to dance. In Cineastas, presented at the Luninato Festival, we see just that. Argentinian theatre director and author Mariano Pensotti presents a living, breathing slice of life, the results of numerous interviews with filmmakers in Buenos Aires detailing the bonds between their private lives and the stories they create for the screen.
Pensotti followed the filmmakers from their days on set to their personal lives at home, candidly capturing their interactions to create Cineastas. What you see on stage is a meticulously designed split-level stage that both seamlessly and jarringly blend the intimacy of the personal day-to-day with the written and imagined world of created art.
Play Listings for the Week of June 9th
There’s a lot of great theatre going on in Toronto for the week of June 9th, 2014. ** Shows marked with the double asterisks and in red are the ones that make Mike, our Editor, wish there were more hours in a day so he could check all of them out.
Review: Green Porno (Luminato)
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.
Review: Queer Bathroom Stories (Libido Productions)
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.
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