Five for Twenty (Or Less)

This week cheap theatre gets heavy. These plays will be light on your wallet but not on your heart. We’ve got narratives of historical murder, wrongful conviction, HIV/AIDS losses, leper Saints, and asylum life. This week it’s all about walking in shoes that might be very different from your own. Inexpensive shoes – you can try out several different pairs.

The Drowning Girls by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson and Daniela Vlaskalic (Alumnae Theatre). Three women murdered by the same husband tell their stories. Opens Nov 17 and runs to Dec 1. $20, Wed 2-for-1, Sun pwyc. Studio, 70 Berkeley. 416-364-4170, alumnaetheatre.com.

Binti’s Journey by Marcia Johnson (Theatre Direct). A young African girl seeks her grandmother after losing her family to HIV/AIDS. Previews Nov 27. Opens Nov 28 and runs to Dec 9. $15-$20. Young People’s Theatre, 165 Front E. 416-862-2222, youngpeoplestheatre.ca.

Damien by Aldyth Morris (The Bench Theatre Initiative). This play tells the story of Father Damien de Veuster, the leper priest of Moloka’i. Previews Nov 21. Opens Nov 22 and runs to Dec 1. $12-$15, preview $10. Sanctuary, 25 Charles E. thebenchtheatre.com.

Echoes by N Richard Nash ((un)happy radish co-op/Sterling Studio Theatre Collective). A man and woman living in an asylum seek the line between illusion and reality. Previews Nov 20. Opens Nov 21 and runs to Dec 1. $20. Sterling Studio Theatre, north alley entrance, 163 Sterling. sterlingstudiotheatre.com.

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler (St Michael’s College Student Union/Arts Commission). The wrath of a wrongfully convicted barber has brutal consequences in this musical. Opens Nov 30 and runs to Dec 8. $20, stu/srs $12. Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-8849, uofttix.ca.