Tracey Erin Smith’s “Drag Heals” sits at the intersection of theatre and television, of drag and solo monologue performance. But then, the lines in drag have always been blurred, in a good way – here, we’re just blurring them a little more.
The performances at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, a culmination of a five-week process, were shot to provide finale material for the second season of Smith’s TV show, produced by Border2Border Entertainment. The show began on a whim with documentary footage shot of her last class.
Shows that Caught Our Eye in Toronto for the Week of February 3, 2020
I had one of those weeks. You know the one where the ‘To Do’ list just seems to go on forever and the week doesn’t seem long enough? That week. And this week doesn’t look much better. BUT… no matter how hectic my week is, I know it’s important to take some time for ‘me time’. And the best place for me time? Somewhere that I can turn off my technology, and where when the house lights go down I can sink into another world. So instead of a ‘To Do’ list, let’s focus on a ‘To See’ list!
This week our editor Lin is going to tell you what has caught her eye and is on her ‘to see’ list. Check out her ‘red‘ picks in our listings below!
Café Sarajevo, by performance collective bluemouth inc., explores the concept of divided cities and the internal hatred that can lead to civil war. Playing at Progress Festival at The Theatre Centre, it follows the story of Lucy Simic and her partner Stephen O’Connell (of bluemouth), who travel to Simic’s father’s homeland of Bosnia to find out more about the ethnic conflict in the 1990s that tore the area apart.
For our purposes, the conceit is that they’re recording a podcast, and we’re helping as both audience and participants. Audience members participate as people the couple met on their journey, and play an opening “scarcity” game as Team Chomsky vs. Team Foucault. As the journey to Sarajevo takes place, we move around the space, simulating a feeling of travel. We listen to everything on Bluetooth headphones with adjustable volume; instead of binoculars or a camera, we carry around our necks 360-degree VR glasses, so that we can literally follow in Simic and O’Connell’s footsteps.
The Second City Totally Likes You is the longstanding revue troupe’s new Valentine offering, themed around love and relationships from Tinder ‘til death do us part. The sprightly touring company brings together a combination of new material and sketches previously performed in Chicago and Toronto. As a skewering of our desperation for human connection and the conflicting desires to let others in and keep them at arm’s reach, it’s often spot-on.
“Challenging and enjoyable” dance piece takes to the Toronto stage
this happened… is a contemporary dance performance by Kate Hilliard and presented by Citadel + Compagnie, currently enjoying its world premiere. The piece explores themes of grief and human connection through a variety of disciplines including movement, visual art, spoken word, and video. The evening started slowly, and I have to admit I was skeptical at first. I needn’t have worried. this happened…turned out to be inventive and engaging. Continue reading Review: this happened… (Kate Hilliard/Citadel + Compagnie)→
“Challenging and enjoyable” dance piece takes to the Toronto stage