All posts by Ilana Lucas

Ilana Lucas has been a big theatre nerd since witnessing a fateful Gilbert and Sullivan production at the age of seven. She has studied theatre for most of her life, holds a BA in English and Theatre from Princeton and an MFA in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia, and is currently a professor of English and Theatre at Centennial College. She believes that theatre has a unique ability to foster connection, empathy and joy, and has a deep love of the playfulness of the written word. Her favourite theatrical experience was the nine-hour, all-day Broadway performance of The Norman Conquests, which made fast friends of an audience of strangers.

THE UNENDING (Convergence Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review

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Photo of Julie Tepperman, Andy Trithardt and Mayko Nguyen

THE UNENDING, a collection of three short site-specific plays  now running at the Toronto Fringe Festival, has a lot of buzz going for it. It’s presented by Convergence Theatre, the minds behind the smash Fringe hits The Gladstone Variations and Autoshow.

The show begins at the well-loved Aunties and Uncles diner, moving to two other “secret” locations. The playwrights are legends August Strindberg and Samuel Beckett, as well as Convergence founder Julie Tepperman. This time, it seems the buzz is justified — and not just because there’s free cake; Convergence continues its reign of well-staged, thoughtful shows in intriguing locations.

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Preview: The WeeFestival (Theatre Direct)

weefestival

The WeeFestival of Theatre and Culture for Early Years, on this week and long weekend, is a rare opportunity for children ages 0-5 to get up close and personal with international theatre geared just for them. The numerous performances are paired with workshops and other artistic explorations, to give our youngest a chance to get excited about the beauty and creativity the world has to offer.

The festival is inclusive and open to all; Artistic Director Lynda Hill says, “through its fundraising activities and funding from the Arts Department of the TDSB, The Festival offers free tickets to children in daycares and kindergartens or through community programs to individuals who would not otherwise have the means to attend.” We asked Hill and Associate Producer Mariel Marshall a few questions about what kids, their parents, and their loved ones can expect from the festival.

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Review: A Reason To Talk (Why Not Theatre)

Photo of Sachli Golamalizad in A Reason to Talk provided by the companyA Reason to Talk is documentary style theatre exploring mother-daughter bonds in Toronto

A Reason To Talk, Sachli Gholamalizad’s award-winning multimedia production currently running at The Theatre Centre, is a fascinating documentary about Gholamalizad’s rocky relationship with her mother who emigrated from Iran to Belgium with her two small children and who also waited years before her husband could join them. I use the term documentary, because when it soars, it soars, but I’m not entirely sure why it’s a theatrical production, rather than a film.

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Review: The Summoned (Tarragon)

The Summoned, Tarragon Theatre

The Summoned explores technology in modern life, on stage at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto

In The Summoned, Fabrizio Filippo’s new play premiering at the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace, “the summoned” are the major figures in the life of a recently-deceased billionaire, head of a tech company and empire, who gather at a budget hotel by an airport to hear the reading of his will.

The play, which tries to answer the question, “how far from our nature can technology take us?” shows a distinctive voice. It’s creative, entertaining, and has fascinating sci-fi implications. It also has numerous rough edges, relies too much on shock value, and strays into writerly self-indulgence, just like our online world. In short, it’s a promising idea that needs another round of beta testing.

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Review: Cowboy Mouth (Frolick)

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cowboymouthFrolick stages a compulsively watchable Cowboy Mouth as a “happening” in Toronto

I’m going to be completely honest, and perhaps depressingly square, here: though I have nothing against them, I have never taken hallucinogenic drugs. Perhaps that’s what I was missing in Frolick Theatre’s mounting of Cowboy Mouth, Sam Shepard and Patti Smith’s 1971 one-act, which bills itself as a “happening,” with all that entails. Continue reading Review: Cowboy Mouth (Frolick) →