All posts by Istvan Dugalin

Apart from his (pathological?) obsession with airplane disasters, Istvan is a filmmaker and film enthusiast, but began his creative adventures in theatre. Starting out as an actor, he soon discovered a preference for life behind-the-scenes. He has experience in lighting design, stage management and production management, but his passion is writing and directing. With several short films and an indie feature under his belt, film has been his focus in recent years, but theatre has been calling him back. You see more of his critical writing at his film reflection blog: http://captiveviscera.wordpress.com/

Review: A Dream Play (Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts)

Teaser 1Toronto’s Randolph Academy presents August Strindberg’s A Dream Play

The Randolph Academy’s production of August Strindberg’s A Dream Play, currently playing at the Annex Theatre, is full of sound and fury. What does it signify? Well, very little to me personally. In preparation, I read Strindberg’s original text. I was not very fond of it and was hoping that a live experience might be more resonant.  Continue reading Review: A Dream Play (Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts) →

Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Seven Siblings Theatre)

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IMG_1504Steve Martin’s absurdist play arrives on stage in Toronto, courtesy of Seven Siblings Theatre

Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein meet in a Paris bar. Sounds like the set-up for a punch line, right? Intriguingly, Seven Siblings Theatre has staged Picasso at the Lapin Agile in a fully functioning bar. Round and its Kensington Market location is an inspired venue choice: so whimsical, so bohemian! It suits the lofty intentions of Steve Martin’s absurdist comedy, as his characters wrestle with notions of science, art, sex and love. Continue reading Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Seven Siblings Theatre) →

The Cherry Orchard (The Chekhov Collective/Theatrus)

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unspecified“Handsome and entertaining” Chekhov classic takes to the Toronto stage

Two years ago, I fell madly in love with The Chekhov Collective’s production of The Seagull. It was my first experience of Chekhov and it greatly impressed me. With much anticipation, I found myself back in the Berkeley Street Theatre for their production of Anton Chekhov’s final play The Cherry Orchard. Continue reading The Cherry Orchard (The Chekhov Collective/Theatrus) →

Review: Jesus Christ Superstar (Lower Ossington Theatre)

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The LOT’s Jesus Christ Superstar, on stage in Toronto, is “energetic and visually striking”

I was introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar when I was twelve years old. During the past twenty-five years, I’ve spent countless hours with the original concept album staging fantasy productions in my head. So, yeah, I come to any performance with some intense, obsessive, fan-boy baggage.

I am pleased to report that Lower Ossington Theatre got all my favourite bits right. It had me tapping my feet, beaming like an idiot and even, at times, nursing a lump in my throat.  Continue reading Review: Jesus Christ Superstar (Lower Ossington Theatre) →

Review: Sex Tape Project (fu-GEN Theatre)

fuGEN - Sex Tape Project 4Sex Tape Project, a series of three plays in Toronto, explores intimacy and voyeurism

Voyeurism: I dig it. My favourite Hitchcock film is Rear Window. It’s no stretch to imagine myself getting in trouble for seeing something I shouldn’t have through a pair of binoculars. fu-GEN Theatre’s Sex Tape Project appeals to that part of me that yearns to see private lives unfold behind distant windows. Continue reading Review: Sex Tape Project (fu-GEN Theatre) →