All posts by Lin Young

Lin Young is a PhD candidate in the English Department at Queen’s University by day, an insatiable theatre-goer by night. She truly loves seeing innovative indie theatre, the strange sort of hole-in-the-wall shows that big companies would never take a risk on. She’s seen plays in basements, gardens, bars, and in old dilapidated houses, to name a few. She’s always on the lookout for the next theatrical experiment in the city, and loves seeing shows that have some quality of fantasy, historicity, or strangeness to them – especially if they involve puppets! She tweets about theatre, comics and the 19th century at @linkeepsitreal.

The Woolgatherer – 2015 Toronto Fringe Press Release

“Having “skeletons in the closet” has never been sexier!“

the_woolgatherer_poster_-_kayla_whelan_jonathan_shatzky

Excerpt from press release:

Boy meets girl.  Add a run-down apartment, a barrage of quirks, and several unsolved mysteries…and things are bound to spiral out of control!

The Woolgatherer is KD’s inaugural production, and is also the first script written by famed American playwright William Mastrosimone.  The artists at KD believe in the power of Mastrosimone’s words.  They have been known to repeat the mantra, “if it ain’t on the page, it ain’t on the stage”, which, roughly translated, means that they are thrilled to be tackling such a strong text.

Directed by Yehuda Fisher, the show features Kayla Whelan and Jonathan Shatzky.  Fisher is the Artistic Producer of Panfish Productions, a company dedicated to the development of new Canadian work.  He has helmed four pieces in the InspiraTO Festival over the last two years.  Whelan co-produced and performed to critical acclaim in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal at the 2012 Hamilton Fringe Festival.  She has filmed commercials for Much Music andThe Comedy Network, and saw a UFO on Close Encounters.  Shatzky has appeared on Flashpoint, Lost Girl, and in the film Francine, starring Oscar-winner Melissa Leo.

Showtimes:

July 1st @ 6:30 p.m.
July 3rd @ 1:15 p.m.
July 5th @ 4:00 p.m.
July 8th @ 9:15 p.m.
July 9th @ 11:00 p.m.
July 11th @ 7:30 p.m.
July 12th @ 12:00 p.m.

Venue: The Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst St.

Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (481 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.

The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.

Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo provided by Dahlia Katz.

Cootie Catcher – Toronto Fringe 2015 Press Release

“One-man show that balances the pros and cons of promiscuity and the paranoia around sexually transmitted diseases”

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Excerpt from press release:

Lucas Brooks will present Cootie Catcher,​ a one-man show that balances the pros and cons of promiscuity and the paranoia around sexually transmitted diseases.

In this hilarious and borderline-terrifying reflection, Lucas looks back on his many close encounters of the sexually transmissible kind. Through his naked (yet carefully wrapped) adventures, he struggles with his ability to remain sex-positive in an HIV-negative society.

 

Showtimes:

Friday, July 3, 2015 – 6:30pm
Saturday, July 4, 2015 – 10:30pm
Monday, July 6, 2015 – 4:45pm
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 – 3:00pm
Wednesday, July 8, 2015 – 7:30pm
Friday, July 10, 2015 – 4:00pm
Saturday, July 11, 2015 – 4:00pm

Venue: The Factory Theatre Studio

Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (481 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.

The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.

Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo provided by the company.

Kojira – Toronto Fringe 2015 Press Release

Mixed program of three dance works, Kojira “sever[s] the past to create fodder for the saplings of change”

60x60 2010 Crimson Mix The Music Gallery 167 John St. Toronto, ON Saturday, November 20, 2010 40) for Walter Moers Choreographer: random acts of dance random acts of dance takes Toronto by surprise with contemporary-modern dance in the theatre, on the street, and on the subway. Check it out at www.randomactsofdance.com Composer: Edward Ruchalski Edward Ruchalski has been commissioned by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Helen Boatwright, the Lavender Trio and Syracuse's Society for New Music; and has had performances by the Buffalo Guitar Quartet, Robert Black and the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings. His compositions have been performed at Lincoln Center, Mass MOCA, Miller Theatre, the Everson Museum and at the Festival of Miami. Ruchalski has also been the recipient of two Artist Grants from Syracuse's Cultural Resources Council for his compositions using motorized string and percussion sculptures of his own design. To date, he has eight studio recordings available on Pseudoarcana, Afe, Humbug, Taalem & Foxy Digitalis. His latest release, WaterTrain, is available on Humbug. Ruchalski received his B.F.A. in Music Composition at SUNY Fredonia and his Masters in Music at the University of Miami, Florida. He lives in Syracuse, New York, where he teaches guitar privately and at Le Moyne College. This studio work, for altered music boxes and a field recording of sparrows, is dedicated to the writer, Walter Moers.

Excerpt from press release:

Kojira is severing the past to create fodder for the saplings of change. This mixed program includes three dance works. The opening scene brings us deep into the forest where woodland nymphs reflect on the deep roots of the past and climb to the future with Patterns in the Ivy. From there we move into Tempered: a woman boxed in by her limitations, retreats into her mind to find freedom and instigate change. The final piece, Kite Walk, is a journey to leave behind what is known and find something new.

random acts of dance began as a site specific dance company. We found our audience from performing in organized events, like street festivals, to ambushing Toronto’s subways and parks with improvisation. Although our current show, Kojira, and several of our past works have been created for the stage we frequently return to improvisation, both in the creative process and structured into our choreography.

random acts of dance in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents Kojira.

Showtimes:

Friday July 3 @ 5:45pm
Saturday July 4 @ 5:15pm
Tuesday July 7 @ 9:00pm
Wednesday July 8 @ 12:00pm
Thursday July 9 @ 11:00pm
Saturday July 11 @ 5:45pm
Sunday July 12 @ 5:15pm

Venue: Randolph Theatre – 736 Bathurst St.

Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (481 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.

The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.

Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo by of dancer Julie Grant by Marvin Kwan

HAPPY – What You Need To Be – Toronto Fringe 2015 Press Release

“A vaudeville show like no other and it’s being presented this summer at the Toronto Fringe Festival!”

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Excerpt from press release:

It will bring you back to a simpler time when there were no fancy gadgets or special effects; a time when all that was needed were entertainers with talent and passion and an audience that was willing to have a good time.

HAPPY is an assortment of comedic and musical sketches culminating in an evening of light entertainment!

Jessica and Daniel form Torch In Sky Productions, an adorable husband and wife duo from Montreal and they are the genuine article. Daniel’s proposal to Jessica was the big finale on their opening night back in 2013 and they’ve been touring the show ever since. Their mutual love of vaudeville and each other is what makes this show so special.

As hilarious as they are heartwarming, the show’s enthusiastic renditions of classic sketches and contemporary originals recreate that magical vaudevillian era. At the heart of HAPPY however is the oldest story ever told. Boy meets girl; boy wins girl; boy weds girl, and they live happily ever after. Together Daniel and Jessica are living their lifelong dream of gathering people in a room to smile, to laugh and to have a good time. It’s what makes them happy, and it’s guaranteed to make you happy too!

Showtimes:
Thurs July 2 – 10:00pm
Fri July 3 – 3:30pm
Sun July 5 – 1:45pm
Tues July 7 – 2:45pm
Thurs July 9 – 9:15 pm
Fri July 10 – 9:45pm
Sat July 11 – 7:00pm

 

Venue: St. Vladimir’s Theatre (620 Spadina ave.)

Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (481 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.

The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.

Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo by Daniel Torchinsky.

The Man Who Loved Beer – Toronto Fringe 2015 Press Release

“Part spoken word performance, part drunken monologue – ‘The Man Who Loved Beer’ dissects a life experienced through the haze of casual alcoholism”

Kevin P. Gilday

Excerpt from press release:

Scotland’s spoken word sensation, Kevin P. Gilday, comes to Toronto with an hour of poetic mischief and contemporary storytelling. Part spoken word performance, part drunken monologue – ‘The Man Who Loved Beer’ dissects a life experienced through the haze of casual alcoholism with all the riotous nights out, sexual misadventures and profuse vomiting that entails.

An Edinburgh Fringe veteran and UK festival regular Kevin took an unusual route to creating his new show by eschewing the usual literary tropes of modern writing and instead creating the entire show in his local pub. The unique work space soon contributed to the individual tone of the show – like a pub in Kevin’s native Glasgow the show is full of both humour and sadness, of charm and strife.

 

Showtimes:

July 03 at 10:00 PM
July 05 at 08:00 PM
July 07 at 10:15 PM
July 08 at 06:30 PM
July 09 at 02:45 PM
July 10 at 07:00 PM
July 11 at 01:00 PM
July 12 at 04:00 PM

Venue: Tarragon Theatre Solo Room (30 Bridgman Ave.)

Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (481 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.

The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.

Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo of Kevin P. Gilday by Nadia Valkanova.