Spend a hilarious evening in Toronto’s gritty Parkdale neighbourhood with Unit 102’s latest show, P-Dale episode 2

I saw P-Dale: Episode 2 on opening night at Unit 102 Theatre. I hadn’t seen episode 1 but I remember hearing it was funny during last year’s Fringe Festival. Anyhow, you’ll be glad to know that whether or not you’ve seen episode 1 it makes no difference to the hilarity of this play.

First of all let me tell you that the staff at the theatre are so nice and friendly that it created a very welcoming atmosphere. And the prices on beer didn’t hurt either. A $10 (or more) donation gets you three beverages, either beer or wine, and unlimited snacks. Not a bad way to spend an evening.  Continue reading Review: P-Dale Episode 2, “The Next Day is the Hardest Day of All!” (Unit 102 Actors’ Company) →

Sister Act playing at Toronto’s Ed Mirvish theatre is non-stop entertainment for all ages

I had such a blast at the opening night of Sister Act that I’m not sure exactly where to begin. The show is pure entertainment from beginning to end.

For those of you who missed the Whoopi Goldberg movie, Sister Act  from the early 1990s, the plot basically follows Deloris Van Cartier, a young aspiring singer who witnesses a murder and needs to go into hiding so the culprits don’t kill her. She finds refuge at a Catholic convent and as you can imagine hilarity ensues.  Continue reading Review: Sister Act (Mirvish) →

From Press Release

The extent of the community response to my abrupt firing from Factory Theatre on June 20th was unexpected and overwhelming.  More than 4200 people signed a petition demanding my reinstatement and the board’s resignation.   250 prominent artists stated their intentions to boycott the Factory, both as artists and as audience members.  Hundreds more have written personal letters of support.

All this has made it very difficult for me to simply move on to the next chapter of my creative life as per my original release on June 21st.  Thus, while the protest action has been a community initiative, I have remained deeply engaged in the issues and the debate.It is clear, however, that the avalanche of community response has made absolutely no impact on the direction set by Factory’s current board of nine directors.

In August, I made overtures to the board in the hopes of finding a positive and respectful way to break the impasse, to restore community confidence and to help move the theatre forward.   These too fell on deaf ears.   A month ago, bowing to public pressure following the collapse of key productions from the season, the Factory board agreed to pursue mediation to try to resolve the issues.   While mediation has taken place over the past two weeks, this attempt has been unsuccessful and has now ended.   Continue reading Announcement: Statement from Ken Gass re Factory Theatre →