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2009/2010 CURTAINS UP! Toronto Live Theatre Superguide
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Toronto Live
Theatre Schedule


TORONTO LIVE THEATRE 2010 SUPPLEMENT...

No matter what the state of the economy dictates, history has shown that at times like these, many try to escape the news of gloom and doom by transferring their energy and thoughts into something more positive and entertaining. Live theatre is a great getaway and a sure alternative to taking in a movie. The difference is that you have actors who are taking you on a journey in real time - live and in person. 

In this new issue of our on-line magazine CURTAINS UP, we have compiled and condensed a listing of live theatre productions including dinner theatre, dance, comedy, drama, theatre for kids and family, opera, theatre festivals and of course musicals. You will find that many of these productions are very affordable. Some are (PWYC) Pay What You Can, while other blockbusters such as We Will Rock you or Dirty Dancing can be had for about $30. There is definitely no shortage of productions as you can see in this issue.


TORONTO THEATRE SUPERGUIDE...

Hot entertainment newsHOToronto is proud to provide the following list of live productions currently staged at theatres throughout Toronto and surrounding areas. This HOToronto Guide to theatre is a comprehensive list of current and upcoming productions scheduled in Toronto. For dates and show times please call the theatre box office direct. See list of theatres.


COMEDY
February 23 - April 4
COMMUNION

Tarragon Theatre - Main Stage

Lida has a secret. When her psychotherapist does the unthinkable and offers concrete advice, Lida acts on it - before it's too late. Three women reveal their hidden strengths, in this surprisingly funny play about motherhood, love, God, and the meaning of life.

March 11 - 20
THE CLANDESTINE MARRIAGE

Theatre Erindale, Mississauga

Fanny is not only secretly married but pregnant. Yet when her nouveau-riche father plans to buy his daughters a title by marrying them off to the nobility, she turns out to be the only one they want!

March 17 - April 4
BREAKFAST

Buddies In Bad Times Theatre

Meet Marnie, a woman trying out a self-help program in an attempt to "move ahead" in her life. The audience is invited to her kitchen, as voyeurs to Marnie's morning rituals.

April 2-3
SOUVENIRS

Rose Theatre, Brampton

This recent Broadway hit is a laugh-out-loud love letter to cult favourite Florence Foster Jenkins, a widowed society matron who followed her dreams all the way to Carnegie Hall in 1944. Her out-of-tune, but passionately sung renditions of classical repertoire were legendary, earning her both sold-out recitals and the title “the worst singer who ever lived." Lovingly told through the memories of her accompanist this charming comedy is filled with music and is a true delight!


April 13 - 24
CLÉRAMBARD

Young Centre for the
Performing Arts

To save his honor and his chateau, the impoverished Comte de Clérambard condemns his family to slave labor at the knitting machine. Then, one day, a miracle by St. Francis of Assisi transforms him from a proud eccentric into a humble one who loves his "sister spider" at least as much as his wife. Clérambard soon sells his castle and embarks with his family and friends in a wagon on a beggarly good-will tour. A delightful comedy, sure to entertain, with an array of charming and colourful characters.

April 21 - 24
HAVING HOPE AT HOME

Markham Little Theatre

Pit the head of obstetrics and gynecology at a city hospital against his pregnant, back-to- the-land daughter who is determined to have her child at home, and the comic possibilities run rampant.

April 30 - May 22
KEY FOR TWO

Village Playhouse - Studio Theatre

Harriet may be exacting payment from two lovers in order to make ends meet...but if two men should ever meet...! A clever comedy by two authors who have written or co-written such popular British farces as Move Over Mrs. Markham and Not Now Darling.

May 3 - 29
FRANKENSTEIN

Bluma Appel

The cautionary tale about the consequences of interfering with nature and the universal search for love and acceptance revolves around Dr. Frankenstein (Andrew Kushnir) and his lonely creature (George Szilagyi) who becomes increasingly hostile towards the man who made and abandoned him, and the society that repels him. A startling storybook come to life, this multi-award-winning spectacle features the original cast of eight actors in over 40 roles and integrates poetic text, witty song, stylized movement and fantastical costumes and sets made entirely of paper. It is a quirky, beautiful and often ghoulishly humorous take on a timeless story.

May 6 - June 6
FEATURING LORETTA

Factory Theatre

A wild comedy about a woman and two fiercely competing young men.
May 13 - 15
WE'RE FUNNY THAT WAY

Buddies In Bad Times Theatre

We're Funny That Way showcases the most unique comedic talent from Canada and the U.S.

May 26 - June 12
FUNNY GIRL

Fairview Library Theatre

This is the funny and touching backstage life story of legendary singer and comedienne Fanny Brice and her rise to fame and fortune. It was also the show that catapulted an unknown named Barbra Streisand to superstardom literally overnight!

May 27 - June 12
BEYOND THERAPY

Papermill Theatre

Bruce and Prudence don't know each other, but they're both deeply into therapy. Prudence's macho male therapist is urging her to be more assertive while Bruce's wacky female therapist wants him to meet women by placing a personal ad. The two horrifying "healers" pursue their own needs at the expense of the most mismatched couple ever to meet through a personal ad. Filled with offbeat laugh lines, wry observations on the contemporary urban psyche and situations that range from farcical to absurd.

June 11 - 26
CLIFFHANGER

The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill

When an ethics professor is turned down for the promotion he deserves by a vengeful rival, he commits an unthinkable act in a moment of emotion. Now facing a moral dilemma of his own, he and his wife try to cover their tracks in the face of a police investigation, a blackmailing student, and his own principles in this exciting comicthriller.

June 24 - July 24
JITTERS

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Jitters is a very special and deeply funny inside look. In one of the greatest of all"back-stage" comedies, French takes inspiration from the nerves and screw-ups of his own harrowing opening nights.

July 6 - August 7
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

In this richly textured, love-filled comedy, the magic of a summer holiday turns several hearts upside-down.

July 8 - 24
WHO'S UNDER WHERE?

Scarborough Village Theatre

Jane and Sybil are on the verge of the deal of their lives. They've rented a hotel suite for a very private showing of their "Passion Fashion Wear" lingerie. Combine suspicious spouses, stolen underwear, and mistaken identities with five million dollars, a scantily clad model, and a lecherous security guard and you have the recipe for a giddy farce in the classic tradition.

July 16 - 31
I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES

The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill

In this comedy, a blocked screenwriter is surprised when the daughter he left behind years ago, shows up on his doorstep, ready and eager to start her career in Hollywood.

August 19 - September 18
WHAT THE BUTLER SAW

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

With his trademark blend of wit and irreverence, Joe Orton blends sexual indiscretion and bureaucratic incompetence to create a seditious farcical romp.
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DANCE
February 9 – March 21
HUSH
Tarragon Theatre – Extra Space

Twelve-year old Lily wakes up screaming, again. As her nightmares consume her, her father Harlem embarks on a quest to a nocturnal world where dreams and reality, the present and the past collide. A thrilling mystery takes us to the very core of our consciousness to discover who we are.


February 13 –March 15
FUTURE FOLK
Theatre Passe Muraille, Main Stage

Future Folk uses the vocabulary of Filipino folk arts to tell the story of Filipina nannies in Toronto whose labour under Canada's notorious Live-In Caregiver Program is the subject of this powerful multi-disciplinary work.


March 11 - 21
SWAN LAKE

Four Seasons Centre

First performed in Moscow in 1877, Swan Lake has ever since been an indispensable part of the classical ballet repertoire. Its mythical appeal, Tchaikovskys glorious music and the intricate yet fervent elaborations of its choreography combine to make it one of the monuments of European tragic art.

March 15 - April 11
FIVE

Artscape Wychwood Barns

Performed by two dancers to a live musical score, FIVE takes young people on a delightful journey through the five senses in a story told entirely through dance.

March 24 - 27
ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

Fleck Dance Theatre

On the Side of the Road centres around a young novelist, who returns home to his family cottage with his Parisian girlfriend to confront his past and the deep and dangerous depths of identity.

March 24 – April 1
OEIDPUS REX

Lower Ossington Theatre

These words, inscribed above the oracle at Delphi and reiterated in Polonius' famous speech to his children in Hamlet, is at the core of what we do - help students better know themselves through the classics. This idea has informed our theme for our 2009-2010 season. What better way to kick off the season than with Sophocles' tragic masterpiece, Oedipus Rex?


March 26 - 27
OLD MEN DANCING: WISER AND STILL GORGEOUS (DO NOT RESUSCITATE)

Enwave Theatre

Renowned choreographer Bill James brings together 16 men aged 50-75 without formal dance training who share an interest in creating movement-based performance. Weathering was created specifically for the group and takes inspiration from weather forces that surround us at the same time as we interpret the climate of our bodies and the mutability of our lives.

April 1- 10
ENCHANTED APRI

L Clarke Hall, Mississauga

Lottie and Rose, two married woman living, in 1920's London, share the misery of empty relationships and decide to rent an Italian Castle for the spring to get away.


April 7 - 10
RELAY

Enwave Theatre

Featuring seven dancers and two musicians, relay crosses disciplines and continents to make a performance that asks important questions about the politics and possibility of togetherness. Borrowing from memories of dances past, relay re-imagines unison, asking how we maintain our original selves while working together.

April 14 – May 23
IF WE WERE BIRDS
Tarragon Theatre, Main Stage

A vivid re-imagining of Ovid's myth. Procne, daughter of the King of Athens, marries the triumphant war hero Tereus and returns with him to Thrace, leaving her beloved sister Philomela behind. Procne begs her husband to reunite the sisters. Desire triumphs over reason igniting a chain of shattering events.


April 15 – 24
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS

Fairview Library Theatre

It's Hollywood, 1939 and the cameras are already rolling on producer David O. Selznick's epic GONE WITH THE WIND. The whole country is waiting to see the film based on the hit bestseller... but there's no script... and he's just fired the director! Desperate, Selznick literally locks the new director Victor Fleming, fresh off THE WIZARD OF OZ, and Ben Hecht, writer of THE FRONT PAGE and NOTHING SACRED, in his office for three days... feeding them only peanuts and bananas. Hecht has never even read the 1,000-page book, so, Selznick has to act it out with them. They hammer away at the script and at each other in what has been described as a ‘rip-roaring farce. Frankly my dear, you will give a damn even if you have never seen the movie or read the book... Ben Hecht hadn't. If you love screwball comedies or the movies of the 1930's and 40's; this play is for you!


April 15 - 17
SANKOFA

Fleck Dance Theatre

For its 20th Anniversary, Ballet Creole presents Sankofa, a retrospective celebration in dance and music that draws inspiration from the past while shaping the present. Intimate, poly-rhythmic and gravity defying, Sankofa sparks emotion, solidifying a new direction while revealing the company's choreographic eclecticism from traditional to contemporary dance.

May 4 - 8
GISELLE

Fleck Dance Theatre

In the small town of Ballyfeeny, where the clouds hangs low and people keep their secrets for good reasons, a lonely Giselle McCreedy cares for her abusive brother. But the town's inhabitants are quick to exchange gloom for glamour when the line-dancing Bratislavan Albrecht arrives in town, and for the first time Giselle dares to dream of escape. This radical reinterpretation of the romantic ballet is a moving two-step between the forces of laughter and disaster, blending speech, song, stunning imagery and superb choreography in an uncompromising production on the very edges of theatre and dance.

June 4 - 13
WEST SIDE STORY

Four Seasons Centre

West Side Story Suite is presented with World Premiere by Jorma Elo and Opus 19/The Dreamer in a mixed programme. Jerome Robbins' West Side Story Suite represents his multifaceted choreographic character in a fun and touching piece of pure Americana.

June 19 - 25
ONEGIN

Four Seasons Centre

Based on Alexander Pushkin's verse-novel Eugene Onegin, choreographer John Cranko puts his textual adaptation skills to the test in transforming literary works into dance. Pushkin's story of his Byronic hero, Eugene, and his love for Tatiana, examines layers of passion, honour and regret. Tchaikovsky's music provides the perfect musical context for the ballet.
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DRAMA
March 8 - April 3
THE OVERWHELMING

Berkley Street Theatre

The Overwhelming is a riveting examination of the mounting tensions in 1994 Rwanda and a war that cannot be comprehended or controlled. American academic Jack Exley travels to Rwanda to interview his old friend Joseph Gasana about struggling for good against daunting odds. But when Jack arrives in Kigali, he is unable to find the Tutsi doctor - or anyone who will even admit to having known him. Befriended by both locals and diplomats with veiled motives, Jack and his family become enmeshed in the tension, terror, professional risks and personal betrayals that they ultimately realize mark the start of a genocidal war.


March 11 – 27
RAINMAKER

Scarborough Village Theatre

Set in a rural western town during the Depression, the play tells the story of the pivotal hot summer day in the life of spinster Lizzie Curry. The arrival of a charming trickster named Starbuck, bringing promises of rain in exchange for $100, sets off a series of events, which enable Lizzie to see herself anew.


March 11 - 27
WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?

Fairview Library Theatre

Husband college faculty member George, and president's daughter Martha have learned to survive within the world and within their relationship. A young faculty couple arrive as guests. They have yet to come to terms with their existence, but in one evening George and Martha teach them all they know.


March 12 - April 3
PRICE

Village Playhouse

When estranged brothers meet to sell off their late parents' chattels, choices made long ago are re-examined. Old furniture, they discover, is more easily disposed of than the past.


March 15 - April 10
Art
Bluma Appel

The play revolves around the purchase of a very expensive, white-on-white painting which pushes the boundaries of art and ignites a passionate debate among three friends. Gruff battleaxe Marc, highly-strung appeaser Yvan and burgeoning art aficionado Serge come to a head over artistic merit, modernism and the value of friendship, testing the men's relationship and ultimately offering reconciliation.


March 17 - April 4
BREAKFAST

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Meet Marnie, a woman trying out a self-help program in an attempt to "move ahead" in her life. The audience is invited to her kitchen, as voyeurs to Marnie's morning rituals. Marnie anchors this surreal and chilling encounter with one woman's psyche, which takes an unflinching look at loneliness, self-delusion and our cultural obsession with self-help and personal transformation.

March 18 - 27
BIRNAM WOODS

Theatre Passe Muraille

Birnam Woods is the story of an ancient forest that has been devastated by time and man. In this forest, there is no sleep or rest, no sign of life. One cold night six disembodied Tree spirits seek sleep and home. They are greeted only by their dreams and nightmares. They dream what they have witnessed in the hundreds of years of their lives ~ the story of a great hero, the love of his life and how he fell from grace and took the whole world (including their forest) with him. Through the course of their night, through acts of story telling, dreaming and remembrance, the forest regenerates itself. In a world where Nature has been destroyed, there is renewal ~ there is spring.

March 24 – April 1
OEIDPUS REX

Lower Ossington Theatre

These words, inscribed above the oracle at Delphi and reiterated in Polonius' famous speech to his children in Hamlet, is at the core of what we do - help students better know themselves through the classics. This idea has informed our theme for our 2009-2010 season. What better way to kick off the season than with Sophocles' tragic masterpiece, Oedipus Rex?


April 1- 10
ENCHANTED APRI

L Clarke Hall, Mississauga

Lottie and Rose, two married woman living, in 1920's London, share the misery of empty relationships and decide to rent an Italian Castle for the spring to get away.


April 7 - April 18
WHERE THE BLOOD MIXES

Factory Theatre

Suddenly reunited with a daughter he has not seen in over two decades, a survivor of the residential school system is forced to confront the pain of the past.


April 8 - 21
CASTING FOR MURDER

Scarborough Village Theatre

Angela Benson inherited a fortune when her Aunt Maud was murdered, but the killer was never found. A young journalist uncovers some startling new evidence about the three-year-old murder, and John and Angela find themselves embroiled in a sinister play when the cast assembles at their island home. This is the Toronto debut of a play from an exciting new Agatha Christie style playwright.

April 12 - May 8
This Is What Happens Next
Berkeley Street Theatre

This is What Happens Next is a journey deep into the heart of the Kingdom of Kevin with an astrologer, a lawyer, an absent father, the embodiment of our own Will and Me which takes us through the dark forest of addiction, divorce, Arthur Schopenhauer, The Little Mermaid and the life of John Denver. A scary fairytale with a happy ending, this explosion of character and storytelling tries to make sense of life in the modern world.


April 14 – May 23
IF WE WERE BIRDS
Tarragon Theatre, Main Stage

A vivid re-imagining of Ovid's myth. Procne, daughter of the King of Athens, marries the triumphant war hero Tereus and returns with him to Thrace, leaving her beloved sister Philomela behind. Procne begs her husband to reunite the sisters. Desire triumphs over reason igniting a chain of shattering events.


April 14 - 25
RECONCILIATION

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Reconciliation is the story of two brothers: Blake is a country boy who lives on a farm and Jared is a city boy who teaches linguistics. One crazy night out by the screen door they get roaring drunk and wrestle -- not only with each other -- but with the issues that divide them: sex, love and broken dreams. When country meets city (and sex is involved) it takes the Ghost of Dad to straighten it all out.


April 15 – 24
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS

Fairview Library Theatre

It's Hollywood, 1939 and the cameras are already rolling on producer David O. Selznick's epic GONE WITH THE WIND. The whole country is waiting to see the film based on the hit bestseller... but there's no script... and he's just fired the director! Desperate, Selznick literally locks the new director Victor Fleming, fresh off THE WIZARD OF OZ, and Ben Hecht, writer of THE FRONT PAGE and NOTHING SACRED, in his office for three days... feeding them only peanuts and bananas. Hecht has never even read the 1,000-page book, so, Selznick has to act it out with them. They hammer away at the script and at each other in what has been described as a ‘rip-roaring farce. Frankly my dear, you will give a damn even if you have never seen the movie or read the book... Ben Hecht hadn't. If you love screwball comedies or the movies of the 1930's and 40's; this play is for you!


April 15 - 24
THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG

Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts

Sara Goode, a successful American woman working as the British representative of a major Hong Kong bank, is about to celebrate her fifty-fourth birthday. Firmly ensconced in her lovely London home, she leads a quiet expatriate life with her daughter, Tess. For the birthday celebration, her two sisters, Dr. Gorgeous Teitelbaum, and Pfeni Rosensweig, are expected to arrive at any moment. As if this weren't causing Sara enough stress, four more male guests show up. This leads to unexpected romance, suspected partings, recriminations, reconciliations and, above all, newfound love and acceptance.


April 16 – May 1
QUEENS
Alumnae Theatre, Main Stage

As King Edward lies on his deathbed, his younger brother Richard plots to take the throne. The ‘queens' - six women of rival royal families - use lies, innuendo and rumour as they battle to ally themselves to the new monarch.


April 16 - May 1
EINSTEIN'S GIFT

The Curtain Club, Richmond Hill

Fritz Haber was a chemist who helped revolutionize agriculture; Albert Einstein was a physicist whose theories changed the way scientists understood the universe. Both men changed the world, and this play examines the role of science in the service of humanity.


April 22 - June 5
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

In a scorching examination of Reagan-era America, a group of real estate salesmen try to lie, cheat and steal their way to the top, clawing over anyone who crosses their path in this Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Bursting with ferocious and unforgettable characters, Glengarry Glen Ross cemented Mamet's legacy as a giant of the American stage.


April 29 – June 4
FAITH HEALER

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Three fascinating characters — a faith healer, his companion and his promoter — tell conflicting versions of the same story in this disturbing and humourous meditation on relationships and the truth/ lies that bind them together.


April 29 - May 9
AN UNTITLED NEW WORK

Buddies In Bad Times Theatre

Three figures - witnessed and witnessing - are bound, blurred and melded together to reveal a portrait of a dismantled family, its pigments violently peeled away and reapplied. Toronto choreographer Susanna Hood uses the canvases of Francis Bacon to forge, with her performers, a work of missed connections that evoke sensuality, brutality and loneliness. Theirs is a grotesquely beautiful and disarmingly intimate encounter.

April 29 - May 29
WAITING FOR THE PARADE

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Set in Calgary during World War II, this play reminds us that the wounded are not always at the front. Five women gather to work for the war effort while men they love are away.


May 3 - 29
Frankenstein
Bluma Appel

This home-grown “monster hit" out of Edmonton, has taken Western Canada by storm. A highly stylized, musical adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein is about the consequences of interfering with nature and the universal search for love and acceptance. A startling storybook come to life, this original, multi-award-winning spectacle integrates poetic text, witty song, stylized movement and "phantasmagoric" costumes and sets made entirely of paper. It is a quirky, beautiful and often ghoulishly humorous take on a timeless tale.


May 5 - May 22
DEATH AND THE MAIDEN

Jane Mallett Theatre

Five years after a regime change, Paulina is waiting at the beach house for her husband, a human rights lawyer and rising star in the new democratic government. When a good Samaritan brings her husband home from the roadside, she has to figure out if she is really hearing the voice of her anonymous torturer.


May 26 - 30
9 PARTS OF DESIRE

Theatre Centre

A portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of a whole cross-section of Iraqi women: a sexy painter, a radical communist, doctors, exiles, wives and lovers. This work delves into what it means to be a woman in the age-old war zone that is Iraq. An unusually timely meditation on the ancient, the modern and the feminine in a country overshadowed by war.

June 3 - 19
AMADEUS

Scarborough Village Theatre

It is thirty years after Mozart's death and a rumour is spread throughout the whole of Vienna - Salieri poisoned Mozart. The source: Salieri himself. Feeling embittered by age and his past, Salieri addresses the audience to confess all the sins he has ever committed.

July 6 - August 7
MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Hungarian master László Marton (Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, Platonov, The Play’s the Thing, The Guardsman, The Wild Duck) returns to Soulpepper to direct one of the masterpieces of Russian literature. In this richly textured, love-filled comedy, the magic of a summer holiday turns several hearts upside-down.


August 19 - September 18
DOC

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Doc is a powerful and very personal play by one Canada's most celebrated playwrights. With generosity and forgiveness, Pollock examines the scars and redemption of a daughter's relationship with her parents and her younger self.


September 10 - 26
TWELVE ANGRY MEN

Scarborough Village Theatre

A provocative and gripping courtroom thriller set during a hot New York summer. A man is dead, and the life of another hangs in the balance. The trial seems open and shut until one member of the jury has the will to probe more deeply into the evidence and the courage to confront the ignorance and prejudice of his fellow jurors.


October 15 - November 13
A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Three generations of a black American family discover love, dignity, courage, and hope amidst the tribulations of racial intolerance.

October 16 - November 13
DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Arthur Miller's best known work is one of the undisputed masterpieces of Western theatre. Real-life couple and Soulpepper founders Joseph Ziegler and Nancy Palk play Willy and Linda Loman in this homage to those disappointed by the promise of the American Dream.


October 26 - November 23
THAT FACE

Berkley Street Theatre

Mia is at boarding school. She has access to drugs. They are Martha's. Henry has dropped out of school. He has access to alcohol. From Martha. Martha controls their lives. Martha is their mother. That Face is an explosive portrayal of an affluent family in freefall.


November 14 - December 23
STUFF HAPPENS

Royal Alexandra Theatre

Beginning with the first days of the Bush administration and following its march to war, STUFF HAPPENS is a dramatic speculation, authenticated from multiple real-life sources, on the behind-closeddoor proceedings that have shaped recent world events. David Hare blends documented public-record information and theatrical invention to create a riveting play that happens to centre on recent history.


November 26 - December 24
PARFUMERIE

Soulpepper Theatre

One of the world's most beloved stories, this play has inspired three movies (The Shop Around the Corner, The Good Old Summertime, and You've Got Mail) and one musical (She Loves Me). Two clerks in a Budapest perfume shop can't stand each other, but unknowingly exchange love letters at night as anonymous penpals in this romantic comedy.


December 1 – December 17
HAMLET
Lower Ossington Theatre

A classic tale by William Shakespeare about a hero who tries to avenge his father's death. Students will be shown in modern-production that they have more in common with Shakespeare's characters than they think.


December 3 – December 19
CURIOUS SAVAGE

Scarborough Village Theatre

This delightful warm-hearted tale, into a sanatorium in the 1950's where the greedy stepchildren of Mrs. Ethel Savage have committed her in order to bring her to her senses. There, Mrs. Savage meets a variety of social misfits who may be saner than those who live outside the walls.


December 3 - 24
CIVIL ELEGIES

Soulpepper Theatre

The 1972 Governor General's Award-winning work of poet Dennis Lee is brought to life by Soulpepper Academy graduates Mike Ross and Lorenzo Savoini, dramatized and set to music in a way that speaks to the heart of what Canada was, is and could be.

December 6 - 30
A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Soulpepper's perennial holiday classic returns with Joseph Ziegler in his triumphant performance as Ebeneezer Scrooge. Charles Dickens' timeless Christmas ghost story is perfect for the whole family!
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FOR KIDS & FAMILY
February 15 - March 21
MUNSCH MUDDLES

Solar Stage

We bring back our traditional and very popular series of Munsch stories done as one play. Enjoy Mud Puddle, Playhouse, Zoom, and Look at Me presented in skillful and comic Solar Stage fashion. Your children love to read Munsch! They'll be entranced by the play.


March 8 - April 1
MONSTER UNDER THE BED

Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People

Ben has BIG problems. His Dad is far, far away, his former best friend Vince has stolen his precious binoculars... oh, and there's a monster under his bed who wants to trade places with him. A hilarious new comedy about friendship and facing your fears.


March 9
A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD
Rose Theatre, Brampton

A hit on Broadway, A Year With Frog and Toad was nominated for 3 Tony Awards - including Best Musical. Arnold Lobel's beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in Robert and Willie Reale's musical, A Year With Frog and Toad. Developed by Mr. Lobel's daughter, Adrianne Lobel, the stage musical remains true to the spirit of the original stories as it follows two great friends, the cheerful and popular Frog and the rather grumpy Toad through four fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation in the spring, the proceed to plant gardens, swim, rake leaves and go sledding, learning life lessons along the way, including a most important one about friendship and rejoicing in the attributes that make each of us different and special.


April 3 - 25
GOLDEN GOOSE

Solar Stage

This musical adaptation of the Brothers Grimm story follows the path of the young lad who helps a stranger when no one else will and, as a reward, acquires the golden goose. On his journey with the golden goose, he enters a kingdom where marriage to the queen's daughter is achieved only by making the daughter laugh. This play will certainly make you laugh!


April 18 - 29
THRICE UPON A TIME
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People

A young boy is stranded on a mysterious island with an outlandish creature who wants his help to defeat a wicked witch. This modern-day tale reflects the courage and resilience children must have in a sometimes forbidding world.


April 18 - May 21
HANA'S SUITCASE

Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People

It is March, 2000. A child's suitcase arrives from Auschwitz at the tiny Children's Holocaust Centre in Tokyo. Painted on the side are a name, Hana Brady, a birthdate and the word, "Waisenkind" (orphan). Spurred on by the children at the Centre, the curator embarks on a relentless search from Tokyo to Prague to Toronto to uncover the story of Hana and her fate at the hands of the Nazis.


April 27
EXPLOSION: THE SHOW

Rose Theatre, Brampton

75 minutes that will leave your family with only one wish... MORE!!!!

What is BAM's formula? Side-splitting comedy and savage drumming virtuosity! The BAM characters, who look like they walked straight out of a mad cartoon, speak a unique language: BAMspeach, spoken only by them, but understood by everyone from 3 to 83-years old. From beginning to end, eXplosion electrifies the crowd with its powerful rhythms and its deliriously funny sketches. The pulsating energy of BAM is contagious: through drumbeats and laughter, get ready to be overwhelmed with fun.


May 1 - 23
LITTLE PRINCE

Solar Stage

Join the Little Prince and his friend Rose as they travel from their tiny home planet to discover the importance of friendship in this imaginative adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupry's classic tale.


May 5 - 9
THE SECRET WORLD OF OG
Enwave Theatre

This year's major production is a new opera based on Pierre Berton's beloved novel for children.


May 10 - May 20
IN THIS WORLD

Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People

Bijou and Neyssa grimly await the principal's interrogation after getting into a vicious fist-fight. As the former friends confront each other, their pre-conceptions about race, class, and, especially sex, are laid to waste.


May 13 - 22
SUESSICAL: THE MUSICAL
Lower Ossington Theatre

All of your favorite Dr. Seuss characters join in a quest to protect Whoville!


May 29 - 30
DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR ALISTAR ANT!

Solar Stage

Alistair Ant wants a friend who's like him in every way. Can a chance meeting and a touch of magic help change his mind? Join Rob and Soli and their wonderful puppet friends.


June 5 - 27
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

Solar Stage

A colourful, music-filled production with a cow that makes beautiful 'mosaic', a beanstalk, a transforming giant and, of course, a handful of magic beans that change Jack's life.


December 7 - December 19
THERE'S A MOUSE IN MY HOUSE
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre For Young People

By asserting her right to a glass of pop, a piece of cheese, and the opportunity to relate her life story, a charming young mouse succeeds at making two new friends - but can she overcome the opposition of their mother and find a new home? An audience participation play that inspires creativity and demonstrates tolerance.

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MUSICALS
March 17 - April 18
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

The Princess of Wales Theatre

The classic Mel Brooks movie is Alive. This wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Fronkensteen) as he attempts to create a monster - but not without scary and hilarious complications. The brains behind the laughter is mad genius and three-time Tony-winner Mel Brooks himself.


March 18 - 27
TITANIC THE MUSICAL
Meadowvale Theatre, Mississauga

April 1 - 10
TITANIC THE MUSICAL
Fairview Library Theatre

April 7 – 18
GREASE

Canon Theatre

After spending a hopelessly devoted summer with Sandy Dumbrowski, the new girl in town, Danny Zuko’s world is thrown upside down when Sandy appears at Rydell High on the first day of school. What follows is a rock n’ roll celebration of growin’ up, cruisin’ with friends and goin’ steady.

April 8 - 10
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT

The Rose Theatre - Brampton

The Biblical saga of Joseph and his coat of many colors comes to vibrant life in this delightful musical parable. Joseph, his father’s favorite son, is a boy blessed with prophetic dreams. When he is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt, Joseph endures a series of adventures in which his spirit and humanity are continually challenged. He is purchased by Potiphar where thwarting advances from Potiphar’s wife lands him in jail. When news of Joseph’s gift to interpret dreams reaches the Pharaoh (wryly and riotously depicted as Elvis), Joseph is well on his way to becoming second in command. Eventually his brothers, having suffered greatly, unknowingly find themselves groveling at the feet of the brother they betrayed but no longer recognize. After testing their integrity, Joseph reveals himself leading to a heartfelt reconciliation of the sons of Israel. Set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock ‘’n’’ roll, this Old Testament tale emerges both timely and timeless.

April 15 – 25
BYE BYE BIRDIE
Bathurst Theatre

Rock & Roll sensation Conrad Birdie is headed to the army, but before he goes he’s gonna give one last kiss to the president of his Sweet Apple, Ohio fan club, televised live on the Ed Sullivan Show. That is, if Albert Peterson, his manager and songwriter can get him to the studio! Birdie’s got a lot of livin’ to do before he ships out, and Albert’s got his hands full with the teenagers in town, his meddling mother, and his marriage-minded longsuffering girlfriend. This classical musical is sure to make you put on a happy face!


April 20 - TBA
ROCK OF AGES
Royal Alexandra Theatre

April 23 - May 8
THE PRODUCERS
Burnhamthorpe Auditorium

A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! The antics of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they maneuver their way fecklessly through finding a show (the gloriously offensive “Springtime For Hitler”), hiring a director, raising the money and finally going to prison for their misdeeds is a lesson in broad comic construction. At the core of the insanely funny adventure is a poignant emotional journey of two very different men who become friends.


April 27
EXPLOSION: THE SHOW
Rose Theatre, Brampton

75 minutes that will leave your family with only one wish... MORE!!!! What is BAM’s formula? Side-splitting comedy and savage drumming virtuosity! The BAM characters, who look like they walked straight out of a mad cartoon, speak a unique language: BAMspeach, spoken only by them, but understood by everyone from 3 to 83-years old. From beginning to end, eXplosion electrifies the crowd with its powerful rhythms and its deliriously funny sketches. The pulsating energy of BAM is contagious: through drumbeats and laughter, get ready to be overwhelmed with fun.


April 27 – June 7
MAMMA MIA!

Canon Theatre

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.


April 28 – May 8
RENT

Lower Ossington Theatre

May 1 – 9
SOUL OF GERSHWIN, THE MUSICAL JOURNEY OF AN AMERICAN KLEZMER
Winter Garden Theatre

The Soul of Gershwin, the musical journey of an American klezmer is an aurally illustrated examination of how a generation of Jewish-American composers was influenced by the cross- pollinating sounds of the day and is the ultimate expression of immigrant assimilation: something greater than the sum of its parts.


May 3 - 29
FRANKENSTEIN

Bluma Appel

This home-grown “monster hit” out of Edmonton, has taken Western Canada by storm. A highly stylized, musical adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, Frankenstein is about the consequences of interfering with nature and the universal search for love and acceptance. A startling storybook come to life, this original, multi-award-winning spectacle integrates poetic text, witty song, stylized movement and “phantasmagoric” costumes and sets made entirely of paper. It is a quirky, beautiful and often ghoulishly humorous take on a timeless tale.

May 6 - 22
SWEET CHARITY
Scarborough Village Theatre

May 8 - 23
LAST FIVE YEARS

Toronto Centre For Arts

An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. A fresh and contemporary musical from Tony- Award winning composer Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years chronicles a young couple’s romance in an exciting way – her story starts at the end of their relationship, his begins on the day they met.


May 18 -23
THE COLOUR PURPLE
The Rose Theatre - Brampton

A soul-stirring musical based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman who triumphs over tremendous odds to find joy in life and her true inner beauty. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, The Color Purple is a landmark theatrical event. With a joyous Grammynominated score featuring jazz, gospel and blues, The Color Purple captures the hearts of both young and old, uniting audiences in a celebration of love.


May 12 - 13
THE WEDDING SINGER
Rose Theatre, Brampton

The National Tour of Broadway's Hit Romantic Musical Comedy, The Wedding Singer is based on the 1998 Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore film that became an instant classic! With a score that pays loving homage to the pop songs of the 1980's, this romantic musical comedy takes us back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up, and a wedding singer might just be the coolest guy in the room.


July 6 – August 8
LEGALLY BLONDE

Canon Theatre

Sorority star Elle Woods doesn’t take “no” for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

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OPERA
March 24 - 26
OPERA TO GO

Fermenting Cellar, Distillery District

April 8 - 24
GIIWEDIN

Theatre Passe Muraille

Giiwedin is a new opera written in Anishnawbe Mowin, French and English. Penned by Algonquin playwright Spy Dénommé-Welch, it tells the story of a 150-year old Aboriginal woman fighting for her land.

April 24 - May 1
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

Elgin Theatre

Based on the shocking Beaumarchais play of the same name, The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart's racy tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness is a hilarious and subversive social commentary about a world on the brink of revolution.

April 24 - May 20
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

Four Seasons Centre

The Dutchman is a legendary figure, condemned to sail the seas without release. Every seven years he may come ashore for a day, and if on that day he can find a woman who will vow to love him until death, the curse will be broken. Senta is bewitched by a portrait of this mythical seaman, with whom she feels her own destiny is linked; this belief is put to the test when the mysterious and enigmatic man finally appears before her. This search for redemption through love—a theme Richard Wagner was to revisit many times—is set to some of his most gloriously romantic music.


April 27 - May 2
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

Jane Mallett Theatre

It is as nonsensical as it is profound, thrilling and shameless in its ability to whisk us away to a world both fantastic and alluring.

May 1 - 30
MARIA STUARDA

Four Seasons Centre

Queen Elizabeth I loves the Earl of Leicester but suspects he has fallen for her rival, Mary, Queen of Scots. Following the example set by Schiller's play on which the opera is based, Donizetti throws historical accuracy to the wind and orchestrates a searing confrontation between the rival Queens, ending with Elizabeth's demand for Mary's execution. In Maria Stuarda, the dark intrigue of the Tudor court is thrillingly brought to life by Gaetano Donizetti's sumptuous melodies and rousing ensembles, culminating in Mary's heartbreaking, bravura death scene.


May 6 - 22
THREEPENNY OPERA

Fairview Library Theatre

Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera is one of the best-loved pieces of musical theatre from the 20th century. Set in the seedy underbelly of Victorian London, the show brings us into a world of starving beggars, conniving hookers, and ruthless criminals and tells the wry love story of Polly Peachum and "Mack the Knife."


May 9 - May 29
IDOMENEO

Four Seasons Centre

Idomeneo, King of Crete, is sailing home following victory in the Trojan war. He is saved from a terrible death by Neptune, God of the Sea, and in exchange for his life, rashly vows to sacrifice the first person he meets on shore. In a tragic twist of fate, the victim turns out to be his only and much-beloved son, Idamante. From out of its dignified, classical framework, Idomeneo bursts to life with some of the most heartfelt, passionate music Mozart ever wrote for the human voice.

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OUT OF TOWN
TBA
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