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Fare Game: Life In Toronto's Taxis

Theatre Passe Muraille offers an enlightening cab driver’s eye view of the city

By Victoria Bégin • November 22, 2012

A Theatre Passe Muraille Production
Created and performed by Ruth Madoc-Jones, Marjorie Chan and Alex Williams (The Toronto Taxi Collective)

Alex Williams, Ruth Madoc-Jones and Marjorie Chan in Fare Game. Photo by Aviva Armour Ostroff.

You know how it is. You hop into a cab in a rush, often without so much as a glance at the driver. While travelling to your destination, you either lose yourself in your thoughts or stare out the window, without giving a second thought to the person behind the wheel. Who is the driver of your taxi, and what are the realities they face on a day-to-day basis in their profession? These questions are examined in Fare Game: Life in Toronto’s Taxis, a documentary-style production now on stage at Theatre Passe Muraille.

The production begins with a vibrantly performed history of Toronto’s taxi industry, using both a projector screen and appropriate sound effects to bring the story to life. The show is performed by its creators, Ruth Madoc-Jones, Marjorie Chan and Alex Williams (The Toronto Taxi Collective), a trio of exceptionally talented storytellers. Madoc-Jones explains how daunting it was to begin interviewing taxi drivers in Toronto, but it was incredibly rewarding once she started drawing stories and experiences from them. Both sides of the interviews are performed by Madoc-Jones, Chan and Williams, providing a window into the everyday lives of Toronto’s taxi drivers, a side not often seen by the thousands of people who ride in taxis on a regular basis.

Interviews make up a large part of this production, but it is also an educational experience with regards to Toronto’s taxi licensing system. The problematic Ambassador Taxi License is discussed in detail—a non-transferable license which prevents drivers from hiring help, requiring them to make payments on their own vehicle while working long hours. A video of the 2011 gathering of the iTaxi Workers Association is shown as part of Fare Game, in order to demonstrate the struggles that the drivers face and how the system makes it difficult for them to support both themselves and their families.

The most harrowing moment of the production is the firsthand report by Ambassador driver Khalil Talke of the night in 2011 when he was stabbed by a passenger, a tale that truly illustrates the hardships and dangers faced by the city’s taxi drivers. Fare Game transports the audience from the back seat of a taxi into the driver’s seat, allowing them a glimpse into a world only known by the taxi drivers themselves. Informative and thoughtful, this is a production that will change the way Torontonians view the services within their city.

Fare Game: Life in Toronto’s Taxis runs until December 8 at Theatre Passe Muraille. Visit passemuraille.on.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

Show Dates:

Thu, 2012-11-22 - Sat, 2012-12-08

Our rating: