One-Person Shows

Q&A: Maggie & Pierre

Lauren Gillett — Fri, 04 May 2018 13:22:31 +0000

Subtitle:

Kaitlyn Riordan tackles multiple iconic roles in Linda Griffiths' beloved one-woman play

Headline:

Interview

Credits:

Presented by timeshare
Written by Linda Griffiths with Paul Thompson
Directed by Rob Kempson
Starring Kaitlyn Riordan

Linda Griffiths' Maggie & Pierre captures the global fascination around Margaret and Pierre Trudeau, and the highs and lows of their explosive relationship. This month, timeshare's production directed by Rob Kempson and starring Kaitlyn Riordan, lands in Toronto at the Tarragon Theatre Workspace following an acclaimed run at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in 2017.

Here, we chat with Riordan about her experience working on this Canadian classic.

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Theatre:

Tarragon Theatre

The Big What Now?

Lauren Gillett — Tue, 31 Jan 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Sandra Shamas returns to Toronto stage with signature wit, candor and wisdom

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Presented by Everything But the Kitchens Inc.
Written and performed by Sandra Shamas

Sandra Shamas' latest show The Big What Now? marks her 30th anniversary as a solo performer, and the seventh piece in the series of her life. She first produced My Boyfriend's Back and There's Gonna Be Laundry in 1987. Two more Laundry shows followed and the Laundry trilogy was published, shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-Language Drama, and nominated for the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour.

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Show Dates:

Tue, 2017-01-31 - Sun, 2017-02-19

Theatre:

Fleck Dance Theatre

Beckett Trilogy

Lauren Gillett — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Acclaimed Irish actress Lisa Dwan captivates in hypnotic triple bill

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Presented by Canadian Stage
Written by Samuel Beckett
Directed by Walter Asmus
Performed by Lisa Dwan

Following a successful run at the Royal Court Theatre, the internationally acclaimed Beckett Trilogy: Not I/Footfalls/Rockaby, starring Lisa Dawn and directed by Beckett's long-time friend and collaborator Walter Asmus, opens Canadian Stage's 2015/2016 season this month at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

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Theatre:

Berkeley Street Theatre

Blind Date

Victoria Bégin — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 17:16:04 +0000

Subtitle:

Toronto falls for Rebecca Northan's lovable clown Mimi all over again in Tarragon Theatre remount

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Presented by Tarragon Theatre
Created and performed by Rebecca Northan

Meeting someone new for the first time can be both an exciting and anxiety-inducing experience, even for the most outgoing individual, triggering an inner dialogue of questions: Will they like me? Will I like them? How will the conversation flow, if at all?

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Show Dates:

Tue, 2015-09-08 - Sun, 2015-10-04

Theatre:

Tarragon Theatre

Q&A: Who Killed Spalding Gray?

Lauren Gillett — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Daniel MacIvor on the inspiration behind his latest solo show

Headline:

Interview

Credits:

Written and performed by Daniel MacIvor
Directed by Daniel Brooks

On the weekend of January 11, 2004, American monologist Spalding Gray ended his life by jumping off the Staten Island Ferry in New York.

This month, acclaimed Canadian playwright and Governor General Award-winner Daniel MacIvor brings Spalding's story to life in his solo show Who Killed Spalding Gray?, on stage June 20 and 21 as part of the 7 Monologues series at the Luminato Festival. In the play, MacIvor weaves a fictional connection between Gray's life and his own.

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Show Dates:

Sat, 2015-06-20 - Sun, 2015-06-21

Theatre:

Harbourfront Centre Theatre

Q&A: Heretic

Lauren Gillett — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 04:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Soup Can Theatre's Sarah Thorpe reinvents Joan of Arc in bold new solo show

Headline:

Interview

Credits:

Presented by Soup Can Theatre
Directed by Matt Bernard
Created and performed by Sarah Thorpe

This month, Soup Can Theatre presents the premiere production of Heretic, a theatrical retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. Created and performed by the company's own talented director/producer Sarah Thorpe, the play explores the life of France's famous heroine from an unconventional angle. Was Joan of Arc a holy vessel or the victim of vivid hallucinations? A headstrong warrior or a delusional young woman elevated by the hope of a nation?

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Show Dates:

Wed, 2015-04-08 - Sun, 2015-04-12

Theatre:

lemonTree {studio} Theatre

Soulpepper Studio Series

Lauren Gillett — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 01:28:53 +0000

Subtitle:

Soulpepper presents two spiritual solo shows this season

Headline:

Review

Credits:

The Gospel According to Mark
Directed by Albert Schultz
Featuring Kenneth Walsh

Subway Stations of the Cross
Written and Performed by Ins Choi

This spring, Soulpepper's Studio Series features two very different yet complementary solo shows: The Gospel According To Mark read by esteemed actor Kenneth Welsh, and Ins Choi's latest work Subway Stations of the Cross.

Images:

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Show Dates:

Wed, 2015-03-18 - Sat, 2015-04-04

Theatre:

Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Boom

Victoria Bégin — Sat, 24 Jan 2015 17:26:30 +0000

Subtitle:

Rick Miller encapsulates a generation's hopes and dreams in explosive solo show

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Written, directed and performed by Rick Miller
Presented by KDOONS and WYRD Productions

What sets the Baby Boomer generation apart from those before it? Born after World War II (specifically from 1946 to 1964), Boomers were shaped largely by the music, culture, and politics surrounding them in their formative years. In his solo production BOOM, the multi-talented writer and performer Rick Miller ties all of these elements together in a multimedia tapestry that seamlessly chronicles a period of 25 years in the lives of Boomers.

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Stars:

4.5

Show Dates:

Thu, 2015-01-15 - Sun, 2015-02-01

Theatre:

CAA Theatre (Formerly The Panasonic)

Buyer & Cellar

Jennifer Harvey — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 22:19:03 +0000

Subtitle:

Jonathan Tolins' hit comedy sells with Toronto audiences

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Presented by Mirvish Productions
Written by Jonathan Tolins
Directed by Stephen Brackett

In 2010, Viking Books published My Passion for Design by Barbara Streisand. The book is described as “a culmination and reflection of Streisand's love of American architecture and design," and features photos of her personal furniture and art collection. Streisand tells readers about the shopping mall she has built in her basement to store her stuff. Playwright Jonathan Tolins was inspired by the thought of this shopping centre in Streisand’s basement, and what it would be like to work in the mall.

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Show Dates:

Wed, 2014-11-12 - Sun, 2014-11-30

Theatre:

CAA Theatre (Formerly The Panasonic)

YARN

Lauren Gillett — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Alex Eddington unravels his soul in this offbeat solo show at SummerWorks

Headline:

SummerWorks Performance Festival

Credits:

Written composed and performed by Alex Eddington
Direction and dramaturgy by Tyler Seguin

Superstition and sheep collide in Alex Eddington's YARN, a tale of sacrifice and self discovery now playing at The Majlis Art Garden as part of the SummerWorks Performance Festival. Using an arrray of instruments and props, the charismatic Eddington tells the story of a long and lonely summer spent working in a hotel on the Scottish Isle of Mull. He hopes the craggy landscape will inspire an operatic masterpiece...if only he could silence the bleating voice in his head.

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Not Exclusive

Stars:

3.5

Show Dates:

Thu, 2014-08-07 - Sun, 2014-08-17

Q&A: In Case We Disappear

Lauren Gillett — Sun, 25 May 2014 17:21:29 +0000

Subtitle:

Vanessa Smythe on solo storytelling and staging her new work at the East End Performance Crawl

Headline:

Interview

Credits:

Created and performed by Vanessa Smythe

Everyone loves a good bedtime story, but Vanessa Smythe takes this idea a step further in her latest show In Case We Disappear. Now playing as part of Crow's Theatre's East End Performance Crawl, the work explores storytelling as a means of connection and comfort.

We caught up with the actress/writer to find out more about her experience working on this personal piece.

Theatromania: What inspired In Case We Disappear?

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Show Dates:

Sat, 2014-05-24 - Sun, 2014-06-01

Q&A: Sea Sick

Lauren Gillett — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:28:09 +0000

Subtitle:

Alanna Mitchell on transforming her award-winning book into a one-woman show

Headline:

Interview

Credits:

Created and performed by Alanna Mitchell
Directed by Franco Boni with Ravi Jain

Alanna Mitchell is best known as a Canadian journalist and author, who writes about sciences and social trends and specializes in investigative reporting. Her most recent book Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis won the Gotham Prize for excellence in environmental journalism. This month, Mitchell will perform a staged version of that story at The Theatre Centre's New Live Arts Hub & Incubator (1115 Queen Street West).

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Show Dates:

Wed, 2014-03-19 - Sun, 2014-03-23

The Keith Richards One Woman Show

Annie Hodgins — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 22:16:57 +0000

Subtitle:

Deanna Jones epitomizes rock legend Keith Richards in this remarkable solo piece

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Created by Deanna Jones & Cole Lewis
Directed by Lisa Marie DiLiberto
Performed by Deanna Jones

Deanna Jones’ The Keith Richards One Woman Show is an entertaining rundown of the epic life of Rock’n’Roll’s quintessential living legend. It’s a brilliant tribute to all things Keef that’s equal parts hilarious, touching, and bizarre—like the man himself.

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Not Exclusive

Stars:

4.5

Show Dates:

Thu, 2014-01-09 - Sat, 2014-01-25

A Conversation With Edith Head

Lauren Gillett — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Susan Claassen brings audiences inside the mind of Hollywood's most famous designer with the Canadian premiere of her one-woman show at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Headline:

Interview

Credits:

Presented by The Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD)
Written Paddy Calistro and Susan Claassen
Directed by Susan Claassen

Edith Head was a legend in her own time, a designer to the stars who worked on 1,131 motion pictures, received 35 Academy Award nominations and eight Oscars over her 60-year career.

Exclusive:

Not Exclusive

Show Dates:

Fri, 2014-01-17 - Sun, 2014-01-19

Theatre:

Buddies In Bad Times Theatre

Crash

Lauren Gillett — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Subtitle:

Pamela Sinha returns to Theatre Passe Muraille with her shattering solo show

Headline:

Review

Credits:

Presented by Theatre Passe Muraille
Written and performed by Pamela Sinha
Directed by Alan Dilworth

Memory plays a pivotal role in Pamela Sinha's solo show Crash, the winner of four Dora Awards, including Outstanding New Play and Performance by a female in a Principal Role, now on stage at Theatre Passe Muraille.

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Stars:

Show Dates:

Thu, 2013-09-26 - Sat, 2013-10-19

Theatre:

Theatre Passe Muraille

Poll:

Toronto Fall Theatre Lineup: Which Is Your Must-See Show?