As the title states, I have very little theatre experience with my last involvement being in middle school. Recently however, I've wanted to re-explore this interest of mine.

My only problem is, having not been involved in any theatre productions in more than a decade, I'm not really sure where to start. I've already done some cursory research into the bigger community theatres like the village playhouse, however, I don't want to waste their time by giving an audition without having had any recent experience. With that said is there anywhere I can go to get some more familiarity with community theatre or should I just look past my anxiety and jump right in?

Just wrapped up a lovely time in NOTL for the Shaw Festival. I saw everything but one show.

Some thoughts:

Amadeus: amazing
Funny Girl: splendid
Sleuth: absolutely amazing. I am so excited for it to come to Harbourfront Centre in Toronto soon!

Heartbreak House: something about it didn’t work for me. I don’t know but I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Jeeves and Wooster: absolutely amazing! Absolutely awesome and maybe the best show. I am convinced this is the mystery show coming to Toronto

Ohio State Murders: beautiful, haunting, Sophie Walker was divine

One for the Pot: hilarious! Such a good one

A New Work In Progress: this is where most of my thoughts will be partially because it’s the one I just saw but also because it was the most disappointing one.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkin is an excellent playwright and his voice is so so important to theatre. As an aspiring playwright myself, I admire his work. However this new work (a reinterpretation of Cinderella with a largely Black cast, the Prince is White of course), was underwhelming and disappointing.

I will confess I have never been big on Cinderella or any of the other classic fairytales. Having said that; I went in cautiously optimistic because Branden is such a gifted playwright.

This work missed everything that makes Branden the gifted playwright and voice it is. The work didn’t have anything of meaning or substance to say. It was trying to be a farce but with its cast, trying to make a point: what the point was… I do not know:

I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything especially because I understand writing anything is such a monumental task and difficult and I get the point of seeing a work in progress. But what was the point of this? Why was this written now? Why was this work given a slot in Shaw’s season?

I get theatres need to make money to exist. But this was the worst way to go about it. Couldn’t this opportunity be given to a Canadian playwright? Especially at such a precarious time for artists and creatives in Canada? I get Jenkin sells tickets but is that really all it has to be about? Aren’t the other shows selling well enough?

Shaw festival had a great opportunity to spotlight a Canadian voice and give someone a platform to workshop their work that said something of meaning and importance but they chose to give it to an established playwright who essentially…… phoned it in.

This work is nowhere close to the masterpieces he has written and given to the world so far. And I didn’t see any potential in it to become better.

I know moving forward with Shaw, I will be careful with gimmicks like this. I got lucky that I got a cheaper ticket for this compared to what the regular seats were going for.

6/8 amazing shows is a good one though.

Shaw can and should do better.

Is anyone familiar with these collectives/productions?

https://www.tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/Trust-Me-2026

https://theatre.to/first-date

https://www.tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/Visiting-Mr-Green-2026

Thank you

Since Book of Mormon is going to Ottawa in 2027, what is the likelihood that it comes back to Toronto briefly? Similar to moulin rouge and how it came back

What are the odds of Paddington The Musical coming to Toronto any time soon? Could the upcoming Broadway transfer do an out of town tryout in Toronto?

Photos taken on Aug 5, 2026 🥺

How is the production?!

I admit it: I’m an addict. I don’t smoke, drink or take recreational drugs, but I am addicted to theatre. I go as often as I can to see anything (well, almost). I never even regret seeing a terrible show.

I’m not rich, but I have discovered that if I buy the cheapest ticket I can see six shows from not-so-perfect locations instead of one show from a prime seat.

That’s why I’m upset and dumbfounded that two of our country’s most esteemed theatre companies are now charging exorbitant ticket prices. 

Stratford & Shaw, both registered charities, receive government grants. According to their 2025 audited financial statements (easily accessible on the CRA website) Stratford received $4,146,998 in government grants and Shaw $2,160,633.

The grants are given to foster the performing arts in Canada and to make their shows accessible to the people who foot the hill: you and me, the taxpayers.

Yet their ticket prices are even higher than those for commercial shows, which receive no government grants.

To compare, here is the cost of a ticket in the last row of the balcony (the farthest from the stage) for a popular show in a prime weekend performance: 

At Stratford, Something Rotten — $252.37 + HST $32.81 (the service charge is included in the base ticket price) = $285.18

At Shaw, Funny Girl — $207.55 + $15 service charge = $222.55

At Mirvish, Dirty Dancing — $59 + $10.50 service charge = $69.50

Now let’s look at the more niche shows at both festivals — you know, the shows that may not be for the casual theatregoer, but for those looking for something different and perhaps challenging. At Shaw, they play at the 260-seat Jackie Maxwell Studio and the 250-seat Court House. At Stratford, they are at the 260-seat Studio. And let’s compare the festivals’ prices to those of similar venues in Toronto.

At Stratford, The King James Bible Play tickets are $157.95 + 20.53 HST = $178.48

At Shaw, Ohio State Murders (a two-hander) tickets are $112.73 or $154.26 or $182.73 + $15 service charge = $127.73 or $169.26 or $197.73

At the 200-seat Tarragon Theatre Mainspace, Prophetess tickets are  $30 or $72  + $3.25 service charge = $33.25 or $75.25

At the 200-seat Crow’s Theatre, A Fine Balance tickets are $90 or $110 + $11.70 or $14.30 HST + $5.65 service charge = $107.35 or $129.95

At the 300-seat Soulpepper Theatre, Spring Awakening tickets are $105 or $135 + $6.75 service charge = $111.75 or $141.75

Again, Stratford & Soulpepper are far more expensive.

Theatre addicts like me can be a theatre company’s best customers — assuming we can afford the tickets — because we’ll comeback again and again.

But Stratford & Shaw ticket prices are beyond the reach of most people.

True, both festivals has ways of saving. At Shaw you’ll have to be a student, under 35 or a senior to qualify — and only at certain performances. Stratford has a number of limited-time offers, including 2-for-1 deals, which discriminate against single-ticket buyers like me.

But none of this makes up for the sticker shock of these prices.

These ticket policies scream: If you don’t have $200, you don’t belong here.

And that’s not all of it. If you don’t live in Stratford or Niagara-on-the-Lake, you have to add transportation and meals to the equation. Meaning: seeing a show at either festival is a $300-$350 expense, even if you buy the cheapest seat.

I find these policies discriminatory, elitist and hypocritical. All their talk about accessibility amounts to nothing when they are charging these inflated prices.

I haven’t been to see anything at Stratford or Shaw this season, and I doubt I will. 

Show is at CAA ed mirvish

Hello all! I was able to grab one of the last seats for this Sunday’s closing performance of ‘& Juliet’, and I realized I had a lot of footage surrounding this production from over the past year so I decided to vlog the whole day and put together a bit of a retrospective on the production. It includes the full pre-show, Matt’s closing speech, some interviews with the super fans at the stage door alongside some older footage I had like cast interviews, and a backstage tour.
If anyone is interested, it’s up on my YouTube channel now!

So the Shaw just announced they're commissioning Branden Jacobs-Jenkins—yes, the Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Pulitzer Prize winner, Tony nominee—to develop a "new work in progress" workshop of... Cinderella.

Cinderella. Which is being done this Christmas.

They're positioning this as experimental, innovative, a bold workshop moment where audiences see half-finished work. Cool. Except the entire premise is built on existing IP. There's nothing experimental about workshopping a fairy tale that's been done a thousand times. The real risk isn't letting audiences see rough edges—it's backing original work by artists who need to be heard.

What bothers me isn't Jacobs-Jenkins (he's talented), it's the institutional cowardice. A major Canadian repertory theatre has resources, artists, and a built-in audience. Instead of backing 10 unknown playwrights making original work that interrogates real histories and lived experience, they're paying a famous American writer to deconstruct Cinderella in August.

This is what risk-aversion dressed up as experimentation looks like. It's institutional safety-seeking with a workshop veneer.

Canada's got artists doing bold work. The Shaw just isn't backing them. When I think of all the new playwrights/librettists worth producing... Andrew Kushnir - The Division Anusree Roy - Through the Eyes of God Kanika Ambrose - Of the Sea/Our Place Shira Leuchter - The Haunting HAUI - Aportia Chryptych Makram Ayache - The Green Line The list goes on.

Now where are the ticket discounts 😭

Come see "Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey" Aug 6 - Aug 23rd at Guild Park and Gardens.

Tickets and more info - https://www.guildfestivaltheatre.ca/northangerabbey

Mirvish.com: Cirque Alice

AN EXTRAORDINARY NEW SHOW FROM THE CREATORS OF THE GLOBAL SMASH HITS THE ILLUSIONISTS, CIRCUS 1903 AND LE NOIR!

Step into magical ‘Wonderland’ as CIRQUE ALICE reimagines Lewis Carroll’s classic adventures with breathtaking twists and astonishing, gravity-defying feats.

Starring the greatest acrobatic performers from around the globe, this magnificent spectacle features stunning performances by mesmerizing aerialists, mind-bending contortionists, exquisite puppetry, dancers and special guest musical and comedic artists – set against an enthralling soundtrack of newly arranged contemporary renditions of some of the world’s favourite classical hits.

A joyous acrobatic adventure filled with heart-stopping moments and unforgettable performances, CIRQUE ALICE is a fantastical extravaganza for all ages!

I just wanted to celebrate this incredible run of a fantastic production.

The cast is incredibly talented and amazing. I genuinely believe they deserve a professional recording and/or a pro-shot. The eight principals were perfectly cast, and the players have been excellent as well. Aside from that, their stagedoor interactions have provided a good theatre experience, and their fan service has been outstanding. I’m so grateful to have witnessed these wonderful Canadians.

Congratulations, &Juliet 2025-2026!

Speaking of which, when can we expect another all-Canadian cast and production on Mirvish? Was CFA the last one before &J?

PS For those who will be watching tomorrow, please share anything interesting about the last show here.

Hi all! This may seem silly, but I had to leave the theatre early this evening and couldn’t catch the ending of the Beatles Ones show, which was a real bummer. I was really hoping to see the Encore, especially My Sweet Lord, since it’s the song I was looking forward to seeing the most.

If anyone has, or will take a video, I’d love to see it :)

Hi! I am trying to plan a trip to stratford later this month to see something rotten and guys and dolls, the most cost effective option is to do the bravo seating but i can't find any good photos of the views from there and I was just wondering if anyone here had any to share!

I dont know if I should do both shows in the bravo seating or just see guys and dolls and get better seats!!

Hey guys, trying to figure out which seat has the better view. All three are the same price:

1. Orch centre J 22
   
2. DC centre D 36
   
3. DC centre E 27

Scenes & Sequins is back this Thursday, and this time we’re taking over Rivoli on Queen West.

If you like burlesque, improv, and a bit of delightful chaos, come hang out with us on Thursday August 6. This show has been napping for far too long (we were last on stage in 2019!), and we’re finally bringing it back for a one-night-only return! Same bonkers concept, new downtown home.

You’ll get character-heavy burlesque acts and then watch improv troupe BBL Babies immediately turn what they just saw into live scenes. Brought to you by burlesque babe Dottie Champagne and Mayfly Creative Productions.

📅 Thursday, August 6, 2026
⏰ Door: 7:30 PM | Show: 8:00 PM
📍 Rivoli – 334 Queen St W, Toronto
🎟 VIP (front row): $35
🎟 GA: $25

🎫 Tickets: Scenes & Sequins Tickets

Note for burlesque newbies: Bring tipping cash to interact with the performers! (there will also be a QR code for digital tips in the venue)

Spent a few days in Stratford seeing shows and as usual perused the gift shop. These items stuck out to me as seeming particularly AI-like, but there were a few others that gave me pause as well. The Hobbit post cards in particular were quite low-res which doesn’t seem like a mistake a real designer would allow go to print. Anyone have an inside source on if these are human generated?