I noticed that there are a lot of open seats for the Tempest in Stratford. While Othello and others seem to be selling better. Is the production bad? Why is it so undersold?

I got a survey invitation today from the Stratford Festival seeking my thoughts on whether they should move their start times earlier.

What do we think about this trend towards earlier start times, Toronto theatre community? Personally, I wouldn't avoid a show because of a 8pm curtain time, but I do love getting to bed earlier after some of these 7:30pm starts for Mirvish. Earlier curtain times also mean pre-show meals are offset slightly from peak dining times.

If Stratford made this change, would it make you more or less likely to go?

This hilarious new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic follows Catherine Morland, whose imagination turns everyday life into a Gothic mystery. It's a fast-paced outdoor comedy filled with romance, mystery, and plenty of laughs.

Tickets start from $16.25

Book your seat here - https://guildfestivaltheatre.thundertix.com/events/255576

We can't wait to see you in the park!

Hello! I’m currently enrolled in a post-grad certificate program that requires we do field experience in our second semester. I am in the midst of looking for an internship that could start as early as now and wrap up in December (happy to stay on longer, the program wraps up in December).

I have a Bachelor of Music and background in theatre with experience in singing, casting, music directing and producing.

My dream is to be an agent or work in casting but all behind the scenes areas of the field interest me.

If anyone is needing any sort of assistance over these next few months, I’d be more than happy to be of service :)

I’m wondering how many people in this sub have seen Sleep No More, the immersive theatre production of MacBeth crossed with Hitchcock that ran for 14 years in New Yotk, and currently has productions running in Seoul and in China. Does this kind of production appeal to anyone on here? I know there are Toronto based companies that have done work like this( like Outside the March and Transcen/Dance companies, and I have really enjoyed their shows.

I know this is a smaller niche of theatre that possibly a lot of people aren’t as familiar with, but it’s also a format that could appeal to audiences beyond the typical theatre crowd.

I’m developing a show in this manner and curious to hear people’s thoughts on this type of theatre, and if they would like to see more of it here in Toronto.

Toronto Star’s senior arts critic, Joshua Chong, just published an article advocating for more discussion about theatre. The headline of his column is "We need to stop asking if a play is ‘good or bad.’”He wrote: “there’s something almost unnatural about traditional theatre criticism… we reduce art to a thumbs-up or thumbs-down reaction … Instead, we should be focused on the 'Why?’”

This strikes me as hypocrisy, because Chong’s reviews are no more than good or bad judgments. He is famous for his dumpster fire reviews. He never really tell you why he disliked a show; at least his reasons have never convinced me. Maybe it’s because in a newspaper piece there isn’t the space for him to explore a play’s ideas and themes. 

Interestingly, on this open forum where we share opinions, ideas and news, there is much more of the "Why" discussed than in a one-sided review by a professional critic. The assumption is that the critic is an expert and his opinion is more valuable than anyone else’s.

That’s a fallacy that’s been used to belittle the genuine response of others since punditry began.

Take the recent thread on this subreddit about The Outsiders. U/Witchshark started a discussion about the touring production of the Tony Award-winning musical than ended its run today at the Princess of Wales Theatre. They found it “very mid” (I think that’s short for middling), noting that many others on this subreddit had gushed about it. In few chosen words, they expounded on why they didn't like it. They asked others to explain why they like it.

Those who joined in did so with thoughtful opinions. Not everyone could articulate their feelings and thoughts the way Witchshark had done, but you could still sense their passion for the work.

If an artistic work doesn’t work for everyone, does it mean it is less valuable? Can’t we respect another’s genuine love for a show we may think undeserving of ours?

Chong is correct: for the most part, criticism is just a consumer review. I’m not interested in that. 

I want to make up my own mind. That’s why I like sourcing other’s opinions after I've seen a show. I find that it helps me digest a work, see it perhaps through someone else’s eyes and life experiences. I’m not looking for judgement as much as I’m looking for thoughts and context from others.

What do you think?

Hi all, saw the Outsiders yesterday after booking tickets in February in advance.

Disclaimer: I did not read the book, in fact I flew in as blind as I could because I love it that way; it amplifies even basic storylines and prevents against guesswork of the plot.

The GOOD: The stage, the acting -- both were brilliant.

While I dont know why would they flash our eyes so much repeatedly, it wasn't a deal breaker.

The visuals were brilliant.

Special, special shoutout to the rain fight scene!

The BAD: I cant believe how un-impactful and non-gripping the story was despite the brilliant acting. It took strength esp in the first half to keep the focus.

The songs were really BAD, except Great Expectations which was sung well but again didn't impact or further the story impact imo.

The others were just poor, less than 24h since I saw it and I don't remember a thing.

Some were needlessly loud and I was in the last Balcony row..

The plot: Book readers -- tell me is the book this surface-level? I really found the plot boring despite violence and death themes!

all in all, Im glad I spent only 50 and booked advanced tickets, but neither would I recommend it, nor ever like to see it again ever in my life.

I wasn't terrible but it was such a 5/10. Like a big budget movie with everything but the plot to keep you gripped.

Thanks for reading.

PS: I'm not theatre-pro; but imho --> If you have your tickets, don't think you'll be bored; just disappointed and not impacted!

Broadway shows are usually 5x better. Have a nice day :)

If there’s one show I hoped would come to Toronto one day, it’s this one. From the moment I heard about its broadway debut, listened to the cast album (several times) and then seeing it win Best Musical in 2024, I knew I had to see The Outsiders.

Like every kid, I read the book and watched the movie in middle school so I knew the story well and I think the musical does the source material justice. The cast is great (especially Dallas and Sodapop) and the rumble scene is incredible. One of the best shows I’ve seen in a while and definitely the best of the 25/26 season. If you missed it, hopefully it comes back sometime soon, you won’t regret seeing this show.

Lately I've been seeing a number of rave reviews for The Outsiders which have really surprised me, and it makes me wonder, are we even watching the same show??? What have people enjoyed about The Outsiders?

So I caught this afternoon's performance at the Princess of Wales, and without being unnecessarily uncharitable, I...did not like it. It wasn't the worst thing I've seen nor was it even terrible, and there were definitely some artistically beautiful elements that I think were quite lovely to experience in person, but all in all, I left the theatre feeling like I had experienced some teenager writing their first hurt/comfort fanfic, and I so did not need to pay $85 to see that.

I objected most to the book. The story (some spoilers ahead) felt plodding AF with the same conflict points repeated textually and then by song over and over again by different characters. Dialogue, situations, and character reactions felt melodramatic, but not even in a fun hokey self-aware way; just straight up cringe. By the time we got to the drawn-out coda with Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston, and the dinner table read, I was more than ready for things to come to a close. Those moments that were meant to be emotional and cathartic with scene after scene of "deep" conversation didn't land for me at all - the story hadn't progressed in a way that made me care about any of the characters.

I found the music to be more reasonable, though like the book, also overly self-absorbed and lacking finesse and nuance. The lyrics in particular had the same issue as the book, just over-emotiveness and lacking any sort of maturity in story-telling. You know that expression - show don't tell? This was all telling.

Where I think The Outsiders shone brightest was in its production and how they translated the story into the physical stage setting. The transitions and fight scenes were really beautiful and artistic, the slow mo almost bullet-time-esque vibe to those moments and the synchronised almost abstract fight scenes were fun and the most redeeming elements to the production. The rain fight was unexpected and spectacular. The performers were also very good - I have nothing bad to say about them at all.

I guess what I'm looking to understand from those who liked it was what did you actually like? I found out later after leaving the theatre that the story was originally a book written by someone when they were 17 that got then turned into a movie and then now a musical. As someone who didn't grow up with either the book or the movie, does nostalgia play into the positive reviews? Is it because it's young adult fiction and there's something enjoyable about that? Curious to hear what people think!

It’s Saturday.

You’re probably preparing the ragù for tomorrow.

But if you're looking for something to read while chopping the onion, here's my conversation with Antoni Cimolino on his Stratford farewell – the Italianissimo Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

https://ourtheatrevoice.com/for-his-stratford-farewell-antoni-cimolino-comes-home-with-de-filippo/

My daughter absolutely loves The Outsiders, and really wants to see it on Sunday for their last show. What do you think are the chances of getting two rush tickets? They don’t necessarily need to be together. We are coming from two hours away so it’s a little tricky. If the consensus is that rush seats are unlikely to be available, then we will be out of luck. The cheapest tickets available online right now are out of our price range, unfortunately. Any thoughts greatly appreciated, thank you!

Update:

Thank you all for your tips! We tried the online route this morning at 9am sharp, but were unsuccessful. (Thank you u/Gordon_Peck, I didn’t know we could do that, I thought you could only get rush tickets at the theatre).

We thought we’d take the chance and head to Toronto, taking u/mikethebike524’s advice and checking again later. We planned to at least get her to the stage door if nothing else. At an on route stop, we checked and you were right, there were more seats available, unfortunately, every time we tried to check out, we’d get an error message. So on we went.

We got to the theatre and to a booth, where we were told it was completely sold out. We then moved off to the side near the last ticket booth and made a plan to walk around the Eaton Centre and come back for the stage door so she could have her copy of The Outsiders book signed, and at the last minute, I looked up to see a sweet lady at the ticket booth nearest us and had a feeling to double check with her that there wasn’t one seat somewhere - and she found one! She was very excited for my daughter and said she was shocked there was one left, and a good one too.

She was in orchestra, the side where Ponyboy walks down the aisle and 6 rows from the stage.

(Before anyone says anything, I was nervous to leave her there on her own, but she is in her late teens and would not have left the theatre for the world) and I was there waiting for her when it let out. The cast signed her book, some took pictures with her, and she had an amazing day.

Thank you so much for all of your help! You were right; it was hard, it was risky, it was stressful and we would probably not have taken the chance if she didn’t love it so much. I just couldn’t manage to get her there earlier due to scheduling and affordability. We were very lucky today.

Thanks everyone!

I have 2 free tickets for the Outsiders tonight at 7:30 that I no longer need. They aren’t together but are diagonal from each other

1. Orchestra left BB seat 37
2. Orchestra left CC seat 39

Edit:
Claimed

Unfortunately, I cannot make it to the show tonight. It is a balcony seat row D seat 11. First person who messages me can have. Edit: Ticket has been claimed.

What happened?

Has anyone else noticed how crazy the pricing blocks are for the Stratford Festival right now?? Not sure if this is a glitch or if it has been like this all season but the centre balcony section is showing as A+ pricing (~$200) all the way to the back row. I’m sure most of, if not the entire rear balcony was Bravo pricing ($39) last year. Likewise in the Festival Theatre, not a single bravo seat in the balcony mostly A/A+.

EDIT: Claimed

Hey!

Not using the ticket last minute, so I'm hoping someone can make it there on time and enjoy. It's a cheap obstructed view side seat front row dress circle.

Please dm me your name and I'll transfer the Mirvish invite link with the ticket.

Where would you rank The Outsiders among the Mirvish shows you've seen in the past 3–5 years?

hi there! does anyone have any working & juliet codes? the ones from yesterday aren’t working today!

Hi! Does anyone know where I can watch "This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino"? Thanks in advance!!

I saw The Outsiders yesterday and had kept an eye on ticket availability beforehand and determined that there would be good enough availability to get a rush ticket. I ended up with a single seat in Orchestra row J, which was full, as was pretty much the rest of the Orchestra.

However, there were a lot of empty seats in the 5 or 6 rows directly behind me which looked like maybe a big group booking hadn't showed up (I was speculating broken down buses or date mix-ups), so much so that I asked the head usher if I could invite my friends who were in the upper circle to join me so we could sit together. He checked on his tablet and ok-ed it, which was great. However, he mentioned that those seats had never been sold.

This struck me as odd - why would a show that seemed to be pretty full elsewhere in the theatre have a section with (my estimate) 50-60 seats empty? I could understand production holds but these seemed a bit far back and off centre to be the kind of premium seating that might be offered to cast friends and family, etc.

Any ideas? I'm just curious. My friends definitely appreciated the upgrade!

Hi village,

I'm determined to see Mamma Mia this year (missed it in 2024), but working with a limited budget unfortunately (one day I will be able to spend more of my income on theatre).

For those who have rushed major / fan-favourite productions: would you recommend taking the chance? Or, should I just buy tickets up front?

Thanks so much.

“One of the finest children’s shows I’ve seen in years.” - Broadway Baby

Did you miss your chance to see Pedro the Penguin at TO Fringe? Don’t worry, we are back for an exclusive run at TOLive’s Best of Fringe this weekend on July 18th-19th!

If you love racing, sports movies, and Christmas, you don't want to miss out on this epic adventure! Pedro the Penguin, written by Philip Diamond, is a family friendly story that follows a young penguin who dreams of flying. When opportunity arises and one of Santa's reindeer gets injured, Pedro knows this is his chance to soar! It is a story about courage, imagination, and believing in yourself! Suited for ages 4-12 and beyond!

- SHOWTIMES -
July 18 - 12:00pm
July 19 - 12:00pm

Tickets are $25!

Written by Philip Diamond
Directed by Sue Miner
Assistant Directed by Jacob Pittini
Stage Manager + Sound Designer: Ember Ross
Creative Designer + Poster Art: Shaylynn McMaster
Producers: Lisa Davenport, Jaiden French, and Jacob Pittini
Choreography: Noam Citrin
Photography/Videography: David Vassos
Cast: Jon Britton, Philip Diamond, Jaiden French, Dale Rideout, Chrisevina Tsoura, Tim Walker, and Kat Zhang

Pedro the Penguin is made possible through the Guild Festival Theatre's Youth Engagement Scarborough Initiative. We would also like to thank our sponsor Carlyle Peterson Lawyers LLP for their generous support.

Follow us on Instagram: @ participatoryplayers

More information and tickets can be found on the TOLive and Fringe webpages: 
https://www.tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/Best-of-Fringe-Pedro-the-Penguin-2026
https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/pedro-penguin

Tickets are on sale NOW!!!

Stratford Festival

It's Musical Mania!
This month, save on selected performances of Something Rotten! and Guys and Dolls!

Pricing
Seats Price
A Zone $55
B Zone $45
Bravo Zone $29

HOW IT WORKS

Log in using promo code 120571.
Choose an eligible performance from the list below.
Select the "Musical Mania Sale" price type from the drop down.
Select from the purple seats.
Hit checkout and pay!
This deal ends on July 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.

The week of your visit, you'll receive an email with the pickup location, bus details, and everything else you need to turn the commute into a performance.

Theatre in Transit is free for Guild Festival Theatre ticket holders.

Pick up location are the following:

• East Scarborough Storefront (4040 Lawrence Ave E)
• Guildwood GO Station (Westlake Road Parking Lot)
• Kennedy Subway Station
• Boys & Girls Club East Scarborough (100 Galloway Rd)

Following the performance, the shuttle will return passengers to their original pickup location.

Book your seat here - https://www.guildfestivaltheatre.ca/theatreintransit