2026 Theatre Notes

Spring Awakening / Soulpepper Civic Theatre (September)

In truth, we bought tickets to this because someone was visiting from out of town and we couldn't get tickets for anything else that night. "A group of youth on the cusp of adulthood are schooled in rules and expectations." By that description, I likely wouldn't have chosen this one. 

Great acting and set design. Translated from the German dramatist Frank Wedekind's original work. 

Afterward we said it felt purposefully shocking and, although set in the late 1890's, we felt it wasn't dealing with the theme of sexual oppression in any new way. But then I researched a bit further and learned the play was actually written in 1890. That changed my perspective entirely. Truly groundbreaking. 

The Moth, Tightrope / Koerner (September)

I've been a fan of The Moth for many years, but this is the first time I've been in person. We heard five different stories - all personal, all powerful. Two of the storytellers fellow Torontonians. Each was less than ten minutes in length and followed an unfolding arc (situation/challenge or conflict/resolution / full circle / personal growth). Very effective but also what a reminder that so many individuals have such amazing stories to tell.

Our Town / Toronto Civic Light Opera Company CLO (July)

 "Our Town explores the relationship between young neighbors George and Emily, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, then marriage. With poignancy and amusing irony, this landmark of world drama, hailed by everyone from Edward Albee to Albert Einstein, shows what it means to appreciate life while we’re living it, and considers what awaits us after that." The Toronto Civic Light Opera Company.

I counted 14 actors on stage, and estimated 50 seats in the audience. I loved the intimate and spare setting. The actors were all perfectly cast for their roles. The next day Mike P sent us the e.e.cummings poem anyone lived in a pretty how town, wondering if the play might have inspired the poem. I definitely see the parallels.

Thornton Wilder won the Pulitzer for this in 1938, and CLO notes there is likely a production staged somewhere happening every day of the year. Mike P. saw the listing, so Rob and I joined Mike P, Karina, Mike B & Lynn for dinner and a show. 

It wasn't until I looked up The Videocabaret Deanne Taylor Theatre that I saw it frequently collaborates with nearby Crows and acts as a venue for Fringe. 

Primary Trust  / Crow's Guloien Theatre (June)

"Winning the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Primary Trust is a touching and tender play by Eboni Booth. The story follows Kenneth, a thirty-something man whose safe, predictable routine is upended when his bookstore closes, forcing him to confront buried grief, step out of his comfort zone, and embrace human connection." Crow's Theatre.

Rob and I brought Alex and Penny along for a night out. They are not as frequent theatre goers as we are, and thoroughly enjoyed the play. "What was the significance of that bell ringing?" "Great set." "How do the actors manage to memorize all those lines?" 

We really did empathize with Kenneth throughout the story, and when he revealed how his imaginary friend Bert came to join him when he was ten, I could see many people wiping the corner of their eyes. Kenneth really doesn't want Bert to leave him, but Bert somehow knows it is really the only way Kenneth will be able to make real ones. A tender-hearted story.

Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary / Crow's Guloien Theatre (April)

"Blending ancient scripture with her trademark incisive, contemporary wit, Erin Shields (You, Always) reclaims the stories of four women who stood at the gates of revolution—only to be sidelined by history." Crow's Theatre.

Feminism and religion can be a dangerous pairing. I thought it would be too moralistic, earnest and shrill. This was not one of my original picks for my season ubscription. A friend went, and said it was worth seeing. Tickets came my way, and I'm glad they did. 

This was a World Premiere. Definitely something I appreciate about Crow's is how they help develop and feature new works. The Surrogate another example.

I didn't love this play, but I agree it was worth seeing. There were a lot of things going on, it was a bit of a mish mash. It wasn't particularly cohesive. It alluded to biblical events, not always in sequence, and made strong conjectures (the miracle of the loaves and fishes was aided by women smuggliers). There is a dance scene - Salome's 7 veils - that seems a bit gratuitous but also turns out to be one of the highlights. The play's strongpoint to me is that it does make you wonder why women are so little-mentioned in the bible itself, when of course they would have played pivotal roles in the revolution that was taking place.

I always avoid reading reviews until I've seen the play, but headlines I glimpsed were not very flattering. Perhaps that was why the theatre was only about half full, but the actors performances' were as though playing to a full house. Now to read those reviews....

 Clyde's / Can Stage Bluma Appel (April)

Clyde's is a Broadway play written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. Premiering in 2021, this comedy-drama focuses on formerly incarcerated kitchen staff seeking redemption while working at a truck stop sandwich shop, often cited as a companion piece to her play Sweat. Cincinatti Playhouse in the Park

Loved the allegory of the quest for the perfect sandwich and the idea that prison is also a state of mind. Clyde's anger confines her and in the end becomes the catalyst that sets her workers free.

Fire and flames lit and licked the stage in the kitchen, conjuring hell and purgatory.

Fabulous ensemble cast; most gathered for a talk-back after the performance.

The Surrogate / Crow’s Nest Studio Theatre (March)

 

"Set over the course of a single sleepless night, The Surrogate is a 21st-century exploration of privilege, and the complexities of modern family-making in a world where the rules are still being written." Crow's Theatre.

Although themes were highly charged (ethics of surrogacy, state-side politics, nature of relationships) this didn't feel moralistic or didactic. Told the story and then left you reeling.

The Slotkin Letter review was critical of playwright Moishin Zaidi's debut  for having too many threads running through it at once; however I didn't feel it overwhelmed or clouded the story so much as depicted how complex and multi-faceted life and death can be. What a fabulous first effort!

The Studio Theatre was the perfect venue. The more intimate space suited the personal themes. A nice touch in the set design was drawing the audience in with the choice of seating - hard white chairs that would easily suit a hospital waiting room. Appreciated this detail.

Talk-back after with actors and director (Christopher Manousos) gave some insight into how the stage play was crafted and evolved.

Produced by Here for Now Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, House and Body and b current

You, Always / Berkeley Street Theatre, Can Stage (Feb)

Canadian playwright Erin Shields tackles some tough themes in this play about sisterhood: cancer, MAID, divorce, eating disorders. 

The stage was stark and minimal, which allowed it to morph easily from one place into another. 

The two actors were challenged to jump quickly between childhood, adulthood, and adolescence in a series of rapid vignettes, and they pulled off the transitions well, using a lilt in their voice or a shrug of the shoulders to help frame their age. 

Conflict between the two sisters gave rise to arguments beginning with "You, always...." While I know conflict is the dramaturge's friend, I could have used a few more scenes featuring their love and support for one another to even the balance. My favourite scene was when they donned the costumes from childhood stories, and it was well placed in the arc because their yelling at each other was getting a bit one note. 

By the end of the show, there were many people crying in the theatre but personally, I couldn't help feeling a tad manipulated. 

August Yondering 2026

August Yondering could be a pen name, couldn't it? A wonderful time on the lake, July 31 to August 30. 

Rob and I had a great stretch of anchoring out for ten nights (!!), in and around the bay and then on to Wolfe Island with a stop in Kerr Bay. Alcyone (Alex and Aldo) was en route with us for the trip, with Freya (Caroline and Dennis) joining in the Bay. Feasting with more friends (Laura, Peter, Mike, Kaarina) at Heron's Run. 

This was our first (and second!) time anchoring in Kerr Bay. We opted for there instead of Stella, since Kerr Bay has lots more room. We were still able to dinghy over to Stella for ice and lunch. The Fair Jean anchored with us one night - a beautiful Brigantine. When I looked the boat up later, learned that someone built it in their backyard and used it as their family boat, prior to donating it to a youth charity. Gorgeous ship.

Alex and Nora came up for a few days; unfortunately Parshvi was a it under the weather so couldn't join. This was Nora's first night away from her Mama, but Dada was a comfort. Nora seemed to enjoy her time in the boat, dinghy rides, picking blueberries, and strolling along the lakeside path on Waupoos Island. We also walked over to check out the fireflies in the marina thicket with Griskit following close behind. Not as many on Ausust 15th as there were a month ago in July.

We lent our car to Alex R. with the hopes he could drive into Toronto and return the next day after keeping an appointment, but the brakes started leaking fluid. Yikes! So he set sail back home for the season on the 17th. Aldo left the 16th, and Caroline and Dennis on the 19th. It didn't feel quite the same without their company. Before she left, Caroline gave me a watercolour lesson on Freya. 

With brakes repaired, we took an enjoyable County tour. One of the best roast beef sandwiches I've ever had in Milford at a place called Say Bruce. Homemade bread, onion butter, horseradish and potato chips. My mouth is watering thinking about it! And Rob and I split a slice of triple layer pineapple rum cake. So good. Also checked out a couple galleries on the Arts Trail (Mad Dog, Andara, Melt and the Base 31 Collective. I ended up buying a piece at Melt featuring an owl. We'll have to pick it up when we return for the car, I don't want it taking up space in the boat or potentially being damaged in the car. Not sure where I'll place it when we finally get home.

A day trip into Kingston for the extended Kingston Penetentiary tour. The architecture is imposing. We were there on a rainy day, and the grey sky matched the mood of the place. It looked like the inmates had more space in their cells than we do on our boat - table, bunk, storage, t.v., toilet. But then we definitely have the better view. Got the inside scoop about the 1971 prison riot from one of the guards. As violent as it was, no guards lost their lives even though taken hostage. As a result of the uprising and negotiations, conditions did improve.

We spent a couple nights away from our preferred slip because westerlies made it very bouncy, and we were concerned for the cat. I missed our view! The sheep returned to the island from their grazing at solar farms. The nights were getting chillier and the water a bit cooler for swimming. Summer comes to its end and it's time to think of going home.

What I love about our past two summers at Waupoos is a long list! A short motor or sail from our dock to drop an anchor. Being able to jump in for a swim on a whim from off the boat and dock. Yoga and Qigong on the dock and on the boat. Uncluttered views of the sky at sunrise, sunset, and moonrise. Clouds! Rainbows! Simple living. Meals on the boat taste better because you've been outside all day. Appreciation for the rhythms of nature. The quiet. The sound of crickets and tree frogs. The gulls and terns lined up along the tire wall. How the view is never the same, because of the changing wind, light, and weather.

We were back in our slip for the last night in Waupoos. I watched a beautiful moonrise there, as I had on the first night at the dock. All things must end.

Time to go home.

We set out early morning on August 26 and arrived back in Toronto 7 pm August 30. Two nights at anchor in Sandy Cove, one night anchored in Cobourg Harbour and then one night reciprocal at the dock. When we were anchored there was a much better view of the skies, especially moonrises, sunrises and sunsets. I found myself waking up early just to see what the sky was doing.

We weren't really in any rush to get home so took the inside route. The last two days were a bit of a slog, one bumpy 12.5 hour day to get to Cobourg, and then ten more hours motoring to Toronto. Our last day was day cold, wet and rainy; in parts very poor visibility. A hot lunch on the stove warmed us nicely. 

Back in our BPYC slip, we really noticed the noise of the jet skis and how much closer the boats were in the slips. Still, it was great to be back in town and safely home from our adventures. The only motor problems we had this year were the car's!

Sturgeon Moon - August 2026

The moon was full when we travelled east at the end of June, and was full again when we brought Yondering home the end of August. We had open skies at anchor and an incredible view of the skies. It feeds my soul. Of course the phone's camera doesn't really do the moments' any justice. It's the feeling in the air, the breezes on the skin, the sound of the crickets and the frogs, the water gently lapping. The calm, the stillness. The gratitude felt at the end of the day.

The moon was officially full August 28 but we enjoyed it fully during the journey home. It was only the last night at the Cobourg dock we weren't able to get a good look. I'll have to try to seek the moonrise in the city to enjoy the magic.

Summer In the City

Took a vacation from our vacation and drove back to Toronto from Waupoos for 10 days of summer in the city.

We both had medical appointments but also wanted to be there to celebrate Nora's birthday on the day. Then there was her birthday party a few days later. Also, Amita's birthday. So lots of cake!

Our visit was timed with Bluffers Park Basin Party. That afternoon Alex and Nora came and saw the firetruck - always a big hit with the kids. In the evening there was a live band and I danced for hours. 

Dim Sum lunch and a game of Mah Jong. An afternoon sanding Muskoka deck chairs at the club to get in a few work hours. 

Great entertainment and catching up with friends. Watching the Odyssey film at the VIP theatre in big comfy reclining chairs. A three hour spectacle. Dinner at The Nose and Our Town live theatre with Mike, Kaarina, Mike, and Lyn. Dinner at Liz and Darcy's. Dinner in Greektown with Irene, Christina and Sophie.  

Oh - a morning nature walk at Rosetta Maclean gardens with Friends of Miles, and a Toronto Master Gardener lecture at Bridlewood Library.

Also checked on the progress of my ring with Chris at Platinum. There was to be 3D printer design, but we seem to have jumped that step. The ring was cast but the gems not yet set. It seems a bit chunky without the diamonds, but  I'm sure added sparkle will make a difference.

And lots and lots of time in my garden.

Had to get back to Waupoos for a rest!