Sharry Flett

It’s been a strong year for Toronto theatre. I saw 145 shows this year in Toronto and beyond, and am happy to report that theatre is alive and well. I’ve laughed, sobbed, coughed (discreetly into a mask), and cheered my way through our stages in 2023. Here are some local highlights.

The cast and creative teams have been revealed for the Shaw Festival’s 62nd season.

The Shaw Festival’s 2023 season is continuing with Bernard Shaw’s The Apple Cart and Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit. Each begin previews on June 13 and June 14, respectively.

Artistic Director Tim Carroll has unveiled the Shaw Festival's 2023 casting and creative teams for the Festival Theatre, Royal George Theatre, Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre, BMO Stage, as well as the newly added Spiegeltent.

Bernard Shaw's brilliant dark comedy The Doctor's Dilemma, the first of the final trio of main season shows, begins previews July 16 at the Festival Theatre. On July 27, Cicely Hamilton's funny and prophetic Just to Get Married begins previews at the Royal George Theatre, while August Wilson's haunting Gem of the Ocean begins previews on August 5 at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre. 

Three more shows from the Shaw Festival’s 2022 playbill are poised to begin previews. The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece of wit, comedy and satirical social commentary, begins previews May 18. 

Everyone’s favourite lovelorn duellist is returning to the Shaw Festival. The Chris Abraham-directed, Kate Hennig-adapted Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand’s tale of unrequited and selfless love, begins previews Sunday, March 20 at the Royal George Theatre.

Artistic Director Tim Carroll has announced casting and creative teams for the Shaw Festival’s 60th anniversary season.

A 'ME AND MY GIRL' Not To Be Missed It is infrequent for the theatre god of comedy to shine bright enough to induce glee, but that is what occurred on opening night of the Shaw Festival's utterly charming production of ME AND MY GIRL. An alchemy of sorts has melded a super talented cast with the thoughtfully insightful director. The Shaw Festival has not always had a strong track record of completely successful musicals, but under new Artistic Director Tim Carroll's leadership, it seems as if the tide has turned. Of course, the selection of a musical with British heritage ( a rarity of sorts), fits in perfectly with the Shaw Festival's mandate.

1837: The Farmers' Revolt - the rebellion that helped shape this home and native land - begins previews May 7 at the Court House Theatre.

The delightful musical-comedy Me and My Girl launches Tim Carroll's first season as the Shaw Festival's artistic director.

The Shaw Festival proudly announces casting for Artistic Director Tim Carroll's first season. The Shaw's 2017 ensemble is a mix of new faces and Festival favourites - each actor ready to entertain and excite audiences in this season's 11 productions.

The Shaw Festival continues to launch its 2016 season with a fresh take on another classic - this time Anton Chekov's UNCLE VANYA. This moving dramedy explores family harmony and dysfunction with budding loyalties and conflicting love. Jackie Maxwell, outgoing artistic director at the Shaw Festival brings to life this new adaptation by Annie Baker. It's a crisp translation with contemporary overtones that brings this Chekov classic to the new age. Neil Barclay stars as the title role and leads a talented ensemble including Donna Belleville, Kate Besworth, James Daly, Sharry Flett, Marla McLean, Patrick McManus, Peter Millard, Moya O'Connell and David Schurmann.

The Shaw Festival's 55th season begins Saturday at 2 p.m. with the first preview of Thornton Wilder's beloved play Our Town. Molly Smith, artistic director of Washington, D.C's Tony award-winning Arena Stage, returns to The Shaw to breathe vivid, new life into this classic piece of theatre - a talent she displayed so brilliantly in her production of My Fair Lady in 2011.

Lynne Griffin is what director David Ellenstein describes as 'a heavy-weight' in the industry. Her credits span more than 5 decades and include print, film, television and theatre. She was a child model and actor, appearing in multitudes of commercials and even hosting a children's television show in Toronto.

The Philadelphia Story, on stage at the Shaw Festival, takes the audience back to 1939, to the wealthy who have survived the Great Depression. Survived? It looks like they flourished! The audience applauds the luxurious set as the curtain is raised. Everything is gold, silver and white - a lavish grand piano and gold satin cushions in a room piled high with elegantly wrapped wedding gifts.

Wilde's early play has the wit of his later comedies, but also probes the complexities and darker desires of the human heart. Lady Windermere (Marla McLean), a young woman recently married into the aristocracy, is preparing for her birthday party. Although deeply in love with her husband Lord Windermere (Martin Happer), she is troubled by his relationship with the mysterious Mrs. Erlynne (Tara Rosling) and vulnerable to the advances of the charismatic Lord Darlington (Gray Powell). Society's high veneer of elegance and propriety threatens to crack as secrets from the past are revealed - only to be quickly suppressed.

Come Back, Little Sheba, the heartfelt drama that launched William Inge's career and became a Broadway hit, begins previews today at the Shaw Festival's Royal George Theatre. Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell directs this powerful portrayal of flawed humanity and the enduring power of love. With this production, she adds a third work (Picnic (2001), Bus Stop (2005)) by the writer known as the "Playwright of the Midwest" to her directorial repertoire at The Shaw.

Welcome home Miss Doolittle! It's so loverly to finally greet you. An innovative and fresh reinterpretation of My Fair Lady brings Eliza Doolittle's London vibrantly to life and reinvigorates the memorable melodies and lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage, returns to The Shaw to direct a delight for the senses. MY FAIR LADY will officially open at the Shaw Festival on May 28, 2011.

Linda Griffiths' play 'Age of Arousal', directed by Jackie Maxwell, opens at the Canadian Shaw Festival's Court House Theatre on August 13. Previews for the play started on July 23. The play is booked until October 10.