Richard Ouzounian News

The Stratford Festival’s popular Thursday night free viewing parties resume this week with an entertaining variety of offerings, including new and legacy films and all new original content safely created during the pandemic – adding to the rich mine of theatrical content available on Stratfest@Home, the Festival’s $10-a-month streaming service.

Today Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak announced that Talk Is Free Theatre will present a lineup of intimate live performances this September that exemplify the resilience, fortitude, and determination of the human spirit during these times.

The highly anticipated Immersive van Gogh digital art exhibition made its world premiere in Toronto on July 1, that includes a novel drive-in concept (the first of its kind in the world) inviting audiences - whether on foot or by car - to experience the works of Vincent van Gogh like never before.

Bravo Academy for the Performing Arts presents Super School as part of the Toronto Fringe Collective this summer, an exciting new digital theatre experience! Digital excerpts of Super School will be available to stream from July 4-6.

Dr. Peter Simon, Michael and Sonja Koerner President & CEO of The Royal Conservatory of Music, Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts, and James Anagnoson, Dean of The Glenn Gould School, today revealed details of the diverse concerts that will make up the 12th concert season at The Royal Conservatory of Music.

After the global pandemic dashed dreams of an opening night, the writers and teenage cast of the original teen musical Super School, under the leadership of Bravo Academy Artistic Director Melissa Bencic, decided the show must go on a?" online.

Shirley Douglas, one of the giants of Canadian theatre, TV and film died on April 5, 2020 from complications due to pneumonia (but not related to Covid-19).

 Broadway star Chilina Kennedy returns to Stratford for a one night only in-concert performance of Leslie Arden's acclaimed Canadian musical THE HOUSE OF MARTIN GUERRE. Stratford audiences may remember Ms. Kennedy from her much lauded lead performances in WEST SIDE STORY, EVITA, and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR to name just a few. Since then, she transferred to Broadway with the rest of the company of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and then played over a thousand performances on Broadway as the title character in BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL. Currently, she is starring as Dina in the national tour of THE BAND'S VISIT. BWW had the chance to speak with Ms. Kennedy a few days after she concluded the Toronto run of THE BAND'S VISIT. She shared her excitement to finally return to the Stratford Festival, and her passion for THE HOUSE OF MARTIN GUERRE.

Chilina Kennedy and Adam Brazier will lead a star-studded ensemble in the special concert version of Leslie Arden's award-winning musical The House of Martin Guerre. Directed by Richard Ouzounian, the show will be performed one night only on November 4 at Stratford's Avon Theatre.

Four Chords and a Gun is an intense black comedy about the infamous punk band the Ramones written by John Ross Bowie (“The Big Bang Theory”, “Speechless”). The play reveals the drama-filled 1979 recording session that led to The Ramones album, End of the Century, produced by the eccentric gun wielding Phil Spector. The Canadian premier of this sometimes funny, sometimes wrenching, always gritty, story of how the world's greatest Punk album came to be is directed by long-time Toronto Star theatre critic and Stratford Festival director Richard Ouzounian. Hey Ho Let's Go! to a play about the Ramones followed by a concert. Not a f***ing musical.

The Stratford Festival has announced that Chilina Kennedy will headline a musical Forum Showcase on November 4 at Stratford's Avon Theatre. Tickets are now on sale for Chilina Kennedy in The House of Martin Guerre in Concert.

End of the Century was the album that skyrocketed the Ramones into the public eye, and in FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN writer John Ross Bowie delves into the strain and tension that came with its recording sessions. The collaboration between the Queens, New York band and infamous producer Phil Spector examines how The Ramones were torn apart by their own habits and Spector's divisive management.

Renowned theatre director and critic Richard Ouzounian returned to the Toronto arts scene once again this month with his production of FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN, a fictionalized account of what happened during the collaboration between the Ramones and infamous producer Phil Spector. The play investigates the dynamic between the band members, Spector's control over the musicians, and a love triangle between lead singer Joey, guitarist Johnny, and the fiery Linda.

Cirque du Soleil will return to Australia from October this year with its most acclaimed touring show, KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities. KURIOS will premiere under their Signature Big Top on 2 October 2019 in Sydney at Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. Written and directed by Michel Laprise, KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities is a tale in which time comes to a complete stop, transporting the audience inside a fantasy world where everything is possible. In this realm set in the latter half of the nineteenth century, reality is quite relative indeed as our perception of it is utterly transformed.

Bremen Rock City, written by Canadian artists Colleen Dauncey, Akiva Romer-Segal, and Sara Farb, was first performed at Toronto Fringe in 2013 where it received outstanding reviews. First performed by a cast of adults, the show has been reimagined and adapted by its creators, into a piece perfect for young artists.

Co-Artistic Directors David Hogan and David Rogers have announced Victoria Playhouse Petrolia's 2019 Season.

Opening week has come and gone at the Stratford Festival and with that, the 2018 season is in full swing. This includes the events and discussions taking place as part of The Forum. One such event is MAKING CLASSIC MUSICALS CONTEMPORARY--A discussion between Director/Choreographer Donna Feore and CBC Radio Host and Globe and Mail music critic Robert Harris, moderated by director and journalist Richard Ouzounian. This in-depth analysis of what makes classic musicals last, how they stay relevant, and the ways in which they can be made to feel more contemporary for audiences today, will take place this Saturday morning at the Studio Theatre.

Eric McCormack, one of Stratford's most successful alumni, is returning to the Festival in October, to perform the lead role in a concert version of the world's longest-running musical, The Fantasticks.

The Next Stage Theatre Festival returns this January with a lineup of ten companies showcasing a cross-section of our exciting indie performance community. With many familiar faces from past Fringe Festivals, the 2018 programming is a true representation of the 'best of the fest'. The festival will take over Factory Theatre from January 3 to 14, 2018.

A few weeks ago, Broadway World reported that an exciting in-concert production of DRACULA: A CHAMBER MUSICAL would be presented one night only at Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford, Ontario. The concert took place last week in front of a packed church, and it certainly did not disappoint.