POCHSY IV: UNPLUGGED Makes Toronto Premiere at the Deanne Taylor Theatre

 Presented by VideoCabaret, Pochsy IV: Unplugged, the latest in Karen Hines’ acclaimed series of Pochsy plays, is set to have its Toronto Premiere at the Deanne Taylor Theatre on April 8, 2025. The solo show runs April 8 - 20, 2025. 

She’s back. Sweet, vapid, and venomous, Pochsy is an eerily charming embodiment of all that’s gone bats in the world. She used to work at Mercury Packers. Where she packed mercury. Now her employer has moved offshore and Pochsy must grapple with God’s broken promise of a five-star future. 

This is a night sea journey on an unnaturally sparkling river. Harrowing and high speed, Pochsy IV, which premiered at One Yellow Rabbit’s International High Performance Rodeo in January 2023, unboxes precarity, consumer obsessions, the future of the human soul—and whatever else might keep you up at night.

“No other satirist captures so fearlessly, and with such original panache, the contemporary drift towards a kind of late-capitalist chaos the way Karen Hines does.” — Liz Nicholls, “2023: The Year in Edmonton Theatre” 

Pochsy IV follows three Pochsy plays, whose productions (and short films adapted from them) have been presented internationally. Published by Coach House Books, the plays and Hines’ performances have won numerous awards and citations, including the Dora Award for performance, and finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award.

Pochsy IV’s opening at VideoCabaret will collide with Coach House Book’s 60th Anniversary spring launch – and their publication of Pochsy IV: Unplugged, which includes a foreword by Bruce McCulloch, which notes, “Her work is biting satire, but with a warm and loving heart … it is not a scream but a purr in the face of the oncoming darkness.”

Pochsy IV: Unplugged runs at VideoCabaret’s Deanne Taylor Theatre from April 8-20, 2025, with a rolling opening from April 8-10. Sneak peek previews April 4-6.

For nearly 50 years, VideoCabaret, has been pushing the boundaries of theatre with bold satire, innovative black box design and daring story-telling. VideoCabaret has once again created a home for boutique works by presenting a series of solo gems, including works by Alan Williams, Cliff Cardinal and Nicky Guadagni throughout this theatre season. 

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