Jim Betts

This year, the Fringe Festival returned more than half a million dollars to its talented, hardworking artists. Toronto Fringe may be over, but other festivals aren't! Our critic saw 59 shows in this year's festival. Here are some of her final comments as we look forward to Fringe 2024.

Eclipse Theatre Company has announced the live presentation of 'TIL THEN, an original Canadian song cycle of 3 stories and 18 new songs by 24 writers including, Chantal Kreviazuk, Leslie Arden, Britta Johnson, Colleen & Akiva, Richard Ouzounian and many more.

Charlotte Moore has announced the release of her new album Some Comfort Here, in digital format on Nov 12, 2021. Moore will celebrate the release of the album with a concert at The Medley on Thurs, Nov 11, 2021, accompanied by Mark Camilleri who also produced, engineered, mastered and accompanied on the album.

The principal casting for the first public performance of a new musical featuring the hits of Grammy-award-winning Canadian singer Anne Murray was revealed today.

A new musical is being developed by a Nova Scotian writing team that will feature songs originally made famous by Anne Murray, the Grammy-award-winning singer from Springhill, Nova Scotia. The show just underwent a 2-week developmental workshop in Halifax with an 11-member cast of actors. The workshop culminated in a staged reading presentation at the Bella Rose Arts Centre this past Friday. 

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

Final casting has been announced for BLAME CANADA!, an evening featuring the best in Canadian musical theatre happening at 54 BELOW on Monday, March 17 at 9:30pm. Cliff Saunders, who currently stars as Thenardier in the revival of Les Miserables on Broadway, hosts the evening that celebrates the launch of the newly formed Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective (CMTWC).

On a frigidly cold night in the middle of a long Canadian winter, a group of people gathered together in a cozy cafe to experience what is quickly becoming Canada's newest national treasure. MAKING LOVE IN A CANOE (which can also be experienced in album form) is a review of beautiful Canadian music theatre, created and performed by CanCon-loving duo Kyle Golemba and Adam White.

Kyle Golemba and Adam White have reason to celebrate: the debut of the recording of their all-Canadian musical theatre revue, Making Love in a Canoe. A 'sonnet to Canadian culture', Making Love in a Canoe features the work of 15 Canadian writers including Nancy White, Leslie Arden, and Jonathan Monro. With four never-before-recorded songs, the album promises to introduce even the most avid theatre-goer to the riches Canadian musicals have to offer.

Nicky Phillips has a very ambitious new adventure on her hands, having just launched a new company called 'Your Broadway Song' which she plans to expand within both Toronto and NYC. The company designs custom Broadway themed songs for various special occasions, and kicked off with a song written for Canadian legend Colm Wilkinson. BWW spoke to Nicky about how the idea for Your Broadway Song evolved, her feelings on Canadian Musical Theatre and her sources of inspiration.

The Canadian Music Theatre Project is Canada's first incubator for the development of new musical theatre works by Canadian and international composers, lyricists and book-writers. The first two works being developed are COME FROM AWAY, by David Hein and Irene Sankoff (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, 2010 New York Music Theatre Festival "Outstanding New Musical" and "Excellence in Writing" awards), under the direction of David Ferry and musical direction of Callum Morris and CENTRAL PARK TANGO, by Robert Gontier and Nicky Phillips (Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, In Flanders Fields), under the direction of Jim Betts and musical direction of Aaron Eyre.

ScriptLab Presents The First Annual Canadian Musical Theatre Festival: November 21-26, 2006 At the Newly Restored Papermill Playhouse at Todmorden Mills

ScriptLab, a non-profit developer of new muscial work, will present the first annual Canadian Musical Theatre Festival, November 21-26, 2006 at the restored Papermill Theatre at Todmorden Mills in Toronto