Julie Martel

This November, Taste of Iceland returns to Toronto for its seventh annual celebration of Icelandic culture. Presented by Iceland Naturally, the interactive four-day festival showcases the best of Iceland's cuisine, art, music and literature, offering attendees an experiential glimpse into the renowned Icelandic culture. Taste of Iceland runs from November 9-12 at various locations throughout the city.

Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields iconic 1960's musical SWEET CHARITY is playing on the stage of the Festival Theatre as this year's musical offering at the Shaw Festival in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. Visually stunning and often energetically infectious, this musical, with book by Neil Simon, comes at a time when everything mod is new again. The 'MAD MEN' era has made a resurgence in clothing and home furnishings, so this nod to the past seems perfectly placed. Coleman's score includes such standards as 'Big Spender' and 'If My Friends Could See Me Now.'

The 2015 Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario is shaping up to be a great mix of Shavian classics, an American musical, Canadian premieres and cutting edge modern day drama. Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell will be leaving after the 2016 Season and is working hard to program an uniquely balanced season, while also hoping to fulfill all of her artistic desires before her tenure ends. The company mandate is: ' The Shaw Festival is a theatre company inspired by the work of Bernard Shaw. We produce plays from and about his era and contemporary plays that share Shaw's provocative exploration of society and celebration of humanity.'

The Shaw Festival today announced principal casting and creative team details for its 54th season.

This upcoming Monday get ready to break out your dancing shoes, as cast members from the Original Toronto Production of MAMMA MIA! reunite for a one-night only benefit in support of FIFE HOUSE. They are a not for profit organization that seeks to provide secure and affordable supportive housing and support services for persons living with HIV/AIDS.

This upcoming Monday get ready to break out your dancing shoes, as cast members from the Original Toronto Production of MAMMA MIA! reunite for a one-night only benefit in support of FIFE HOUSE. They are a not for profit organization that seeks to provide secure and affordable supportive housing and support services for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The event will feature none other than Louise Pitre in the lead role of 'Donna', one in which she originated here in Toronto and then later took to the Great White Way. She will be joined by a group of her fellow cast mates to celebrate the music of ABBA and the success of MAMMA MIA, as well as to raise a toast to the great work that FIFE HOUSE does in our community. Joining her will be Adam Brazier (Sky), Gabrielle Jones (Rosie), David Keeley (Sam), Julie Martell (Sophie), Tamara Bernier (Tanya) and Shawn Wright (Bill). BWW is thrilled to be chatting with the cast to provide a unique retrospective on their time with MAMMA MIA!, including favourite memories and ABBA songs. Today we're focusing on the returning men including David Keeley , Shawn Wright and Adam Brazier.

Production of MAMMA MIA reunite for a one-night only benefit in support of FIFE HOUSE. They are a not for profit organization that seeks to provide secure and affordable supportive housing and support services for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The event will feature none other than Louise Pitre in the lead role of 'Donna', one in which she originated here in Toronto and then later took to the Great White Way. BWW sat down to talk to Louise about her favourite Mamma Mia memories, walking the boards on Broadway, meeting Meryl Streep and more.

The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake offers a dazzling new production of the 1996 musical RAGTIME that makes a case for the show as a great American musical. A terrific cast wins standing ovations nightly at the Festival Theater where the show plays until October 14.

French Without Tears, Terence Rattigan's comedy and one of the longest running plays in British theatre history, makes its debut at the Shaw Festival. This delightful comedy concerning lessons in love, language and the opposite sex, begins previews today at the Royal George Theatre, and shows just how much fun learning French can be!

Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell previously announced the casting and creative teams for the three plays featured next season on The Shaw's Festival Theatre stage. In making the announcement, Ms. Maxwell noted: 'I am so inspired by the range of talent we've assembled to make up our 2012 Ensemble. This extraordinary group of artists will bring to life the vivid contemporary ideas of each and every playwright whose work we are proudly presenting.'

The Shaw Festival embarks on the first season of its next 50 years by proudly initiating a provocative conversation through the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime. Based on E.L. Doctorow's novel of the same name, Ragtime is directed by Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell and brought to life by The Shaw's renowned acting Ensemble. This powerful and complex story of a young America on the cusp of defining itself and the hopes and dreams of its citizens continues to gain resonance today. Surpassing all expectations, early tickets sales to the Shaw Festival's production of Ragtime are nearly 20% above projected totals, while early April and May ticket purchases for special matinees are already 80% sold out. Yesterday's preview performance of Ragtime received a standing ovation.

Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell proudly announced the casting and creative teams for the three plays featured next season on The Shaw's Festival Theatre stage. In making the announcement, Ms. Maxwell noted: 'I am so inspired by the range of talent we've assembled to make up our 2012 Ensemble. This extraordinary group of artists will bring to life the vivid contemporary ideas of each and every playwright whose work we are proudly presenting.'

Jason Robert Brown's critically acclaimed musical The Last Five Years comes to London's Grand Theatre January 19th for what is sure to be a popular engagement. With a devoted fan base and a beautiful and interesting love story, this musical is not to be missed.

For its 2009 season, The Shaw takes on a monumental and historic project with full productions of each play in Noel Coward?s famous Tonight at 8:30 collection. The Shaw?s 2009 productions represent the first time all ten short plays have been performed in repertory by a professional company since they were first produced by London?s Phoenix Theatre in 1935-36. The plays will be performed in sets of three, one on each of the Festival?s Niagara-on-the-Lake stages, with the tenth, the rarely produced Star Chamber, being the lunchtime production in the Royal George. And to celebrate this idea for the event that it is, on two separate occasions, we will present all ten in one day ? an event we are appropriately naming ?Mad Dogs and Englishmen?.