Steve Lucas

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.

In Canadian Stage’s production of Italian playwright Stephano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy, three powerhouse performances, a surprising and meaningful staging, and a sweeping story outweigh the curious neutrality of the script to create a vital, must-see show with high stock value.

Get all the latest updates on the highly anticipated 2024 season at the Stratford Festival. Find out which talented actors have been cast in which productions, and get ready to experience the magic of live theater at one of the world's most renowned festivals.

If you call to book a ticket to Coal Mine’s brilliant production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ APPROPRIATE, you might stumble over the pronunciation. Is it appropriate, the proper actions to take in a particular circumstance? Or is it appropriate, to steal? The answer, shown through a complicated family saga with rotten roots, is that it’s both.

Don't miss the Canadian premiere of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY at Canadian Stage. Experience the critically acclaimed play that traces the history of the Lehman Brothers, running from November 14-26.

In September, COAL MINE THEATRE begins their 9th thrilling season with the Canadian Premiere of the 2015 Obie Award-winner for Best New American Play, Brendan Jacob's Jenkins' APPROPRIATE.  Directed by COAL MINE co-founder Ted Dykstra, APPROPRIATE runs September 24 – October 15.

Discover the upcoming 9th season of COAL MINE THEATRE, featuring two world premieres that promise to captivate audiences. Get all the details and dates for this exciting lineup of shows.

At a press conference held at Meridian Hall, the Toronto Alliance for the  Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 228 nominations for the 43rd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which recognize excellence in professional theatre, dance and opera in Toronto for the 2022-2023 season. Also announced at the press conference was the recipient of the Province of Ontario’s Pauline McGibbon Award. 

A new cast of virtuosic actor-pianists brings a Players Favorite back to the stage! Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt’s 2 Pianos 4 Hands returns after 8 years to charm audiences once again. The show features the new team of Jefferson McDonald and Matthew McGloin in the roles of Ted and Richard, under the direction of Players’ Artistic Director Tom Frey.

Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra are two accomplished pianists who also happen to be pretty darn funny. Together they've created a musical comedic romp, 2 Pianos 4 Hands (2P4H) playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, an ode to their lifelong obsession with the 88 keys. If you've ever endured a music lesson as a child, the flashbacks experienced here are all too real.

The comedy 2 Pianos 4 Hands has been added to the current Olney Theatre Center schedule as a special event for a limited run on the Historic Stage, May 8 - 24, 2020. Written and originally performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt; Jefferson McDonald and Matt McGloin take the stage for this production to portray Ted and Richard from their very first piano lessons as they strive to become professional concert pianists. Directed by Tom Frey, each actor plays a piano in this comic look at what happens when we chase our dreams and come up short. Tickets are on sale today via olneytheatre.org and the box office (301-924-3400).

Boldly interweaving dance, puppetry, set, music, lights, and live-action video design, DanceWorks is proud to present IN ABSENTIA, a stunning new multimedia work produced by Toronto-based collective JDdance. Boasting choreography and direction by Sharon B. Moore, as well as performances by Jesse Dell and Jordana Deveau, alongside five of Toronto's most exhilarating emerging dance artists, this original production is five years in the making and will celebrate its World Premiere at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, November 21-23, 2019.

All at once a sharp and powerful tale of family, gentrification, and social injustice, COAL MINE THEATRE is proud to announce its upcoming presentation of Stephen Adly Guirgis's Pulitzer Prize-winning BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY, directed by Gina Wilkinson Prize-winner Kelli Fox. The play, making its long-awaited Toronto Premiere, features remarkable performances by leading talent like Claire Armstrong, Sergio Di Zio, Allegra Fulton, Jai Jai Jones, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Nabil Rajo, and Alexander Thomas. Presented at COAL MINE THEATRE, November 24 - December 22, 2019 (Opening night November 27).

A Seder. A spiritual healer. A maximum security prison. A mansion in Forest Hill. Fraud. Jewish gangsters and more - Welcome to The Big House - Tracey Erin Smith's new show can't stay locked up!

At a press conference held May 28 in the Davies Takacs Lobby of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced 282 nominations for the 40th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards, which recognize excellence in professional theatre, dance and opera in Toronto. On Tuesday, June 25 at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 49 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, the Silver Ticket Award and the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award will be presented.

Nathan the Wise, the rarely seen masterpiece of the eighteenth-century German Enlightenment, hits the stage in Stratford this weekend. Directed by Birgit Schreyer Duarte, and starring Diane Flacks in the title role, the production begins previews on Saturday, May 25, at the Studio Theatre, followed by its official opening performance on June 15.

What happened in the Prime Minister's office on the ill-fated day of Joe Clark's budget vote? Michael Healey's play on the downfall of the 16th PM of Canada, produced by The 1979 Group and directed by Miles Potter, explores the ideology of the morally-motivated Albertan and his interactions with some of the most well-known names in modern Canadian politics.

The wildly popular premiere production of The New Canadian Curling Club, the story of unlikely group of would-be athletes who face off against local prejudice to become a true team, has been extended for an additional five shows, after a run of sold-out shows and waiting lists for tickets.

The world premiere of the hilarious and inspiring story of an unlikely group of would-be athletes who face off against local prejudice to become a true team in The New Canadian Curling Club, opens the 44th season of the Blyth Festival.

The latest production to open at the Stratford Festival, is the Eugene O'Neill classic LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. Directed by Miles Potter, this emotional and honest production will rip your heart out and leave you thinking about the family it is based on for days. It is an absolute must-see this season at the Festival.