Bonnie Beecher News

The Segal Centre opens its 2015-16 Theatre Season with FUNNY GIRL, a celebrated musical about the public triumphs and private struggles of 1920's stage star, Fanny Brice. Powerhouse performer Gabi Epstein steps into the role of Fanny Brice, joined by a stellar 18-person cast.

Culchahworks Arts Collective and Panamania in association with Nightwood Theatreand b current proudly present the world premiere of Obeah Opera, a groundbreaking a cappella musical odyssey conceived, written and composed by Culchahworks Co-Artistic Director Nicole Brooks that runs tonight, August 4 to Saturday, August 8 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in The Distillery District (Media Night August 6).  Tickets are available at http://youngcentre.ca/ or by calling the Young Centre Box Office at 416-866-8666 and will be available at http://obeahopera.com/ within the week.

TORONTO (July 7, 2015) - Culchahworks Arts Collective and Panamania in association with Nightwood Theatreand b current proudly present the world premiere of Obeah Opera, a groundbreaking a cappella musical odyssey conceived, written and composed by Culchahworks Co-Artistic Director Nicole Brooks that runs Tuesday August 4 to Saturday, August 8 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in The Distillery District (Media Night August 6).  Tickets are available at http://youngcentre.ca/ or by calling the Young Centre Box Office at 416-866-8666 and will be available at http://obeahopera.com/ within the week.

Opera Atelier's 30th Anniversary Seasonwill celebrate the company's status as the busiest touring opera company in North America. A new Canadian production of Mozart's Lucio Silla (Apr. 7-16, 2016) will form the cornerstone of Opera Atelier's anniversary season in Toronto, paired with a revival of its landmark production of Armide (Oct. 22-31, 2015). The company has secured a recurring engagement at the Palace of Versailles and will present one of its Canadian-made productions at the famed Opéra Royal every second year. Armide will return to Versailles following its Toronto run in the fall of 2015. Today's announcement by founding artistic directorsMarshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg comes just weeks before they make their debuts atLa Scala Opera House in Milan with their celebrated staging of Lucio Silla. Both operas in the 30thAnniversary Season are rarely performed works that have recently been given international profile by the artists of Opera Atelier.

Tarragon Theatre presents the world premiere of Waiting Room, written by the talented and multi-faceted Diane Flacks, and directed by the equally talented, multi-faceted Richard Greenblatt, teaming up for a second time as writer and director for Tarragon. This powerful new drama about diagnosis, prognosis and uncertainty opens tomorrow, January 14, 2015 and runs to February 15 (previews from January 6) in Tarragon's Mainspace. Six outstanding actors - Ari Cohen, Michelle Monteith, Jordan Pettle, Warona Setshwaelo, Jane Spidell, Jenny Young - are featured in this penetrating work. Scroll down for a first look at the show!

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

Opera Atelier's 2014-2015 season begins with the Canadian premiere of a fully staged period production of Alcina (today, Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2014). George Frideric Handel's magical Alcina is a Baroque masterpiece and premiered in London in 1735. This production will mark Opera Atelier's first major Handel production at the Elgin Theatre. Alcina tells the story of a sorceress whose world is a mirage composed of the souls of her past lovers, and the Christian knight Ruggiero who is destined to set them free.

Opera Atelier's 2014-2015 season begins with the Canadian premiere of a fully staged period production of Alcina (Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2014). George Frideric Handel's magical Alcina is a Baroque masterpiece and premiered in London in 1735. This production will mark Opera Atelier's first major Handel production at the Elgin Theatre. Alcina tells the story of a sorceress whose world is a mirage composed of the souls of her past lovers, and the Christian knight Ruggiero who is destined to set them free.

Opera Atelier's 2013-2014 season continues with Lully's Persée, the thrilling saga of the heroic Perseus as he battles the monstrous Medusa to rescue princess Andromeda from her terrible fate.

I left the theatre relaxed, with a smile on my face, and a heart full of joy. More importantly, I left with a renewed sense of the inter-connectedness that we all share, and love's immense value in the world today. And if that doesn't warm your heart than maybe you don't have one. Don't miss this show. It's good for the heart. Once On This Island runs at Toronto's Daniels Spectrum Theatre, 585 Dundas St. East only until February 9, 2014.

Opera Atelier's founding co-artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg today announced the company's 2014-2015 season, featuring the Canadian premiere of a fully staged period production of Handel's Alcina. Handel's magic opera will kick off the season (Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2014), followed by Opera Atelier's first exploration of the Berlioz version of Gluck'sOrpheus and Eurydice (April 9-18, 2015).

Opera Atelier's 2013-2014 season continues with Lully's Persée, the thrilling saga of the heroic Perseus as he battles the monstrous Medusa to rescue princess Andromeda from her terrible fate.

Yukonstyle, the second of two plays by Quebecois playwright Sarah Berthiaume presented by Canadian Stage this season, marks its English-language premiere at the Berkeley Street Theatre from October 13 to 27. The production featuresKate Corbett, Ryan Cunningham, Francois Klanfer and Grace Lynn Kung, and is directed by Ted Witzel, one of the inaugural graduates of York University's MFA Program in Theatre - Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage.

ProArteDanza will present Season 2013 from October 2-5 at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre as part of NextSteps. Scroll down for photos of the dancers in performance for the premiere of Beethoven's 9th Symphony - 3rd Movement, and the North American premiere of Shifting Silence!

ProArteDanza will present Season 2013 from tonight, October 2-5 at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre as part of NextSteps. Scroll down for photos of the dancers in rehearsal for the premiere of Beethoven's 9th Symphony - 3rd Movement, and the North American premiere of Shifting Silence!

ProArteDanza will present Season 2013 from October 2-5 at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre as part of NextSteps. Scroll down for photos of the dancers in rehearsal for the premiere of Beethoven's 9th Symphony - 3rd Movement, and the North American premiere of Shifting Silence!

Canadian Stage opens the 2013.2014 theatre season at the Berkeley Street Theatre with two plays by Quebecois playwright Sarah Berthiaume, directed by the inaugural graduates of York University's MFA Program in Theatre - Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage, Ker Wells and Ted Witzel. The Flood Thereafter, a twisted fairytale helmed by Wells (who recently directed the company's popular production of Macbeth as part of Shakespeare in High Park), is on stage tonight, September 22 to October 6. Set in a small fishing community and featuring Oliver Becker, Maggie Huculak, Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster, Kevin MacDonald, W. Joseph Matheson and Patricia Marceau, the play is a timeless fable, stretching from the historic roots of ancient Greece to a small village in Quebec today. Yukonstyle (directed by Witzel) begins previews October 13.

Canadian Stage opens the 2013.2014 theatre season at the Berkeley Street Theatre with two plays by Quebecois playwright Sarah Berthiaume, directed by the inaugural graduates of York University's MFA Program in Theatre - Stage Direction in Collaboration with Canadian Stage, Ker Wells and Ted Witzel. The Flood Thereafter, a twisted fairytale helmed by Wells (who recently directed the company's popular production of Macbeth as part of Shakespeare in High Park), is on stage September 22 to October 6. Set in a small fishing community and featuring Oliver Becker, Maggie Huculak, Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster, Kevin MacDonald, W. Joseph Matheson andPatricia Marceau, the play is a timeless fable, stretching from the historic roots of ancient Greece to a small village in Quebec today. Yukonstyle (directed by Witzel) begins previews October 13.

The award winning ProArteDanza returns to Fleck Dance Theatre with its Season 2013, featuring the world premiere of Beethoven's 9th - 3rd Movement, choreographed by ProArteDanza Artistic Director Roberto Campanella and Artistic Associate Robert Glumbek; the critically acclaimed Fractals: a pattern of chaos, choreographed by National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Guillaume Cote; and the North American premiere of Shifting Silence, choreographed by Robert Glumbek. This outstanding evening of dance runs four nights only - October 2-5 - at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre as part NextSteps.