Toronto, Ontario - The Next Stage Theatre Festival (NSTF) is Toronto’s premiere winter theatre event. Presented by the Toronto Fringe, the mandate of NSTF is to offer Fringe Festival artists the opportunity to bring their work to the next stage. The 2015 Next Stage Theatre Festival runs from January 7 – 18, 2015.
This year, the festival features an impressive slate of established and emerging LGBTQ artists. Here are some highlights:
Spotlight on: Caroline AzarWriter/Director of DINKShaw and Stratford Festival stars shine in this Canadian crime drama – but none brighter than the playwright/director Caroline Azar who has crafted this ambitious play with musical interludes. At 18, Azar had her start as the lead singer of the all-woman punk band Fifth Column. A provocative playwright and director, she has contributed to Fringe theatre, zine culture, and the feminist-LGBTQ community for over 20 years.
Spotlight on: Jenna Harris
Writer/Performer of Mine
Harris has written a sensual and lyrical tale of two women as they fall in and out of love. Although the subject matter of
Mine is universal, the story challenges the status quo’s presumptions of gay women and lesbian intimacy. The tempestuous relationship represented on stage is honest and brutal, while the rhythm of the piece firmly establishes Harris as a fresh new voice in the indie theatre community.
Spotlight on: Matt Murray/Steven GallagherWriter/Director of Myth of the OstrichAn audience favourite at the 2014 Fringe Festival, Murray’s hilarious and tender play looks at the nature of motherhood and the complexities of parenting in the 21
st century. Gallagher’s vision has been seen recently in
Memorial (NSTF 2013) and
Stealing Sam (Fringe 2013 – Best of Fringe/Patron’s Pick), which just won the award for “Best Drama” at the 2014 NYC United Solo Festival, the world’s largest solo theatre festival.
Next Stage Theatre Festival (Presented by the Toronto Fringe)
January 7-18, 2015 at Factory Theatre
Tickets on sale now! By phone (416.966.1062) or online
Download digital program book here
Read all show listings here