Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – shows featuring comedy, sketch, dance and multimedia theatre drew the attention of audience members in week one of the Next Stage Theatre Festival. What better way to beat the polar vortex weather that has dominated headlines recently? Audiences are coming for the fun, coming for the hot toddies in the heated Steam Whistle Beer Tent, and coming to experience 12 days of the best indie theatre in Canada.
The following are shows that you won’t want to miss in the second week of the Next Stage Theatre Festival. The festival runs at Factory Theatre until January 18, 2015. NSTF historically sees hit shows sell out on closing weekend, so audiences will want to book early to avoid disappointment.
Graham Clark Reads the Phonebook: this Vancouver-based comedian’s “eulogy to the phonebook” has been a standout success of the festival, selling out all but one of his performances. Fans of his Canadian Comedy Award winning podcast (Stop Podcasting Yourself) have been thrilled to score tickets to an intimate evening with this notable comedian. Listen to his CBC Metro Morning interview here.
Big Shot: touring company Surreal SoReal Theatre has delivered a riveting multimedia play that Mooney on Theatre calls “stunning” and “spellbinding.” This show features a virtuosic performance from Jon Lachlan Stewart and gorgeous video projections, and delivers a hugely satisfying climax. Watch video trailer here.
Myth of the Ostrich: a fan favourite at the 2014 Toronto Fringe, this remount is receiving rave reviews across the board, also selling out all but one performance. “One antidote to these bitterly cold January days is sitting in a warm theatre, laughing your head off with the rest of the [Myth of the Ostrich] audience.” (Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine)
Unbridled & Unstable: the two fiercely funny women who make up The Templeton Philharmonic mine comedy from surprising scenarios such as salad cleanses and book clubs. Their comedic timing, bang-on accents, interpretive dance sequences and zany humour fuse together to create a brand of sketch that feels fully original. Look for these two to make a big splash in the coming year.
Pulse: award winning choreographer Jasmyn Fyffe and her collective of nimble, energetic dancers take Factory Theatre’s Mainspace by storm, inspiring the audience to move and groove along to tunes from Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and other unforgettable Motown/Soul artists. We dare you to leave the theatre without a smile on your face.
Next Stage Theatre Festival (Presented by the Toronto Fringe)
January 7-18, 2015, at three venues inside the historic Factory Theatre
Tickets on sale now! By phone (416.966.1062) or online
Download digital program book here
Read all show listings here
Photo: Jasmyn Fyffe, Matt Murray, Gwynne Phillips and Briana Templeton. ©2014 Tanja Tiziana.
2015-01-12
Toronto: Breakout hits of the Next Stage Theatre Festival