Stage Door News

Toronto: Canadian Stage presents “Are we not drawn onward to new erA” February 9-11

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

In February, theatrical innovative takes center stage at the Bluma with an exclusive engagement of the acclaimed Belgian company Ontroerend Goed’s juggernaut international hit Are we not drawn onward to new erA, in a Toronto Premiere presentation February 9th – 11th.

Fresh off a hit run at the Public Theatre’s Under the Radar Festival, the influential Belgian company Ontroerend Goed visits Toronto for three nights only with this conceptually daring, visually stunning performance of environmental apocalypse – with a twist.

Palindromic – in title and form – Are we not drawn onward to new erA presents a visual metaphor for this crucial moment in our future history. This incredibly inventive performance is both playful and surprising; hilarious and heart-achingly beautiful. An Edinburgh Fringe First Award winner, this powerful piece of theater is a “technically dazzling, emotionally devastating show.” (Time Out)

“Ontroerend Goed is an essential company in the global contemporary theatre ecology right now and we are absolutely thrilled to share this work with Toronto audiences,” says Canadian Stage Artistic Director Brendan Healy. “The environmental crisis is perhaps the central issue of our time. This piece of work addresses the subject head on in a way I have simply never seen before, and with profound intellect, heart, a little magic, and an astonishing level of craft and precision.”

Ontroerend Goed first emerged on the international scene in 2007, with ‘The Smile Off Your Face’, a one-on-one show in which the audience is tied to a wheelchair and then blindfolded. Their hit show ‘Once and For All’ was an uncompromising celebration of raw teenage energy on stage. The company has won numerous prizes across Europe and has hit New York, Sydney, London to critical acclaim. Producing self-devised performances that are highly provocative and challenging, Ontroerend Goed’s has made unpredictability its trade­mark.

Tickets for Are we not drawn onward to new erA range from $29-$109. Single tickets are now available at www.canadianstage.com. This production runs February 9th – 11th 2022, with performances at 8:00pm Thursday – Saturday, and a 2:00pm matinee Saturday, February 11th, at the Bluma Appel Theatre. For more information and tickets visit  www.canadianstage.com.