This monthly column features Theatre and Dance performances happening this month in and around Toronto and the GTA that you should absolutely check out.
Soulpepper: Tiger Bride
May 29 – June 21
Soulpepper Theatre
Based on the namesake short story by Angela Carter, Tiger Bride — a riff on Beauty and the Beast — is transformed into a new stage adaptation by longtime Soulpepper collaborators Frank Cox-O’Connell, Hailey Gillis, and Andrew Penner, who also perform the show live. This world premiere is described as “part rock concert, part cabaret, part theatre,” featuring 16 original songs. Info here.
Mirvish: Paranormal Activity
June 9 – July 5
CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre
Inspired by the supernatural film series of the same name, this new play by Levi Holloway and directed by Felix Barrett has received rave reviews in the UK and across North America. This Canadian premiere haunting the Mirvish stage features special effects and illumination. Be prepared for some adrenaline-filled, jaw clenching thrill. Info here.
Tarragon Theatre: The Caged Bird Sings
June 9 – 21
Tarragon Theatre
Inspired by Rumi’s “Masnavi”, The Caged Bird Sings offers a gripping blend of Sufi mysticism and psychological drama set inside a single jail cell. The play follows three prisoners as memory, humour, and haunting visions collide. Directed and co-written by Rouvan Silogix, Rafeh Mahmud, and Ahad Lakhani. Info here.
National Ballet of Canada: MADDADDAM
June 13–21
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
Returning to the Toronto stage after its successful premiere in 2022, MADDADDAM is a large scale, post-apocalyptic ballet adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy, choreographed by Wayne McGregor. The ballet immerses audiences in a world reshaped by bio-engineered catastrophe, corporate greed, and human hubris. As a bonus, it features an original score by the great movie composer Max Richter. Info here.
Eldritch Theatre: Siofra
June 17-28
Red Sandcastle Theatre
Eldritch Theatre recently received a special citation at the Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards for its productions of high quality horror shows. In association with Spindle Collective, Siofra is part two of the Dark Mother Trilogy, created by Natalia Bushnik and Kathleen Welch, which explores the Irish myth of changelings through a tragic 19th century story. Info here.
DanceWorks: Sweet Ephemera
June 18 – 20
The Theatre Centre
Sweet Ephemera, a double bill of new contemporary dance works by emerging Toronto-based artists, explores queer intimacy, cultural memory, and diasporic experience. Peel Me by Eilish 미정 Shin-Culhane is an experimental contemporary dance work that asks audiences to consider what lies beneath the surface. pahinga ka muna, an improvisational ritual of mourning and rest rooted in Filipinx diasporic experience, disability, crip, and mad arts practice of access, is created and performed by Jose Miguel “Miggy” Esteban. Info here.
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