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MWHATS ON AISLING MURPHY Record. heatwaves, shortages of fans and air # conditioners in big-box re- = tailers, and a rush of folks tailing | Thursday, June 16, 2022 § high- it to cottage = country can mean only one a sl er has hit & 2 = — It'sa welcome shift in the performance sector. The last few months have been strange ones for theatre in the GTA and beyond: there have been a plethora of con- flicting opening nights, for instance, and numerous shows have had to cut their runs short due to COVID cases wit and cre- ative teams. But despite the chaos of the last fe’ , on the way are warmer weather and a powerful new season of theatre. Here are the top 10 shows and festivals I'm looking forward to. : ere ie Blood Mixes" at Soulpepper, May 26 to June 26, $25+ ve! e ral's Award-winning playwright Kevi ring is a major voice in Indigenous playw- riting in Canada. As Artis- tic Director of the National Arts Centre's Indigenous Theatre, Loring is a cham- pion for native voices on- stage — now his own gets to shine at Soulpepper in a play which explores famil- ial strength despite trauma endured at the hands of \da's residential schools. Visionary director jani Lauzon brings Loring's lauded text to life in Toron- to's Distillery District this June. STRATFORD: Stratford Fes- thro et. 29, $21+ Ne could this list possibly exclude the world- mous Stratford Festival. Shakespeare fans might have already committed the lineup to heart, but those of us less friendly with the ot SY Kyle Z n= = ES MS ae Bard might wish to check out the fantastic studio line- pp. Imp Tm particularly looking to "Hamlet-91 oe tan by Ann-Marie Mac- Donald and directed by Al- isa Palmer. The play wres- tles Shakespeare's text into whimsical submission, rov- ing from a matinee perfor- mance of the text at the Stratford Festival to ... the Underworld. I's a metath- eatrical, daring world pre- miere, one sure to charm even the least classically in- formed of Stratford attend- ee: S. TORONTO: "Sweeney Todd" at Talk Is Free Theatre, June 6 - July 3, $75+ You might already be fa- 10 THEATRE EXPERIENCES T00 GOOD TO MISS miliar with a certain demon barber of Fleet Street, but not like this. The Barrie- based company Talk Is Free Theatre comes to Toronto this summer mersive production of what on Ger- rard Street East, this "Swee- ney Todd” will foster an in- timate connection between the audience and the story. Helmed by director Mitch- ll Cushman, the founding ic director of immer- ane othestee company Out- side the March, this ambi. tious take on Sweeney looks to beonefor the books. How about a shave? BLYTH: Blyth Festival, var- e 22, one- thousand tiny), Blyth Festival is one of On- tario's most highly regard- ed summer theatre events, drawing in audiences from across ne province. This rogramming Michael Healey’s “The Drawer Boy," a Cana: dian classic with deep ties to Healey's experience work- ing as an actor at the Blyth Festival over twenty years ago. Also feat is Indige- nous SeeeaeD rew Hay- den Taylor's "Cottagers and Indians," a hilarious and timely look at the relation- ship between cottage coun- try and the land it occupies. TORONTO: "& Juliet" at Productions, June 22 to Aug. 14, $49+ “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," looks to be quite the stunner, judging by the influx of Dus ads, so- cial media banners and bill- boards touting the produc- ea But the equally excit- Juliet," a re-imagin- ing of Shakespeare's most famous not-love story, is al- so coming to King Street for its North American pre- miere — it's not an overstep to assume the production has Broadway aspirations. Created by "Schitt's Creek" veteran David West Read, the musical features fines fom Jegendary produce! and perfor Mee es ann Broadway's Betsy Wolfe and Tony Award-winning Paulo Szot. KITCHENER-WATERLOO: "We Could Be" at Green Light Arts, Aug. 16-25, $0 th ‘loo region come together with "We Be," a solleetion of short plays which speak to the present moment. Themes of hope and resilience under- score the new works, mak- ing "We Could Be" an ideal rojo for what will be one shener-Waterloo's fst Ec “person theat vents back since the pan- demic. It'll also be taking place inside the Kitchener Market — because who doesn't love a summer farmers' market followed by new theatre? : “Detroit" at Coal Mine Theatre, July 3 to Aug. 7, $85+ See SHAW’S, page 19 CARABRAM Brampton’s Multicultural Festival theifp.ca July 8, 9, Visit www.Carabram.org | For info call: 416.452.4917 10, 2022 Culligan Watton. Summer of Love-Your-Water SALES EVENT $350 OFF Whole Home Water Combo 5 Mountainview Rd N, Georgetown www.culligan.com Schedule your Free Water Test (905) 877-6242 info@culliganwater.ca