Opera Atelier’s youngest work centres a love triangle and raises a deep question Pelléas et Mélisande, Claude Debussy’s only opera, plays in Toronto through Sunday

Second, a deep dive into Opera Atelier's experiment with Debussy – it's the youngest work ever staged by the company, which usually presents pieces from the Baroque era.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

Barry Avrich peeks behind the curtain at Antoni Cimolino’s retirement from the Stratford Festival This Above All: The Theatrical Life of Antoni Cimolino premieres at Hot Docs on April 27

Two fun @theglobeandmail.com stories this weekend:

First, a Q&A with filmmaker Barry Avrich about his upcoming Antoni Cimolino (@stratfest.bsky.social) documentary, scheduled to premiere at Hot Docs next Monday.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/film...

Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary is a disappointing Bible play about the women in Jesus’s orbit Production at Crow’s Theatre is a rare misstep from the prolific Erin Shields

Never a great feeling to pan a show. But MARY, MARY, MARY, MARY, Toronto's newest Erin Shields play in a string of new Erin Shields plays, is a mess. Confusing writing, confusing direction, good acting but not enough to rescue it. A miss for me.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

With literal flames, photographer responds to pictures from Iran’s protests Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Parisa Azadi uses altered instant photographs to examine protest imagery, memory and risk

Stepped off the theatre beat this month to speak with photojournalist Parisa Azadi, whose striking photographs of war and protest in Iran offer a harrowing look at daily life for the country's women and girls.

For @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/art-...

Clyde’s, about the lifelong search for the perfect sandwich, goes skimpy on plot and heavy on drama A talented ensemble and inventive staging bring texture to a play that’s otherwise light on substance

I've thought about little other than Caity Weaver's bread essay this week. Good thing, then, that CLYDE'S, the sandwich epic produced with aplomb by Canadian Stage, pairs with it perfectly — and even mentions a cranberry nut loaf.

Globe review here: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Sophia Walker’s had a big year. But sandwich dramedy Clyde’s marks a new chapter for the actor Walker memorably appeared in Slave Play, which concluded with a visceral, blood-curdling scream

When Sophia Walker is in a play, you know you're in good hands. She's had a wild few years — Casey and Diana, Slave Play and Flex, to name only a few — and the work continues with CLYDE'S, opening tonight at Canadian Stage.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

In Strife, playwright Matthew MacKenzie takes aim at whitewashed activism A bird does the most important talking in intimate drama about activism, academia and their intersection in Alberta’s oil sands

Some nice work happening in STRIFE at Tarragon Theatre, though much like MacKenzie's last play I wonder if it might benefit from another draft.

Review @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Someone on Facebook is trying to sell a trampoline park. Not a trampoline. Not a lease transfer for a building. But a whole trampoline park setup. (Complete with foam pits.)

It's $65,000, marked down from $85k. I have no idea which of those prices is fairer. I can't stop thinking about this.

Zaiba Baig returns to the stage with a pair of – sort of – trans rage plays The playwright digs into what it means to exist in a trans, brown body, and especially one that in the last five years has become a national symbol for queer joy

THE BEGGING BROWN BITCH PLAYS aren't particularly enjoyable as a whole. But the last 20 minutes of Jhooti is some of my favourite time I've spent in a theatre so far this year.

My review of Zaiba Baig's return to the stage is online now: www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Judith Thompson’s Queen Maeve is an inconsistent – but irresistible – plunge into old age Thompson’s latest play follows an elderly grandmother living out her days in a decrepit nursing home

Just did the math... Coulter was 70 when she played Lear in 2013. So don't wait until 2039 to try to catch her on stage.

Here's my colleague's @aislingmurph.bsky.social's review of the production. Irresistible is the key word for me. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

World’s Gone Wild marks an edgy new chapter for the Second City in Toronto The company’s 91st revue showcases the ensemble’s ability to adapt

Some nice work in the new Second City mainstage revue (albeit with an uneven cast). Worth noting that the company's elbows are a little lower than they were this time last year.

Review in @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

CanLit adaptations dominate Crow’s Theatre’s 2026-27 season Toronto-based company will present stage versions of A Fine Balance, All’s Well and more in its upcoming season

#Exclusive: @crowstheatre.bsky.social will stage A FINE BALANCE next year, as well as FALL ON YOUR KNEES, a new take on Mackers and A GERMAN LIFE.

Story in @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Cyrano, a lesbian retelling of the 1897 classic play, ought to work – but doesn’t Virginia Gay’s Cyrano is a sapphic adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 129-year-old play

Really wanted to love CYRANO (I've been excited about it for months!).

But wow, I... didn't.

Review @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

After decades in the making, Tomson Highway’s Rose blooms onstage The celebrated Cree playwright’s musical premieres at the National Arts Centre, blending humour, music and the mythic world of Wasaychigan Hill

Not included in today’s @theglobeandmail.com cover story: Highway’s infectious laughter (or the pranks he pulled on me that resulted in it).

Really pleased to share this long-overdue profile about Tomson, Rose and the female God watching over them both:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

After decades in the making, Tomson Highway’s Rose blooms onstage The celebrated Cree playwright’s musical premieres at the National Arts Centre, blending humour, music and the mythic world of Wasaychigan Hill

Not included in today’s @theglobeandmail.com cover story: Highway’s infectious laughter (or the pranks he pulled on me that resulted in it).

Really pleased to share this long-overdue profile about Tomson, Rose and the female God watching over them both:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Update: It looks like there's an IP tracker embedded into the Canadaland dot com slash Bourrie page that appears to be tracing the IP addresses of visitors to the Bourrie page

It links to the website: tracemyip.org

Maybe @canadaland.com can explain what is going on here?

[h/t @edwardrow.com]

Even more surreal: An @intermissionmag.bsky.social blurb on a Broadway theatre.

A little surreal to walk down 44th Street and find two Canadian-influenced musicals across the street from each other: Titanique, the hilarious Céline Dion spoof, and Beaches, which had its pre-B’way tryout at Theatre Calgary in 2024.

Canadian Stage 2026-27 season to include Cabaret and Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) Lineup will feature performances from Tom Rooney, Paul Gross, Ann-Marie MacDonald and more

#Exclusive with Canadian Stage this morning: The company's 2026-27 season will include CABARET (!) and GOOD NIGHT DESDEMONA (GOOD MORNING JULIET), plus ROGERS V. ROGERS, for anyone who might have missed it the first time around.

In @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

An IMM-Permanent Resident explores the painful, personal underbelly of Canadian immigration The multilingual play, written and performed by real-life couple Neha Poduval and Himanshu Sitlani, has grown more topical since its 2022 premiere

AN IMM-PERMANENT RESIDENT has always been a personal story for its creators. But since its 2022 premiere, the show has also become more personal for me – and for anyone who's experienced navigating the immigration system.

Review @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Judith Thompson’s Queen Maeve is an inconsistent – but irresistible – plunge into old age Thompson’s latest play follows an elderly grandmother living out her days in a decrepit nursing home

And, speaking of Tarragon: QUEEN MAEVE didn't entirely work for me, but Clare Coulter is outstanding as the brave, befuddled Mrs. Nurmi.

Review @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Tarragon’s 2026-27 season will include Kat Sandler’s Yaga plus five world premiere plays 55th anniversary season also includes Monks, one of The Globe and Mail’s top theatrical productions of 2025

#Exclusive: Tarragon Theatre has unveiled its 2026-27 season, which includes Kat Sandler's YAGA, the return of MONKS (!) and other goodies. #TheaTO

Lots more on @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

There are two sides to David Suzuki. Both appear in this intimate stage play Production offers audiences a chance to meet Suzuki as both the famous climate activist and the gentler family man

For @theglobeandmail.com, I got to chat with legendary activist David Suzuki (!), not so much about climate and fruit flies but about a whole new experiment for him: theatre.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

A year ago, After the Rain felt underbaked and cutesy. With rewrites, it’s an electric new musical After significant overhauls to its book and score, the show has found new life in its second run

When I heard the NAC was reviving AFTER THE RAIN, I was hopeful – I was disappointed by the show's first outing in Toronto and wondered if the show might receive an overhaul.

It did. And I'm pleased to report it rocks.

Revisited for @theglobeandmail.com:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

The Fallout from Reporting on White Nationalism in Canada | The Tyee Journalist Rachel Gilmore published an investigation in The Tyee. The men she unmasked showed up to intimidate her in person.

A Canadian journalist documents a group of white nationalists who’ve been meeting at a gym in Montréal, unbeknownst to the owner of the business.

What happens after the story comes out? thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...

The Drowsy Chaperone returns to its show tune-loving roots at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto Gen Z theatre company Shifting Ground Collective’s production runs until March 21

I caught opening night of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE last night, and was impressed – I especially loved Martin Julien as the Man in Chair.

For @theglobeandmail.com, here's a feature about the show returning to its roots at Theatre Passe Muraille.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

‘It’s a kind of survivor’s guilt’: How an Iranian theatre-maker brought geopolitical conflict to Canadian audiences ‘The longer I’m away from Iran, I feel like I have less of a right to talk about certain things,’ says playwright, actor and director Ava Alavi

A few weeks ago, I saw a stunning, small piece of theatre about a young woman, her home country and her complicated relationship with feminism.

Then the U.S. and Israel invaded Iran.

For @theglobeandmail.com, I sat down with Ava Alavi to discuss SOUND.

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...

Whoa! Just announced today: Adrian Pang (SALESMAN IN CHINA) will lead The Karate Kid as Mr. Miyagi.

(I wonder what this means for the Mirvish transfer of Salesman?)

2026/27 Season Don't be late. Subscriptions on sale now!

Full season here: www.grandtheatre.com/2627-season

CYRANO: Co-pro with Citadel and RMTC. Nice. (The Cyrano-aissance is interesting, between this collab and the off-Mirvish Cyrano that lands in a few weeks.)

9 TO 5, music by Dolly Parton: Oy. Those elbows are on the ground!