Presented by the Toronto Fringe, the Next Stage Theatre Festival (NSTF) will open its first show at tonight and will run every day until January 19th at the Factory Theatre. For the next 12 days, Toronto theatre lovers will be able to enjoy a surprising combination of new musicals, dance, drama and the intimate Antechamber series.
NSTF will give us a chance to sample a viewing schedule that includes Broadway performers, Governor General’s Award-winning playwrights, existential polar bears, urban street dance and more. With 10 shows to choose from, there is plenty of opportunities for us to get out there and avoid ‘cabin fever’ this winter.
This year’s shows are listed below. Please click on each show’s title for more details and showtimes.
A Misfortune
Adapted from Anton Chekov’s work.
A married woman and a young lawyer walk through the woods. Their friendship has reached an impasse.
Fatherly
A story of fathers and sons, love and death, America and baseball.
Jack Your Body
A high-energy dance performance that pays homage to American street dance culture.
Killer Business – The Musical
It’s the first preview of “Lucky In Love.” The Producer is hoping for a long run. The show starts with the same old song and dance until a body turns up on stage. Now, it’s up to Richard Gunn PI to solve the case.
On The Other Side Of The World
1930s Europe. As Hitler’s army gains momentum, only one port remains open to thousands of fleeing Jewish refugees: Shanghai, China. Adapted from the memoirs of many, and told through the eyes of a fiercely resilient young woman.
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| Stephanie Jung (Performer), Rachel Blair (Co-Director), Nicole Ratjen (Writer, Co-Director, Performer) Polar Opposites |
Polar Opposites
a highly theatrical tale of two polar bears trapped on a melting iceberg. 2 parts comedy, 1 part tragedy, ½ table tennis, and ¼ mask theatre. Entirely Absurd.
Rifles
In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, Señora Carrar refuses to pick sides: her husband died in combat and she’s determined to keep her two sons alive and out of the conflict.
Release The Stars: The Ballad Of Randy And Evi Quaid
The show that brought iconoclastic Hollywood couple Randy and Evi Quaid out of hiding.
Scheherazade
Every night, the King marries a virgin. Every morning, he chops off her head. The only person who can stop him is Scheherazade: a brave young woman with a crazy plan.
Stencilboy And Other Portraits
Lily ditches her small-town life and makes for the city. Her fervent desire to be immortalized in a painting leads her to two radically different men – an underground graffiti artist and a once-famous painter.
Although I’d like to check out all the shows, I think I’ll be making my way to at least a few. So far on my list are: A Misfortune, Polar Opposites, Rifles, and Release The Stars…
Tickets to NSTF range from $10 (Antechamber series) and $15. They can be purchased online, by phone, or at the theatre. For more ticketing, venue information, and festival passes, go here.
