Shakespeare BASH’d

Thanks so much for joining us!

A highlight: Cressida has been traded to the Greeks, who literally pass her around to each covetously kiss her. Her fear & the danger of her position, then her defiant turn to rhetoric as protection, came through strongly with great acting from all. Visceral. Thank you @shakesbashd.bsky.social!

Review: Shakespeare BASH’d brings focus to Troilus and Cressida This spare, thoughtful staging prioritizes a clarity of text that comes through even when the script’s overall trajectory is less than clear.

Review: @shakesbashd.bsky.social brings focus to Troilus and Cressida #theatre #theaTO @intermissionmag.bsky.social www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/troi...

A riveting, bare-bones TROILUS AND CRESSIDA that’s fiery, passionate, daring and scrappy. Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida might be considered a risky problem play in the canon of his tragedies. Why? In most

ourtheatrevoice.com/a-riveting-b... My review of a terrific TROILUS AND CRESSIDA now on stage in the Incubator Space at Toronto's The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street West. Produced by @shakesbashd.bsky.social

Istvan Reviews ➤ TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ⏤ Shakes. BASH'd Istvan Dugalin's review of TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, presented by Shakespeare BASH'd at The Theatre Centre until February 8, 2026.

𝙄𝙨𝙩𝙫𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 ➤
𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗜𝗟𝗨𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗔
presented by @shakesbashd.bsky.social

#IstvanReviews #theaTO

istvandugalin.com/2026/01/31/t...

Shakespeare BASH’d’s “Troilus and Cressida” Beginning in the middle, starting thence awayTo what may be digested in a play. The prologue to William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cr…

@shakesbashd.bsky.social is bringing another lesser-performed Shakespeare play to The Theatre Centre with "Troilus and Cressida." Beautifully acted and impressively staged, you won't want to miss this production!

#TheaTO #Theatre #Review

aviewfromthebox.net/2026/01/30/s...

What to look for on Toronto stages this winter From star turns by Clare Coulter and Louise Pitre to the remount of a canonical Canadian musical, here are some shows getting big buzz this season

Psst… contest for a pair of tickets to the @shakesbashd.bsky.social production of TROILUS AND CRESSIDA ends today at noon.

Details in my latest newsletter.

www.goaheadsumi.com/what-to-look...

Means so much to have our Merchant of Venice included!

Feature: Ilana Lucas Picks the Top Toronto Theatre 2025 In a world where AI increasingly tries to consume and simulate real human experiences, theatre sometimes feels like one of the last gasps of being in a room together. When we watch a show with others,...

So much to applaud in my annual Top Toronto Theatre roundup! @crowstheatre.bsky.social @shakesbashd.bsky.social @toronto-fringe.bsky.social @thehowlandcompany.bsky.social @mirvish.bsky.social @studio180theatre.bsky.social @outsidethemarch.bsky.social and more!
www.broadwayworld.com/toronto/arti...

In the foreground, Jessica (Cameron Scott, a brunette in her 20's with shoulder length hair, sporting a simple black dress) comforts a distraught Shylock (Alon Nashman, mid-50s, with short greying hair and beard, wearing a white undershirt and a satin patterned kippah); in the background stand Portia (Hallie Seline, a blond woman in a slim blue dress, holding a candlestick) and Antonio (Jesse Nereberg, a white man in a blue button-up shirt), seemingly unperturbed, in a scene from Shakespeare BASH'D's production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. The show featured career best-to-date turns from veteran Nashman, newcomer Scott, & mid-career actor Asher Rose as a fiery Gratiano (not pictured). Photo by Kyle Purcell.

9. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (The Theatre Centre, Thurs 20 Feb). Shakespeare BASH'D leaned hard into the play's underpinning of antisemitism for their in the round staging, culminating in a devastating ransacking of Shlyock's Shabbat table. Often staged as a comedy, this hit as psychological horror.

The Merchant of Venice

“BASH’d has done what far too many Shakespeare productions never do. It has made us see a famous play in an entirely new light.” TY Stage Door for this excellent, thoughtful review of @shakesbashd.bsky.social THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Proud to have been a part of it. www.stage-door.com/3/Reviews/En...

“Under Nish-Lapidus’ careful direction, like the three caskets…, the happy, close-knit characters carry something wildly different from their appearances inside them, a viciousness toward the outsider that feels painfully relevant.” TY @intermissionmag.bsky.social @shakesbashd.bsky.social

Review: This 'Merchant of Venice' feels like a tragedy This Shakespeare BASH’d production is a gem of a reimagining that explores the issues raised in Playing Shylock without offering answers.

Review: This 'Merchant of Venice' feels like a tragedy #theatre #theaTO Beautiful work by
@shakesbashd.bsky.social www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/merc...

On an orange background lies a show programme for Shakespeare BASH'd's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, directed by Julia Nish-Lapidus, running February 13 to February 23rd at The Theatre Centre. The run is technically Sold Out, but there have been empty rush seats at every show, including 10 at the performance I attended. If you don't have a ticket, rush it; I gave it only my 2nd standing ovation of 2025.

My 2nd SO of '25: @shakesbashd.bsky.social THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Undercuts the comedy, brings bigotry to the fore. A.Nashman & A.Rose handle text w/ aplomb, but watch C.Scott closest: esp. during post-courtroom's epilogue, she's the horrorshow's bellwether. Sold out run-but MANY rush tix. #TheaTO

Shakespeare BASH’d’s “The Merchant of Venice” Come in! The Shabbat table is set, the challah is warm, and Shylock is expecting you. Shakespeare BASH’d is shedding new light and focus on one of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays with their …

@shakesbashd.bsky.social is back with a landmark production of "The Merchant of Venice"

Starring Alon Nashman as Shylock and Jesse Nerenberg as Antonio, this is an unforgettable "Merchant" which truly packs a punch.

#TheaTO #Theatre #Review

aviewfromthebox.net/2025/02/19/s...

Cannot wait.

And shout out to the star for including this review in print!

For real it is meaningful to the city's theatre ecology to have coverage in print as well. ❤️💜✌️
@glennsumi.bsky.social @shakesbashd.bsky.social @thestar.com (ironic handle given the post lol)

#TheaTO #PrintMedia

Istvan Reviews ➤ THE MERCHANT OF VENICE - Shakes BASH’d Istvan Dugalin's review of Shakespeare's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, presented by Shakespeare BASH'd at The Theatre Centre.

𝙄𝙨𝙩𝙫𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 ➤
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘
@shakesbashd.bsky.social

#IstvanReviews #theaTO

istvandugalin.com/2025/02/16/t...

Thanks for braving the snow to join us!

This evening in #Toronto - at @shakesbashd.bsky.social The Merchant of Venice. #Shakespeare #Theatre

The Merchant of Venice Now on stage in the BMO Incubator at the Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen Street West, Toronto.

www.ourtheatrevoice.com/items-7/the-... My review of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE now on stage in the BMO Incubator at Toronto's The Theatre Centre. 1115 Queen Street West. @shakesbashd.bsky.social

We ❤️ @thehowlandcompany.bsky.social

Thanks for the S/O @glennsumi.bsky.social @thestar.com We’re thrilled to have Howlanders in this fantastic ensemble w/ our friends @shakesbashd.bsky.social

“What a treat to have Laurie and Seline, two prominent members of the Howland Company, another excellent indie company, join this production.”

Yes, ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a problematic, antisemitic play — this marvellous Toronto version shows the rewards of staging it Julia Nish-Lapidus’s production for Shakespeare BASH’d shows the artistic rewards of staging this problematic play.

Most of the run is sold out, but try to get a standby ticket to @shakesbashd.bsky.social MERCHANT OF VENICE, featuring a largely Jewish team. My rave is now up at @thestar.com

www.thestar.com/entertainmen...

Thanks for joining us and for this thoughtful response to the show! We’ll always try to squeeze in more people at the door!

Our upcoming production of The Merchant of Venice sold-out real fast, so we’ve added one more show. We’d love to have you join us for our investigation of this controversial play.

Tickets at theatrecentre.org/tickets/?eid...

The @toronto-fringe.bsky.social announced today that Videocabaret's Deanne Taylor Theatre will be a satellite venue for the '25 fest, & all #FringeTO shows there will be in the round! Videocab will cover FREE extra rehearsal & tech time. 8 lottery spots available - applications close Feb. 3. #TheaTO

Win tickets to our show!

Free ticket giveaway alert to @shakesbashd.bsky.social upcoming MERCHANT OF VENICE. Details at end of post.

www.goaheadsumi.com/artists-to-w...

Artists to watch on Toronto stages this winter From Dora Award and Governor General's Award winners to one of the country's most celebrated acting couples, some of the biggest talents will be heating up theatres this season

Thanks for the shout out @glennsumi.bsky.social and for including Alon Nashman & our @shakesbashd.bsky.social production of The Merchant of Venice on your list for 2025!

#ArtistToWatch #theaTO #torontotheatre

10 theatre shows to see in 2025, including a pair of Pulitzer Prize winners and a new Canadian opera Our arts critic, Joshua Chong, selects the top theatre productions he’s looking forward to seeing in the first half of 2025.

Here's my round-up of the 10 theatre productions I'm most looking forward to for the first half of 2025. #theaTO

Read it in @thestar.com: