Intermission

Review: 'Slave Play' sparks debate — so we reviewed it twice Intermission is honouring the play’s divisive reputation by presenting a pair of reviews written independently of one another.

REVIEW: Slave Play sparks debate — so we reviewed it twice

"To mark the Canadian premiere of this influential satire, Intermission is honouring the play’s divisive reputation by presenting a pair of reviews written independently of one another."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/slav...

Review: COC's 'Roméo et Juliette' wears its heart on its sleeve I was surprised to find an image as simple as the pair peacefully spooning in bed struck a sympathetic chord with me.

REVIEW: Amy Lane's campy Roméo et Juliette wears its heart on its sleeve at the COC

"The opera is so grand, and Gounod’s music so august, that I was surprised to find an image as simple as the pair peacefully spooning in bed struck a sympathetic chord with me."

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'CoyWolf' ponders the meaning of resistance “There’s a venn diagram [in which] wolf displacement across Canada matches Indigenous displacement,” playwright Colin Wolf.

“There’s a venn diagram [in which] wolf displacement across Canada matches Indigenous displacement.”
Playwright Colin Wolf talks to Intermission Magazine about the complexities of resistance explored in his new hopepunk thriller, CoyWolf: www.intermissionmagazine.ca/features/coy...

Review: Alan Doyle steers a joyful ship in 'Tell Tale Harbour' 'Tell Tale Harbour' at Mirvish makes good on spinning a yarn as warm as a mug-up with music as catchy as a fiddle reel.

REVIEW: Alan Doyle steers a joyful ship in Tell Tale Harbour at Mirvish

"The musical makes good on spinning a yarn as warm as a mug-up with music as catchy as a fiddle reel. The asides are wry, the slapstick is generous, and the hearts are big."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/tell...

Review: Shifting Ground's Ride the Cyclone is heartfelt, overloaded Director 郝邦宇 Steven Hao hits the carnival bullseye when it comes to heart and fun, but just misses the top prize by expanding the cast.

REVIEW: Shifting Ground Collective delivers heartfelt, overloaded Ride the Cyclone

"Director 郝邦宇 Steven Hao hits the carnival bullseye when it comes to heart and fun, but misses the top prize by expanding the cast and reducing the original’s creepiness."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/ride...

Review: Coal Mine's 'Waiting for Godot' is lucid and unpretentious This production of Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' embraces the bodily sensibilities of Beckett’s dark humour.

REVIEW: Coal Mine Theatre’s Waiting for Godot is lucid and unpretentious

"Directed by Kelli Fox, this Waiting for Godot embraces the bodily sensibilities of Beckett’s dark humour, grounding his abstract poetics in the kidneys, the feet, and the dirt."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/wait...

Review: 'The Veil' offers stripped-down psychological thrills Director Helen Juvonen’s subtle, atmospheric production makes for an unnerving horror theatre experience.

REVIEW: The Veil brings stripped-down psychological thrills to the Crow’s Theatre Studio

"Director Helen Juvonen’s subtle, atmospheric production makes for an unnerving horror theatre experience."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/the-...

Review: 'Octet' vibrates with sublime vocal beauty at Crow's Dave Malloy’s intricate a cappella compositions are the hymns and confessionals in a show about a support group for internet addiction.

REVIEW: Dave Malloy’s Octet vibrates with sublime vocal beauty at Crow’s Theatre

"Malloy’s intricate a cappella compositions, rich with complex harmonies, are the hymns and confessionals in a show about a support group for internet addiction."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/octe...

Why a group of artists resurrected DNA Theatre's 'Phalanx' The specter of death is omnipresent in Phalanx, one of the offerings at the 2025 SummerWorks Performance Festival.

‘A scream for the death of experimental theatre in Canada’: Why a group of artists resurrected an outdoor performance from 1998

"The specter of death is omnipresent in Phalanx, one of the offerings at this year’s SummerWorks Performance Festival."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/features/pha...

Review: Soulpepper's 'The Welkin' careens from comedy to tragedy An effective staging by Weyni Mengesha and a large cross-section of the city’s most powerful actors make for compelling viewing.

REVIEW: The Welkin careens from raucous comedy to crushing tragedy

"An effective staging by Weyni Mengesha makes for compelling viewing of a suspenseful story that sifts through centuries of sexist sediment like an archaeological dig."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/the-...

Maev Beaty and Irene Poole join forces in 'Ransacking Troy' “This is an ensemble of some of the most extraordinary femme actors in the country and beyond,” says Beaty.

Ready for a show to "smash the Bechdel test all to pieces"? 💪
Maev Beaty and Irene Poole spoke with @intermissionmag.bsky.social to discuss Ransacking Troy, Erin Shields's new "feminist reimagining of Homer’s epics, directed by Jackie Maxwell." www.intermissionmagazine.ca/features/ran...

#SFTroy

Maev Beaty and Irene Poole join forces in 'Ransacking Troy' “This is an ensemble of some of the most extraordinary femme actors in the country and beyond,” says Beaty.

For Maev Beaty and Irene Poole, Stratford’s Ransacking Troy offers a chance ‘to smash the Bechdel test all to pieces’

“This is an ensemble of some of the most extraordinary femme actors in the country and beyond,” says Beaty.

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/features/ran...

Annie Katsura Rollins is ready for the shadow puppet revolution "I disagree with how the Western world has equated shadows with darkness and ignorance and evil," says Rollins.

Puppeteer Annie Katsura Rollins is ready for the shadow revolution

"I disagree with how the Western world has equated shadows with darkness and ignorance and evil," says Rollins. "Shadows are equally as important as light."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/speaking-in-...

Review: The 44th Edmonton Fringe was massive and invigorating The Edmonton Fringe wholeheartedly integrates itself into the city’s urban environment, energizing a rich array of spaces.

REVIEW: North America’s biggest fringe festival happens in Edmonton — and the atmosphere is invigorating

"The Fringe wholeheartedly integrates itself into the city’s urban environment, energizing a rich array of spaces."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/edmo...

Preparing to direct 'Slave Play': A travel guide to Richmond, Virginia Since reading 'Slave Play,' I’ve asked every romantic partner whether or not they experience a racial dynamic between us in the bedroom.

Preparing to direct Slave Play: A travel guide to Richmond, Virginia

"Since reading Slave Play, I’ve asked every romantic partner whether or not they experience a racial dynamic between us in the bedroom. No one has given the same answer."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/artist-persp...

Announcing ON Criticism: The 2025/26 Theatre Critics Lab Four southern Ontario theatres are collaborating with Intermission Magazine to continue advancing the field of theatre criticism.

INTRODUCING: ON Criticism, an incubator for theatre criticism offered by Intermission Magazine, the Grand Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, Talk is Free Theatre, and Tarragon Theatre.

Review: 'Ransacking Troy' and 'The Art of War' at Stratford Erin Shields’ brilliant Ransacking Troy reimagines one of Western culture’s foundational narratives, the Trojan War.

REVIEW: At the Stratford Festival, two adventurous new plays reflect on war

"Both of these plays are successful in telling war stories because they find ways to refract perspectives."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/troy...

Review: 'Tiff’ny of Athens' throws a delightful party in Withrow Park It’s a refreshing reimagining that isn’t overly concerned with preserving the sanctity of the source material.

REVIEW: Tiff’ny of Athens throws a delightful party in Withrow Park

"The text draws on an eclectic mix of sources: other Shakespeare plays, Dolly Parton songs, and automated messages from government service helplines, to name a few."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/tiff...

Review: Two hybrid dance pieces close 2025 SummerWorks fest Both explored memory, loss, and the body’s way of carrying history — one did so with devastating intimacy, the other with cerebral play.

REVIEW: Two hybrid dance pieces close out this year’s SummerWorks Performance Festival

"During the festival’s closing weekend, I saw two works that live side by side in my memory even as they differed in style and intention."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/summ...

Review: Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival 2025 Historically, the Sawitri Theatre Group has aimed to platform South Asian performing arts, and its festival inherits this focus.

REVIEW: Mississauga Multilingual Fringe Festival 2025

"Historically, the Sawitri Theatre Group has aimed to platform South Asian performing arts, and its annual fringe festival inherits this focus."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/miss...

Review: Outside the March’s 'Rainbow on Mars' ignites the senses Rainbow on Mars is a multisensory experience that goes beyond visual spectacle to create an all-encompassing narrative world.

REVIEW: Outside the March’s Rainbow on Mars explores the future of embedded accessibility practices

"Rainbow on Mars is a multisensory experience that goes beyond visual spectacle to create an all-encompassing narrative world from the moment your ticket is scanned."

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Review: Soulpepper’s 'Old Times' casts a tense, haunting spell The actors’ movements are deceptively simple — pouring coffee, sitting, standing. Yet their physicality is precise.

REVIEW: Soulpepper’s Old Times casts a tense, haunting spell

"The actors’ movements are deceptively simple — pouring coffee, sitting, standing. Yet their physicality is precise, augmenting the many silences and contributing to an overall intensity."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/old-...

Review: GFT’s ambitious 'Heratio' blends rebellion with reverence Genevieve Adam’s script plunges into the smouldering wreckage of Hamlet, twisting its narrative with conspiracies and disguises.

REVIEW: Guild Festival Theatre’s ambitious Heratio wanders through a thicket of subplots

"Genevieve Adam’s script plunges into the smouldering wreckage of Hamlet, twisting its narrative with conspiracies, disguises, and a heavy dose of meta-humour."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/hera...

Review: This summer, Kingston’s TK Fringe is eclectic as ever Popping between the festival’s three venues with a pen and mini notebook, I took in a series of performances by local theatre-makers

REVIEW: This summer, Kingston’s TK Fringe is eclectic as ever

"Popping between the festival’s three venues with a pen and mini notebook, I took in an eclectic series of performances by local theatre-makers."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/tk-f...

In 'Rez Gas,' Cale Crowe spins a comic tale of uneasy homecoming “Every now and then, I have to remind myself that [Rez Gas] is actually happening,” says Crowe. “We can take on the whole world.”

In the Capitol Theatre’s new musical Rez Gas, songwriter Cale Crowe spins a comic tale of uneasy homecoming

“If it works in [the rehearsal] room and all these people believe in it, then we can take on the whole world," says Crowe.

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/features/rez...

Derek Kwan wants to bring theatre back to the town square “I’m interested in bringing theatre back to its roots — for instance, clown as satire for taking obnoxious people down a peg,” says Kwan.

Derek Kwan wants to bring theatre back to the town square

"I’ve always loved the idea of art happening everywhere, from street art to yarn bombing," says Kwan. "Art is a necessity in that it keeps us human."

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✨ Announcing our 2026 season! ✨
The culmination of a 40-year career with the Festival, including 14 seasons as Artistic Director, this will be Antoni Cimolino's farewell season, with plays united under the theme of "This Rough Magic".

The 2026 playbill across our four venues...

Review: Shaw Festival’s wayward 'Gnit' is an existential Ibsen riff Will Eno's Gnit hopscotches between tones, counterpointing detailed, character-driven dialogue with metatheatrical winks to the audience.

REVIEW: Shaw Festival’s wayward Gnit is an existential riff on Ibsen

"Will Eno's Gnit hopscotches between tones, frequently counterpointing detailed, character-driven dialogue with metatheatrical winks to the audience."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/reviews/gnit/

At the 2025 Festival d’Avignon, politics were never far off There I was, at the Festival d'Avignon, rubbing shoulders with the umpteen visitors hungry for a good show. Here, theatre mattered. A lot.

At the 2025 Festival d’Avignon, politics were never far off

"I’d performed and directed for festivals in Canada and elsewhere, but it wasn’t at all the same as being on the bum-in-seat side. I came away feeling that here, theatre mattered. A lot."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/artist-persp...

Three genre-blurring SummerWorks productions meditate on loss During this August's iteration of the curated SummerWorks Performance Festival, three productions rethink the line between dance and concert.

Three genre-blurring SummerWorks productions meditate on memory and loss

"During this August's iteration of the curated SummerWorks Performance Festival, three productions rethink the line between dance piece and concert."

www.intermissionmagazine.ca/features/sum...