All Articles

Saturday by the Lake: The Final Two Shows of Domino Theatre’s One-Act Festival

  • Domino Theatre
  • Festival
  • Review

“I have good news for you, some of you have been coming to the festival for years, this year we have six good plays.” These were the words Festival Director Michelle McNichol chose to open the second and final night of this year’s Come Play By The Lake One-Act Festival. I have the pleasure of writing about the final two performances of the festival: NUTZ by Kate Barker and I’ll […]

Read More About Saturday by the Lake: The Final Two Shows of Domino Theatre’s One-Act Festival

Come Play by the Lake: ‘Tribute to Wildflower’ and ‘Acorn’

  • Domino Theatre
  • Festival
  • Review

Tribute to Wildflower: How to Read a Bouquet  A dimly lit stage with lively jazz playing in the background welcomes the audience to a night of reflective and personal stories. To the right, a sign reads “Connie’s Flowers,” and in the center, a table with various props sets the scene of a charming flower shop. The story about to unfold is one of sisterhood, loss, perspective, and new beginnings. In […]

Read More About Come Play by the Lake: ‘Tribute to Wildflower’ and ‘Acorn’

Come Play by the Lake: ‘Sea Wall’ and ‘The Fall After Midsummer’

  • Domino Theatre
  • Festival
  • Review

Content Warning: ‘The Fall after Midsummer’ mentions murder, violence, and discusses an emotionally abusive relationship. Although this review does not discuss these topics in depth, they are general themes in the performance. 

Read More About Come Play by the Lake: ‘Sea Wall’ and ‘The Fall After Midsummer’
Poster for Theatre Roulant's production of 'No Traveller Returns'. The image includes the company name, and a drawn body in a bathtub.

Murder Most Foul in ‘No Traveller Returns’

  • Review
  • Théâtre Roulant

Something is rotten in the district of Muskoka in 1895, and after a terrible storm occurs, the guests and inhabitants of Mourne Valley Inn are stuck together to determine which one of them has committed a foul and most unnatural murder. Written by Officer of the Order of Canada Maureen Jennings and directed by Lise Lindenburg, No Traveller Returns opened the fourth ever season of Théâtre Roulant this past Thursday. […]

Read More About Murder Most Foul in ‘No Traveller Returns’
Headshot of Kate Barker. She smiles at the camera.

“Theatre Reflects Our Time”: A Conversation with Kate Barker

  • Artist
  • Domino Theatre
  • Interview

Kate Barker is not new to the role of playwright. She wrote her first plays in the 1990s, then for the next thirty years worked as a magazine writer, editor, and journalism instructor. “It is a return to my first love, theatre,” she says.  In her newest play NUTZ, Barker brings Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang to their late 50s where Marcie owns a bar and Donald Trump is […]

Read More About “Theatre Reflects Our Time”: A Conversation with Kate Barker

Harry Jordan: Butcher by Day, Playwright by Night

  • Artist
  • Domino Theatre
  • Interview

In 2014 after moving to their new location at 52 Church St, the Domino Theatre revived Come Play by the Lake, their annual festival showcasing one act plays put on by local talent. In this new era of the festival, no playwright has produced more shows than Harry Jordan, who will be participating once again this year with his new show: Acorns. I had the chance to speak with Jordan […]

Read More About Harry Jordan: Butcher by Day, Playwright by Night
Headshot of Valerie Winslow. She smiles at the camera.

Dial In: An Interview with Valerie Winslow

  • Artist
  • Domino Theatre
  • Interview

Checking items off a bucket list might be one of the most satisfying things in life, and as of July 5, 2025, writer, director, and performer Valerie Winslow is set to do just that. After years of being an audience member, sitting and enjoying shows from the sidelines, Winslow will finally live her dream. With months of writing and directing in anticipation, she will watch the premiere of her very […]

Read More About Dial In: An Interview with Valerie Winslow

A Walk in the Park: SPAF 2025

  • Festival
  • Review
  • Skeleton Park Arts Festival

The best part about summertime in Kingston is there’s always something to do, and the worst part is there’s never enough time to do it all. Whether you were busy with the Princess Street Promenade or simply seeking shelter from the heatwave, you might have missed this year’s Skeleton Park Arts Festival (SPAF). If you weren’t able to make it out to McBurney Park this past weekend, we don’t want […]

Read More About A Walk in the Park: SPAF 2025
Logo for the Kingston Theatre Alliance.

Job Posting: Part-Time Theatre Critic

  • Job Posting
  • News

Job Description The Kingston Theatre Alliance’s Performance Blog is a primary resource for audiences, artists, and theatre practitioners to engage in critical dialogues. Our platform consolidates events and news about arts workers and organizations in the Southeastern Ontario area in an accessible and accountable manner never seen before by the region. The writing team is looking for passionate individuals who are committed to questioning who and what criticism is FOR, […]

Read More About Job Posting: Part-Time Theatre Critic
a white paper sign with black text reading: "ADVENTURES IN CANADIAN PARKING LOTS"

jem rolls Is a Sensation, and Me? I Can’t Stop Listening

  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Review
  • TK Fringe

During my undergrad I took a Fringe theatre course in which one of our weekly topics was simply titled “jem rolls.” There is a good chance that anyone who frequents Fringe festivals will have met him, or at the very least have heard his name. This physical and poetic storyteller has travelled, as he puts it, “from concrete islands to concrete islands across this sea of green,” and landed in […]

Read More About jem rolls Is a Sensation, and Me? I Can’t Stop Listening
Partial poster for jem roll's show: 'jem rolls: Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots'. There is an image of a figure shopping, the title, reviews, and the location of the show on the poster.

Reading Between the Rhymes: An Interview with Performance Poet jem rolls

  • Artist
  • Interview
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • TK Fringe

In the uniquely Canadian wagon train that is the Canadian Fringe Festival, jem rolls is kicking off his tour in what might just be his favourite city on Earth: sunny, green Montréal. This one-of-a-kind high-energy English performance poet’s career began at the age of 31, when he semi-accidentally stumbled on stage at a ‘terrible’ open mic in North London and never stopped. Feeling liberated by the possibilities of spoken word […]

Read More About Reading Between the Rhymes: An Interview with Performance Poet jem rolls
Part of the poster for Skeleton Park Arts Festival. 'SPAF' appears in a cloud with three hands, each holding an item poke our of the cloud. Items are a megaphone, trumpet, and flower. The festival dates and "solstice weekend" is also included in the poster.

Great Things Come in Threes: A Look at SPAF’s Artists

  • Interview
  • Skeleton Park Arts Festival

Much like many arts fests around the world, Kingston’s Skeleton Park Arts Festival (SPAF) is jam-packed with different events and activities. Of course, SPAF brings its own unique flair, and this year’s feature on the festival showcases how. Our summer theatre critics have collaborated to bring you three mini-features on an artist from each day of SPAF, highlighting some of the talented individuals who can be seen around Skeleton Park […]

Read More About Great Things Come in Threes: A Look at SPAF’s Artists