Kingston Theatre Alliance

Imagine this: you walk into a room and see ten objects laid out in front of you. A wallet, a medallion box, two remote controls, a Father’s Day card, a photo book, a radio, a stack of papers, an empty milk jug, and a cell phone. Carefully and strategically placed by Scenic Designer Helen Yung, you know each of these items holds the memories of a person, but you don’t know who exactly. Soon, you will find that the owner of these belongings is Brian Lewis, an unhoused veteran who is the father of Cole Lewis, the co-creator and performer of 2021. Lewis, along with Co-creator and Performer Patrick Belnkarn will guide you through the video game version of the very real story that is the last two weeks of Brian Lewis’s life. Exploring themes of  parenthood, the effects of war, ethics in artificial intelligence (AI), and terminal illness, 2021 is a show that can connect with people from all walks of life.

When I was a child, a family friend who happens to be a doctor once cautioned me to “be careful, because at a certain age you stop healing from wounds and you start just collecting them.” Warren Winters (Phil Perrin) has reached that age, and is really beginning to find the troubles that come with it. Decrepitude Blues follows Warren through doctor’s checkups and the loss of his job, friends, and wife, all the while highlighting the hardships of turning 70 with dry wit erupting at each new low. 

How do Black Caribbean men say ‘I love you’? Or perhaps a better question is, how do they show it? This curiosity is what sparked Marcel Stewart’s inspiration for creating WindRush. Also playing the character Basil, Stewart pieces together a realistic and gripping story about a Jamaican man experiencing loss, grief, friendships, and siblinghood.

I left the Thousand Islands Playhouse after seeing How the Other Half Loves with a smile plastered on my face. While the play doesn’t offer much depth (it’s about as deep as a puddle), it delivers pure mischievous fun. The show never pretends to be anything other than effervescent fluff, and I found that wonderfully refreshing. What could have felt shallow and cringeworthy instead played like a masterclass in comedic […]

A nearly 80-year feat—it’s the National Theatre School DramaFest. The long-standing festival brings high schools together from across their province in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, while out East, the four Atlantic provinces participate together. In Ontario’s DramaFest, District Festivals kick off the three tiers of showcases. Schools first perform their productions in their respective district where they may then be invited to a Regional Showcase. Two productions from each […]

When it comes to theatre, Felicia Holmes is up for anything. “I’m an actor, primarily, but I’m passionate about all aspects of theatre, and whenever I’m needed, I like to jump in. I went to the SLC [St. Lawrence College] music theatre program, and right from the very beginning, I was in the joint program with Queen’s. So two years at SLC, and then two years at Queen’s.”

Once upon a December—a few days before the opening of Blue Canoe Productions’ winter musical, Anastasia—I sat down with Remira Pryce to talk about community theatre and youth-led arts. It had been close to twelve months since Pryce stepped into her role as Arts Managing Director at the local youth-led theatre company, and she was eager to reflect on the past year and to chat about plans for the coming spring.

The Performance Blog is a primary resource for audience members, artistic collaboration, critical dialogue, and theatre practitioners. Our platform consolidates events, news, artists, and organizations in the Southeastern Ontario area in an accessible and accountable manner that the region has never seen before. The writing team is looking for a Junior Editor who is passionate about the arts in Kingston and committed to questioning who and what criticism is FOR, […]

Queen’s Musical Theatre (QMT)’s Heathers: The Musical has all the makings of a killer production: biting wit, belty numbers, and a cast that brings the house down, but the Baby Grand just can’t contain this much teen angst.

The Kingston Theatre Alliance is currently at a pivotal moment in our organization’s journey—a moment filled with growth, reflection, and planning for the future. As the arts landscape of Kingston continues to shift, our position as an arts service organization must also shift accordingly. This is why we are so excited to announce that we have received funding from the Catalyst and Transformation (CAT) Fund! The Work in Culture Catalyst […]

The Performance Blog is a primary resource for audience members, artistic collaboration, critical dialogue, and theatre practitioners. Our platform consolidates events, news, artists, and organizations in the Southeastern Ontario area in an accessible and accountable manner that the region has never seen before. Led by the Editor, the writing team is looking for passionate individuals who are committed to questioning who and what criticism is FOR, all while building a […]

If you’ve been out walking along Princess, Brock, or Ontario Street in the past few months, you may have spotted some whimsical window displays. In February and March, Windows on Downtown Kingston featured work by Queen’s drama students, who have been studying the craft of bringing places to life in Clelia Scala’s prop design class this semester.