Kingston Theatre Alliance

Virtual Reality has been on the rise as a new medium in the theatre industry for a few years now, but is it ready to take the forefront? Last weekend I had the honour of attending the 2024 PXR Conference for the second year running. This time around, I attended Journey to Octopulis: Improv or Die, hosted by Unknown Theater, and Mary Shelley Lives Here, hosted by Hummingbird Interactive. Both […]

Depicting the titular woman’s dissatisfaction with her recent marriage and position in life, the famous Hedda Gabler, written by renowned playwright Henrik Ibsen, was published in 1890 and first staged in 1891. Hedda (Rachel Fenos) has married George Tesman (Aaron Alum), an academic devoted to his work, who is blissfully ignorant of her real feelings about their union. The one-room drama follows her interactions with friends and neighbours as she […]

At PXR 2024, performance meets expansive realities across physical and digital spaces. Established in 2020, the PXR (Performance and XR) Conference is Canada’s first and only conference on XR (Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality) performance creation. PXR 2024, hosted by Single Thread Theatre Company, takes place in-person in Kingston, Toronto, and Vancouver, as well as virtually, from Friday, November 8th to Sunday, November 17th—local Kingston events are in partnership with […]

Rather than tumbling into a fantastical wonderland, this Alice fights against reality as she struggles with the unexpected loss of her husband, Ever. Aside from the shared name, Alice & the World We Live In has no relation to Lewis Carroll’s famous character. Written by Alexandria Haber and directed by Rosemary Doyle, this powerful two-person show stars Helen Bretzke as Alice and Sean Roberts as Ever. He appears to Alice […]

Whether you recognize it from the theatre, the cinema, the Victorian novella, or the iconic Arthur song, the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an enduring cultural touchstone. With a healthy mix of good and evil, fantasy and drama, this story provides the perfect recipe for a spooky autumn play—which means it’s arrived at Domino Theatre just in time.  Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 gothic horror […]

The classic saying is, “The show must go on!” Well, so must the review… sort of.  With our small team at the KTA, unfortunately when one of us is struck with sickness, there’s a bit of reworking to be done. This was the case last week, just as we were about to review Theatre Kingston’s production of Boy Beatle. However, we luckily managed to work out a short interview through […]

Become bewitched, bothered, and bewildered in the best way! Bee Dupuis, also known as BeeWitched, wears many hats including drag performer, event organizer, advocate, and chair of Kingston Pride. Recently I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with BeeWitched about performing drag, advocacy work, witchcraft, and the Halloween season.  This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  Dupuis’ drag persona, BeeWitched, is “the embodiment of all the beautiful, but […]

The tenth day of the tenth month. What better time to read about the Kick & Push Festival’s tenth season?  Although summer may be long over by now, the KTA has just finished wrapping up the necessary paperwork that must come with the annual Kick & Push Festival. As my colleague and Artistic Producer of the Kick & Push Liam Karry recently closed the books on this year’s busy run, […]

Participating and playing in this year’s WritersFest is Jeff McGilton, a multi-faceted artist who Kingston has the pleasure of engaging this week as he and Mariah (Mo) Horner will be facilitating a workshop in the September festival titled Participatory Play. Earlier this year, Horner and Jenn Stephenson published Play: Dramaturgies of Participation and the workshop—a TeensWrite Studio event—will guide teens through concepts in the book, mainly focussing on participatory theatre. […]

“Can I give up being a good daughter to become a better mom?” Written by Sophia Fabiilli and directed by Evalyn Parry, Why It’s imPossible is a one-person show starring Zoë Sweet as Beth, a single mom struggling to raise her kid while working on her career. However, while Sweet is phenomenal in her role, “one-person show” is a bit of an understatement—taking four years to put together, the show […]

Amid the bustle of back-to-school season, a new local theatre club offers a charming take on an old collection of stories. Full of thought-provoking subject matter and peppy performances, The Spire’s Seniors’ Theatre Group presents All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Conceived and adapted in 1992 by Ernest Zulia with music by David Caldwell, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten is based […]

Bring a “yes, and…” approach to your writing, with help from Wilding! In their workshop at this year’s Kingston WritersFest, Writing With Wilding – Through an Improv Lens, they offer an improvisational-based approach to energize your writing practice. Originally from Vancouver, Wilding arrived in Kingston six years ago, having spent the last 25 years (at least) working within a variety of improv, performing, and teaching roles, exploring different ways that […]