Kingston Theatre Alliance

What comes to mind when you think of audience participation? No, for real, tell me.  Don’t want to? Okay, I’ll go first. When I think of participation, the little sing-song voice in my head starts humming Al Simmons’ “Don’t Make Me Sing Along”. This tune was rattling around in my mind when I met with theatre scholars Dr. Jenn Stephenson and Mariah (Mo) Horner to talk about their research project, […]

In the afterglow of Valentine’s Day, Bottle Tree Productions presents a potent potion for theatre lovers: The Witch and The Glitch. With a bubbly cast, spellbinding physical comedy, and lighthearted songs, The Witch and The Glitch provides a much-needed remedy to the doldrums of winter. This musical fable for grown-ups features a book and lyrics by Gord Love, who directs the show, and music by Michael Capon, who serves as […]

Incredible. 

Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson, for all its complexity, can simply be described as a masterpiece. Performed by The Isabel Voices, the three-part oratorio is an astounding feat. 

As I’ve sat down to write this review, I’ve been struggling with where to start. I’m fervent about giving this performance the praise it deserves yet the intricacies of an oratorio and the accompanying musical vernacular feel unfamiliar to me. However, the story on which Considering Matthew Shepard is based is one the Kingston Theatre Alliance, and myself, feel passionate towards reviewing.

In early February, I sat down with Stephanie Fung, previous editor of the Kingston Theatre Alliance (KTA)’s Performance Blog to ask what’s up with them?!  I met Steph in the summer of 2021, and was immediately drawn in by their simultaneously cool and perceptive nature. They were a mentor for me as I was learning more about theatre criticism in Toronto Fringe’s New Young Reviewers (NYR) Program, and we stayed […]

What is art? On Wednesday, February 7th, I headed on down to the Baby Grand Theatre to catch Theatre Kingston’s production of Bakersfield Mist, written by Stephen Sachs and directed by Jim Garrard. The play follows a 50-something unemployed but previously a bartender, Maude (Rosemary Doyle), as she tries to get her presumed Jackson Pollock painting authenticated—if she succeeds, it can be worth millions.

When I learned that Darrell Christie was starting a new ensemble, I was intrigued, and I was doubly intrigued when I saw Matthew Shepard’s name in the season announcement. After nearly a decade away from choral singing, something about this confluence of elements—a former Cultural Studies classmate starting a new project and an iconic name in queer history appearing as the subject matter—nudged me to return to the choir kid life. 

From the moment I walked in the room, my heart started doing little flips. Everything is pink. Pink chairs, pink table, pink carpet, pink coat rack, the list goes on.  Within the walls of Theological Hall’s Room 106, Queens Theatre Troupe (QTT) has set the stage for their second-ever production: The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine by Robert Morgan, Leah Cherniak, and Martha Ross, and directed by Victoria J Marmulak.  […]

Think of the world’s worst improviser. These folks are far from that, but they can probably act as an amazing awful improvisor. Last Friday night I attended Improv Kingston‘s monthly show at the Tett Centre. Comedians Chris Jackson, Derrick Schoen, Lucie Girard, Jaime Maitland, and Patrick Ireton are there to entertain, led by their teacher Dan Walmsely. The gist of the show is simple—they play a multitude of improv games […]

After a dreamy debut last fall, Queens Theatre Troupe (QTT) has announced their sophomore play: The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine.  Founded in spring 2023 by a group of five Queen’s students, the education-focused club is dedicated to creating space for exploration through ambitious productions of published plays. Amidst a busy rehearsal schedule, Ernest director and QTT board member Victoria J Marmulak was gracious enough to make time for a […]

You’re in your 40s, have three kids, a house, and a stable job. Life is good… Right? Well, maybe not!  Geri Hall and Gary Pearson put on a show, hilariously performing a multitude of sketches focusing on the madness of a middle-aged relationship in Middle Raged. Performed in Kingston for one night only, it appeared at the Grand Theatre on January 26th to an almost sold-out crowd. The duo tackles […]

When you’re kind of a haunted person, it can be hard to talk about your life. Overshoot on the levity, and you’re too glib. Undershoot, and you’re morose. Most of us don’t have the skill to fine-tune our honesty into storytelling that is both playful and heartrending.  Luckily for his audience, James Smith does a damn near perfect job.  Lessons in Temperament is a one-man show written and performed by […]

Jim Garrard calls himself a tyrant, but this season, he’s softening his grip. After announcing his ‘sort of’ retirement in 2015, the playwright, actor, and director has remained a presence in Kingston’s theatre scene, most recently in his TK Fringe performances of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape. This winter, Garrard directs Bakersfield Mist by Stephen Sachs for Theatre Kingston, starring Rosemary Doyle and Cassel Miles.  Inspired by true events, Bakersfield […]