Photo of Stefan D'Ippolito

Stefan D'Ippolito

Current Contributor

Stefan is a dynamic writer for the theatre critic blog, balancing a Major in Computer Science and a minor in Film and Media Studies. He is passionate about the arts and technology and how one can use both mediums to display creative narratives that captivate audiences. He has joined the blog this summer and is excited to see what Kingston performing arts has to offer.

Articles by Stefan

Illustration of a dog's head next to a pair of scissors and razor. Text reads "HAIR OF THE DOG BARBER & PUB".

Barbers and beer. It’s comedy Night

  • Review

Have you ever seen a barber shop which is also a pub turn into a comedy club? Neither have I until last Wednesday.  It was a beautiful brisk Wednesday evening. The sun was setting on Kingston as me and a few friends finished a wine night and started our walk. Morale was high as we headed to Hair of the Dog Barber and Pub for their Monthly Comedy Night. It […]

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Poster for Thousand Islands Playhouse Production of 'Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes'.

Loose pieces lead to grand Finales

  • Review
  • Thousand Islands Playhouse

A humorous and intriguing play that will leave one thinking about it for days to come. Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes is by Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch, and revolves around Jon, a famous writer and professor, and Annie, a 19 year-old student of his fan of his work. The play is portrayed through Jon’s point of view and throughout the course of the performance his and Annie’s relationship grows […]

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Autumn-Joy Dames, Kelsey Verzotti & Laura Caswell in Bittergirl the Musical 2023

‘bittergirl’ brings back Memories

  • Review
  • Thousand Islands Playhouse

You just got broken up with. How would you feel? Angry? Betrayed? Bitter?  bittergirl is a musical comedy that was originally a play created by Annabel Fitzsimmons, Alison Lawrence, and Mary Francis Moore. Throughout the musical, audiences follow three unnamed women titled A, B, C, and performed by Autumn-Joy Dames, Kelsey Verzotti, and Laura Caswell, as they each go through a breakup. The three women find companionship in each other […]

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Two individuals hugging in nature. One is dressed in traditional Indigenous wear.

Experiencing the Cedar Island Residency

  • Festival
  • Indigenous Theatre
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review

On Tuesday, August 15th I was invited to see the first viewing of the Cedar Island Residency performance taking place the following day. I was not told much about the performance, giving me a feeling of nervous excitement. This is the first performance I have ever attended where I did not have much information about it beforehand. The only thing I was told was to meet at the Kingston Marina […]

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Poster for 'A Perfect Bowl of Pho'. There is red background. Music notes with the shows title on top appear in a wave. A bowl of pho eating itself is seen. A cartoon of a bull singing is seen.

Pho sure, you’ll like it a Lot

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Review

A deliciously funny show. A Perfect Bowl of Pho is a meta-musical created and written by Nam Nguyen, music composed by Wilfred Moeschter, and directed by Steven Hao. The story is centered around a procrastinating University of Toronto student, Nam, performed by Chris Vergara. The story follows Nam as he struggles to write a musical about… I think you guessed it… Pho.  A meta-musical is a play within a play. […]

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Poster of 'One Night Only'. A man looking distressed and exhausted holds his arm in the air. Text reads: "duhdumduhdum productions presents ONE NIGHT ONLY WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY NICHOLAS EDDIE WRITTEN BY: NICHOLAS EDDIE DIRECTOR: SEPEHR REYBOD PRODUCER: NICHOLAS EDDIE ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: ADRIAN CHEVALIER"

‘One Night Only’ is one not to Forget

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review
  • Theatre Kingston

An experience I don’t think I will ever forget. One Night Only is a one man show written, produced, and performed by Nicholas Eddie, directed by Sepehr Reybod, and assistant producer is Adrian Chevalier. An audience follows Eddie throughout the night as he is faced with a challenge which can only be completed in the following morning.  This review has mentions of suicide. This show felt like an experience rather […]

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Poster for 'Krapp's Last Tape' A man is seen sitting on a couch with no pants on.

Brilliant Beckett: ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review
  • Theatre Kingston

Krapp’s Last Tape is a one man show written by the legendary playwright Samuel Beckett and is being performed by Jim Garrard at the Baby Grand Theatre in Kingston. It’s a story about isolation, regret, and accepting one’s fate. Audiences follow Krapp, a 69 year old man as he listens to an audio recording of his 39 year old self.  Krapp is an elderly man who appears to be on […]

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Poster for 'Are You Catching What I'm Throwing?' An orange ball is seen against a dark backdrop.

Charming and clever, ‘Are You Catching What I’m Throwing?’

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review
  • Theatre Kingston

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? Like you couldn’t find “your people”? Are You Catching What I’m Throwing is a one man Circus Theatre Show performed by William Alex Larson. The show follows a man as he discovers his passion for juggling. An audience follows him through the highs and lows of this passion and in the bigger picture, the highs and lows of being accepted by society. […]

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Poster for 'The ADHD Project'. A woman stands against a chalkboard in colourful clothing and the chalkboard is covered in drawings.

It’s a superpower: ‘The ADHD Project’

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review
  • Theatre Kingston

Intimate and uplifting, The ADHD Project will captivate an audience as Comedian/Storyteller Carlyn Rhamey explores the ups and downs of living her life with ADHD. Through compelling storytelling, she recounts the moment she received her diagnosis, her challenges with bullying, and finally her acceptance of her newly embraced “superpower”.  Before the show starts, instead of waiting offstage, Rhamey talks to the audience. She cracks jokes and welcomes the audience. I began seeing […]

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Photo of Alex Boese performing in 'Birthmarks'.

Bittersweet, ‘Birthmarks’

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review
  • Theatre Kingston

A tragic, humorous, and thought provoking play; gripping attention from the very beginning. Birthmarks is a bittersweet one woman show that follows Kate. As a young woman recounting her life, she is trying to move on from the sudden death of her infant child while also coming to terms with her mother’s place in her life after abandoning her as a kid. Alex Boese is fantastic as the one and […]

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Poster for Bottle Tree Productions' 'Surely, Sherlock'. Text reads: "Bottle Tree Productions Surely, Sherlock Starring all of your favourite sleuths aboard The Disoriented Express! Book by Anne Marie Mortensen & Daniel Smith Music and Lyrics by Michael Capon"

A witty mystery: ‘Surely, Sherlock’

  • Bottle Tree Productions
  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • Review
  • Theatre Kingston

Who committed the crimes? No one knows. Welcome to the Disoriented Express. Surely, Sherlock is a witty musical written by Ann Marie Mortensen and Daniel Smith with lyrics and music by Michael Capon. The musical is a parody of the 2017 hit movie, Murder on The Orient Express, and is being performed at the Baby Grand Theatre as part of the 2023 Kingston Fringe Festival. In this play, we embark […]

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Alex Boese rehearsing 'Birthmarks' Photo is in black and white.

Alex Boese and Michael Catlin talk ‘Birthmarks’

  • Festival
  • Fringe
  • Interview
  • Theatre Kingston

Recently, I had a chance to sit down with performer Alex Boese and director Michael Catlin to chat about their upcoming play Birthmarks, which will be playing at Kingston Fringe. The play was written by Canadian playwright Alexandria Haber and follows Alex’s character, Kate. Birthmarks follows Kate as she tries to get over a tragic loss in her life while also trying to reconcile the relationship with her mother whom […]

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