Photo of Stefan D'Ippolito

Stefan D'Ippolito

Past 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

Poster for Domino Theatre's production of 'Ten Lost Years'. The title, playwrights, director, and presenting company are noted.

From the Canadian Perspective: ‘Ten Lost Years’

  • Domino Theatre
  • Review

“I’ve seen tears in men’s eyes… It was a very emotional time when a man came in and went up to the counter.”  -Relief worker in Barry Broadfoot’s Ten Lost Years: 1929-1939. Ten Lost Years is a play based on the 1973 book of the same name by Barry Broadfoot playing at Domino Theatre this spring. Written by Cedric Smith, George Luscombe, and Jack Winter, and directed by Martha Bailey, […]

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Animated purple curtain with the words: "The creativity dilemma. Exploring the divide between higher and lower budget productions."

The Creativity Dilemma

  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • News
  • Opinion

Last summer I booked a trip to New York City as I hadn’t visited since I was very young. I was extremely excited as I really wanted to see a Broadway musical for the first time. As I hopped online looking for shows to see, I remember thinking, “Back to the Future the Musical… Why?” I have no hate for the idea—it could be an amazing musical—I was just surprised at the idea of a Back To The Future musical and it having a spot on Broadway. I continued searching and found that around half of the musicals on Broadway at the time were either remakes of hit movies or revivals of older shows. At first, I was surprised but after further thought, it made sense. I recently looked at Broadway.com’s list of current best-selling Broadway shows and saw that four out of the top ten shows on Broadway right now are direct adaptations of former hit movies, while five out of ten of the shows are connected to an already existing popular product or a revival of an old show.

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Partial image of St. Lawrence College's poster for their production of 'Nine'. Nine yellow blocks are pictured with a shadowy image of a person inside. A white block contains the title in large black letters.

Desires and Desperation: ‘Nine’

  • Review
  • St. Lawrence College

Nine is a famous Broadway musical brought to life by the students of St. Lawrence College’s Music Theatre – Performance program. It played at the Thousand Islands Playhouse this past weekend and was directed by Alexandra Herzog. With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Arthur Kopit, the story based on the 1963 film 8½  follows Italian Film Director Guido Contini (Felipe De Brito) as he tries to […]

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

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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Poster for Skeleton Park Arts Festival 2023. The photo included is The Lemon Bucket Orkestra from their 2011 "Cheeky" album cover.

Let’s Talk SPAF

  • Review
  • Skeleton Park Arts Festival

An exceptional union of community and arts is a phrase I would use to describe Skeleton Park Arts Festival (SPAF). The Festival took place in Kingston from Wednesday June 21st to Sunday June 25th with the bulk of the festival happening on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 in Skeleton Park (shocking). I was unfortunately unable to attend the Wednesday to Friday festivities but I did attend on Saturday […]

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Poster fir 'HYDRA: The Spirit of Water' An image with blue drawings and the show title's name.

Honouring the Spirit of Water: ‘Hydra’

  • Calliope Collective
  • Review

“A cavalcade of contemporary artworks, visualizations, and soundscapes inspired by our connection to water,” as described by Hydra: The Spirit of Water’s website. Calliope Collective‘s Hydra was performed at Kingston Mills Lock Station which is on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat. Hydra is a multi-art show with beautiful large-scale art, floating giant puppets, music, circus acts, and community. It encourages the need to honour […]

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