Festival Archive

A Skirmish of Wits Makes a Visit to Kingston

  • Festival
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Review
  • St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival

When I first arrived in Kingston in 2021, there was a severe lack of Shakespeare in the city, but over the past few years it has been refreshing to see numerous community and student groups bring some of his plays to life. The Domino Theatre with As You Like It, Two Rabbits One Hat with Macbeth, and Blue Canoe with Twelfth Night, to name a few. It is evident that […]

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Still Kicking, Still Pushing: Local Theatre Festival Launches its 11th Year

  • Festival
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Review

If there’s one thing to learn from attending theatre events, it is that live theatre is unpredictable and that’s just part of its charm. The Kick & Push Festival kicked off its 11th year with a launch event at the amphitheater by Springer Market Square. Fittingly, the opening event reflected both the spirit and the name of the festival. (A quick history lesson: “Kick and Push” comes from a nickname […]

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‘Madness Lies’ Reconsiders Wild and Whirling Words

  • Festival
  • Interview
  • TK Fringe

For me, one of the main draws to theatre is how we frequently come back to the same stories over and over again. Whether that be through a new production of an old script, or reimagining the same story anew, the past is always on stage to comment on the present. Chloë Whitehorn is one of Kington’s more prolific playwrights, and for this year’s Kingston Fringe Festival she is producing […]

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All Aboard the ‘Providence’ Express

  • Festival
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Review

For those who have watched Back to the Future and thought, “I wish I could visit the past!” this is the show for you. Start by finding the entrance to the K&P Trail near Hagerman Avenue where you’ll be surrounded by the buzzing of cicadas and live fiddle tunes played by Jan Leclair on the accordion and Karma Tomm on the violin. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see an […]

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Human or Computer?: An Interview with Yuriy Popov and Yana Menov

  • Festival
  • Interview
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • TK Fringe

This might not be the first time on stage for Yuriv Popov and Yana Menov—the founder and creative director of Studio Reflection, respectively—but it is their first time performing a piece that is 100% theirs. After translating playwright Igor Yakimov’s The Turing Test from Russian to English, the two get to be their own directors, actors, and designers. With over 50 custom-made video clips, sound clips, and even perfectly timed […]

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Friends to Fringe: ‘48 North: A New Musical’

  • Festival
  • Interview
  • TK Fringe

Over the past few years of the Theatre Kingston Fringe Festival I have noticed a trend; there always seems to be one new musical brought to the festival that ends up being one of those shows I hear people discussing in the lobby for other performances at this unique and intimate Fringe. In 2023 it was Surely, Sherlock, last year it was The Cape As Red As Blood, and this […]

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Saturday by the Lake: The Final Two Shows of Domino Theatre’s One-Act Festival

  • Domino Theatre
  • Festival
  • Review

“I have good news for you, some of you have been coming to the festival for years, this year we have six good plays.” These were the words Festival Director Michelle McNichol chose to open the second and final night of this year’s Come Play By The Lake One-Act Festival. I have the pleasure of writing about the final two performances of the festival: NUTZ by Kate Barker and I’ll […]

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Come Play by the Lake: ‘Tribute to Wildflower’ and ‘Acorn’

  • Domino Theatre
  • Festival
  • Review

Tribute to Wildflower: How to Read a Bouquet  A dimly lit stage with lively jazz playing in the background welcomes the audience to a night of reflective and personal stories. To the right, a sign reads “Connie’s Flowers,” and in the center, a table with various props sets the scene of a charming flower shop. The story about to unfold is one of sisterhood, loss, perspective, and new beginnings. In […]

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Come Play by the Lake: ‘Sea Wall’ and ‘The Fall After Midsummer’

  • Domino Theatre
  • Festival
  • Review

Content Warning: ‘The Fall after Midsummer’ mentions murder, violence, and discusses an emotionally abusive relationship. Although this review does not discuss these topics in depth, they are general themes in the performance. 

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A Walk in the Park: SPAF 2025

  • Festival
  • Review
  • Skeleton Park Arts Festival

The best part about summertime in Kingston is there’s always something to do, and the worst part is there’s never enough time to do it all. Whether you were busy with the Princess Street Promenade or simply seeking shelter from the heatwave, you might have missed this year’s Skeleton Park Arts Festival (SPAF). If you weren’t able to make it out to McBurney Park this past weekend, we don’t want […]

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Graphic for the 2024 Kick & Push Festival. The image is blue with white writing of "The Kick & Push Festival 2024" in the centre and orange lines in each of the corners.

10s All Around: A Decade of Kick & Push Festivals

  • Festival
  • Interview
  • Kick & Push Festival
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance

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, […]

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Graphic by The Kick & Push Festival for the show: 'What Brings You In'. The graphic includes, the show title, the festival title, the dates, the performance times, and the presenting company. The background is blue with purple squiggly lines.

You Can Relax Your Eyes Now: Listening to ‘What Brings You In’ on the City Bus

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

What parts of yourself are you hiding? What do you filter out? Is it safe to be heard? Listen, I’ll be honest—things weren’t going too well for me last Friday. After forgetting my glasses, taking the bus to the wrong venue, and discovering that the lone ballpoint pen at the bottom of my purse had run dry, I almost gave up on seeing What Brings You In.  Luckily, the Kick […]

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