Kingston Theatre Alliance Archive

Photo of Nam Nguyen.

Playwright & Lyricist Nam Nguyen Talks ‘CAEZUS’ and ‘A Perfect Bowl of Pho’

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

On my first day in Toronto, I lugged my suitcase along Dundas and sat down at Oxtail Pho to chat with playwright and lyricist Nam Nguyen. Nguyen’s musical A Perfect Bowl of Pho (book and lyrics by Nguyen, music by Wilfred Moeschter) premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2022 and is coming to the Kick & Push Festival this August.  In the meantime, his new show CAEZUS (music by […]

Read More About Playwright & Lyricist Nam Nguyen Talks ‘CAEZUS’ and ‘A Perfect Bowl of Pho’
A large "k" appears on the left in green and purple. Next to it reads "Kingston Theatre Alliance"

Job Opening: Theatre Critic

  • Industry
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • News

Job Description The Performance Blog is a primary resource for audience members, artistic collaboration, critical dialogue, and industry contacts. Our platform consolidates events, news, artists, and organizations in the Southeastern area in an accessible and accountable manner that the region has never seen before. Led by the Editor, the writing team is looking for passionate individuals who are committed to questioning who and what criticism is FOR. Responsibilities Requirements Eligibility […]

Read More About Job Opening: Theatre Critic
Red curtain across a stage.

What is the Point of Theatre Criticism?

  • Industry
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • News

What is the Critic Looking For? What a loaded question! Let me ask you one. What makes great theatre? I’ll even tell you the answer.  Artists.  You want artists to be there. Artists, technicians, administrators, engineers, carpenters, bartenders, ushers, whatever their job title, you want these masters of their craft there. You want them in there doing what they love to do; making theatre happen. Ideally, you’ll find artists who […]

Read More About What is the Point of Theatre Criticism?
A large "k" appears on the left in green and purple. Next to it reads "Kingston Theatre Alliance"

We’re Hiring!

  • Industry
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • News

Job Description The KTA is looking to hire a Theatre Critic for the Performance Blog. The Theatre Critic is responsible for attending and reviewing 1-2 shows in the Kingston area per week. They will work very closely with the Editor of the Performance Blog to discuss articles, edits, and timelines.  Responsibilities Requirements Pay As an independent contractor, pay will come as a stipend of $550 per month with the expectation […]

Read More About We’re Hiring!
A large "k" appears on the left in green and purple. Next to it reads "Kingston Theatre Alliance"

Open Letter

  • Industry
  • Kingston Theatre Alliance
  • News

The KTA would like to release an open letter to discuss our goals for the performance blog.  The blog is a space for reviews, interviews, and opinion pieces surrounding the arts that we hope will engage with the community of Kingston. We strive to spark dialogue that can enrich theatre and provoke valuable conversation. Theatre is—and should be— constantly growing. It is a passion of ours to communicate about the […]

Read More About Open Letter
A thin stream leads up to a small, wooden stage that has red curtains pulled across. There is one lawn chair on each side of the stream. A man sits in a wheelbarrow on one side of the stream smoking a pipe and playing a guitar. Trees surround the stage and one has two archery boards attached to it. At the bottom reads: ROBIN HOOD.

‘Robin Hood’ was more than just Fanciful Fun

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

I was nervous when I strolled through City Park and I saw a haphazard setup of black boxes and forest-themed shower curtains. But, the Lakeside Players production of Robin Hood charmed me from start to finish. The well-known fairytale format was both honoured and upended for a modern audience. The writing spoke to the entire crowd, appealing to even the youngest. It was somehow modern and poetic; delectable to the […]

Read More About ‘Robin Hood’ was more than just Fanciful Fun
A green park bench in the outdoors. The purple ring surrounds with wording 'THE DUCK VARIATIONS' and 'The Duck Variations by David Mamet' also appears above the bench. Below the bench reads: 'The Duck Variations is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com'

Two Men on a Park Bench… David Mamet’s ‘The Duck Variations’

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

Who knew that ducks, friendship, and existentialism could coincide into a single theatre performance? These elements came together in a heartfelt conversation between two men in a recent performance of The Duck Variations. bEST Theatre Company’s The Duck Variations that played at the Grand Theatre as a part of the Kingston Fringe, produced by the Kick & Push Festival, was an existential and meandering conversation between two men on a […]

Read More About Two Men on a Park Bench… David Mamet’s ‘The Duck Variations’
A blue poster with 'Return of the Megafauna' written in the bottom left, 'The Kick & Push Festival' written in the bottom right, and a curve of lines in the top right.

De-extinction and Puppetry: Speaking with Seymour Irons

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

Return of the Megafauna created by Bad New Days is a physical theatre piece that was a part of the 2022 Kick and Push festival. The piece is contextualized through the company’s understanding of post-humanism and de-extinction, where the images of the future are utopic rather than dystopian. De-extinction is defined as the process of generating an organism that either resembles or is an extinct species.  I encountered the piece […]

Read More About De-extinction and Puppetry: Speaking with Seymour Irons
A monastery with a sign in front that reads "MONASTIC AREA DO NOT ENTER" that is bordered with a purple circle that reads "SAILING TO THE MOON"

‘Sailing to the Moon,’ Contemplating the Monastery

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

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?”- Thomas Merton Presented at Theatre Kingston’s Fringe Festival, Color and Light’s Sailing to the Moon follows a young, wandering man named Tom (Thomas Cherney) who is trying to understand the value in pursuing monastic life in a forest. Injuring his foot on his journey to the monastery, […]

Read More About ‘Sailing to the Moon,’ Contemplating the Monastery
A logo titled ' The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno' with a dark, creepy mansion that has two lightning bolts striking it.

‘The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno’: A Slick and Stylish Escapade

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

Lovers of Clue, and Murder by Death will be sad to know that they missed out on  Kingston Fringe’s The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno presented by The Not So Amateur Amateurs. The story is one you’re likely familiar with. Think Agatha Christie or “closed circle” stories like And Then There Were None. But what makes it exceptional, is the ensemble of young artists that made it happen!  The play […]

Read More About ‘The Murderous Mansion of Mr. Uno’: A Slick and Stylish Escapade
Drawings and paintings with text explanations on a white board at Jesse H. Wabegijig's installation of Pictures at an Exhibition displayed at the Tett Centre.

Making a Fairy Tale with Jesse H. Wabegijig

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

Jesse H. Wabegijig is one of the artists for the 2022 Kick & Push Indigenous residency.  They spent the residency working on their new play, where Jesse was able to put together an installation that went up in the Tett Centre for creativity and learning. On the opening night of the installation I got the chance to speak to them about the time in the residency, and to hear a […]

Read More About Making a Fairy Tale with Jesse H. Wabegijig

Studio 013’s ‘R.E.D.’ ⁠— Proof That “Easy” Doesn’t Mean “Good”

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

A one woman, one robot, one act show set on a space station, R.E.D. is the frugal producer’s dream show. But the cracks start to show almost immediately.

Read More About Studio 013’s ‘R.E.D.’ ⁠— Proof That “Easy” Doesn’t Mean “Good”