Start the Scene: The Next Stage Theatre Festival

Next Stage Theatre Festival

Now that the holidays are over, most of us are back to the realities of a cold winter and a regular work week. If you’re looking for something to lighten the new year withdrawal, the Next Stage Theatre Festival may do just the trick.

Produced by Toronto Fringe, the Next Stage festival joins its sister event, the long-running summer Fringe Festival, as a premier independent theatre event in Toronto. Now into its fifth year, Next Stage continues to grow in stature and popularity as a bridge for theatre artists between the summer festival circuit and major theatre productions. It also gives indie theatre fans a batch of fresh and exciting productions to savour while waiting for the summer festivals to return.

For anyone who has yet to experience Next Stage, the plays confound expectations and push
boundaries in raw and stimulating ways. New, underground talent and established acts, both local and international, use this platform to try out their riskiest material in front of live audiences. Some pieces are brand new, while others are revised versions of summer Fringe hits. This spirit of experimentalism has clearly paid off: since 2008, Next Stage productions have earned 15 Dora Award nominations.

This year’s productions, selected by the Toronto Fringe jury, display an impressive range of form, genre, and theme. For 2012, Next Stage presents ten pieces for the public to enjoy, including a dramatic portrait of an HIV-positive man (“Living With Henry”), a relationship piece written by Toronto novelist Jules Lewis and directed by Dora winner Nigel Shawn Williams (“Tomasso’s Party”), and a ‘dramedy’ about a girl who sells her virginity online (“LOVESEXMONEY”).

If you like being surprised when the theatre lights dim, or if you want to check out the next big thing before it goes to theatres worldwide, get your tickets now to the Next Stage theatre festival!

Dates
From January 4th to January 15th

Tickets
$10 for Antechamber shows
$12 for afternoon shows (starts before 7:00 P.M.)
$15 for evening shows

By telephone: 416-966-1062
Online: www.fringetoronto.com
In person: box office at the venue, starting one hour before the first show of the day.

Location
Factory Theatre Courtyard, 125 Bathurst St., at the corner of Bathurst and Adelaide