The arts councils have been cut, Doug Ford told students not to take “basket weaving courses” while he’s slashing OSAP funding, and opera and ballet are catching strays from Timothée Chalamet.
In response to this narrative control, I’m sharing a list of shows I’m looking forward to shaking off some of this funk. In these, theatre artists are telling stories in opposition to the ideas that the arts don’t matter, that violence is profitable, that everything ought to be whitewashed, or that someone is dying because someone doesn’t think it’s cool.
The Canadian Opera Company closes out its 2025–26 season at the Four Seasons Centre with the expressionistic double bill Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung (April 25 – May 16) and the less jarring Werther (May 7 – 23). Tickets here.
The Citadel Dance Exchange series runs from April 8 to 18, showcasing innovative dancers between Toronto and Montreal. Ballet Creole is bringing Legacy In Motion for one night only on April 25 to pay tribute to founder Patrick Parson. Tickets here.
Erin Shields’ Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary (April 7 – May 3, Crow’s), Matthew Mackenzie’s Strife (April 7 – 26, Tarragon), and Chris Thornborrow and David Yee’s Cicadas(May 5 – 24, Tarragon) are exciting world premieres by Canadian playwrights. Tickets here.
Kainchee Lagaa + Jhooti: The Begging Brown Bitch Plays (April 2 – 18, Buddies in Bad Times) by Zaiba Baig, co-creator and star of the award-winning TV series Sort Of, celebrates the complex lives of South Asian people living in liminal spaces. Tickets here.
Her co-star Amanda Cordoner can be seen in How to Catch Creation (April 23 – May 17), a show about artistic creation and the power it holds to make change. Tickets here.
Eric Woolfe’s new ensemble show Zombocalypse! (April 29 – May 10, Eldritch Theatre / Red Sandcastle) promises to totally be The Breakfast Club with zombies! Tickets here.
Finally, Mattmac & Phoenix the Fire (April 18, Meridian Hall) are doing a free, adaptive concert that is family friendly, demonstrating that theatres can be both free and accessible. Tickets here.
