Where: Across Ontario, from Napanee to Ingersoll to Orillia to St Catharines.
When: July 13 – August 12, 2018
Cost: All performances Pay What You Can (PWYC) admission or Free

Details: Driftwood Theatre presents their 24th annual Bard’s Bus Tour with Rosalynde (or, As You Like It), a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare about one woman’s search for agency over herself, her body and her life. Driftwood Theatre brings accessible, live, outdoor theatre across Ontario with contemporary Canadian takes on Shakespeare.

Set in 1918, Rosalynde takes place when Canadian women were finally granted the right to vote in federal elections. When circumstances force Rosalynde, played by Ellie Moon, from her home in the city, she flees into the unknown wilds of the forest where she sets out on a journey of identity, self-discovery and love – learning that to carve her own path, she needs to break the rules.

Directed by D. Jeremy Smith, the Rosalynde ensemble includes Geoffrey Armour (Festival Players) as Touchstone, Caroline Gillis (Innocence Lost) as Jacques, Ximena Huizi (Theatre Inamorata) as Celia, Megan Miles (Hart House Theatre) as Charles, Phebe, and Audrey, Ellie Moon (Asking For It) as Rosalynde, Ngabo Nabea (Classical Theatre Project) as Orlando, Derek Kwan (Mr. Shi and His Lover) as Oliver, and Silvius, and Eric Woolfe (Eldritch Theatre) as Duke Frederick, Duke Senior, and Corin.

Rosalynde incorporates live music, physical performance, and puppetry designed by production designer Sheree Tams and puppeteer and cast member Eric Woolfe. The creative team also includes musical director/composer Tom Lillington, lighting designer Michael Brunet, dramaturge Myekah Payne, and stage manager Kelsey Rae.

Rosalynde is on tour with Driftwood’s annual Summer Shakespearience, a festival of free performances, workshops, talks, performer Q&As and events.

More Info: For tour schedule visit www.driftwoodtheatre.com  @DriftwoodTheatr

Where: Annex Theatre, 736 Bathurst St
When: July 6-14, 2018
Cost: $13 in advance. Can be purchased at www.fringetoronto.com, by calling 416-966-1062, or in person at the Fringe Patio at Scadding Court, 707 Dundas Street West.
https://fringetoronto.com/festivals/fringe/event/circus-shop-horrors

Details: It’s dusk. Your car breaks down on an abandoned forest road, far away from home. Far away from the nearest phone. But there’s a cabin up ahead, with smoke spiralling from the chimney, and a light scent of fresh-baked cookies wafting out the windows. A lucky place to spend the night or make a phone call? Not if you’re in a 90’s horror movie. Enter the Circus Shop of Horrors, an eclectic musical revue, paying homage to beloved horror films, by melding the grotesque, with acrobatics, circus, dance, drag, and illusion! Enjoy seeing if you can identify all our references in the show.

The production team is entirely made up of phenomenal women (still to this day a rarity in Canadian theatre). And the innovative ensemble includes those identifying as LGBTQ+, with content reflecting that in the show.

More Info: www.fringetoronto.com @ShopOfHorrorsTO

Bill MacDonald plays the patriarch in Living Will at the Toronto Fringe

Where: Factory Theatre – Mainspace, 125 Bathurst Street
When: July 6-15, 2018
Cost: $13 in advance. Can be purchased at www.fringetoronto.com, by calling 416-966-1062, or in person at the Fringe Patio at Scadding Court, 707 Dundas Street West.

Details: Living Will introduces siblings from a middle-class family who are called to a family meeting by their father, Wilfred, to discuss his last wishes. Wilfred is in good health, and since he has never been in the hospital, he anticipates that he will likely die in his sleep. On the other hand, he is 79 years old and would like to get his affairs in order. Crisis occurs when Wilfred suddenly becomes ill, and his children do not agree upon a course of action for his care. Wilfred’s son, Jake, tries to uphold his father’s wishes for no interventions, while other family members fight to keep him alive at any cost. The action spans a 12 month time-period, and is set in a suburban living room and a city hospital.

The production challenges assumptions about the authority of the State over the individual; and looks at the complicated issues surrounding so-called “Living Will” documents and the problems inherent in their execution. The play raises the ethical issues surrounding the right to autonomy within the health-care system, the legal right to choose proxy for health-care, the right to refuse treatment; and ultimately, the right to die. Obliquely, Living Will points out flaws in the education and acculturation of health-care professionals. Systemic problems are exposed through the words and actions of the hospital representatives, including the doctor, social worker and ethicist.

Written by Helen-Claire Tingling and directed by Jillian Rees-Brown, the play marks the return to the stage of film and TV actor Bill MacDonald (Traders, Rookie Blue, A History of Violence, Hush Little Baby). Mr. MacDonald heads a seasoned cast who have collectively amassed numerous stage, TV and film credits. Many of the cast have also starred in previous Fringe productions.

More Info: www.fringetoronto.com  www.livingwillplay.com @jillreesbrown

Where: Factory Theatre Studio, 125 Bathurst Street
When: July 6-14, 2018
Cost: Tickets are $13 and can be purchased at www.fringetoronto.com, by calling 416-966-1062, or in person at the Fringe Patio at Scadding Court, 707 Dundas Street West.

Details: Brought to you by sister duo Juliet and Anna Mehler Paperny, The Ties That Bind and Gag is a 60-minute, dark comedy inspired by the bonds and bondage of family.

Whether you’re hooked by the slightly erotic title, won over by the family themes, drawn in by the comedy…you’ll stay for the absurd humour and deeply relatable characters. The play revolves around three generations of a tight-knit family, crammed into a rental car on their way to a funeral. Neuroses collide, emotions run high, grievances are aired and over-shared, traffic laws are broken. Buckle up and spend some claustrophobic quality time on a guilt-trip road trip with your nearest and dearest – the people you love and can’t stand or just can’t understand. The ensuing drama’s funny because it’s true and hilarious because it’s heartbreaking.

Directed by Juliet Paperny the cast includes Toni Ellwand, Alex Franks, Rachel VanDuzer, Barry Birnberg, Anne Shepherd and Jamie Johnson.

More Info: www.fringetoronto.com @PLCProductions