Crow's Theatre 2024.25 Season Announcement
May 6, 2024
Crow’s Theatre announces its 41st season for 2024.25. The season features the Canadian premiere of ROSMERSHOLM by Henrik Ibsen, in a new adaptation by acclaimed UK playwright Duncan Macmillan, Broadway’s A STRANGE LOOP by Michael R. Jackson and FLEX by Candrice Jones.
It also includes the world premieres of new works from Zorana Sadiq, Michael Ross Albert, Naomi Snieckus & Matt Baram, Liz Appel, Anusree Roy, Jonathan Wilson. Discover the Toronto premiere of a new work by Nick Green and remounts of Crow’s favourites, THE MASTER PLAN by Michael Healey, (Based on the book Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane), and last season’s smash-hit production of Dave Malloy’s NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812. Expect additional shows TBA with partners in coming weeks.
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Hot off the heels of our most successful season to date, our 41st season includes:
- ROSMERSHOLM by Henrik Ibsen in a new adaption by Duncan Macmillan, directed by Artistic Director Chris Abraham;
- COMFORT FOOD written by Zorana Sadiq, directed by Mitchell Cushman;
- THE BIDDING WAR by Michael Ross Albert, directed by Crow’s Associate Artistic Director Paolo Santalucia;
- BIG STUFF written and performed by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, directed by Kat Sandler, a Baram and Snieckus production in association with Crow’s Theatre;
- THE MASTER PLAN by Michael Healey,(Based on the book Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane) directed by Chris Abraham,
- Hamilton: Oct. 30 to Nov. 16: a Crow’s Theatre Production Presented by Theatre Aquarius;
- Toronto: Nov. 24 to Dec. 29: Crow’s Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre Present
- WIGHTS by Liz Appel, directed by Chris Abraham;
- DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS by Nick Green, directed by Kelli Fox, a Here For Now Theatre Company production in association with Crow’s Theatre;
- TRIDENT MOON by Anusree Roy, directed by Nina Lee Aquino, in a co-production with The National Arts Centre English Theatre;
- A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION written and performed by Jonathan Wilson, directed by Mark McGrinder, a Studio 180 Theatre production in association with Crow’s Theatre;
- A STRANGE LOOP by Michael R. Jackson, directed by Ray Hogg, A Crow’s Theatre, Musical Stage Company, & Soulpepper Theatre co-production;
- FLEX by Candrice Jones, directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, co-produced with Obsidian Theatre Company;
- NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, by Dave Malloy, directed by Chris Abraham, David Mirvish presents a Crow’s Theatre production.
- Continuing its tour across North America will be Cliff Cardinal’s AS YOU LIKE IT, or THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
TORONTO (MAY 6, 2024) – Today, Artistic Director Chris Abraham and Executive Director Sherrie Johnson announced Crow’s Theatre’s 41st season, the largest and most ambitious season in the company’s history. Following the unprecedented record-breaking triumph of the 2023.24 anniversary season, Crow’s 41st season line-up will be full of world premieres of new work, Canadian premieres featuring some of the country’s greatest artists, and the return of Crow’s Theatre’s most successful shows of the past few years!
In our 40th Anniversary season, Crow’s Theatre soared to new heights, doubling our audience and subscribers to reach over 75,000 attendees—a stunning testament to the growing support for the arts in our community. This wave of enthusiasm swept through our season of sold-out productions, culminating in the extraordinary 16-week triumph of “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.” This show’s profound impact on audiences underscored the transformative power of bold, immersive storytelling and the city’s enduring romance with live theatre.
As we look ahead to 24.25, Crow’s is spreading its wings, producing a full season of shows at its home in the East End at Streetcar Crowsnest, and embarking on partnerships with theatres across Toronto – news of additional shows will be made public in the coming weeks.
The season is a rich blend of musical theatre, comedy, improv, and premieres of cutting-edge contemporary work—there’s something to captivate everyone.
Executive Director Sherrie Johnson
“Over the last five years we’ve worked consistently to forge a growing and loyal audience of adventurous theatre lovers. We’ve had the confidence and courage to take action on large scale projects, new partnerships, move our work across Canada and abroad, expand our staff, open new doors, work through challenges, focus on the present, run successful shows longer, and take a chance on moving shows around the city we love. All the while never losing focus on keeping artists at the center of our vision and to build on their potential.”
Artistic Director Chris Abraham
“The season is as multifaceted as the city itself, with works that will surprise, delight, and move in equal measure. We love to create a great night out at Crow’s Theatre, and we love to get our audience talking. We have stories ripped from the headlines, navigating the volatile nexus of politics and personal conviction, where the echoes of power’s legacy meet the forces of change. Audiences will find laughter in life’s absurdities and the real estate market. We will explore Toronto, past and present, as we excavate the narratives that have sculpted our community. We launch expeditions into history that will challenge you to reconsider the present. We cheer on the vitality, ingenuity and resilience of youth, standing at the threshold of greatness, as they chart their course through a world in flux. Our stages will transform into arenas of aspiration and passion, where dreams are forged, convictions are tested, and our shared humanity is celebrated.”
The 2024.25 Crow’s Theatre 41st Season begins with a rarely-staged masterpiece by Henrik Ibsen, ROSMERSHOLM, in the Canadian premiere of a riveting new adaptation by acclaimed UK playwright Duncan Macmillan, directed by Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham in the Guloien Theatre. Love, sex, faith, and politics collide in this rarely produced masterpiece by Ibsen. This spellbinding drama is rife with personal and philosophical debate that will leave your heart racing right to the bitter end. The cast includes Virgilia Griffith (Queen Goneril) as Rebecca West, Jonathon Young (Bettrofenheit) as John Rosmer, Ben Carlson as Andreas Kroll, and Diego Matamoros as Ulrik Brendel.
Writer and performer Zorana Sadiq returns to Crow’s Theatre following her hit production of MixTape for the world premiere of COMFORT FOOD, directed by Mitchell Cushman. Bette is a popular cooking show host whose young-mom persona is about to expire – both on tv and in real life. Her only son has withdrawn and is spending more and more time in the deep space of the internet. As Bette looks towards the next chapter of her life, she can’t shake the feeling that everything she defines herself by is about to go up in flames. COMFORT FOOD is about sustenance, stellar evolution, and finding your way in the kitchen of life.
Crow’s Theatre presents the world premiere of playwright Michael Ross Albert’s outrageously funny new play, THE BIDDING WAR, in a production directed by Associate Artistic Director Paolo Santalucia (The Wrong Bashir, Prodigal) in the Guloien Theatre. When a routine open house turns into a frantic 12-hour bidding war for the last affordable house in the city, agents turn on buyers, buyers turn on agents, and everything spirals into an uproarious dark comedy of desperation and anxiety. THE BIDDING WAR features a knock-out ensemble cast including Aurora Browne (Baroness Von Sketch), Sergio Di Zio (Flashpoint), Izad Etemadi (Orphan Black: Echoes), Peter Fernandes (Master Plan, Fifteen Dogs), Veronica Hortiguela (Prodigal), George Krissa (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, The Holiday Sitter), Amy Matysio, Fiona Reid (Stratford, Shaw, Mirvish, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Gregory Prest (Soulpepper, Pillow Talk), and Steven Sutcliffe (Stratford, Shaw, Ragtime – Broadway Company).
Baram and Snieckus, in association with Crow’s Theatre, bring the world premiere of BIG STUFF to Streetcar Crowsnest. Written and performed by Matt Baram (The Umbrella Academy, Painkiller) and Naomi Snieckus (Pretty Hard Cases, Mr. D, The Social), and Directed by Kat Sandler (Wildwoman, Mustard). BIG STUFF explores the conflicting values of keepsakes, gun store lineups, pitching TV show ideas to border guards in a touching, but mostly hilarious, two-hander.
THE MASTER PLAN, the Michael Healey commission based on The Globe and Mail journalist Josh O’Kane’s best-selling book Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy, returns twice this fall, first with Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, then with Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. This biting satire lampoons the corporate drama, epic personalities, and iconic Canadian figures involved in the messy affair between Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto as they attempt, and fail, to build a smart city in Toronto. Returning to The Master Plan cast includes Christopher Allen (Orphans for the Czar, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), Ben Carlson (Stratford, Shaw), Philippa Domville (Time After Time, If We Were Birds), and Mike Shara (Stratford, Shaw).
Crow’s Theatre is thrilled to be presenting the world premiere of Liz Appel’s new play, WIGHTS in the Guloien Theatre, directed by Chris Abraham. Making her Crow’s Theatre debut, playwright Liz Appel takes on the roiling debates on North American college campuses. On the eve of English Professor Anita Knight’s job interview for leadership at Yale’s newly formed Center for Reparative Thought and Justice, a sense of unease hangs in the air. As her friends and husband help Anita prepare for her presentation, their seemingly ordered world begins to crack. WIGHTS delves into the intricate power of language and its profound influence on our connection to society, and the very fabric of reality itself.
Here For Now Theatre Company, in association with Crow’s Theatre, presents the Toronto premiere of DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS by Nick Green (Casey and Diana), directed by Kelli Fox. Fame. Power. Legacy. At the end of a storied career, violin virtuoso Margaret, the Duchess, gives her final interview. This psychological thriller about artistic passion and its cost “hits all the right notes” (Now Toronto).
Powerhouse duo Governor General’s Award-nominated playwright Anusree Roy (Brothel #9, Letters to my Grandma) and Artistic Director of The National Arts Centre Nina Lee Aquino come together to bring the Canadian premiere of the action-packed production TRIDENT MOON to the Guloien Theatre in this Crow’s Theatre and National Arts Centre English Theatre co-production. The lines between victim and perpetrator blur in this astonishing real-time political thriller. TRIDENT MOON is an extraordinary look into the lives of six women caught in the crossfire of monumental change in 1947, India.
In Association with Crow’s Theatre presents the world premiere of A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION, written and performed by Jonathan Wilson, directed by Studio 180’s Artistic Director Mark McGrinder. Mixing history, comedy, and poignant reflection in equal measure, A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION, Jonathan Wilson’s deeply personal solo show, excavates the lives, loves, and landmarks of his queer youth on the streets of Toronto
Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company co-production of the Canadian premiere of FLEX written by Candrice Jones and directed by Obsidian Theatre’s Artistic Director, Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu in the Guloien Theatre. It’s 1997, and the WNBA is changing the game. Every player on Plainnole’s Lady Train High School basketball team dreams of going pro. With the swagger, determination, and adrenaline of a four-quarter game, FLEX celebrates the fierce strength and athleticism of young women and what it means to be going for your shot at greatness.
Coming to Toronto audiences in its Canadian premiere presented at Soulpepper’s Baillie Theatre is the Tony-Award-winning Broadway Smash-hit, A STRANGE LOOP, with three of the most prominent theatre companies coming together to co-produce: The Crow’s, Musical Stage Company, & Soulpepper Theatre & Crow’s Theatre. With Book, Music, and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, and directed by The Musical Stage Company’s Artistic Director, Ray Hogg (choreographer for Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), this musical promises to leave audiences entertained and spellbound by its poignant exploration of identity, self-expression, and the power of art to transcend barriers. Winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards including Best New Musical, two Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards, and nominated for seven Lucille Lortel Awards.
Coming to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in the summer of 2025, David Mirvish presents The highly-anticipated Crow’s Theatre and Musical Stage Company’s critically acclaimed, sold-out production of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, directed by Chris Abraham, Music Direction by Ryan deSouza, and Choreographed by Ray Hogg. Composer and Book Writer Dave Malloy’s Tony Award Winning electropop musical is based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Young and impulsive, Natasha arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancé?, when she falls under the spell of Moscow society’s notorious playboy, it is up to Pierre to pick up the pieces of Natasha’s shattered reputation and offer her hope and redemption.
Continuing its tour across North America will be Cliff Cardinal’s AS YOU LIKE IT, or THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, this radical retelling by acclaimed Indigenous creator and cultural provocateur Cliff Cardinal delights in black humour, difficult subject matter, and raw emotions. After premiering the work at the UK’s prestigious Lift Festival and Brighton Festival, Cliff will continue to tour his governor general award-winning work across Canada and the US.
But wait… THERE’S MORE!
RESERVED SEATING is coming to Crow’s Theatre. When purchasing tickets for the 24.25 season, patrons will be able to reserve their seats for all shows in the Guloien Theatre.
STAND BY for some soon-to-be-announced additional offerings from our producing partners.
CROW’S THEATRE 2024.25 SEASON SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES ARE ON SALE NOW!
SINGLE TICKETS GO ON SALE ON JUNE 3, 2024.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Crow’s Theatre is offering two curated packages two flexible subscriptions, two preview subscriptions, all with BIG savings.
CURATED SUBSCRIPTIONS
Complete Crow’s 10 shows - $580 (save up to 40%)
The ultimate package for theatre enthusiasts
ROSMERSHOLM | COMFORT FOOD | THE BIDDING WAR | BIG STUFF | WIGHTS | DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS | TRIDENT MOON | A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION | FLEX | A STRANGE LOOP @ BAILLIE THEATRE
Signature Series 5 shows – $336 (save up to 33%)
ROSMERSHOLM | THE BIDDING WAR | WIGHTS | TRIDENT MOON | FLEX
FLEXIBLE SUBSCRIPTIONS (OUR MOST POPULAR PACKAGES!)
Curate your theatre-going experience with our fully flexible subscription packages.
Design your own Flex 6 – $421 (save up to 30%)
Design your own Flex 4 – $300 (save up to 25%)
PREVIEW SUBSCRIPTIONS
Be the first to see each production at an incredible price
Complete Crow’s 10 show Preview package - $382 (save up to 50%)
ROSMERSHOLM | COMFORT FOOD | THE BIDDING WAR | BIG STUFF | WIGHTS | DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS | TRIDENT MOON | A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION | FLEX | A STRANGE LOOP @ BAILLIE THEATRE
Signature Series 5 show Preview package – $235 (save up to 40%)
ROSMERSHOLM | THE BIDDING WAR | WIGHTS | TRIDENT MOON | FLEX
OTHER WAYS TO SAVE
- Sunday Pay-What-You-Can matinees.
- Rush Seats, on sold-out performances, on a first come first serve-basis at $30 a ticket*.
- $29 student and Under 30 tickets.
- $30 arts workers tickets.
- 20% discount for seniors 65+.
- 20% discount for groups of 10 or more, call our box office to book.
Purchase online at crowstheatre.com or email boxoffice@crowstheatre.com or call 647.341.7390 ext. 1010 or in person at 345 Carlaw Avenue (at Dundas Street East).
crowstheatre.com | Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CrowsTheatre #CrowsTheatre2425
Media Contact
Christopher Manousos, Assistant to the Artistic Director
Contact: christopherm@crowstheatre.com
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CROW’S THEATRE 2024.25 SEASON Celebrating 41 Years
Chris Abraham, Artistic Director
Sherrie Johnson, Executive Director
A Crow’s Theatre Production
ROSMERSHOLM
Written by Henrik Ibsen
In a new adaptation by Duncan Macmillan
Directed by Chris Abraham
September 3 to October 6, 2024
Opening Night: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Guloien Theatre
Canadian Premiere
An election looming. A country on the brink. A rabid press baying for blood. At the center of the storm stands John Rosmer, the heir to an influential family dynasty. Enter the mysterious Rebecca West, bringing the winds of change to Rosmersholm with the force of a hurricane. As secrets unravel and loyalties shift, the very foundations of power tremble, and the fate of a nation hangs in the balance.
Though rarely produced, “Ibsen’s masterpiece,” (Michael Billington, 2008) remains an essential work in Ibsen’s oeuvre.
The cast includes Virgilia Griffith (Queen Goneril) as Rebecca West, Jonathon Young (Bettrofenheit) as John Rosmer, Ben Carlson as Andreas Kroll, and Diego Matamoros as Ulrik Brendel.
Duncan Macmillan is an acclaimed English playwright renowned for such plays as Lungs, People Places and Things, and Every Brilliant Thing. Chris Abraham is the Artistic Director of Crow’s Theatre.
Nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards. “Grippingly modern. A treat. Four Stars.” The Telegraph
“A sexually charged study of faith and heartbreak. Four Stars.” The Guardian
“Extraordinarily evocative. Four Stars.” The Times
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A Crow’s Theatre Production in Association with Zorana Sadiq
A Crow’s Theatre Commission
COMFORT FOOD
Written and Performed by Zorana Sadiq
Directed by Mitchell Cushman
September 17 to October 13, 2024
Opening Night: Friday, September 20, 2024
Studio Theatre
World Premiere
Bette is a popular cooking show host whose young-mom persona is about to expire – both on tv and in real life. Her only son has withdrawn and is spending more and more time in the deep space of the internet. As Bette looks towards the next chapter of her life, she can’t shake the feeling that everything she defines herself by is about to go up in flames.
COMFORT FOOD is about sustenance, stellar evolution, and finding your way in the kitchen of life.
Zorana Sadiq (MixTape) is an award-winning, Pakistani Canadian actor, playwright, and classical musician whose work and performances span theatre, radio, and new music.
“Sadiq is an absolutely engaging performer who knows how to work an audience” - Paula Citron
Director Mitchell Cushman is a Siminovitch Prize Prote?ge?.
“Mitchell Cushman’s visions are big and ambitiously layered.” - The Globe and Mail
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A Crow’s Theatre Production
A Crow’s Theatre Commission
THE BIDDING WAR
Written by Michael Ross Albert
Directed by Paolo Santalucia
November 12 to December 15, 2024
Opening Night: Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Guloien Theatre
World Premiere
The city’s last affordable house is for sale. Heads roll and shrimp tails fly when a frantic, 12-hour bidding war erupts during what was supposed to be a routine open house. Agents turn on buyers, buyers turn on agents, and everything spirals into an uproarious dark comedy of desperation and anxiety.
This season’s largest cast brings everyday homebuyers to life as they grapple with extraordinary circumstances, skyrocketing housing costs, gentrification, and sabotage.
THE BIDDING WAR features a knock-out ensemble cast including Aurora Browne (Baroness Von Sketch), Sergio Di Zio (Flashpoint), Izad Etemadi (Orphan Black: Echoes), Peter Fernandes (Master Plan, Fifteen Dogs), Veronica Hortiguela (Prodigal), George Krissa (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, The Holiday Sitter), Amy Matysio, Fiona Reid (Stratford, Shaw, Mirvish, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Gregory Prest (Soulpepper, Pillow Talk), and Steven Sutcliffe (Stratford, Shaw, Ragtime – Broadway Company).
Michael Ross Albert (The Huns, Tough Jews) is a Toronto-based playwright, screenwriter, independent producer, educator, dramaturge, and Dora-Award winning theatre
artist Paolo Santalucia (Prodigal, Casimir and Caroline, Orphans for the Czar) is the Associate Artistic Director at Crow’s Theatre.
“Michael Ross Albert is one of Toronto’s most exciting playwrights.”
- Toronto Star
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A Baram and Snieckus Production in Association with Crow’s Theatre
BIG STUFF
Written and performed by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus
Directed by Kat Sandler
November 12 to December 8, 2024
Opening Night: Friday, November 15, 2024
Studio Theatre
World Premiere
Celebrated comedy team, Matt Baram (The Umbrella Academy, Painkiller) and Naomi Snieckus (Pretty Hard Cases, Mr. D, The Social) invite you to participate in the unpacking of some big stuff.
Channeling their distinct brand of improvisational storytelling (cultivated at The Second City and tested vigorously through their real-life marriage), Matt and Naomi demonstrate the sentimental power of objects, and the transformative potential of finding newfound community in one another.
BIG STUFF explores the conflicting values of keepsakes, gun store lineups, pitching TV show ideas to border guards in a touching, but mostly hilarious, two-hander.
Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus are award-winning improvisors, actors, and writers, and alumni of the legendary Second City. Kat Sandler is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and director, and the founding Artistic Director of Theatre Brouhaha.
“Baram and Snieckus are as much fun as you can have without taking your clothes off.”
Toronto Star
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A Crow’s Theatre Production
A Crow’s Theatre Commission
WIGHTS
Written by Liz Appel
Directed by Chris Abraham
January 7 to February 9, 2025
Opening Night: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Guloien Theatre
World Premiere
On the eve of English Professor Anita Knight’s job interview for leadership at Yale’s newly formed Center for Reparative Thought and Justice, a sense of unease hangs in the air. As her friends and husband help Anita prepare for her presentation, their seemingly ordered world begins to crack.
A battle for ideological supremacy wages while an unknown future presses against the window, trying to get in. WIGHTS delves into the intricate power of language and its profound influence on our connections, our society, and the very fabric of reality.
Playwright Liz Appel, originally from Toronto and based in New York, holds master’s degrees in playwriting, English, and modern and medieval languages. She interviews writers and directors for Vogue.com. Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham directs.
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A Here For Now Theatre Company Production in Association with Crow’s Theatre
DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS
Written by Nick Green
Directed by Kelli Fox
January 14 to February 2, 2025
Opening Night: Friday, January 17, 2025
Studio Theatre
Fame. Power. Legacy. At the end of a storied career, violin virtuoso Margaret, the Duchess, gives her final interview to a young, savvy reporter. Aided by her long-suffering yet ever- charming husband, Margaret must confront the secrets of her past and face the impossible question: how will she be remembered? This psychological thriller about artistic passion and its cost “hits all the right notes” (Now Toronto).
Award-winning playwright Nick Green is also the author of Casey & Diana, “the most moving Canadian play of the year” (Toronto Star), which sold out its premiere run at Stratford Festival in 2023 and subsequent run at Soulpepper. Director Kelli Fox is also a critically acclaimed actor.
Here For Now Theatre is an independent feminist theatre company based in Stratford, Ontario, that presented its critically acclaimed production of Girls & Boys at Streetcar Crowsnest last season.
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Crow’s Theatre presents the Crow’s Theatre/National Arts Centre English Theatre Co-Production
TRIDENT MOON
Written by Anusree Roy
Directed by Nina Lee Aquino
March 4 to March 30, 2025
Opening Night: Friday, March 7, 2024
Guloien Theatre
Canadian Premiere
India, 1947. Three Muslim women have been abducted by three Hindu women and all are trapped inside a transport truck as it speeds through a newly divided country. The lines between victim and perpetrator blur in this astonishing real-time political thriller.
TRIDENT MOON is an extraordinary look into the lives of everyday people caught in the crossfire.
TRIDENT MOON was commissioned by Nightwood Theatre and premiered at the Finborough Theatre in London, UK, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Partition of India. Shortlisted for the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
“Every now and then a gem of a show appears that you hope and pray more people get the opportunity to see” - A Younger Theatre (UK)
Playwright Anusree Roy (Brothel #9, Letters to my Grandma) is a Governor General’s Award-nominated and four-time Dora award-winning theatre artist.
"There's no one like Anusree Roy, she really is a gift." - NOW Toronto
Director Nina Lee Aquino is the Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre.
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A Studio 180 Theatre Production in Association with Crow’s Theatre
A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION
Written and Performed by Jonathan Wilson
Directed by Mark McGrinder
March 25 to April 20, 2025
Opening Night: Friday, March 28, 2025
Studio Theatre
World Premiere
Mixing history, comedy, and poignant reflection in equal measure, A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION, Jonathan Wilson’s deeply personal solo show, excavates the lives, loves, and landmarks of his queer youth on the streets of Toronto.
Deftly inhabiting a cavalcade of characters, Wilson leads us on a wry and intimate exploration of the Village he once knew, the legacy it created, and the future being forged by a new generation.
The Second City veteran and Dora Award-winning actor Jonathan Wilson (The Lion King, The Normal Heart, Gay for Pay with Blake & Clay) presents a bracing companion piece to his Dora-nominated, playwriting debut, My Own Private Oshawa. Director Mark McGrinder is the Artistic Director of Studio 180 Theatre.
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A Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Co-Production
FLEX
Written by Candrice Jones
Directed by Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu
April 15 to May 18, 2025
Opening Night: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Guloien Theatre
Canadian Premiere
It’s 1997 and the WNBA is changing the game. Every player on Plainnole’s Lady Train High School basketball team dreams of going pro. But first, they must navigate the pressures of being young, Black, and female in rural Arkansas, where a mistake on the court can become a foul in real life.
With the swagger, determination, and adrenaline of a four-quarter game, FLEX celebrates the fierce strength and athleticism of young women and what it means to be going for your shot at greatness.
Playwright Candrice Jones’s primary goal is to write “love letters for and to women of the American south.” Director Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu is the artistic director of Obsidian Theatre.
Winner of the National Arts Club’s Kesselring Prize for Playwriting.
“Flex hits the right rhythms on the court and off.” The New York Times
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A Crow’s Theatre Production presented by Theatre Aquarius
THE MASTER PLAN
Written by Michael Healey
Based on the book Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane
Directed by Chris Abraham
October 30 to November 16, 2024
Opening Night: Friday, November 1, 2024
Irving Zucker Mainstage Auditorium, Theatre Aquarius
A biting satire about the stunning failure to build a smart city in Toronto. Adapted from award-winning writer and The Globe and Mail journalist Josh O’Kane’s best-selling book Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy, the play takes us behind closed doors and reveals the corporate drama, epic personalities, and iconic Canadian figures involved in the messy affair between Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto.
In 2017, when the public agency Waterfront Toronto decided to put up a parcel of land for development. Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google’s Alphabet Inc., swept in with a proposal to create the city of the future. But the project quickly fell apart from uneasy partnerships, rigid local politics, and an overwhelmingly negative public response. The Master Plan exposes the hubris of big tech, the feebleness of government, and the dangers of public consultation with sharp wit and insightful commentary.
The Master Plan cast includes Christopher Allen (Orphans for the Czar, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo), Ben Carlson (Stratford, Shaw), Philippa Domville (Time After Time, If We Were Birds), and Mike Shara (Stratford, Shaw).
“The play every Torontonian has to see.” Toronto Star
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A Crow’s Theatre, The Musical Stage Company, & Soulpepper Theatre Co-Production
A STRANGE LOOP
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
Directed by Ray Hogg
April 22 to June 1, 2025
Opening Night: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Baillie Theatre, Young Centre for the Performing Arts
Canadian Premiere
Tony Award-winning international sensation A STRANGE LOOP is coming to Toronto! Meet Usher, a Black gay man who’s writing a musical about a Black gay man…who’s also writing a musical about a Black gay man. Usher dreams of one day having a full-time career as a successful playwright. The problem? He’s working front-of-house at Broadway’s The Lion King while grappling with his own artistic aspirations and self-doubt.
“A raw and unflinching interrogation of identity and the most furiously entertaining show.” - Variety
“This is the musical we’ve been waiting for.” - TimeOut New York
“Searing and soft-hearted, uproarious, and disquieting.” - The New York Times
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David Mirvish presents Crow’s Theatre and Musical Stage Company’s co-production of
NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812
Music, Lyrics, Book & Orchestrations by Dave Malloy
Directed by Chris Abraham
Music Direction by Ryan deSouza
Choreographed by Ray Hogg
July 15 to August 24, 2025
Opening Night: Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Royal Alexandra Theatre
The highly-anticipated Crow’s Theatre and Musical Stage Company’s critically acclaimed, sold-out production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 returns to Toronto. Composer and Book Writer Dave Malloy’s Tony Award Winning electropop musical is based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Young and impulsive, Natasha arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancé?, Prince Andrey, from the front lines of Napoleon’s Russian Invasion. When she falls under the spell of Moscow society’s notorious playboy, the dashing rogue Anatole, it is up to Pierre, a family friend in the middle of an existential crisis, to pick up the pieces of Natasha’s shattered reputation and offer her hope and redemption.
“MUSICAL THEATRE AT ITS BEST. Four Stars.” - Toronto Star
“Had me in tears with its bittersweet beauty. You won’t want to miss it.” - The Globe and Mail
"An exhilarating work of beauty, the production is expansive, immersive and raucous.” - Next Magazine