Crow's Theatre 2022.23 Season Announcement

For immediate release: May 31, 2022

Crow’s Theatre announces a jam-packed, 12-play season in its east-end home for 2022.23: Tom Rooney headlines Chekhov’s masterpiece UNCLE VANYA; Allan Louis brings famed actor Ira Aldridge to life in Lolita Chakrabarti’s RED VELVET; Kristen Thomson returns in the title role in Rajiv Joseph’s Pulitzer Prize–nominated BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO; FIFTEEN DOGS, based on the beloved novel by André Alexis, receives its world premiere in Marie Farsi’s adaptation; and Mitchell Cushman returns to Streetcar Crowsnest to helm Sondheim’s MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG.

The fabulously eclectic, 12-show season includes UNCLE VANYA in a version by Liisa Repo-Martell, directed by Artistic Director Chris Abraham; the Canadian premiere of Lolita Chakrabarti’s RED VELVET about the first Black man to play Othello in London’s West End in 1833, directed by Crow’s Theatre RBC Rising Star Emerging Director Prize–winner Cherissa Richards; the Toronto premiere of the Pulitzer Prize–shortlisted BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, directed by Rouvan Silogix in a co-production with Modern Times Stage Company; Marie Farsi’s long-awaited premiere of FIFTEEN DOGS; and a co-production of PERCEPTUAL ARCHAEOLOGY with Fire and Rescue Team, a new Blind-led company with Alex Bulmer and Leah Cherniak; presentations of the Festival Players production of THE SHAPE OF HOME, SONGS IN SEARCH OF AL PURDY; Soundstreams’ ELECTRIC MESSIAH; and the Côté Danse creation X (DIX); plus, productions in association with producing partners, including Paolo Santalucia’s PRODIGAL (The Howland Company), METAMORPHOSES 2023 (Theatre Smith-Gilmour), MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (YES Theatre), and THE CHINESE LADY (Studio 180 Theatre and fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company).

Read our 2022.23 season brochure

TORONTO (May 31, 2022) – Today, Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham and Executive Director Sherrie Johnson unveiled a 12-show season that spans the classics, contemporary work, CanLit adaptations, musical theatre, dance, and music. Following a successful relaunch of the theatre with the 2021.22 season, Crow’s Theatre and its producing partners invite audience members to subscribe and join the adventure, as its two popular east-end theatres are transformed into new worlds between September and June.

Executive Director Sherrie Johnson

“We want to give Torontonians a great reason to make theatre-going a habit again and enjoy a night out. With 12 shows in our two venues, with our fabulous restaurant Gare de l’Est offering the best pre-show prix fixe menu in town, and with our Lobby Bar (open pre- and post-show) featuring music, comedy, and cabaret, the theatre will be full of delights next season.” 

Artistic Director Chris Abraham

“We have something for everyone with a season for theatre lovers and the theatre curious. The lineup includes new perspectives on classic works from Homer, Chekov, Shakespeare, Ovid, and Handel. Prolific, international dramatists Lolita Chakrabarti, Rajiv Joseph, and Lloyd Suh will have Toronto premieres side by side with world premieres by Canadian playwrights Alex Bulmer and Paolo Santalucia. The works of CanLit heroes Al Purdy and André Alexis are transformed into unmissable theatrical experiences for fans of their work, and those about to discover them. We are thrilled to be presenting our first dance show, and three signature musical experiences are peppered throughout the year, with music also taking centre stage in our lobby post-show.

“Audiences will be treated to a theatre space that is constantly transforming—something we take pride in at Crow’s Theatre. With each production you will be immersed in a new world: a country estate in Ukraine at the end of 1890s, the dreamily surreal streets of Iraq after the fall of Baghdad, backstage on opening night at Drury Lane in London in 1833, and the contemporary streets of Toronto from a dog’s-eye view, to name a few. This is the season to rediscover the collective experience of theatre and to take a journey with us.”

The Crow’s Theatre 2022.23, 12-show season begins with Anton Chekhov’s UNCLE VANYA. A dazzling cast, which includes Ali Kazmi, Eric Peterson, Shannon Taylor, Bahia Watson, and the transcendent Tom Rooney as Vanya, breathes new life into Chekhov’s masterpiece in a version by Liisa Repo-Martell. Directed by Crow’s Theatre Artistic Director Chris Abraham, UNCLE VANYA reunites the creative team of Julie Fox, Thomas Ryder Payne, Kimberly Purtell, and Ming Wong from The Seagull, the 2017 sold-out hit co-production with Canadian Stage and The Company Theatre. Brimming with emotional intensity, comedic genius, and tragic weight, this Crow’s Theatre commission and world-premiere adaptation provides an up-close encounter with a classic of world drama that every theatre lover must see.

THE SHAPE OF HOME, SONGS IN SEARCH OF AL PURDY, the Crow’s Theatre presentation of the Festival Players’ original song cycle and Canadian spin on country living, will run concurrently in the Studio Theatre. Al Purdy’s gregarious, muscular, and irreverent language revolutionized Canadian poetry by rejecting colonial literary values, subverting the notion that poetry must be difficult, and reinventing the mythos of “country living” for a generation. THE SHAPE OF HOME, created and performed by some of Toronto’s most beloved musical theatre performers, including Frank Cox-O’Connell, Beau Dixon, Hailey Gillis, Raha Javanfar, and Andrew Penner, probes themes of mortality, nature, artistic perseverance, and profound love.

In October, Crow’s Theatre and Modern Times Stage Company present the postponed Toronto premiere of BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Modern Times Artistic Director Rouvan Silogix. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO directly confronts the toll of war on faith, culture, and the human spirit. Returning cast members include Christopher Allen, Mahsa Ershadifar, Sara Jaffri, Ali Kazmi, Ahmed Moneka, and Kristen Thomson as Tiger and designers John Gzowski, Lorenzo Savoini, and Ming Wong.

In November, Crow’s Theatre RBC Rising Star Emerging Director Prize–winner Cherissa Richards returns to Streetcar Crowsnest to direct the Canadian premiere of Lolita Chakrabarti’s remarkable RED VELVET. Based on the true but little-known story of Ira Aldridge, RED VELVET is about the first Black actor to play Othello on a West End stage. A fascinating retelling of an explosive moment of theatre history, RED VELVET is also an ever-timely examination of one of Shakespeare’s most resonant tragedies. With Allan Louis as Ira Aldridge, the impressive ensemble cast also includes Ellen Denny, Starr Domingue, Nathan Howe, David Jansen, and Jeff Lillico and designers Julie Fox, Thomas Ryder Payne, Arun Srinivasan, and Ming Wong.

In December, Crow’s Theatre’s annual holiday programming, now an east-end tradition, returns. The Dundas & Carlaw Holiday Corner includes a festive installation in the windows of Streetcar Crowsnest, live performances, an artisans’ market, and yummy treats and will feature a special presentation of Soundstreams’ ELECTRIC MESSIAH. This immersive and theatrical reimagining of the most famous piece of baroque choral music features music and dance and creates deeply personal connections with themes of love, betrayal, and redemption.

Acts of divine intervention set 2023 in motion, beginning in January with the long-awaited premiere of Marie Farsi’s FIFTEEN DOGS, adapted from the bestselling novel by André Alexis. A modern-day fable about 15 dogs who are gifted—or cursed—with human consciousness and must reckon with morality, mortality and the profound relationships they share with humans. The pawesome cast and creative team include actors Laura Condlln, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Tom Rooney, and Tyrone Savage and designers Julie Fox and Kimberly Purtell.

Crow’s Theatre is proud to be partnering with several independent producing companies this year to help bring their work to the stage. In February, The Howland Company returns to Streetcar Crowsnest after their lauded production of Casimir and Caroline and our smash-hit co-production of The Wolves. Presented In association with Crow’s Theatre, PRODIGAL, written and directed by Paolo Santalucia, examines queerness, marginalization, and forgiveness, as two young men attempt to re-engage with the families they have lost—one returning to confront his past and the other to start his future. 

Theatre Smith-Gilmour in association with Crow’s Theatre present METAMORPHOSES 2023, a courageous and contemporary adaptation of Ovid’s epic 8AD poem. Theatre Smith-Gilmour tackles the opus with its innovative, physical theatre style, focusing on eight metamorphoses.

In the spring, YES Theatre in association with Crow’s Theatre present Stephen Sondheim’s misunderstood masterpiece MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. Dora Award­–winning immersive director and frequent Crow’s Theatre collaborator Mitchell Cushman reinterprets this storied musical about youthful idealism with the wunderkinds of Sudbury’s YES Theatre.

Also running in May, Studio 180 Theatre and fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company in association with Crow’s Theatre present the Canadian premiere of Lloyd Suh’s THE CHINESE LADY, a dark, poetic, and searing portrait of Western culture seen through the eyes of a young Chinese woman. Marjorie Chan directs the true story of 14-year-old Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.

The season closes in June with two astonishingly different works, both deeply informed by travel. Crow’s Theatre and Fire and Rescue Team present PERCEPTUAL ARCHAEOLOGY, an authentic experience that challenges perceptual bias and prioritizes blindness. PERCEPTUAL ARCHAEOLOGY, written and performed by Alex Bulmer and directed by Leah Cherniak, is accessible to Blind and sighted audiences.

Crow’s Theatre is proud to present X (DIX), created by Côté Danse, the newly formed prestigious dance collective of Guillaume Côté, “one of the finest male dancers in the world” (The London Times). Conceived during the pandemic when travellers were beckoned home, X (DIX) is an adventure into the unknown.

Crow’s Theatre is also getting back on the road with tours of Zorana Sadiq’s MIXTAPE–recently announced as part of The Grand Theatre’s 2022.23 season–and Cliff Cardinal’s radical retelling of AS YOU LIKE IT, including at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa January 2023 and a special return engagement in Toronto March 2023.

SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES AND SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE TODAY!

Click here to learn more about our subscriptions and passes

Single Ticket Prices‡

Previews $45

Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 pm $60

Wednesday at 2 pm $50

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 pm $65

Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm $60

Student, senior, arts worker, pay-what-you-can, and under-30 prices available.

‡ Each ticket is subject to a $2.50 service fee and HST.

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)

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CROW’S THEATRE 2022.23 SEASON 

 Crow’s Theatre and our producing partners gratefully acknowledge support from the Toronto Arts Council, Toronto Arts Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Province of Ontario, Canada Council for the Arts, and Department of Canadian Heritage.

 ABOUT CROW’S THEATRE

For more than 30 years, Crow’s Theatre has been a leading force in the Canadian theatre landscape, recognized for provocative and award-winning new theatre work that has toured nationally and internationally. Led by Artistic and General Director Chris Abraham and Executive Director Sherrie Johnson, Crow’s Theatre ignites passionate and enduring engagement between our audiences and artists by creating, producing, and promoting unforgettable theatre that examines and illuminates the pivotal narratives of our times.

In 2017, Crow’s Theatre moved into our first permanent home, the purpose-built Streetcar Crowsnest at the corner of Carlaw Avenue and Dundas Street, in Toronto’s east end. Since opening the building with Kristen Thomson’s smash-hit The Wedding Party, Crow’s Theatre has produced many notable productions, including Emil Sher’s adaptation of Ian Brown’s The Boy in the Moon, Julius Caesar with Groundling Theatre Company, Annie Baker’s The Flick with Outside the March, Dave Malloy’s haunted song cycle Ghost Quartet, George F. Walker’s Orphans for the Czar, and Cliff Cardinal’s radical retelling of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. 

Our home at Streetcar Crowsnest comprises four venues for cultural programming and community events: Guloien Theatre (200 seats), Studio Theatre (80 seats), Nada Ristich Studio-Gallery (80 seats), located at 1210 Dundas Street East, and our Lobby Bar. We also have a full-service restaurant that features 60 seats indoors and 75 seats on the outdoor patio. Our facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technical and specialized theatrical equipment, full-streaming and digital-event capabilities, and artistic and administrative offices. Crow’s Theatre is distinguished as a preeminent cultural destination for its far-reaching imagination, exchange of ideas, diversity, and grassroots belief that the arts are essential to healthy and thriving communities.

download the crow's theatre 2022.23 Season brochure here