All posts by Megan Mooney

Megan loves being in the thick of all things theatre, but her ultimate goal is to promote theatre to the world of non-theatre people. It was the same when she was the theatre writer for blogTO, or the Fringe Correspondent for CBC Radio One‘s Here and Now, as it is as the founder of Mooney on Theatre. Her basic belief is that there is theatre/performance out there for everyone to love, they just need to find it. This is not to be confused with the idea that everyone should love theatre for theatre’s sake, in fact, as obsessed as she is with theatre, even *she* doesn’t love all types of theatre.

Review: Sweat (Canadian Stage and Studio 180 Theatre)

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Photo of Ordena Stephens-Thompson, Ron Lea, Kelli Fox - three people toasting in front of a bar sitting on bar stoolsSweat may not be perfect, but it’s important and worth seeing

I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I knew walking out of Sweat, playing at Canadian Stage‘s Berkeley Theatre, that it was going to be a hard piece to write about. In fact, I already knew it at intermission.

It’s a solid production. It was a lovely way to spend an evening, but I was having a hell of a time getting this review written. After having written bits and pieces of this it over the past couple of days, but never managing anything cohesive, the reason finally struck me as I ambled down my stairs: I wanted to like this piece more than I did.

Everything about this production was fine. It was all good. Good directing, good acting, good design, all of it good. But none of it took my breath away. And I could tell it had the potential to.

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Toronto New Year’s Eve 2020 Event Listings – MoT style

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view from behind of several people sitting on a stage we see audience in background, from a performance of Your Hood's a Joke in Toronto

Toronto takes to the stage to celebrate the coming of 2020 this NYE

It’s New Year’s Eve. Time to wave good-bye to 2019, and welcome in 2020. I think a pretty fantastic way to do that is by checking out a live show. I have seen so many “things to do in Toronto on NYE” lists, and they almost all seem to be lists of big expensive parties. So I decided to make my own “things to do in Toronto on NYE” list – Mooney on Theatre style.

My parameters were that it had to be a live stage event; it had to be $35 or less; and, of course, it had to be in Toronto.

I love the idea of going to a show on NYE. I get to go out and experience the atmosphere of revelry and excitement, and, of course, enjoy something on stage. And, I get to still do the official “ring in the New Year” part in my living room (if I manage to stay awake until midnight).

Maybe you are more of a party animal than me (do you have a pulse? You are probably more of a party animal than me then.) Maybe you would like to ring in the New Year surrounded by excited people. You still can. Once the show is over, you can continue to whatever type of NYE celebration suites you best.

Either way, spending some time with live performance seems like an excellent way to usher in the New Year. And, without fanfare or flourish, here are my suggestions of things to check out:

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Review: The Ward Cabaret (DB Works & The Ward Productions with Harbourfront Centre Theatre)

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production photo from The Ward Cabaret - Four people standing on a stage facing forward

The Ward Cabaret‘s music and performance is filled with humanity and passion

When I heard about The Ward Cabaret playing at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, I knew I had to see it. A show that uses dynamic live music in the telling of a slice of Toronto’s history is right up my alley.

This isn’t a musical in the traditional sense. Songs don’t take the place of monologues to move the action forward. But they are certainly a vital part of telling the story. In fact, the press release doesn’t even call it a musical, it says, “This theatre-music event propels audiences into the extraordinary sounds and stories of The Ward.”

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Playlistings for the Week of September 23, 2019

Shows that Caught Our Eye in Toronto for the Week of September 23, 2019

Well, theatre season is in full swing. So many places have launched their seasons, #JFL42 is in full swing, even the Toronto Biennial of Art has performances for you to check out (although, admittedly it’s a pretty difficult website to navigate). There is just so much art happening in Toronto. It makes me a happy camper.

We’ve collected some of what’s up for offer this week and it’s here for you below. And, in case you’re curious, I have highlighted the things in red that makes me wish there were several versions of me and unlimited childcare in this world so I could just spend all my time enjoying art always…

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Remembering Wayne Leung (1981-2019) Mooney on Theatre’s Managing Editor 2012-2019

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collage of photos of Wayne Leung for a memorial post on Mooney on Theatre

Paying tribute to Wayne Leung (1981-2019): passionate theatre advocate and MoT Managing Editor

I first met Wayne in 2011 when I interviewed him for the position of Assistant Editor at Mooney on Theatre. I remember sitting across from him with my Managing Editor at the time, Mira Saraf, and feeling like I was interviewing myself. It was an eerie feeling. His philosophies on theatre and business felt like a complete match for mine. Even the examples he used when answering questions often felt like word-for-word matches to ones I’d used in my own interviews for other positions.

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