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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 16 ,2 02 2 | 32 Live Younger-Live Healthier TELOMERE USE THISCODE TO GET50$ OFF TA-65 is a supplement to help maintain a healthy immune system. 647 675 77 75 289 337 54 33 www.agereverse.ca info@agereverse.ca NPN: 80092312 90 Capsules / 3 Months Supply Live the bestLive the best version yourselfversion yourself Record heatwaves, shortages of fans and air conditioners in big-box re- tailers, and a rush of folks high-tailing it to cottage country can mean only one thing: summer has hit Southern Ontario. It's a welcome shift in the performance sector. The last few months have been strange ones for theatre in the GTA and beyond: there have been a plethora of con- flicting opening nights, for instance, and numerous shows have had to cut their runs short due to COVID cases within casts and cre- ative teams. But despite the chaos of the last few months, on the way are warmer weather and a powerful new season of theatre. Here are the top 10 shows and festivals I'm looking forward to. TORONTO: "Where the Blood Mixes" at Soulpepper, May 26 to June 26, $25+ Governor General's Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring is a major voice in Indigenous playw- riting in Canada. As Artis- tic Director of the National Arts Centre's Indigenous Theatre, Loring is a cham- pion for native voices on- stage -- now his own gets to shine at Soulpepper in a play which explores famil- ial strength despite trauma endured at the hands of Canada's residential schools. Visionary director Jani Lauzon brings Loring's lauded text to life in Toron- to's Distillery District this June. STRATFORD: Stratford Fes- tival, various programming through Oct. 29, $21+ No way could this list possibly exclude the world- famous Stratford Festival. Shakespeare fans might have already committed the lineup to heart, but those of us less friendly with the Bard might wish to check out the fantastic studio line- up. I'm particularly looking forward to "Hamlet-911," written by Ann-Marie Mac- Donald and directed by Al- isa Palmer. The play wres- tles Shakespeare's text into whimsical submission, rov- ing from a matinee perfor- mance of the text at the Stratford Festival to ... the Underworld. It's a metath- eatrical, daring world pre- miere, one sure to charm even the least classically in- formed of Stratford attend- ees. TORONTO: "Sweeney Todd" at Talk Is Free Theatre, June 6 - July 3, $75+ You might already be fa- miliar with a certain demon barber of Fleet Street, but not like this. The Barrie- based company Talk Is Free Theatre comes to Toronto this summer with an im- mersive production of what is perhaps Stephen Sond- heim's most famous work. Happening at the Neigh- bourhood Food Hall on Ger- rard Street East, this "Swee- ney Todd" will foster an in- timate connection between the audience and the story. Helmed by director Mitch- ell Cushman, the founding artistic director of immer- sive theatre company Out- side the March, this ambi- tious take on Sweeney looks to be one for the books. How about a shave? BLYTH: Blyth Festival, var- ious programming June 22 to Sept. 24, $15+ Located in a tiny town (like, population-under- one-thousand tiny), the Blyth Festival is one of On- tario's most highly regard- ed summer theatre events, drawing in audiences from across the province. This year's programming in- cludes Michael Healey's "The Drawer Boy," a Cana- dian classic with deep ties to Healey's experience work- ing as an actor at the Blyth Festival over twenty years ago. Also featured is Indige- nous playwright Drew Hay- den Taylor's "Cottagers and Indians," a hilarious and timely look at the relation- ship between cottage coun- try and the land it occupies. TORONTO: "& Juliet" at Mirvish Productions, June 22 to Aug. 14, $49+ "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," looks to be quite the stunner, judging by the influx of bus ads, so- cial media banners and bill- boards touting the produc- tion. But the equally excit- ing "& Juliet," a re-imagin- ing of Shakespeare's most famous not-love story, is al- so coming to King Street for its North American pre- miere -- it's not an overstep to assume the production has Broadway aspirations. Created by "Schitt's Creek" veteran David West Read, the musical features tunes from legendary producer Max Martin and perfor- mances from Broadway's Betsy Wolfe and Tony Award-winning Paulo Szot. KITCHENER-WATERLOO: "We Could Be" at Green Light Arts, Aug. 16-25, $0 Five playwrights from the Waterloo region come together with "We Could Be," a collection of short plays which speak to the present moment. Themes of hope and resilience under- score the new works, mak- ing "We Could Be" an ideal project for what will be one of Kitchener-Waterloo's first in-person theatre events back since the pan- demic. It'll also be taking place inside the Kitchener Market -- because who doesn't love a summer farmers' market followed by new theatre? EAST YORK: "Detroit" at Coal Mine Theatre, July 3 to Aug. 7, $35+ 10 THEATRE EXPERIENCES TOO GOOD TO MISS AISLING MURPHY WHAT'S ON See SHAW'S, page 33