MARK MARCZYK AND MARICHKA MARCZYK
Though self-described as a “Balkan-klezmer-Gypsy-party-punk-super-band,” Lemon Bucket Orkestra does more than just make music. Last January the troupe workshopped a fascinating theatre piece with food called Counting Sheep, based on company member Mark Marczyk’s experiences a year earlier in revolutionary Kyiv. The Orkestra presents the piece, written by Mark and Marichka Malczyk, as the SummerWorks production in residence, a staging that features a cast of 15 and offers song, dance and the option of a full Ukrainian feast. There’s also a one-off workshop in which you can learn five tunes from the show.
Great Hall Black Box Theatre workshop at Factory Theatre. See listing.
NGOZI PAUL
You may recognize Paul as an actor from the TV series ‘Da Kink In My Hair, which she also co-created and produced. Her new solo show, The Emancipation Of Ms. Lovely, picks up on a central theme of that show, the lives of black women. The play’s title character is on a search for – what else? – love, and we meet her at key moments in her development and understanding of herself as a black woman. A mix of personal stories and historical figures, the show blends the tale of Sarah Baartman (the Hottentot Venus) with that of Lovely as the sometimes confused character tries to extricate herself from the cycle in which she’s stuck. Bonus: the production is directed by another powerful black female artist, d’bi.young anitafrika.
Factory Theatre Studio. See listing.
TRACEY HOYT
Actor and voice-over artist Hoyt is always a charmer onstage, whether in Fringe-become-Broadway-hit The Drowsy Chaperone or Second City shows. In 2014 she captivated audiences at Crow’s Theatre East End Performance Crawl with Face Value: Leslieville, in which she collaborated with photographer/director Katherine Ashby to improvise bios based on photos of local residents. The two artists turn their attention to the other side of town in Face Value: West, and Hoyt’s sure to capture not just the stories but also the voice and physicality of each of her creations as part of the storytelling. This time around, Melody A. Johnson and Rick Roberts direct.
Theatre Centre Incubator. See listing.
PHILIP NOZUKA
A relative newcomer to the Toronto theatre scene, though experienced in film and TV work (Carrie, Cosmopolis, Aaron Stone and Degrassi: The Next Generation), Nozuka made a strong impression in last spring’s production of Durango as the younger son in a family that survived by withholding secrets from each other. In Jill Connell’s dark comedy The Tall Building, he plays one of three misfits who live in a high-rise that keeps growing floors. In a world filled with danger, the trio – the others are Molly Flood and Clinton Carew – search for identity and connection. Hope Nozuka can recapture his earlier success.
Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace. See listing.
COLLEEN WAGNER
Wagner is best known for her intense, moving play The Monument, a Governor General’s Award winner, which explores the inhumanity of war and issues of guilt and responsibility. For her new play, The Living, Wagner travelled to post-conflict zones in Africa and, inspired by stories of women and girls who have survived trauma, looks at the concept of matriarchy and the possibility of two long-time friends achieving forgiveness and reconciliation after unspeakable horrors. (Her research also led to a feature documentary and an interactive website.) Ines Buchli directs a cast that includes Miriam Fernandes, Richard Lee, Kaleb Alexander, Stephanie Jung, Beryl Bain and Anita La Selva.
Theatre Centre Incubator. See listing.
