September 26, 2024 – May 24, 2025
Alumnae Theatre Company, 70 Berkeley Street
The Alumnae Theatre Company in Toronto has announced its 2024-2025 season. The lineup includes a mix of compelling productions and festivals that showcase a variety of theatrical talents. Here’s a snapshot of the upcoming season:
September 25 – October 6, 2024 (Mainstage)
Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! by Dario Fo
Director: Isabella Cesari
Discover the hilariously defiant world of Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Dario Fo. This outrageous play follows two working-class women exasperated by skyrocketing prices and economic hardships. Along with their spirited neighbours, they rebel against the cost of living by taking goods without paying. It’s a powerful commentary on the absurdities of modern life and a riotous ride through rebellion and resilience!
November 13–24, 2024 (*Studio Theatre)
Bone Cage by Catherine Banks
Director: Cassidy Sadler
Everything in its path it eats. In rural Nova Scotia, 22-year-old Jamie works as a tree processor, clear-cutting for pulp. After each shift, he walks the forest carnage, salvaging fallen nests, injured birds, and slivers of life. His half-sister mows the sod fields, confessing sins and dreams to a dead tree. His father claws at soil and science, attempting to resurrect a dead child. Winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama, Bone Cage offers gripping lyricism, dark humour and visceral drama in this portrait of self-destruction. It is a raw and poetic examination of the lives of those who strip the environment and their souls.
January 22 – February 2, 2025 (Mainstage)
Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz
Director: Ilana Linden
Set in the sun-soaked enclave of Palm Springs, Other Desert Cities follows an affluent and aging Republican couple as their adult daughter, a liberal-leaning writer, returns home with plans to expose a dark family secret. This gripping story, a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, skillfully navigates the complex dynamics of family loyalty, political divides, and buried truths. It will leave you questioning the price of secrets and the ties that bind.
March 12 – 23, 2025 (*Studio Theatre)
Age of Arousal by Linda Griffiths
Director: Victoria Shepherd
Dive into Age of Arousal, a powerful ensemble piece by acclaimed playwright Linda Griffiths. Set in an era of tumultuous change, this play explores the forbidden and gloriously liberated self, where characters grapple with explosive and contradictory desires. Griffiths, a winner of five Dora Mavor Moore Awards and a Gemini Award, crafts a provocative and compelling narrative that you won’t want to miss.
* Studio Theatre at Alumnae Theatre is on the third-floor walk-up studio, which is not currently wheelchair accessible.
In addition to these mainstage productions, the Alumnae Theatre will host its annual FireWorks Festival from April 23 – May 11, 2025 (Mainstage) and Big Ideas Festival from May 19-25, 2025 (*Studio Theatre). This festival is known for presenting fresh and innovative plays and is a highlight of the theatre’s season.
About Alumnae Theatre Company
Alumnae Theatre Company is dedicated to the production of adventurous theatre not readily seen elsewhere and to the skill development of women in theatre. We seek to be reflective of the diversity of Toronto on our stage and in our organization. The Alumnae Theatre has been run by women for over 100 years, a notable accomplishment in a field traditionally dominated by men. A charitable organization that produces engaging and thought-provoking theatre, the Alumnae continues to thrive because of its diverse, enthusiastic, and fun group of women volunteers.
