Hal Rotman

An assortment of exceptional poetry all bound in an appreciation of presence, listening, and connection. Dwayne asks the audience to share their immediate reactions on sticky notes after the show ends so I thought I would include mine here:

I feel joy in my own presence; in being able to choose how to spend my time, knowing how often it's spent poorly but now basking in the glow of spending it right. Some things only happen once and for me, this was an example of that.

A lovely work from August Van Meekeren that makes great use of their strengths as a performer and storyteller. Their interplay with Pasha Ebrahimi as The Apple from the Bible is lots of fun and gives a compelling core focus (pun intended) to this series of stories

Another wonderful script from Lawson Hannaford that's full of heart and finds so much beauty and in the small things in life. James Ersil's Snail is such a joy to share a room with and I love the ways the contrast in size is represented on stage in a way that you never question it. Whatever Bloom theatre and Lawson do next, I'm sat.

Emma Lamont returns with another script full of dread and despair. Wherever I struggled with a tonal shift, the actors and design work (including some stellar puppetry) always came to draw me back in. It's the kind of show that feeds the imagination where I'm completely fascinated by the world emerging from this nuclear wasteland

There is a moment towards the end of the show where Kaylie bows to the audience while performing a physical feat that would be jaw dropping all on its own. However, the glimmer in her eyes in that moment carried all the history and discovery she's shared with us. It is impossible to watch Kimiko and not see how personal and fulfilling this style of performance is to Kaylie.

A dense, tense, of-the-moment piece that's furious about the state of the world and our country. The divides between the four horsemen make them a fascinating team for leading an apocalypse that doesn't seem to serve any of them. My personal highlight was Famine (Ben Burchell), a man possessed by unchecked capitalism only to wake up filled with regret and mourning

A brilliant meta-theatrical concept that turns every wink, nod, and hokey needle drop into something sincere, adorable, and hilarious. The no-bullshit anti-colonialism is the cherry on top

An celebration of committing to the bit and taking everything life (and the audience) throws your way