Giselle Beiguelman: Botannica Tirannica
Playing until October 20, 2024
At the Koffler Arts
180 Shaw St., # 104-105
Toronto, ON
M6J 2W5
This exhibition was inspired after Brazilian artist Giselle Beiguelman received a gift of a Tradescantia zebrina seedling, commonly called Wandering Jew after the 13th-century myth used recurrently in Nazi propaganda. This led her to investigate the complex, interwoven histories of botany, taxonomy and colonialism that often result in discrimination against specific groups of people.
Modern colonialism began over 500 years ago. As European explorers sailed further, they encountered the so-called “New World” – what they considered to be “terra nullius” (“nobody’s land”). After planting flags in the name of their monarchs, a number of colonial explorers sought to dominate everyone and everything they found including nature by imposing their classification system on flora and fauna. In the binomial system of nomenclature, developed by Linneaus (Carl von Linne, 1707-1778), each species is assigned two latinized names, a genus and a specific epithet (i.e., Tradescantia zebrina), and a common name (i.e., Wandering Jew). A surprising number of plant species previously named by Indigenous inhabitants of colonised lands, were assigned new names by colonisers that include prejudiced terms against ethnic and social groups, including Indigenous people, Black people, Jews, Roma, Sinti and Caló (so-called “Gypsies”), 2SLGBTQIA+, women, and the elderly. This amplified the violence already perpetrated by colonial empires against a wide range of oppressed people.
Wonderful Joe
Playing until Oct. 23, 2024.
At the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Jane Mallett Theatre
Using hand puppets and marionettes creator/performer Ronnie Burkett focuses his perception, wit and anger on a world gone mad. He touches on gender issues, pronouns, friendship, loyalty, optimism, climate change and love, generally through the eyes of Joe—who is wonderful. As is the show.
Goblin Macbeth
Playing until Oct. 27, 2024.
Tarragon Theatre
Created by Rebecca Northan & Bruce Horak with music by Ellis Lalonde
Three Goblins, in compelling masks, find the complete works of Shakespeare, and decide to put on a production of Macbeth. Part improv, part straight forward performance of the play. Totally delightful and brilliant.
Acis and Galatea
Oct. 24-27, 2024.
Elgin Theatre
Opera Atelier’s 2024/25 season opener – a fully-staged production of Handel’s beloved opera, Acis and Galatea.
This pastorale was considered Handel’s most popular opera during his lifetime, and is considered today the perfect introduction to opera for new and young audiences, as it is sung in English and features beautiful music for singing and dancing.
Acis and Galatea tells the story of the water nymph Galatea, and her love for the Arcadian shepherd, Acis. It is inspired by the Greek myth, as recounted in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Marshall Pynkoski directs and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg choreographs the opera.