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This year’s Luminato Festival delves ‘beneath the city’s surface’ “As a newcomer to Toronto, I was immediately inspired by what makes the city tick,” says artistic director Olivia Ansell. “I really embrace this sense that the city has a pulse.” buff.ly/amhubC4

Theatre Calgary has revealed casting for its spring production of 'Legally Blonde', running from May 20 to June 15 at the Max Bell Theatre. buff.ly/d0Tdxs5

REVIEW: World premiere of Comfort Food is anything but comfortable, and that’s why it works "Comfort Food explores how adults contort themselves for approval, how networks co-opt authenticity, and how algorithms radicalize kids." buff.ly/3kj4L8A

REVIEW: Shaw Festival’s Anything Goes is a fizzy, old-school tonic "Yes, there are six minutes of tap dancing at the end of Act One." buff.ly/h6vRaFv

For Kelsey Verzotti, playing Elle Woods means grappling with high notes and impostor syndrome "In 2022, Verzotti became the first Asian-Canadian to play Anne Shirley at the Charlottetown Festival. Now, she's tackling Legally Blonde's intense lead role." buff.ly/m5rC7S9

For Allen MacInnis, theatre is a precious opportunity for change “You can’t perform if you’re self-conscious. It’s absolute death. And that extends to every other artist in the theatre,” says the former artistic director of YPT. buff.ly/8MRu7Cx

REVIEW: Montreal’s Festival TransAmériques wrestles with art’s larger purpose "While I only saw a small portion of the 20-show lineup, I observed a commitment to platforming artists interested in questioning theatre’s relationship to the real world." buff.ly/SdzLuFY

This morning, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced the nominees for the 45th annual Dora Awards, which will be given out at Meridian Hall on June 30. Division-topping shows include Mahabharata, Last Landscape, and Life After. buff.ly/dHjx0Ju

REVIEW: Mirvish’s Made in Italy dishes a pleasant but lengthy family feast "Made in Italy is a feat of physical comedy, with creator-performer Farren Timoteo seamlessly taking on the distinct voices and mannerisms of about 10 different characters." buff.ly/Wk9ofAz

This spring, the Bentway will premiere Sand Flight, a large-scale outdoor performance by choreographer Ingri Fiksdal and director Jonas Corell Petersen. It features eight dancers and a 50-person community choir performing atop a constructed sand dune. buff.ly/P8uVCFS

REVIEW: The inaugural Treading Theatre Festival is spotlighting Kitchener’s growing theatre scene "Running at the Schneider Haus National Historic Site, the festival features five site-responsive productions in unconventional performance spaces." buff.ly/BtvkZjG

NEWS: Toronto Fringe unveils full 2025 programming "Tickets are now on sale for the 37th annual Toronto Fringe Festival, showcasing over 100 shows in 22 venues across the city." buff.ly/a9V1BOv

A fuzzy Macbeth, an ecological As You Like It, a dance-heavy Annie, and a glitzy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Our first batch of 2025 Stratford Festival reviews is online now. buff.ly/wnLYKOe

NEWS: Canadian Stage marks 42 years of Shakespeare in High Park with Romeo & Juliet "This summer, Dream in High Park returns with a new staging of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Marie Farsi." buff.ly/GgP3eS9

REVIEW: Bring It On sticks the landing at Regina’s Globe Theatre "As a whole, the Globe’s Bring It On does everything this musical was designed to do: it’s fast, funny, and fun for the whole family." buff.ly/Tmx23ED

Stratford Festival reviews: The Winter’s Tale and Anne of Green Gables "A winter story told by a melancholy child and a fanatical Lucy Maud Montgomery book club help frame the final two productions in the Stratford Festival’s 2025 opening week." buff.ly/PeBa1RW

‘A lot of eyes’ on Sara Farb as she opens her seventh season at the Stratford Festival “This place is so great to work at because one day I go to work and put a mustache on and the other day I’m wearing a beautiful gown,” says Farb. buff.ly/5eXLX8Z

REVIEW: After the Rain transforms Tarragon into a passionate folk-rock concert "The performers of this world premiere musical got a lot of laughs from the buzzing opening night audience — not to mention a few audible tears." buff.ly/UtZtjnC

Sand Flight asks how we might navigate a world remade by collapse “We’re not only conveying dystopia,” says co-creator Jonas Corell Petersen. “Yes, we die... but that makes way for something new, and the dancers carry hopefulness in their movement.” buff.ly/EwrD1Et

REVIEW: For a show about death, Beetlejuice is impressively full of life "It's a thoroughly entertaining musical that even improves on the original film, adding a far more cohesive storyline and clearer character motivations." buff.ly/Sa5nnxD