Day 3: Adventures in Toronto

We finally made it! Toronto gave us a warm welcome (compared to the chilly weather of Ottawa). We dropped off our luggage at the hostel and began our journey to find lunch! Isn't there a saying about having so many choices you can't make one? That's Toronto.

After FINALLY eating, we headed for the St. Laurence Centre for our tour with Canadian Stage. Lead by Greg Dougherty (Technical Director) and Lee Milliken (Director of Production), we got a glimpse into the load in for "Liv Stein" at the Bulma Appel Theatre. We were guided through the labyrinthine hallways and rooms of the St. Laurence Centre and shown the tips and tricks of the unusual space. Greg, who had only been there one week, did very well answering our questions about a space he was also just getting to know himself.

Our guides then took us to their main headquarters at Berkely street. It was here we saw their Upstairs and Downstairs theatres as well as the prop and costume shops and the wonderful people who worked there. The entirely retrofitted facility has a beautiful mix of old industrial brickwork and modern architecture. You could still imagine the old natural gas machinery in the place of the audience seats and risers.

We checked into the hostel and a few of us went in seperate directions for different dinner options. We were slated to see two shows at Factory Theatre at the Next Stage Theatre Festival. Between the eight of us, we saw all four shows presented in the main and studio spaces. The shows presented that night were "Manicpixiedreamgirls", "Songbuster", "Click-Clack", and "The Big Fat German Puppet Show". We all enjoyed our choices and encourage anyone else to check them out while they can!

We again split up after the shows, some of us going out for a bit and others returning for an early night, but I'd say our first day in Toronto was a great success! Pictures coming soon once I get to a proper computer.

A very unhappy Elmo doll at CanStage

More CanStage props