You Can’t Get There From Here is returning by popular demand with its 3rd volume of audio dramas! This season will feature four commissioned audio experiences from award-winning Playwrights Monica Garrido, Catherine Hernandez, Elvira Kurt, and Aurora Stewart de Peña.This season, audiences are in for a scary good time. The episodes will take listeners on a vivid, eerie journey through one of the five primary senses (touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste). This season we had the pleasure to record with a live audience at Factory Theatre. Episode 1 Haunted Hallways by Catherine Hernandez Directed by Aviva Armour-Ostroff With artists Carolyn Fe and Merlin Simard Sound Design by Lyon SmithNot for the faint of heart, Haunted Hallways, recounts Factory Theatre’s creepy and ghostly history. Take in this freaky episode if you dare, what terrifying things just might be lurking in Factory’s dark and hidden hallways.Episode 2Boxes of Smells by Mónica Garrido Directed by Mel HagueFeaturing Sofia Rodriguez and Margarita Valderrama Sound Design by Lyon SmithBoxes of Smells tells a story of confusion. Sarah and her cat Michi, receive a box. Will Sarah’s nose try to lead her to the truth…or some version of it?*Flashlights and comfort blankets are sold separately. Episode 3Touchedby Elvira Kurt Directed by Mel Hague Featuring Anna Chatterton and Vanessa Dunn Sound Design by Lyon SmithTouched follows two ex-lovers, one is moving on and one believes time stands still. If only life were just a little bit easier, and things could be neatly sorted and boxed up. Episode 4The Automated Systemby Aurora Stewart de Peña Directed by Mel HagueFeaturing Philip Akin and Sochi FriedSound Design by Lyon SmithIn this imaginative and eerie tale, a man is a little bit lost. Can a call agent help him make some crucial decisions?For more information, visit this link: https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/you-cant-get-there-from-here-vol-3/
Love sees no barriers – at least that is what young jazz musician Nicky hopes her judgemental mother Thea will believe when she is introduced to Nicky’s much older boyfriend.Nicky has been lying to her mother about her relationship with a much older man, a man she is in love with, a man she sees a long future with and man who is adamant to be introduced to her family. When they show up to Thea’s house for a birthday dinner, things go awry as past memories are brought up and old connections brought forward.Kat Sandler’s The Artists is a comedic picture into complicated relationships, especially the one between mothers and their daughters.CREDITSWritten and Directed by Kat SandlerFeaturing: HRH Anand Rajaram, Pamela Sinha, and Caroline ToalSound Design & Composition by Debashis SinhaMUSICMcCarthy, Joe and Monaco, James V., "You Made Me Love You" (1913). Historic Sheet Music Collection. 1248.Special thanks to Andrew Seok and Jeff Ho for assisting in the production of this musical number.The The below are licensed via Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. No material changes were made to the tracks. 1. Ketsa - Big Love, from the album Vitalityhttps://ketsa.uk2. Humbug by Crowanderhttps://crowander.com
Sydney and Tara are a couple in love, who have recently inherited an apartment in Toronto – in today’s market better than winning the lottery. But was this apartment the start to their happy life together or the path to their destruction? Crime podcaster Dom Maxwell is determined to find out the truth.A horror story not for the faint of heart. From playwrights Amy Lee Lavoie and Omari Newton, Doubletree brings an unsettling story about a couple’s demise and the death of their love.CREDITSWritten by Amy Lee Lavoie & Omari Newton, Directed by Mike PayetteFeaturing: Chala Hunter, Andrew Kushnir, and Andre SillsSound Design & Composition by Mikael Bensimon
Set in Toronto – considered a multicultural mosaic, a welcoming place for immigrants, and those who are searching for a better life. But can it become ‘home’ for everyone?Jorge misses’ home and his mother, and is trying his best to make a life for himself in this new city away from Mexico. John, a man of God, just wants to help him settle into this new life, but as Jorge struggles to find meaning, good work and fights to stay clean – can John really promise him a better life here?From award-winning playwright, Guillermo Verdecchia, A Good Place delves into the hardships of leaving home behind in the hopes of a better life.CREDITSWritten by Guillermo Verdecchia, Directed by Matt McGeachyFeaturing: Matthew Edison, Vivien Endicott-Douglas, and Michael Scholar, Jr.Sound Design & Composition by Debashis Sinha
From the corner of Spadina and Dundas in the heart of Toronto’s Chinatown, two friends, Helen and Justin, find themselves led to an old and abandoned theatre after receiving a cryptic note. Known as The Standard in the early 1920s, during the height of Canada’s Chinese Immigration Act, this venue had a history of renting its space to Cantonese Opera performers. Once inside, Helen and Justin run into the theatre’s mysterious and charismatic caretaker, Mr. Sing, who muses enthusiastically about the theatre’s history of Cantonese Opera performance.A gripping thriller from award-winning playwright Marjorie Chan, The Standard Sing shines an honest light on the history of the Chinese Canadian experience in Toronto and brings the echoes of this experience to the forefront…suggesting that they may not be at rest…CREDITS:Written by Marjorie Chan, Directed by Aaron JanFeaturing: Derek Kwan, Richard Lam, and April LeungSound Design & Composition by Debashis Sinha
A look into the world of T.V. casting, the discussions that happen, the decisions that are made, and the lack of opportunity given to those who have not been represented before. Ins Choi’s new audio drama takes audiences through a journey of understanding the challenging and uniquely flawed decision making of those who hold the most power in an industry that’s meant to represent the audience who watches. CREDITSWritten by Ins Choi, Directed by Courtney Ch'ng LancasterFeaturing: Shawn Ahmed, Laura Condlln, and Janet PorterSound Design & Composition by Mikael Bensimon
Five brand-new audio dramas dropping March 8, 2022!Following a highly acclaimed first season, Toronto's Factory Theatre is proud to be returning to headphones across the globe with You Can’t Get There From Here Vol. 2 - featuring five brand new audio dramas from some of Canada's most creative minds. You Can’t Get There From Here offers listeners fresh perspectives on familiar Toronto landmarks and neighbourhoods and glimpses into the micro-dramas occurring each day around us, hidden in plain sight. In this introductory episode, Factory Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino shares a bit of background as to how this series came to be, what you can expect from Volume 2 of the series, and what we hope you'll be able to take away from each new audio theatrical work. For more information, please visit: https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/you-cant-get-there-from-here-vol-2/
Written by Luke Reece | Directed by Marcel StewartStarring: Britta B., Trevlyn Kennedy, and Luke ReeceSound Design by Michelle BensimonIt’s June 13, 2019, and The Toronto Raptors are three hours away from their Game 6 tipoff with the Golden State Warriors. Two pigeons, Trae and A.C., are settling in above Jurassic Park in Toronto to watch the game when, all of a sudden, their excitement is interrupted by a kestrel named Klaw who crash lands on their perfect pigeon perch. Having never been to Toronto, Trae and A.C. begin to give Klaw all their insider knowledge about the city – the good, the bad, and the feathery.A fun electrifying mash-up of soundscape and spoken word (or is it spoken bird?), The Toronto Pigeons is an all-verse, sky-high exploration from National Slam Poet Champion Luke Reece, of how and why The Toronto Raptors 2019 Championship win catalyzed a feeling of belonging in a city renowned for its icy exterior.To Donate to Factory: factorytheatre.ca/donate Sign up for our email list: factorytheatre.ca
Written by Keith Barker | Directed by Akosua Amo-AdemStarring: Allison Edwards-Crewe and Marcia JohnsonSound Design by Michelle BensimonMia and Fran haven’t seen each other in years – too long for sisters to go without talking. When Fran visits Toronto to reconcile with her sister, the two decide to go on a journey down memory lane – revisiting iconic Toronto locations that hold treasured memories. But not everything between the sisters is what it seems.This striking new take on the “memory play” from award-winning playwright Keith Barker, explores why we hold on to memories and how they diverge in a city with a landscape that is constantly being erased and rebuilt. Every Minute of Every Day is sure to make you see how people share and shape memories differently and how time itself can even make you forget why family ruptures happen in the first place.To Donate to Factory: factorytheatre.ca/donate Sign up for our email list: factorytheatre.ca
Written by Yvette Nolan | Directed by Cole AlvisStarring: Nicole Joy-Fraser, Derek Kwan, and Meghan SwabySound Design by Debashis SinhaHanna has been the target of online protests and persecution and no one has heard from her in days. Worried for her well-being, two friends show up at her apartment to discover her all packed, ready to get outta dodge. Leah and David attempt to persuade Hanna to stay and fight, to continue living in the city as it changes before their very eyes.From award-winning playwright, Yvette Nolan, You Can’t Get There From Here delves into how cities shapeshift over time and what happens when we don’t change with it.To Donate to Factory: factorytheatre.ca/donate Sign up for our email list: factorytheatre.ca
Written by Matthew MacKenzie | Directed by Nina Lee AquinoStarring: Christine Horne and Craig LauzonSound Design by Michelle BensimonSet in Toronto; Odessa, Ukraine; and the liminal spaces between, Matthew Mackenzie’s First Métis Man of Odessa is a contemporary love story set against the backdrop of a global pandemic.No sooner do lovers Matt and Masha part ways for a short time last March, than COVID-19 shutters borders, keeping the new couple apart. Masha can’t get to Matt; Matt can’t get to Masha; and to make matters more complicated, Masha learns she is pregnant. Determined to get to Ukraine to marry the woman he loves and get her to Canada prior to the birth of their son, Matt sets out on an unlikely and hilarious journey to transcend borders – and ends up paying for a klezmer band for several other wedding parties in the process.Based on true events and alternating between Matt and Masha’s perspectives, First Métis Man of Odessa is a captivating romantic comedy sure to warm even the most COVID-fatigued hearts.To Donate to Factory: factorytheatre.ca/donate Sign up for our email list: factorytheatre.ca
Written by Anusree Roy | Directed by Nina Lee AquinoStarring: Ryan Hollyman, Gabriella Sundar Singh, and Mirabella Sundar SinghSound Design by Debashis SinhaInspired by a true story, Sisters from award-winning writer Anusree Roy, follows Millie and Rai, who have recently immigrated to Toronto from India with their father. Set over the course of one evening at Tatos Laundromat in New Toronto, the sisters fantasize about: what they will order at Tim Hortons, getting a cell phone, and how exciting their new life will be – as soon as their dad lands his first job. Their daydreaming is cut short when an event occurs at the laundromat, threatening not only their sense of security, but their ability to withhold secrets from each other. A gripping and moving story, Sisters shines an honest light on contemporary immigrant experiences and brings into focus that people living and just getting by in the city are more alike than they first appear. To Donate to Factory: factorytheatre.ca/donate Sign up for our email list: factorytheatre.ca
Following a highly acclaimed first season, Factory Theatre is proud to be returning to headphones across the globe with You Can’t Get There From Here Vol. 2 in 2022! Welcome to You Can't Get There From Here - a brand new collection of audio dramas from Toronto’s Factory Theatre. A limited series featuring five commissioned audio theatrical works from some of Canada's most creative minds. You Can’t Get There From Here offers listeners fresh perspectives on familiar Toronto landmarks and neighbourhoods and glimpses into the micro-dramas occurring each day around us, hidden in plain sight. In this introductory episode, Factory Artistic Director Nina Lee Aquino shares a bit of background as to how this series came to be, what you can expect from each episode, and what we hope you'll be able to take away from each new audio theatrical work. For more information, please visit: https://www.factorytheatre.ca/shows/you-cant-get-there-from-here-vol-2/
Welcome to our In Conversation Series. Today, we get to sit down with Director Soheil Parsa and Director Tawiah M’Carthy and talk about their process and approach to our productions of Daniel MacIvor in Monster and Here Lies Henry.Monster and Here Lies Henry on stage at Factory Theatre until December 17, 2023.Book Tickets to Monster by visiting www.factorytheatre.caBook Tickets to Here Lies Henry by visiting www.factorytheatre.ca