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Press

Selected Press for Theatre Direct Productions 

Sanctuary Song 2008/11/12

“They say an elephant never forgets, and I’ll bet that any child you take to the new family opera Sanctuary Song won’t soon forget the strong production…The cast is fine under Lynda Hill’s direction, with the expressive Wang communicating Sydney’s subtle emotional shifts with quiet power.” – NNNN Jon Kaplan Now Magazine

“The charming Sanctuary Song is a Luminato family show that is both accessible to children and challenging at the same time.” – Paula Citron, Globe and Mail

Binti’s Journey 2008/9/10/12

“Binti’s Journey is quite a remarkable play.  If it were simply an engaging story about a young girl growing up in modern-day Malawi, it would be noteworthy.  If it were simply an effective play for young people about HIV/AIDS, it would be exceptional. Binti’s Journey, however is both… The play deserves the widest possible audience not just of school children but of adults, who have just as much to learn.” – 4 Stars, Christopher Hoile, EYE Weekly

“Binti’s Journey is the kind of production that encourages young audiences to crave theatre.” – NNNN, NOW Magazine
Head á Tête 20011/12

“Theatre Direct’s revival of David S. Craig and Robert Morgan’s Head á Tête is the perfect family show. It gives young audiences and their parent a chance to laugh, learn and share a story about antagonism that becomes friendship.” – NNNN, Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine

“Head á Tête speaks to kids in a respectful engaging way about its important message. And it’s a good lesson for the adults in the room as well.” – Lynn Slotkin, The Passionate Playgoer
Beneath the Banyan Tree 2005/6/9

“In every possible way, this country needs its immigrants to retain the variegated colours and tastes of home. That’s one of the lessons of Beneath the Banyan Tree, an appealing production for kids from the venerable Theatre Direct. To be a kid, set adrift, solo, in a foreign culture is to be a kid in need of stories. And like the emblematic tree of India, which puts its roots down wherever its branches hit the ground, Stories are always part of your luggage, no matter how far you travel. That’s the central metaphor in Lynda Hill’s beautifully designed production” – Liz Nicholls, The Edmonton Journal

“At an hour long, it gripped both children and adults, enabling us to see both points of view and delight in their reconciliation.” – Peter Lathan, The British Theatre Guide

“It reaches out in such an admirable fashion. It draws children and their parents in and they are thoroughly absorbed. There is vivid, exciting colour in the costumes and the props such as an adorable peacock fan, and sweet exhilaration in the free ranging physicality.” – Kevin Berry, The Stage

Walking the Tightrope 2009

“Director Thomas Morgan Jones and his cast know how to hold their young audience, who sit a few feet from the action at the edge of a sand-and-shell shoreline. The artists invite us into the world of the brief play (it runs slightly more than half an hour) with an engaging charm.” – NNNN, Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine

The Babysitter 2006

“But while watching this flamboyantly theatrical piece, you’ll be too busy enjoying the riches on display. Joanne Dente’s set and costume designs are a marvel, especially in the confines of the Factory Studio.” – Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

“This should be an easy question to answer, but how many shows have you seen in Toronto this year that you’d actually pay to see for a second time? The Babysitter, a hugely entertaining riff on 1980s slasher movies conceived by puppeteer Eric Woolfe, would be one those…it’s actually the sort of all-ages, crowd-pleasing show that comes along once in a blood-stained moon.” – Paul Isaacs, Toronto Star

The Demonstration 2006

“It was by far the greatest youth based theatre performance available today… A little over an hour and jam-packed with creative settings, props and lighting topped off with home hitting messages… a mind changing experience.” – Anisa Mohamed, Student Review

“Through an amazing mix of sound, light, spoken word and movement, the actors weave a captivating story… I felt completely submerged in the performance… the kind of experience you can only get with live theatre, and it leaves a lasting impression.” – Lauren Strapagiel, Student Review

And by the way, Miss…2004

“There’s a marvelous sense of excitement in being in an audience of 12 -14 year old girls who are yelling with thrilled recognition at a performance… those screams happen a number of times in And by the way, Miss…a piece that looks with freshness and truth at what it means to grow up in today’s multi-message world.” –  NNN Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine

“Each and every sound constitutes the musical score of the piece. One might be tempted to hear some of it as accessory, but that would be wrong. Scenes flow into one another with dream-like continuity, allowing the piece to touch down on such dark topics as abuse, violence, or depression without laboring them, contacting nerves, soft spots and, of course, funny bones along the way.” – Eileen Poole, Opus Magazine, 2004

Alphonse 2002

“It is the open ended thoughtfulness of Alphonse that is so appealing…A runaway theatrical success. Theatre Direct proves that good theatre for children is just good theatre.” – 4 Stars, Kate TaylorThe Globe and Mail, November 2002

“Charming and engaging… a hymn of praise to the imagination…” – Robert CrewThe Toronto Star, November 2002

“…the smash hit Alphonse: Wajdi Mouawad’s meditation on childhood appealed to both parent and child alike.” – Rebecca CaldwellThe Globe and Mail, December 2002