Zastrozzi

A rousing story of love and revenge, the world of Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline is charming, amusing, and just perverse enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Zastrozzi — a mischievous criminal and all around nasty piece of work — has spent years hell-bent on tracking down the man who killed his mother. Unfortunately, the man in question has all but lost his mind. A religious visionary without visions and total nut-job, he’s avoided the great Zastrozzi at each turn entirely by accident. What unfolds is a delightfully deranged tale of mistaken identity, swashbuckling, and kink. Don’t miss your chance to meet the Master of Discipline.

Tickets: $20; available online (plus $1.95 convenience fee) and at The ARTS Project box office, 519-642-2767.
Tuesday through Thursday and Friday matinee performances have been cancelled.

Killer Joe

There are few plays as twisted, funny, bizarre, and utterly insane as Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe. Chris, a trailer park lowlife, has landed himself in hot water with some less-than-accommodating drug dealers. With mere days to come up with some cash, he seeks the services of “Killer” Joe Cooper—a Texas Ranger who moonlights as a gun for hire—to kill his estranged mother for her life insurance policy. In this dangerous game, failed plans and deals with the devil put everyone’s life on the line and each twist brings the story closer and closer to its dark end. This play is not for the weak hearted: with sex, violence and Southern fried chicken, Killer Joe is finger lickin’ bad.

Tickets: $20; available online and at The ARTS Project box office, 519-642-2767.

The Pillowman

A writer named Katurian has been brought in for questioning by the secret police. Children have turned up murdered in unimaginable ways. But they aren’t unimaginable to Katurian—he’s written hundreds of twisted stories about children being killed or tortured. And the murders match three of his stories down to every last detail. Facing execution at the hands of two corrupt detectives, Katurian must prove his innocence and solve the mystery of the murders all by himself.

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; available by liame, at InfoSource, or by calling 905-751-5250.

Oleanna

Pulitzer prize-winning playwright David Mamet’s most controversial play resists the easy answers, reveling as it deconstructs our culture of tolerance and political correctness. Oleanna will make your blood race and your outrage flare as you witness one of the most exciting and morally challenging face-offs in American theatre.

Did John sexually assault his student? Is Carol trying to extort her professor? What happened behind that closed office door? The truth is a matter of interpretation when a teacher and his pupil square off against each other in an escalating battle of words and wills. Whose side will you choose?

Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students (in advance only); available by liame, at InfoSource, or by calling 905-751-5250.
Preview performance January 24.

Survival Box

Josh and Randy’s parents built a nuclear fallout shelter after 9/11, which is now their favourite hangout spot. The brothers and their friends play video games, drink beer, and smoke pot… until one day the door slams shut. Now they must face the difference between living and surviving.

An up-close-and-personal story of life when there’s nothing left to live for. It’s at once terrifying, funny and tragic. The play follows the lives of Josh, Randy, Sam, Travis and Amy in the post-apocalyptic world that has forced them underground to the Survival Box. This play is not for the claustrophobic, weak stomached, or faint of heart.

Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; available by liame, at InfoSource, or by calling 905-751-5250.
Preview performance November 1, opening November 2.

Glengarry Glen Ross

Set during a recession in the early 1980s, Glengarry Glen Ross follows the fortunes of four real estate salesmen who have been issued an ultimatum by their corporate overlords: close a sale or “hit the bricks”. In his send-up of American business, David Mamet exposes the frontier mentality of a cutthroat man’s world, with a simple adage at the core: “Always Be Closing.”

At times a hard-hitting drama, dark comedy, character study, scathing satire of capitalism, Reagan-era period piece, criticism of modern masculinity, and a showcase for David Mamet’s stunning ear for dialogue, Glengarry Glen Ross is an unforgettable theatrical experience that would make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window.

Glengarry Glen Ross deals with issues of masculinity and language in a frank manner that some may find offensive. Certain pointed remarks are directed towards homosexuals, women, Indian immigrants, and Poles; this reflects on the characters of the salesmen. We invite you to respect the work it its entirety before rendering conclusive judgments. Thank you.

Tickets: $10; available at InfoSource.

Video by Patrick Barfoot