Where

Tomasso's Party is but one of the lauded independent productions at this year's Next Stage Theatre Festival

Now celebrating its fifth anniversary, the Next Stage Theatre Festival rounds up the best that the North American fringe circuit has to offer—all at one venue, the venerable Factory Theatre. New this year is the Ante-Chamber Stage, a forum for debuting short works and showcasing old favourites. Take in the finest edgy, indie productions, and even enjoy a fine brew at the heated McAuslan beer tent. Performances take place from January 4 to 15. Click here for further details and showtimes.

Hypnogogic Logic
Four-man comedy troupe Uncalled For returns to the stage with its award-winning Hypnogogic Logic, which explores the wide, wild world of dreams. Sporting life jackets to better navigate the rapids of the unconscious, the performers encounter Freddie Mercury, wordy street preachers and other absurd figments of their collective imagination, all while offering their signature wit, clever writing and the unpredictable hilarity of sketch comedy.

Living with Henry
Part of 2011’s “Best of Fringe,” Living with Henry is the story of Michael—recently diagnosed with HIV and envisioning the illness as a jealous man who haunts him throughout his relationships. Sometimes comic, always thought provoking, this musical drama reframes AIDS as a chronic disease rather than a death sentence, without diminishing its personal, physical and societal complications.

Love is a Poverty You Can Sell
Soup Can Theatre presents this decadent cabaret-style creation featuring show-stopping numbers from Sweeney Todd and Threepenny Opera. Hosted by two emcees, the production is a tribute to the works of legendary composer Kurt Weill and channels 1920’s Berlin in a night that’s brought critics to their feet since its 2009 opening.

LoveSexMoney
Inspired by a true story, LoveSexMoney takes a look at intimacy—or the lack thereof—in the digital age. A young woman sells her virginity online, and is poised to consummate when her scorned ex-boyfriend arrives on the scene. Hilarity ensues. This naughty production by Theatre Brouhaha openly exposes the world of Japanese erotic toys, custom-made dolls and love thwarted by the Internet.

Loving the Stranger or How to Recognize an Invert
Ecce Homo Theatre is known for its genre-bending socio-political commentary; this production is exemplary of the company’s ethos. A co-production with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and the SummerWorks Theatre Festival, Loving the Stranger describes— through Brechtian cabaret, political theatre and camp—the life of a man who is arrested for homosexuality by the Nazi regime.

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