Plays about 'ideas' are tempermental beasts. When a playwright hitches his wagon to some kind of a political or social concept, it often ends up as a very boring show. A play that really wants to tell you something about, say, poverty ends up forgetting about all those other things that audiences actually connect with- story, characters and relationships. A good piece of social or political drama starts with the basics and lets the conceptual implications flow upwards.

So, it was with some trepidation that I went to see Necessary Angel's production of The Eco Show, the latest offering from Toronto's theatrical wunderkind, Daniel Brooks. Based on the title alone, I thought I was in for an environmental screed, a kind of Al Gore meets Hamlet kind of affair. Turns out, Brooks has not only created a remarkably compelling family drama, but also committed one of the most spectacular theatrical fake-outs I have ever seen. But more on that later.

Welcome to the Toronto Portraits. Every Friday we're going to profile a young, dynamic Torontonian, and each week we're photographing them in a different Toronto neighbourhood.


Sabryn Rock, 22 years old. Little Italy in the rain.

If you have the talent, go to the right school, know the right people...acting for a living is still a tough, tough thing. Granted, the rewards can be spectacular; a crowd applauding your work every night is marvelous for the soul. It's the practical concerns; the savage competition, the non-existent money, the dearth of exciting, challenging material...that pulls the job right down to earth.

I was invited to a press conference at the Canon Theatre with a cryptic invitation to "to attend a press conference for a major announcement." by David Mirvish. No hint of what the announcement might be, just a coy invitation to whet the media's appetites.

When I arrived I pushed my way through the throngs of high school kids that were leaving the matinee and got into the auditorium to be greeted by the cast of We Will Rock You on stage. I cozied myself down in a seat at the front and immediately started speculating what the apparently top-secret announcement might be. The woman from Canadian Press that I was talking to said that if it was just something to announce that We Will Rock you was going to be extended she was going to scream. I agreed, since, really, that's the kind of thing that a press release works just fine for.

It really is the time of festivals in the city. One of these is the Performance Spring Festival at Factory theatre. This is the second year of the festival which features premiers of work from companies across the Canada as well as a 'Late Night Series' which includes live music, comedy and play readings. The festival, that runs from May 7 - May 25 began with Sexual Practices of the Japanese by Vancouver's Theatre Replacement.

With a healthy mix of irreverent humour and serious thought-provoking moments, and of course some sexy scenes, this show makes for a good way to spend an evening out.

So, theatre festivals continue on their merry way. A couple more have been added this week, and the two festivals from last week are still going on. More details after the jump.

As always, if there is not a description with the show it has be described in a previous entry.

Despite all the hooplah about CanStage's recent financial woes, the company deserves praise for its 2007-08 season at the Berkeley Street Theatre. CanStage's three Berkeley shows- The Pillowman, Palace of the End, and The December Man- are all unflinchingly honest looks at humanity's darker places. Bold choices, particularly when Toronto's theatre industry struggles with declining attendance, stagnant funding at the grim prospect of a North American recession.

As the old saying goes, fortune does indeed favour the bold. The Berkeley season has been at least an artistic success, bringing a welcome level of relevance and emotional depth to Toronto audiences. It is perhaps fitting then that the final show of the season, The December Man, should embody this trend so fully. While The Pillowman reveled in an almost cartoonish brutality, and Palace of the End spoke with the urgency of today's headlines, The December Man takes a softer, simpler look at the lingering destruction of a horrible crime. It is a very moving show, a detailed and honest look at a family consumed by guilt and loss.