This week in theatre rounds up the most noteworthy live theatre playing right now in Toronto. It includes just-opened shows as well as productions that are about to close.

Spotlight.Italy: Basso Ostinato and La Festa / Canadian Stage / 7:00pm/8:30pm
Save yourself the airfare and check out the best of contemporary Italian performance with two offerings from Canstage this week: Basso Ostinato and La Festa. Part of the Spotlight.Italy showcase, Basso Ostinato is a choreographed score of words, gestures, and dance by three men at a dinner table. La Festa follows a day in the life of a small family as they prepare for a party. Best paired with a meal at one of Toronto's finest Italian eateries, these exciting performances can be enjoyed for as low as $22 a ticket, or $12.50 for members of C-Stage, the Canstage under 30 program.

Morro and Jasp Gone Wild / Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace / 7:30pm/2:30pm
Perennial Fringe favourites Morro and Jasp are at it again. This time around it's spring break, and the girls are ready for "clowns gone wild" adventures. Inevitably, a turn for the worst sends their road trip in the wrong direction. If you're looking for a bona fide comedy, join this critically acclaimed twosome on their coming-of-age journey. Tickets are $20 or save your pennies at the PWYC Saturday matinee.

After Akhmatova / Tarragon Theatre - Extra Space / 8:00pm/2:30pm
Russian writer Anna Akhmatova penned Requiem, the famous cycle decrying the horrors of the Stalin regime. In this world premiere, playwright Kate Cayley explores the legacy of Akhmatova through the eyes of Alan, a young American who travels to the other side of the world to interview the poet's son. As Alan attempts to understand the relationship between mother and son, the complexities of Requiem echo throughout. Tickets available online.

The New Ideas Festival: 23rd Annual Festival of New Works / Alumnae Theatre / 8:00pm/2:30pm
This week marks your last chance to check out new work from Toronto's theatre artists at the Alumnae. The festival features new plays, works-in-progress and experimental pieces, with a staged reading of a new play on Saturday afternoons. For $15 you see four short plays in one evening: Letting Go, From Here to There and Back Again, Elegy for a Lost Bookmark, and Two Weeks in Normandy. With such bang for your buck without having to purchase a Groupon, the New Ideas Festival is a veritable theatre buffet.

Montparnasse / Theatre Passe Muraille / 7:30pm/2:00pm
The Summerworks hit Montparnasse makes the jump to Theatre Passe Muraille. Exploring the art of Jules Pascin, Henry Miller, Sylvia Beech, Kiki de Montparnasse, and Chaim Soutine, the play follows Canadians Amelia and Margaret as they embrace "la vie boheme" in Paris. If nude modeling in the 1920s does not intrigue you enough, they're offering $30/$35 tickets and a PWYC Saturday matinee.

Brothel #9 / Factory Theatre / 8:00pm/2:00pm
Anusree Roy is as in-demand as it gets on the Toronto theatre scene. Fresh off successes with Pyaasa, Letters to my Grandma, and Roshni, her latest show, Brothel #9, profiles the journey of a young woman sold to a Calcutta brothel. With a Dora Award, the RBC Emerging Artist Award, and the K. M. Hunter Award (among others) to her name, Roy is one to watch on the scene. Tickets available through the Factory Theatre Box Office.

Writing by Keith Bennie