With an abundance of theatres in the city, you'd think there'd be enough space for performers to hone their craft in rehearsal halls and acting studios. Unfortunately, affordable rehearsal space is hard to come by in the city.

Unless you're a part of a professional production that can afford to rehearse in the same building or are still a student and have access to university and college classrooms, renting studio space is a financial reality, and headache, for most independent theatre companies.

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.

The Sleeping Beauty / National Ballet - Four Seasons Centre / 7:30pm/2:00pm / $25-$100+
The National Ballet has anchored its seasons of late with classic stories set to dance - Alice in Wonderland and Romeo and Juliet (both making a return next year). Rudolf Nureyev's adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, originally produced in 1972, follows in the same tradition. Tchaikovsky's music is set to the story of the sleeping princess, the enchantment that keeps her slumbering, and the prince that will awaken her.

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.

Dancing With Rage / Theatre Passe Muraille / 7:30pm/2:00pm / $15-$35
When she's not ambushing our current mayor outside his home and running from the police, Mary Walsh can be seen at Theatre Passe Muraille where a collection of her most famous characters — Marg Delahuntey, a Warrior Princess, Dakey Dunn, Miss Eulalia Turpin, Mom Reardon, and Connie Bloor — comment on pop culture and politics. Walsh is a Canadian comic treasure and it's great to see her best work showcased on stage.

In what can be called the most anticipated event of the Toronto theatre season, War Horse has officially galloped onto the scene with an energetic opening at the Princess of Wales Theatre. After wildly successful runs in London and New York, and with the Steven Spielberg film still in cinemas, excitement couldn't be higher for the largest horse franchise in recent memory.

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.

War Horse / Princess of Wales Theatre / 7:30pm/1:30pm / $35-$100+
Possibly the most anticipated show of 2012, evidenced by a robust marketing campaign from Mirvish, War Horse is set to dazzle audiences with the life-sized puppets of South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company. After highly successful runs in London and New York, a play like this only comes along a few times each decade. With the release of the film, helmed by Steven Spielberg, anticipation for this debut couldn't be any higher. The show has been running in extended previews, but the official opening is this Tuesday.

Eugene O'Neill left a lasting impression on American theatre of the 20th Century. This winter, he's making a mark on Toronto stages with two productions currently running — Long Day's Journey into Night at Soulpepper and Hughie at The Theatre Centre.