The 2015 Next Stage Theatre Festival will jump-start the year once more for Toronto's theatre community at Factory Theatre. Get ready to laugh and cry from January 7-18 at the smaller version of the warm-weather Fringe, where 10 shows are mandated to showcase the best of Canadian indie theatre. Tickets all run from $10-15.

With the fest's tight curation you really can't go wrong, but here are my picks for five intriguing shows at Next Stage this year.

Unbridled & Unstable
For fans of dark humour and surrealist theatre, The Templeton Philharmonic's dark comedy duo has crafted a show of their must-hit sketchess and new material. Get weird with Gwynne Phillips and Briana Templeton.

Piece by Piece
If you're a sucker for ensemble cast dramas, don't miss this emotional journey from Alison Lawrence and David Ferry, weaving together a group of strangers as they cope with grief. Afterward on January 8 you can attend NSTF's How we talk about loss: Grief and mental health issues in theatre discussion at The Hoxton.

Big Shot
In Vancouver, a misprofiling of recovering addict by a police officer inspired the events in Jon Lachlan Stewart and Georgina Beaty's politically charged play. A 12 year old boy witnesses a scene on the Skytrain and becomes obsessed.

Pulse
Choreographer and dancer Jasmyn Fyffe's contemporary dance piece will be exciting for lovers of soul and Motown music. Nine dancers will take the stage in this high energy show. It might be best to save your own dance moves for afterward, but play it by ear.

DINK
Billed by NSTF as "political theatre with a punk-rock sensibility" and with a tagline "monsters create themselves," Caroline Azar's DINK (Double Income, No Kids) investigates the structure, and collapse, of a career driven alpha couple through the lens of social issues such as class and gender politics.

BONUS

For a good time, call Kathy Blanchard
Can't get hockey off the brain? Jim Warren and Michael Ross Albert can't either. This drama of loss and life is set during Game Four of the Stanley Cup finals.

What are you excited to see at Next Stage 2015? Let us know in the comments.

The 2015 Next Stage Theatre Festival runs from January 7 - 18 at Factory Theatre. Tickets and schedule are available via Next's website.

Image from Pulse via Next