For a significant percentage of young people, trips to the theater occur only in the context of class excursions. There is a tendency to view plays as being financially inaccessible and culturally irrelevant. Given the aging audience in many mainstream theater venues, this attitude is somewhat understandable.
But, theatre doesn’t have to be reserved for the middle aged and the middle class. Not only does theatre have a long history of political and cultural engagement, but, Toronto is home to a wealth of theatre companies that provide students with the opportunity to see plays that are both challenging and affordable.
The historical basis of theatre as a tool for subversive discourse is exemplified by the works many classical playwrights, and continues to influence the development of contemporary theatre. For playwrights as diverse as Alfred Jarry, Bertold Brecht, and Arthur Miller, theatre has been a vital medium with which to address a variety of social issues and offer social and political criticism.
During the French revolution, theatre became an important forum for the discussion and debate of political ideas. The threat to the outgoing régime posed by these theatrical productions was perceived to be so great that officers were often placed in theatres in an attempt to control the reactions of audiences.
More recently, activist theatre groups played a key role in Bangladesh’s struggle for independence.
And while, for the most part, contemporary Toronto theatre may not be espousing revolution, there is certainly a range of challenging and relevant works that can often be seen for less than the price of a movie.
Theatre Passe Muraille is an independent theatre that focuses specifically on “supporting and presenting independent artists and companies, emerging artists, collaborative and multidisciplinary work, culturally specific and inter-cultural work, and marginal voices.” Tickets generally cost $15, with student discounts often available. Pay-What-You-Can Saturday matinees are regular occurrences.
Factory Theatre focuses on producing contemporary Canadian plays, while seeking to support artists and companies that take creative risks. $10 rush tickets are available on Fridays (10 minutes before the play). While $15 previews are also frequently available and Sundays are often Pay-What-You-Can.
Buddies in Bad Times is a not-for-profit professional theatre company dedicated to the production of alternative and LGBT focused theatre. Buddies offers a wide range of youth outreach programming, and queer identified youth can sign up electronically to receive offers of free tickets to attend specified productions through youth@buddiesinbadtimes.com.
Tarragon Theatre is a small Toronto theatre with a long history of showcasing and developing new plays. $10 dollar rush tickets are generally available on Friday nights and Sunday matinees.
While, Soulpepper’s classical repertory and steep pricing tends to draw an older audience. Youth under 21 are in fact eligible for the incredibly inexpensive $5 rush tickets.
Praxis Theatre is a small theatre company that works to “emphasize challenging socio-political ideas while remaining dedicated to creating theatre that is accessible to a wide spectrum of our community”
Toronto is also home to numerous other small theatre companies such as the experimental Volcano Theatre, and One Little Goat: North America’s only theatre company devoted to modern and contemporary poetic theatre. Finally, major theatre festivals such as the Fringe Festival and the Summer Works Festival generally offer affordable passes with which one can see several productions at reduced prices.
Rush Tickets are tickets sold 10 to 15 minutes before a performance begins at greatly reduced prices. It’s generally a good idea to call the box office of specific venues beforehand to find out about the likelihood of available tickets and how early one should arrive to line up.
Great article, thank you again for wtriing.