October 16, 2024 (Richmond Hill Theater, Toronto)

Movie and theater stars Dmitry Nazarov and Olga Vasilyeva invite you to the premiere of their new play, the tragicomedy “Who The Heck Knows!”
What if, in a whimsical twist, God decided to playfully challenge humanity after the apocalypse, leaving behind Adam and Eve, both now in their ripe age of 90, on the ruins of Babylon? Their mission: to prove that humanity deserves a second chance. And now the snake will have to come up with something more elegant than an apple, since chewing it with dentures is not so easy. How can these two aged people, who hate each other, find the way to save the world? Only by falling in love.

A performance based on Alexey Arbuzov’s play “Old-Fashioned Comedy”, which was in the plans of the Moscow Art Theatre for the 2022-23 season. “In April 2023, we were supposed to start rehearsals, and in June, release the performance on the Small Stage. In early January, our defamation and exile happened. We found ourselves overboard from the Art Theatre and Russia in an unexpected exile in France. But there is no force that can change our life and creative plans. We decided to create a performance in France.” (from an interview to Sergey Elkin in Chicago)

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBNFhH

April 28-29, 2024 (John Basset Theatre, Toronto)
A play about great love and the atomic bomb

Starring Ksenia Rappoport and Alexei Serebryakov.
Written by Alexander Gelman; Directed by Alexander Marin; Set design: Alexey Serebryakov; Costumes: Svetlana Tegin; Choreography: Maria Serebryakova.

In 1935, Princeton University commissioned a sculpture of Albert Einstein. The sculptor, Russian emigré Sergey Konenkov, arrived to Princeton with his wife Margarita, who began a wild affair with the world-famous physicist, lasting until August 1945. After the U.S. has just dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Einstein blames himself for his part in the creation of nuclear weapons, when Margarita informs him that in a week, after many years in America, she and her husband are returning to the Soviet Union for good.
Based on the recently discovered letters written by Albert Einstein to Margarita Konenkova, this play details the last days of the secret lovers’ time together. The audience is invited into Einstein’s Princeton’s residence, an intimate setting where terrible words will be spoken and a terrible secret will be revealed.

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBrEsZ

William Shakespeare – The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark.
(Toronto’s Elgin Theatre April 3-7, 2024. World Premiere)

Designed and directed by Robert Lepage.
Co-designed and choreographed by Guillaume Côté.
Composer: John Gzowski.

Dancers
Hamlet: Guillaume Côté; Gertrude: Greta Hodgkinson; Claudius: Robert Glumbek; Ophelia: Carleen Zouboules; Laertes: Lukas Malkowski; Polonius: Bernard Meney; Horario: Natasha Poon Woo; Rosencrantz: Connor Mitton; Guildenstern: Willem Sadler.

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBo9p5

Flato Markham Theatre, Toronto, Ontario. April 2, 2024.
Canadian premiere.

Starring: Masha Mashkova; Voice of Nadezhdin: Anatoly Beliy; Director: Egor Baranov; Playwright: Arseny Faryatiev; Music: Anna Drubich; Artist/Graphic Design: Lisa Irshai; Choreographer: Melpomene; Costumes: Katerina Kravtsova; Producer: Sasha Seberg.

Original size versions: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBkxPX

The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto (December 22-31, 2023)

Slava’s Snowshow has been going strong since its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival in 1996. The entertainment by master clown Slava Polunin is undoubtedly the most popular full-length clown show ever created.
Robert Saralp is one of the main performers in the show. He plays the role of the yellow clown and the main green clown. Robert has been working with Slava Polunin since 1996. He is also a director, actor, and teacher of clowning and physical theatre.

Day 1
Yellow clown: Robert Salarp.
Main green clown: Dmytro Merashchi.
Green clowns: Georgiy Deliyev, Chris Lynam, Oleg Lugovskoy, Bradford West, Jaime Rebollo.
All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjB9RF1

Day 2
Yellow clown: Oleg Lugovskoy.
Main green clown: Dmytro Merashchi.
Green clowns: Robert Saralp, Georgiy Deliyev, Chris Lynam, Bradford West, Jaime Rebollo.
All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBbi4B

Day 3
Yellow clown: Dmytro Merashchi.
Main green clown: Georgiy Deliyev.
Green clowns: Robert Saralp, Oleg Lugovskoy, Chris Lynam, Bradford West, Jaime Rebollo.
All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBbD4w

Day 4
Yellow clown: Dmytro Merashchi.
Main green clown: Oleg Lugovskoy.
Green clowns: Robert Saralp, Georgiy Deliyev, Chris Lynam, Bradford West, Jaime Rebollo.
All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBbT2t

Day 5
Yellow clown: Robert Salarp.
Main green clown: Oleg Lugovskoy.
Green clowns: Georgiy Deliyev, Chris Lynam, Dmytro Merashchi, Bradford West, Jaime Rebollo.
All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBckR9

Day 6
Yellow clown: Robert Salarp.
Main green clown: Georgiy Deliyev.
Green clowns: Dmytro Merashchi, Chris Lynam, Oleg Lugovskoy, Bradford West, Jaime Rebollo.
All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjBckRQ

Vanya Yaropolskiy – Technical director
Alistair Kerslake – Sound
Alexander Pecherskiy, Rebecca Lore – Lights
Eerika Yaropolskiy – Company manager
Gwenael Allan – Ambassador

John Bassett Theatre, Toronto (09.12.2022).

ORPHEUS
Musical Performance
Cast: Chulpan Khamatova and Alexander Boldachev (harp)

A small woman with a big heart, strong character and bright talent speaks from the stage about the unconditional goodness and the need for freedom, about the value of life and mercy, about peace and hope. A performance-confession, a performance-revelation, "Orpheus" is a duet in which the music complements the word, and the word complements the music. Khamatova’s partner in this performance was Alexander Boldachev, one of the leading harp players, a composer with an individual style, the founder of the Zurich Harp Festival and the initiator of the World Harp Day.

At a time when one can find consolation, hope, freedom only in the melody of words and the sounds of music, the performance “Orpheus” arose. The actress and musician chose the poems and music for their production with their hearts. This is a performance-monologue, a performance-soul: quiet, subtle, full of awe, music and poetry. In Orpheus, the actress will talk to everyone, but everyone will hear their own – the main thing that is necessary. For some, the performance will become an outlet, for others a manifesto. And someone will give hope for a world in which the harmony of words and music is more important than battles and struggle, and art is above any boundaries.

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjAjbnx

Immersive and site-specific “The Written in Blood Trilogy” (based on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”)
Talk Is Free Theatre (Barrie, ON), October 20-21, 2022

Each part of the trilogy is presented in sequence at three different locations in Downtown Barrie: Part 1 -“The Guest”; Part 2 – “The Others”; Part 3 – “The Host”.

Per Michael Torontow: “I still can’t be certain how we pulled of the technical challenge of using the entire Five Points building as a playing space, splitting the audience in 4 to take in performances happening simultaneously in a stairwell, a cloak room, the green room and the theatre itself.”

CAST: Helen – Maja Ardal; Drake Boyar – Aidan deSalaiz; Raconteur – Courtenay Stevens; Vagrant – Kathleen Black; Old Salt – Jeff Braunstein; Emma – Sydney Cochrane; Lucas – Nick Dolan; Vagrant – Taylor Garwood; Portrait Artist – Linda Laforge; Jake – Chris Mejaki; Zookeeper/Bartender – Justan Myers; Vagrant – Danielle Page; Sam – Clea McCaffrey; Fisherman – Aaron Ryder.

CREATIVES: Co-Writer/Director – Griffin Jeffrey Hewitt; Co-Writer/Director – Michael Anthony Torontow; Choreographer – David Ball; Costume Designer – Kathleen Black; Lighting Designer – Christopher Dean; Sound Designer – Matt Dawson; Stage Manager – Robin Clipsham; Properties Designer – Terri Elvald.

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjAcmTZ

Preview at Glen Rhodes Campus, Toronto (June 5, 2022)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler.

Directed by Mitchell Cushman, Choreography and associate direction by Cameron Carver,
Music direction by Dan Rutzen, Set design by Kathleen Black, Costume design by Laura Delchiaro,
Lighting design by Nick Blais, Fight direction by Nate Bitton. Produced by Talk Is Free Theatre.

Cast: Michael Torontow as Sweeney Todd, Glynis Ranney as Mrs. Lovett, Noah Beemer as Tobias, Tess Benger as Johanna,
Gabi Epstein as The Beggar Woman, Griffin Hewitt as Anthony, Cyrus Lane as The Judge, Jeff Lillico as Pirelli,
Andrew Prashad as The Beadle, and Joel Cumber as Ensemble.

Sweeney Todd, whose real name is Benjamin Barker, uses his new alias to resume work in his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett’s struggling pie shop
after being wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment by the corrupt Judge Turpin. After swearing vengeance against the judge that tore his family apart,
Todd and Lovett plot a unique plan that helps them both and leads them down a dangerous, thrilling path with deadly consequences.
This is a promenade style, immersive performance that require the audience to follow the story by actively exploring different parts of the building.

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHBqjzTdxM

Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto (October 28 – 30, 2021)

Book by James Lapine
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Michael Torontow. Orchestral Adaptation by Wayne Gwillim. Music Director Chris Tsujiuchi.
Original Choreography by Lori Watson. New Choreography by David Andrew Reid. Assistant Director Jennifer Walls.
Set and Lighting Designer Joe Pagnan. Assistant Set and Lighting Designer Echo Zhou.
Costume Designer Laura Delchiaro. Sound Designer Matt Dawson.
Artistic Producer Arkady Spivak (Talk Is Free Theatre). Photos by Roman Boldyrev.

Featuring:
Noah Beemer, Tess Benger, Aidan deSalaiz, Griffin Hewitt, Germaine Konji, Derek Kwan, Richard Lam, Jamie McRoberts, Tracy Michailidis and Glynis Ranney

Into the Woods intertwines the stories of beloved Brothers Grimm’s characters as they search for their ‘happily ever after’.

All pictures: flic.kr/s/aHsmX3bnju