Mirvish Productions announces new “Off-Mirvish” series for smaller-scale productions

Mirvish Productions announces new “Off-Mirvish” series for smaller-scale productions

Terminus, Without You, Clybourne Park and Dancing with Rage (Images: Mirvish)

This morning, at a press conference at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Mirvish Productions announced a new series called “Off-Mirvish” (get it?). The second-stage series is intended to present new, critically lauded smaller-scale productions, spreading the company’s dominance over an ever-expanding swath of the Toronto market (and supplementing its season with more adventurous fare). For the series’ first season, Mirvish will present Terminus at the Royal Alex and Without You, Clybourne Park and Dancing with Rage at the Panasonic Theatre. “The Toronto theatre community is one of the most vibrant in the world,” said David Mirvish in a release.For a long time, we have been looking at ways to celebrate this community and bring its work to a larger audience.” Off-Mirvish’s first season will run from November 21 to March 24, with four-show packages ranging from $99 to $199.

Terminus: The best-production winner at this year’s Summerworks festival kicks off the series, with the same cast performing three interwoven stories set in modern-day Ireland. The production takes place on the lip of the stage at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, with the audience perched on 200-seat risers placed at the very back of the stage itself. Terminus runs from November 21 to December 9.

Without You: Following accolades at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, first-run Rent star Anthony Rapp will make a stop in Toronto to perform his one-man musical, accompanied by a five-member rock band. The story is based on his best-selling memoir about his life around the time of Rent’s creation. Without You runs from December 13 to January 6 at the Panasonic Theatre.

Clybourne Park: This Studio 180 production, which won the Pulitzer Prize (among many other awards), was last seen in town at the Berkeley Street Theatre. It takes place in one house, with two acts set 50 years apart, and riffs on the difficult intersections of race, real estate and community. Clybourne Park runs from February 12 to March 3 at the Panasonic Theatre.

Dancing With Rage: Want to see Dakey Dunn, Miss Eulalia Turpin and Marg Delahuntey (warrior princess) all in one place? Mary Walsh takes to the stage to grapple with rage-inducing pop culture and politics in a one-woman show, which was to have played Theatre Passe Muraille back in March but got postponed when Walsh came down with a severe respiratory infection. Dancing with Rage runs from March 5 to 24 at the Panasonic Theatre.