By Emily R. Zarevich, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Curling, jealousy among siblings, and a societal issue that troubles us all: bullying in our schools. Theatre Burlington, Village Theatre Waterdown, and Dundas Little Theatre are now deep into preparations for their upcoming April stage plays, which promise laughs, tears, relatability, self-reflection, and an array of new and experienced talent. The theme expanding across all of the shows will be relationships and how people resolve friction across various aspects of life. The directors, producers, and actors involved have taken the time to formulate insightful perspectives on their projects in progress, and they happily share their reflections on their work. Here’s what’s on the schedule.
It’s team against team and ex-lover against ex-lover in Theatre Burlington’s production of Canadian playwright Kristen Da Silva’s Hurry Hard, set to premiere on April 17, 2026. In a divorce like this one, who gets the house, who gets the dog, who gets the fine china, and who gets the curling team? Da Silva’s lighthearted comedic style brings an estranged, athletic couple with a long history back together on the ice after a bitter split, and they have to somehow fish out good sportsmanship from a pot of boiling tension. They also might discover a newer, more mature love in the process.
Jerrold Karch, who directed and built the set for Village Theatre Waterdown 20th Century Blues last year, will be putting on the coach’s cap to direct this sporty farce. He is teaming up with producer Julie Donoahue, a notable Burlington theatre personality. Donoahue starred in Theatre Burlington’s production of The Birds and the Bees last year as a spunky but sexually repressed divorcee, and is now taking on another show with similar themes.
“There are several layers to relationships in this play,” says Donoahue, when asked how audiences can expect to relate to the relationships portrayed in this version of Hurry Hard. “There is, of course, the divorce, which is spelled [out] but never said, but there is also the relationship between siblings and the relationships we have and remember, fondly or not, from high school.”
“A particularly resonant thread will be the relationship between Sandy and Bill,” Donoahue continues. “A high school romance that ended in divorce. Many audience members will recognize the bittersweet nostalgia of a first love and the complicated emotions that surface when old feelings resurface. Can people who once loved each other deeply find their way back after everything has fallen apart?”
Here are some more relationship-based questions to consider. Have you ever had explosive drama with your siblings? Have you ever been unwillingly dragged into family drama, despite being an outsider? The quarrelsome quartet of Christopher Durang’s drama-comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike not only have their names glued together in the sprawling title, but they also find themselves stuck together under a single roof to hash out old grievances. Siblings Vanya and Sonia, middle-aged and resentful of how their lives have turned out, are only roommates because it’s cheaper than living apart. It’s a cramped lifestyle, and they’re not happy about it.
Then, to make matters worse, their wildly successful, unbearably annoying film star sister Masha comes crashing in. She brings along her new beau, Spike, who undoubtedly didn’t sign up for this when he started dating a meal ticket. They all have to put up with each other until Durang’s famously witty script releases them from their personal hell. Director Jaclyn Scobie is taking on this localized adaptation of the play. The cast is currently rehearsing and establishing their characters’ dynamics.
“Spike is genuine to a fault, lacking a filter on any of his words or actions,” remarks actor Dante Casini, who has been cast as this impudent character and is looking forward to embodying Spike’s idiosyncrasies and attitude problems on the stage. Christine Hopkins, who starred in Theatre Burlington’s The Invention of Romance in 2024, will play his older lover Masha.
“This disposition can make him come off as a self-absorbed and crass person, but the fact that he hides no double meaning behind his statements can be strangely endearing,” Casini goes on. “He is not completely shallow in everything; it is more like he speaks to everyone as if they were his buddies.”
Speaking of self-absorbed — where do bullies learn to be so cruel? Do they learn it from their parents, or is society at large to blame for their behaviour? On April 24, 2026, Dundas Little Theatre will be premiering their production of Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill’s emotionally intense Late Company, which will pit two angry, grieving families against each other as they struggle to finally resolve a case of bullying that led to the tragic death of a teenage boy a year prior. They sit down at a dinner table that essentially acts as their battleground as they hurl insults, blame, and accusations across the plates and salt shakers. Will anyone take accountability for what happened?
Director Francesca Brugnano, who directed Theatre Burlington’s The Birds and the Bees last year, is taking charge of Tannahill’s powerful, humane story, which will definitely resonate with so many young people experiencing abuse from their classmates, as well as their parents, who are struggling to handle this problem on both sides.
“As a director, I’ve approached this piece with deep care for its emotional honesty and the importance of the subject matter,” says Brugnano. “Every pause, every silence, every shift in power across the dinner table has been carefully considered. Tannahill’s writing is razor-sharp and beautifully human. It demands precision and vulnerability in equal measure. I’m incredibly proud of a cast that has met that challenge with extraordinary courage.”
“What I hope audiences experience is not just a play, but a conversation about the roles we play in each other’s lives,” Brugnano expresses further, with deep sympathy for the play’s core themes. “Late Company is tender, unsettling, and ultimately deeply human. You may leave feeling moved, challenged, or reflective. You may recognize a young person in need in your own life and act to be an ally.”
Theatre seats fill up fast, so it’s advisable to secure tickets as soon as possible if any of these storylines, or their associated local theatre talent, catch your interest. Local theatres in the area need your support. Burlington Local-News.ca wishes everyone involved in the local theatre scene a very happy World Theatre Day on March 27.
