News

“Wole Oguntokun was a truly international theatre artist, a brilliant playwright and director, a leader in the development of Nigerian theatre, and an inspiring presence in Canada over the past six years. We are forever grateful for his friendship and his wise and passionate counsel as a founding Theaturtle board member. His death, on World Theatre Day, is a heavy loss.” – Alon Nashman, Theaturtle Artistic Director

“Carousel is thrilled to present the West Coast premiere of the internationally lauded solo play Alphonse. Hailed as “unmissable” (BBC Edinburgh), “a celebration of the imagination” (The Scotsman), and “a modern classic” (Toronto Star), Alphonse is a heartwarming tale of a missing child who meanders along a country road, weaving an intricate web of stories, as everyone is searching for him: parents, friends, teachers, the police. What they find is the thing we often give up in order to grow up.”

“This war is about denying Ukrainian heritage and history. We are showing up at the festival to show our solidarity with the brave Artists who are rebuilding the culture and soul of Ukraine.” says performer Alon Nashman. “Kafka and Son resonates as a profound critique of tyranny, in all its forms.”  (Audio interview from The Stage Show on Australian Broadcasting Corporation begins at timecode 40:30).

“[Kafka and Son] is a masterclass in the economy of truth, complete character immersion and storytelling…. This is an impeccable piece which delivers with confidence and clarity from start to finish, and a must-see for anyone moved by the simple purity of words well-delivered.” Read other 2022 reviews here, here, and below.

“This play is everything I had hoped to see at the fringe this season. Flawlessly written, beautifully executed.” So begins one of many rhapsodic, five-star reviews of Theaturtle’s production of Alphonse at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Read more here, here, or below.

Ishai Buchbinder, dressed as “a Jewish peddler straight out of the 1930s,” surprised over 3000 TDSB students as they were taken on a historical tour of Kensington Market in May of 2022. That performance, written and directed by Theaturtle’s Alon Nashman, contributed to winning the Heritage Toronto Public History Award.

“In these times of isolation and uncertainty, a production of Alphonse seems a perfect fit. Gabe Maharjan gives a sensitive, ethereal performance playing several characters. The production is pure joy.”

“How fitting that the first live, in-person theatre performance in Toronto following the spring lockdown should be a revival of Wajdi Mouawad’s life-affirming solo work about the importance of imagination and freedom.”

“In “Kafka and Son,” Canadians Mark Cassidy and Alon Nashman have adapted Kafka’s famed letter to his father into a one-man meditation on the effects of a father’s actions on a son. It’s stylishly designed, directed with verve by Cassidy and performed with unswerving dedication to the material by Nashman, who plays both father and son.”

Theaturtle’s singspiel ‘Charlotte: A Tri-Coloured Play with Music’, with music by Aleš Březina, libretto by Alon Nashman, direction/scenography by Pamela Howard, and movement direction by Marie-Josée Chartier, “leads the way towards a renaissance of opera,” according to one of Europe’s top critics.