A cornucopia on the stage
From a dark Shakespearean drama to the debut of a local playwright, a quartet of companies are bringing a wealth of ways for Hamilton-area theatre lovers to enjoy some warm hours inside over the next several weeks.
Binbrook Little Theatre presents HAMISH
Binbrook Little Theatre has been producing plays since the early 1960s, the result of many enthusiastic, hardworking community volunteers “from all walks of life,” as the website says. Together, they have created a local institution “providing quality entertainment, an exciting creative outlet and to many members, a second family.”
The not-for-profit company is proud of its diverse list of productions, which have included “classics … mysteries, farces, comedies, Canadian plays, and well-known family shows … there has been something for everyone’s tastes.” And, not only does Binbrook Little Theatre stage several productions a year, but it also offers a table service dinner experience on Saturdays before or after the performance.
Hamish, a two act comedy written by Elmira, Ont.-based playwright Michael Grant, is a story about family, love, and the ties that bind. In it, Gordon’s wife Kelli organizes a trip to Scotland so they might visit his ancestral home in the Highlands. An overworked lawyer, Gordon believes he has no sentimental interest in the past, and certainly no desire to don a kilt. But when the old property is threatened by developers, he must decide where he stands, with a little help from some of the locals.
Hailing from Listowel, Ont., Michael Grant fell in love with theatre as a high schooler and eventually graduated from Humber College's theatre program. Hamish was Grant’s first full-length play and it was published in Playwrights Canada Press's anthology Grassroots. His play Shorthanded won the Tom Hendry Award for Best New Comedy. He has written five one-act plays and six full-length plays. Grant’s plays have been produced across Canada, and Hamish has seen recent productions in Perth and London, Ont..
Oct. 18, 8 p.m., Oct. 19, 8 p.m. (optional 6:30 p.m. dinner: ham & scalloped potatoes), Oct. 20, 2 p.m., Oct. 25, 8 p.m., Oct. 26, 2 p.m. (optional dinner: turkey, after the show), Oct. 27, 2 p.m., Nov. 1, 8 p.m., Nov. 2, 8 p.m. (optional 6:30 p.m. dinner: roast beef)
Memorial Hall,
2600 Highway #56, Binbrook
Tickets
$25 show
$50 show & meal
The Players’ Guild of Hamilton, Inc. presents A QUESTION OF JUSTICE
Directed by Diane Brokenshire, A Question of Justice will open at the storied old theatre with the red door. The Players’ Guild says that Brokenshire has “worked closely with playwright Peter Rosser to bring A Question of Justice to the Guild stage.” This will be the premiere run for the full-length play after an earlier one-act, pared-down version was presented at the 2022 Hamilton Fringe Festival.
Darlene Johnson’s husband and young children have been killed by an impaired driver over the Canada Day long weekend. The story follows Darlene as she battles the legal system and an experienced defence attorney through the years of the trial, incarceration, and early release of perpetrator Brendan Byrne. In her quest for justice, how can Darlene navigate her loss, grief, and anger?
Dundas-based playwright Peter Rosser worked for nearly four decades for the Catholic Youth Organization and completed his first play, Crimes Against Children, in 2019. It was published in book form. A Question of Justice is his second play, and the first to be staged. Audiences will have the opportunity to meet & hear from Rosser at Q&As after the performances on Oct. 25 and Nov. 2.
Oct. 18, 19, 24, 25, 31 and Nov. 1 and 2, 8 p.m., Oct. 20, 26, 27, and Nov. 2, 2 p.m.
80 Queen St. S., Hamilton
Tickets
Members: $28
General: $33
McMaster Thespian Company presents MACBETH
With the 2024-2025 school year marking the McMaster Thespian Company’s 20th season, its newest production is the theatrical heavyweight Macbeth. The MTC has brought many Shakespearean plays to its stage on campus over the years, most recently Much Ado About Nothing in 2022-2023.
The McMaster Thespian Company sources its actors, crew, and production team from faculties across the university campus. Macbeth’s assistant stage managers, sound designer/operator and lighting designer/operator represent the Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour (Music Cognition Specialization) and Integrated Rehabilitation & Humanities programs. That’s the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Macbeth’s cast? The actors run the gamut, including those studying political science, psychology, nursing, neuroscience and behaviour, mental health, arts, sociology, social psychology, health science, communications and media arts, Greek & Roman studies, business, life science, commerce and chemical biology. And, you know, theatre, film and English.
In staging this tragic tale about the price of power and political ambition, the Mac Thespians promise to “highlight the magic and horror … bringing you into a world that will keep you on the edge of your seat, whether you know the story or not.”
Oct. 19, 20, 25 & 26, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 26, 1 p.m.
Robinson Memorial Theatre,
Chester New Hall
McMaster University
1280 Main St West, Hamilton
Tickets
Student: $15
General: $20
Playful Fox Productions presents THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
In a regional tour including stops in Guelph, Fergus and Kitchener/Waterloo, and ending up in Brantford on Halloween, Playful Fox Productions returns to Hamilton’s Zoetic with The Rocky Horror Show. Playful Fox says: “Audiences have been loving the energy, the outrageous performances, and the fun, interactive experience.”
In 1973, Richard O'Brien wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show and co-wrote the screenplay for the 1975 film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which became a cult classic and entered popular imagination for generations to come. As Rocky Horror aficionados know, O’Brien appeared in the film as Riff Raff.
Join the uptight Brad and Janet as they encounter Dr. Frank-N-Furter within his mansion full of wild singing and dancing characters including Riff Raff, Magenta, Columbia, Eddie, and Frank-N-Furter’s latest creation Rocky.
Playful Fox says the show is “a wild ride” and that tickets are being snapped up quickly. The company was at The Zoetic in August with The Little Mermaid and in September with Sweeney Todd, so the Brant County theatre company is quickly developing a steady home on Hamilton Mountain.
Costumes are encouraged but outside food and drink (or the throwing of objects) is not. Recommended for ages 16+ for intense adult themes and strong language.
Oct. 17, 18 & 19, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
The Zoetic
526 Concession Street, Hamilton
Tickets
$31.59 and up (includes adult / student / early admission)
