In the fall of 2025, Neworld Theatre and Karen Fricker, with partners including Festival TransAmériques, Intermission Magazine, Punctuate! Theatre, Stir Magazine, and the Toronto Fringe—supported by the Canada Council for the Arts—launched Page Turn, a paid professional development network for emerging performing arts critics across Canada.
In response to the drastic reduction in the amount of critical writing about Canadian theatre in recent decades, and the historic, systemic exclusions that have led the field of criticism to be dominated by white, male, university-educated voices, Page Turn launches a nationwide community of practice around equitable, sustainable theatre criticism.
We’re excited to share the latest from Page Turn and its nationwide community of emerging critics!
As the program continues to unfold, facilitator Jose Solís reflects on the cohort, the process, and what’s taking shape:
“Nathaniel and I have been getting to know the cohort, settling into their rhythms, and learning their voices as writers and critics. We’ve also been laying the groundwork for the podcast, which is no small feat, and encouraging group activities so people can really connect and take advantage of how rich and diverse this cohort is. Nothing has “surprised” me exactly, but I keep feeling genuinely delighted every time we’re together. They’re sharp, generous, and so creative. Next up is the podcast, and we’re very excited to start sharing their voices in that format.” — Jose Solís
Introducing our Page Turn Podcast!
The Page Turn Podcast is a mentee-centered space designed to spotlight emerging performing arts critics across Canada and the ideas they’re wrestling with in real time. Each episode follows a simple, repeatable structure: a roundtable conversation, a short review, and a single interview led by a mentee. We’re launching at the beginning of April, and we’re treating it as both an archive and an invitation: a way to hold onto conversations about theatre while making room for voices, communities, and geographies that don’t always get sustained attention.
Listen to our first episode, below!
Liuba Gonzalez de Armas, Mentee:
“The Page Turn program has been an unequivocal positive in my development as an art critic. Nathaniel and Jose’s workshops are precise, practical, and well-suited to the cohort, while the monthly assignments provide concrete opportunities to develop our writing, critical thinking, and interviewing skills. I have found this program to be both motivating and edifying, and am excited to continue to put its teachings into practice.”
Nirris Nagendrarajah, Mentee:
“Often, as a critic, I feel I have no one in my corner, grappling in the dark of an industry that has been severely limiting to me both professionally and personally. From critical development to professional connections, community building to one-on-one support, Nathaniel, Jose and Karen have provided me a mentorship I never imagined I could ever have the fortune to receive: I am a better, more confident and intentional critic as a result of participating in Page Turn, where the art of criticism is viewed as a serious vocation one can just as seriously pursue, where your corner is no longer so empty.”
Eve Beauchamp, Mentee:
“Page Turn has really levelled-up my confidence as a writer. From being in community with stellar critics from across the country to getting to cover more alternative and independent work, my thinking has deepened, my voice has crystallized, and I feel empowered in my emerging position within Calgary’s culture writing landscape — especially as a queer/trans person.”
We’re excited to share the latest from the mentees who have recently been published through Page Turn.
From previews to reviews and critical reflections, the cohort is already contributing thoughtful, urgent writing to the field—engaging performances across the country and expanding what theatre criticism can look and sound like today.
Abi Akinlade (Toronto)
- March 19, 2026 — REVIEW: A Mirror is a dystopian, metatheatrical marvel
- Feb 12, 2026 — REVIEW: Soulpepper’s Witch is thematically alluring but dramatically thin
Melissa Avalos (Toronto)
- March 20, 2026 — REVIEW: This year’s TOsketchfest paid tribute to the endless possibilities of sketch comedy
- Feb 11, 2026 — REVIEW: Coal Mine’s Eureka Day offers a nuanced portrayal of medical mistrust
Eve Beauchamp (Calgary)
- Feb 26, 2026 — REVIEW: Theatre Calgary’s The Tale of the Gifted Prince is a dazzling new musical
- Jan 18, 2026 — REVIEWS: High Performance Rodeo 2026
Anthony Bryan (Fredericton)
- March 30, 2026 — REVIEW: Dynamite Lunchbox’s A Cabaret of Legends is a romantic, revisionist tribute show
- Feb 26, 2026 — REVIEW: In the Maritimes, The Heterosexuals unpacks the traps of heteronormativity
Sania Hameed (Toronto)
- March 9, 2026 — REVIEW: The Surrogate cross-examines privilege and parenthood at Crow’s Theatre
- Dec 12, 2025 — REVIEW: Mirvish’s The Woman in Black conjures chills in the shadows
Megan Hunt (Montreal)
- Dec 16, 2025 — FEATURE: How Montreal actor Leni Parker embodied an emotionally complex seamstress in Bouchard’s Kisses Deep
Nirris Nagendrarajah (Toronto)
- Feb 24, 2026 — FEATURE: ‘You have to be humble about what you don’t know’: Pamela Mala Sinha reflects on the moment she became a writer (part two)
- Feb 2, 2026 — REVIEW: COC’s elegantly bleak Rigoletto is no laughing matter
Angie Rico (Vancouver)
- March 24, 2026 — REVIEW: In a party atmosphere, Danceboy explores movement and identity
- March 9, 2026 — REVIEW: Fears about motherhood infuse poetic, darkly humorous Liste des enfants dévorés par les loups
This is just the beginning for Page Turn and its growing community of critics.
We invite you to keep reading, listening, and sharing their work as these voices continue to shape and challenge the landscape of theatre criticism across the country.
This special newsletter edition also marks the start of a new newsletter series, released alongside each episode of the Page Turn Podcast. Subscribe to stay up to date and share with your communities to help amplify these voices!
Page Turn logo by Sunyeong Han