2013 Reviews ( 39 in all )

'The One' Staged Reading, Saturday April 20

Posted on April 14, 2019

When: Saturday, April 20 @ 2:30 – 4:30pm 2:30 – 3:30pm, Staged Reading by playwright & performer, Miriam Cummings 3:30 – 4:30pm, Discussion guided by director Samantha Megarry; your comments & feedback welcome Where: Cottage Pottery Studio, London ON, 253 Hyman St., between Wellington & Richmond St. Pay What You Wish, All donations collected at the door will support our run at the Montreal Fringe Festival. There will be a short break between the reading... (Read more)

Four Ensemble Shows From Montreal Fringe 2015

Posted on June 18, 2015 As posted in Mobtréal

This article appeared in the June 18 2015 edition of Mobtréal.com IN SEARCH OF MRS. PIRANDELLO Author/Actor MICHAELA DI CESARE has done a PH.D worthy job of discovering fragments of paper in dusty Italian archives to devise a dramatic answer to her puzzlement that the very existence of a wife to Nobel playwright Luigi Pirandello was evidenced only by a lone footnote. To this end, she has assembled four other fine local actors to join... (Read more)

Fringe Festival Reviews: Feminist Themes and Double Verrucci

Posted on June 9, 2015 As posted in Montreal Rampage

This article appeared in the June 9, 2015 edition of Montreal Rampage Most Fringe shows haven’t opened yet. I made a point of catching a rather feminist trio of shows, though each one is a very different image of womanhood. Nadia Verrucci brings a unique type of madness to two different shows. A Nightmare for Oberon Shakespeare’s most notorious women, Ophelia, Lady Macbeth, and Titania meet up in the fairy woods and discover that women... (Read more)

Fringe 2015 ‘wish list’

Posted on June 8, 2015 As posted in Tales from the Dark Side Cafe

This article appeared in the June 8, 2015 edition of Tales from the Dark Side Cafe I started writing this latest post while playing Yatzee on the St-Ambroise terrasse with a bunch of fellow-Fringers; some of them are Fringe staff, some are long-time friends of the festivals, others are volunteers, but we are all playing this game for the first time. In this at least we stand on common ground. I was the only Fringe... (Read more)

On the boards: Lotus at The Arts Project

Posted on August 7, 2014 As posted in London Free Press

This article appeared in the August 6, 2014 edition of London Free Press By Joe Belanger, The London Free Press Wednesday, August 6, 2014 5:13:56 EDT PM The Play: Lotus, a new play by Caitlin Murphy (who wrote the hit Fringe show The Ladies Room). Lotus is described as a “provocative, dark comedy about our digital daze . . . a twisting and troubling journey down the rabbit hole of cyberspace to discover the truth... (Read more)

LOTUS: Homegrown Hopegrown Hits a home run

Posted on August 6, 2014 As posted in Donald's Dish

This article appeared in the August 5, 2014 edition of Donald’s Dish By Jason Menard One Hour, plus post-production Q&A Hopegrown Productions’ presentation of LOTUS at The ARTS Project may be a successful homecoming for the playwright and actors – but it’s by no means a happy one. LOTUS slowly blossoms into a contemporary tragedy filled with sorrow and dark humour that explores contemporary issues in a powerful and poignant manner. The production opens with... (Read more)

Old friendships lead to new show at The Arts Project

Posted on July 25, 2014 As posted in London Community News

This article appeared in the July 25, 2014 edition of London Community News By Sean Meyer In the four years she spent studying theater at Montreal’s Concordia University, and in the time since, Miriam Cummings has noticed a frustrating lack of quality acting roles for women. Cummings, who grew up in London before leaving for Concordia in 2009, joined with classmates (and roommates) Samantha Megarry and Lindsey Huebner in forming Hopegrown Productions as a way... (Read more)

Beating the Bechdel Test

Posted on July 24, 2014 As posted in Metro.ca

This article appeared in the July 24, 2014 edition of Metro The start of an acting career carries all sorts of challenges for young women, but London’s about to welcome three who are setting their own standards. Londoner Miriam Cummings is part of Hopegrown Productions, a theatre group which has three female members determined to play strong roles and tell stories that are relevant to our times. They’re doing it, too. “The intention of Hopegrown... (Read more)

Hopegrown Productions brings Londoner home again

Posted on July 16, 2014 As posted in The Londoner

This nice article appeared in the Tuesday, July 15, 2014 edition of The Londoner Hopegrown Productions — a Montreal-based theatre company founded in part by Forest City native Miriam Cummings — will be making a stop in London this August with a brand new Canadian play by another former Londoner, writer Caitlin Murphy. LOTUS, a two-hander that explores serious issues about how some teenagers are using social media, is shaped as a mystery surrounding a... (Read more)

Quietly powerful. Eerily compelling. Deeply disturbing.

Posted on June 18, 2014 As posted in Festival St-Ambroise Fringe De Montréal

Some plays waste no time with one quick punch to the collective face of their audiences. Others prefer to fire off a rapid succession of emotional blows over the course of their varied running times. But the dramatic effect that LOTUS has on its audience is something rather different, if not altogether unique, and it takes a great deal of craft to pull off successfully… Imagine getting into a conversation with a charming, sardonic and... (Read more)

The Facebook Wall

Posted on June 18, 2014 As posted in The Charlebois Post

By Sarah Deshaies. It’s a bold and tempting move to rip a story from the headlines, so-to-speak, and make it your own. Playwright Caitlin Murphy’s Lotus riffs quite nicely on the threads of cyberbullying, teen rape and the permanency of actions that we’ve seen played out in the news on a regular basis now. Dark content, to be sure, but there are still moments of lightness and humour between cop Linda (Miriam Cummings) and high... (Read more)

OnStage: Review: LOTUS (Montreal Fringe)

Posted on June 17, 2014 As posted in OnStage Ottawa

June 17, 2014 by Matthew Champ The 12:45 PM Sunday show of Lotus was nearly sold out, not surprising after Hopegrown Productions 2013 Fringe hit Around Miss Julie. I’m sure there was a lot of pressure to live up to the show that Hopegrown Productions put on last year and Lotus is a valiant effort. Written, by Caitlin Murphy, on the heels of cyber-bullying becoming an international phenomenon and the deaths of Amanda Todd and... (Read more)

Bloody Underated: For The Love Of Pie, Crook Of My Dreams, LOTUS

Posted on June 16, 2014 As posted in Bloody Underated

BY Scott Humphrey LOTUS Hopegrown Productions, winners of last year’s Spirit of the FRINGE award here in Montreal, are back with a new piece: LOTUS. Born out of the stories of Amanda Todd and Rehteah Parsons, Caitlin Murphy has written this new play about “how one person’s suffering is never discrete” — a single event can create waves of pain throughout many lives. Rookie cop Linda is “investigating” teenager Amber for a disturbing photo that... (Read more)

The Visitorium: Montreal Fringe-Coma 2014 – LOTUS

Posted on June 15, 2014 As posted in The Visitorium

BY KEVIN REID Yay, two shows in a row at the same venue! Music to my ears, or rather my feet, which are getting pretty tender now that I’m two days and 10 shows in at the Montreal Fringe…I keep forgetting how spoiled we are for venues in Ottawa. And speaking of Ottawa Fringe, last year when I made my stage debut (plug!) At the off-site TAN Coffee shop, I had the good fortune to... (Read more)

The Montreal Gazette: Montreal Fringe Festival Marathon Continues

Posted on June 15, 2014 Pat Donnely of The Gazette says LOTUS is worth the detour.

BY PAT DONNELLY, GAZETTE THEATRE CRITIC JUNE 15, 2014 The first weekend of a fringe festival is always a marathon, a test of how many shows can be visited within the space of a day. Because Montreal Fringe Festival veterans know that most of the good shows will have long lineups next weekend. Accessibility is seldom an issue on the first weekend, although some shows have reportedly been sold out from the get go. One... (Read more)

The Montreal Gazette: Montreal Fringe Festival: High hopes by the dozen

Posted on June 13, 2014 Pat Donnely of The Gazette picks LOTUS among the best

Breaking news: LOTUS makes @patstagepage Top 12 Fringe Picks!! BY PAT DONNELLY, GAZETTE THEATRE CRITIC JUNE 13, 2014 MONTREAL — Decisions, decisions. Since there are 110 shows to choose from at this year’s Montreal Fringe Festival, the choosing demands careful consideration. The 24th edition of this democratic annual festival, which gives all performing artists a fighting chance to draw an audience and earn some cash, is moving into full-speed mode this weekend, with dozens of... (Read more)

The Montreal Gazette: The queen bees of the Fringe

Posted on May 30, 2014 First mainstream media Mention for LOTUS

This article appeared in the May 30 2014 edition of the Gazette. MONTREAL — When I began looking at the Montreal Fringe Festival from the “girl power” perspective last week, I was mainly thinking of young playwrights like Johanna Nutter who have launched their careers through this annual performing arts festival, as well as those like Melissa Paulson who are presenting their own plays for the first time. Nutter is presenting a sequel to her... (Read more)

LOTUS Posters have gone to print!

Posted on May 19, 2014 And they look very good

LOTUS posters have gone to print! Thanks to Rubiks! These’ll soon hang all-over! (Read more)

Theatre Review -- Around Miss Julie

Posted on August 17, 2013 as featured on Three Weeks Edinburgh

Based on the famous work by August Stringberg ‘Around Miss Julie’ takes an interesting and amusing take on the classic text. Focusing on the actors putting on a version of the play, this show is a must watch for any performer or director. Creating comedic moments from the perils of early rehearsal and ‘how they were going to ‘do’ the bird,’ ‘Around Miss Julie’ really finds its mark with hilarity and moments of poignance. Cleverly... (Read more)

Around of Applause

Posted on August 14, 2013 as featured on BroadwayBaby.com

It’s rare that, at the close of a play, I’m still anxious to follow its characters around, still curious about their lives and where they lead but after the uproarious, somewhat abrupt close of Around Miss Julie, which follows the lives and loves of three Canadian actors as they rehearse an ill-fated contemporary adaptation (‘Miss Julie in a Snowstorm’) of Strindberg’s famous story of class, sex, and brutality, I was left with the overwhelming desire... (Read more)

Hamilton Fringe 2013 Reviews

Posted on July 25, 2013 as featured on View Magazine Online

Around Miss Julie Review by Katie Penrose This is an interestingly–written play with a vibrant main character Julie, who is funny in an unusual way and almost glows with her strange qualities. Bubbly, full of hope, fresh–faced Julie has come into some money recently and by unorthodox means intends to produce and direct a play with the cash for personal reasons. Her three cast members seem almost displaced from her somehow, as if they are... (Read more)

Around Miss Julie (second review)

Posted on July 24, 2013 as featured on Hamilton Fringe Festival Community Reviews

Playwright: Harry Standjofski Director: Norah Paton Cast: Mitchell Cohen, Miriam Cummings, Lindsey Huebner, Samantha Megarry Review by: Katie Stoneman Art imitating, life imitating art. Around Miss Julie is a must see if you like a show with laughs and lots of sexual tension; a pretty good mix of things. It’s a play about putting on a play. Basically, it offers an inside joke for actors, thespians etc. The play centers around three young actors, two... (Read more)

Hopegrown Tour, Part 4, It’s a venue!

Posted on July 23, 2013 as featured on Bloody Underrated

By Miriam Cummings, Hopegrown Productions Getting to London, Ontario was the first true “people piled in a car road trip” leg of the tour. At 5:00am on July 2, Hopegrown (and Around Miss Julie) piled into two cars. Norah and Tariq (Sam’s boyfriend and arguably Hopegrown’s #1 Fan) got us safely into London with half an hour to spare before our load-in/technical rehearsal time at The Arts Project. Oh, The Arts Project! A lovely, artist-driven... (Read more)

Hopegrown Tour, Part 3, On to the next… Ottawa!

Posted on July 10, 2013 as featured on Bloody Underrated

By Norah Paton, Hopegrown Productions Ottawa was the first stop on our ʻhometown tourʼ of Ontario this summer. Leaving Montreal meant we were sort of living on the road, although with Lindsey and my parents both based in Ottawa, it also meant staying in nicer houses than our apartments in Montreal. We also left Tara and Sonya in Montreal, which meant I had to start being more organized and take over Taraʼs duties. Becoming the... (Read more)

Around Miss Julie – Summer tour 2013…catch it while you can!

Posted on July 5, 2013 as featured on The Beat Magazine

By Trish West Around Miss Julie is an adaptation of an adaptation of August Strindberg’s classic play Miss Julie. Having had no prior knowledge of this classic, I wasn’t sure how much of the humor or story line I would catch. As the play progressed, I knew I didn’t have to worry, as the Playwright Harry Standjofski has set this original play up in a way that by the end you have a pretty good... (Read more)