Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
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gracingthestage.bsky.social
Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
@gracingthestage.bsky.social
A&E critic emeritus—Torontoist/AV Club/Now Magazine, etc.
HMCS YORK Recruiter/Master Sailor/BOSN.
Canadian Theatre Critics Association board member, #TheaTO hashtag creator.
Burly #BikeTO boi, karaoke kid, LGBTQ+ Ally. BLM
Pinned
Intro yerself w/ past gigs:

-Ziplined off Enercare Centre as SONAR the RCN Nfld Dog
-Walked in on Beyoncé, Renée Zellweger, & Michael Keaton (as bellhop)
-Hostage actor on train & plane for JTF2
-Wrote a stage intimacy article that went viral
-Crewed aboard HMNZS TE KAHA, Pearl Harbour>Victoria, BC
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
When I think about the Canadian TV that has broken out south of the border in the past decade (Schitt's Creek, Sort Of, now Heated Rivalry), not only is it interesting that queerness a key constant, but there is also this unifying theme of human decency at the core of all three.
December 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM
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We know now that Harbourfront is
- Giving up its theatre for 3 years
- Giving up or sharing much of its main building with the Ontario Science Centre for 5+ years
- Has an outgoing CEO

What is left of this organization?
December 21, 2025 at 10:01 PM
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Difficult to think of a more authentically Christian deed for this season.
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.

🧵 1 of 9
December 21, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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This was my biggest tweet over in the bad place. It will live here now. 🧙‍♀️🎄
December 11, 2024 at 2:40 AM
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Election Night 2024. We cut to a @thebeaverton.com pitch meeting. We are brainstorming headlines for Trump's second term.

"He'll create 'The Patriot Games,'" I say. "Like the Hunger Games, but dumber."

"He can't," my editors say. "That would break satire forever."

We laugh. That's true. It would.
Trump announces an "unprecedented four-day athletic event" with "one young man and one young woman from each state and territory"
December 18, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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Thrilled to announce that the Alliance For Canadian Musicals will return to Theatre Passe Muraille as an all-Canadian Musical Satellite Venue for the 2026 Toronto Fringe, Jun 30 - Jul 12. Selection will be by lottery and applications are open NOW until Jan 9, 2026.
fringetoronto.com/get-involved...
December 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
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In the week since we published our investigation into possible freelance scammer “Victoria Goldiee,” Local editor @nickhunebrown.bsky.social has heard from journalists around the world who’ve had their own run-ins with “Goldiee.” thelocal.to/fallout-from...
The Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation | The Local
A conversation about the future of journalism in a world of “Victoria Goldiees.”
thelocal.to
November 30, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
U.S. plan to inspect Canadians’ social media overwhelmed by Peter Mansbridge thirst traps
U.S. plan to inspect Canadians’ social media overwhelmed by Peter Mansbridge thirst traps
NIAGARA FALLS - A recently U.S. proposal to demand 5 years of social media history from travellers has hit a snag, as American customs agents were wholly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Peter Mansb...
www.thebeaverton.com
December 15, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
#Exclusive: Mel Hague is set to depart Factory Theatre. She joined the company in 2022.

Exit interview in @theglobeandmail.com today:

www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/stag...
Artistic director Mel Hague to depart Toronto’s Factory Theatre
‘It’s been a joy to come to work every day, and to work with this team. That’s the hard part of leaving,’ says Hague
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
…(con’t) Moonlight Schooner & Robin Hood at Canadian Stage, Invasion: Christmas Carol at Assembly, Christmas Carol at Campbell House, Shrek at YPT, Wizard of Oz at Al Green, We Will Rock You and & Juliet at Mirvish. Support Canadian live theatre!
December 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
TO shows closing this weekend: Public Consumption at Factory, Profoundly Affectionate at Tarragon, Dishwashers at Mildred’s. Or can still see Christmas Market at Crow's, Fulfilment Centre at Coal Mine, Bug at King Black Box, Bad Hats Narnia at Soulpepper, Hallmark(ish) at Royal Theatre (con’t)…
December 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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Damn. One of Toronto's greatest. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/a...
Frank O. Gehry, Titan of Architecture, Is Dead at 96
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:24 PM
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When film critic Gene Siskel died, @theonion.com posted the greatest two-word joke in history:
“EBERT VICTORIOUS”
What is the quintessential Onion headline? The strong contender that just randomly popped in my mind is "Hank Williams Jr. Honored by Institute For Football Preparedness"
December 5, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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in the end, the future of cinema is Hundreds of Beavers
December 5, 2025 at 5:05 PM
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The White House surrenders at 138 million views. Sabrina wins.
December 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
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Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
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Imagine posing for a photographer friend who sells your image to iStock and a year later, you see this is what The Washington Post has done with the image of you walking on a beautiful fall day
November 29, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
What do these corporations have in common?

Netflix
Ford
Tesla
T-Mobile
Duke Energy
DISH Network
Metlife
Dominion Energy
United States Steel

In recent years, they all paid their execs more than they paid in taxes.

This is what a corporate-rigged system looks like.
November 28, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
Knew nothing going in other than heard it's more dramatic than you'd expect from the title and posters, and yes, I was frustrated along with the characters, despite the Christmas setting, which is probably the exact feeling I was supposed to have about foreign workers working a Cdn Christmas market
November 27, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
I think if Canada wants to have a strong cultural identity we need to go back to doing what we're best at, making the weirdest fucking TV shows you've ever seen
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Steve Fisher, BFA, CD (he/him)
This is an incredible read about how one editor at a Toronto publication uncovered the fact that a prospective freelancer was a fraud who's been getting AI-generated articles published across the globe.

The kicker says a lot, too. Just give it a read. Amazing from @nickhunebrown.bsky.social.
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era | The Local
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
thelocal.to
November 24, 2025 at 12:17 AM
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we've got quite a lot featured in the current issue of @thegrindto.bsky.social, especially in the gift guide where i recommend professional earplugs for shows and @nikostratis.com' excellent memoir.
toronno! there's a new issue of @thegrindto.bsky.social out, which means more music coverage from us, including show listings, contributions to the annual gift guide, and "what we're listening to"! check it out online and across the city. www.thegrindmag.ca
November 22, 2025 at 5:43 PM
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Last week for Comeuppance at Soulpepper, Dissonant Species at Factory, An Orchid at Red Sandcastle, How Do We at HGJTC. Also Christmas Market-Crows, Profoundly Affectionate-Tarragon, Fulfillment Centre-Coal Mine, Narnia-Soulpepper, Dishwashers-Mildreds, Ava-Mirvish, Shrek-YPT, Hallmark(ish)-Royal.
November 18, 2025 at 10:33 PM