Archives (2013-2016)
(2013)
written and directed by brandon crone
performed by alex dault, jakob ehman, john fray, kiran friesen, leah holder
stage management by jen mills
design by claire hill
fight direction by jeremy hutton
Vicki, a recovering addict, befriends Darcy, a rehabilitation worker. But when she accidentally gets introduced to Darcy's volatile older brother, a spiralling chain of events threatens her new life and everyone around her.
safeword premiered Turtleneck at hub14 art and performance works, February 7th - 17th, 2013
AWARDS
Nominated for 'Best Supporting Actor' (John Fray) - 2013 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
REVIEWS
"Turtleneck gives Toronto indie theatre a good name."
"Unlike anything I’ve seen on a stage...it made me feel bad, and it turned me on."
"I’m feeling pretty tempted to position Turtleneck among my top three favorite plays I’ve seen in Toronto. It is something very special."
-Joslyn Kilborn, Mooney on Theatre (Read full article here)
"The actors are some of the most outstanding I have seen in a long time."
"This is an experience that I will not forget for a long time to come."
-Lorenzo Pagnotta, My Entertainment World (Read full article here)
MEDIA
Dossier for Brandon Crone, Director/Playwright of Turtleneck - A Field of Crowns, Andrew Gabourey (Read article here)
Interview Series with John Fray - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
PHOTO CREDIT: LARA NOELL
PHOTO CREDIT: LARA NOELL
PHOTO CREDIT: LARA NOELL
Turtleneck Trailer
Turtleneck: The Film Trailer
(2013)
written and directed by brandon crone
performed by thomas gough, jakob ehman and karen slater
design by claire hill
stage management by cristina hernandez
fight direction by jeremy hutton
Gray, a sperm donor, meets his son for the first time. But as more children get added to the roster, a dream becomes a nightmare with disastrous consequences.
safeword premiered Donors at hub14 art and performance works, November 7th - 17th, 2013
AWARDS
Nominee - 'Outstanding Performance - Male' (Jakob Ehman)
2014 Dora Mavor Moore Awards
WINNER - 'Best New Work' (Brandon Crone)
2013 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
REVIEWS
4 STARS
"Horror, comedy and sex are stirred into a mesmerizing tour de force..."
"Brandon Crone drops the audience into a sexually-charged uncomfortable situation, makes the laughs choke in their throats, and suddenly they discover that there is no safe word."
-Drew Rowsome, My Gay Toronto (Read full article here)
"Gasps, laughs, and indescribable throat noises interchangeably arise from audience members throughout."
"Impeccably performed."
"safeword is a flash of light in darkness..."
-Michael Polubiec, My Entertainment World (Read full article here)
PHOTO CREDIT: John Gundy
Donors Trailer
MEDIA
Dossier for Claire Hill, Scenographer for Donors - A Field of Crowns, Andrew Gabourey (Read article here)
Interview Series with Playwright Brandon Crone - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
written and directed by brandon crone
performed by alexander plouffe and g. kyle shields
stage management by katherine belyea
lighting design by randy lee
A quirky and salacious window into the imperfect life of a gay couple with an affinity for junk food, weed, and bananas.
safeword premiered Maypole Rose as part of Circle Jerk, a co-production with Soup Can Theatre and Aim for the Tangent Theatre featuring four short works of theatre at lemonTree studio, November 6th - 23rd, 2014
AWARDS
Nominee - 'Best Actor' (Alexander Plouffe)
2014 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
Nominee - 'Best New Work' (Brandon Crone)
2014 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
REVIEWS
“It was (and is) nothing short of spectacular.”
"The erotic politics of this play are gripping and, quite frankly, really hot."
"I have never seen anything that is simultaneously so convincingly mundane and so palpably sexually charged.”
"It is so hilarious, hot, and unbelievably perfect"
"Worth 10 times the price of admission."
-Jeremy Gardiner, Jeremy Thinks Things (Read full article here)
"Every creative element on display here is operating at the highest level, working together to create an unshakeable theatrical moment”
“Stunning portrait of love and marriage."
"Crone’s hilarious, heartfelt and heartbreaking script is matched by his nuanced and inventive direction, which is in turn matched by two of the most gloriously lived-in and generous performances I’ve seen in a very long time."
-Kelly Bedard, My Entertainment World (Read full article here)
"A stunning piece of theatre.”
"Crone’s script is hilarious, heartbreaking, and perhaps most importantly, it’s bluntly honest.”
"The performances given by Alexander Plouffe and G. Kyle Shields are both impactful and astonishingly real."
-Logan Brown, Mooney on Theatre (Read full article here)
MEDIA
Interview Series with Playwright Brandon Crone - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
(2014)
Maypole Rose Trailer
Trailer for Maypole Rose, Film Adaptation by Christine Buijs (2017)
Interview Series with Alexander Plouffe - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
(2015)
written by brandon crone
directed by luke brown
performed by clint butler, jakob ehman and nicholas rice
scenography by claire hill
stage management by katherine belyea
produced by alex dault
lighting design by melissa joakim
costumes by julia matias
sound design by jakob ehman
Set in the backwoods of northern Ontario, Nature of the Beast is a comedic and heartbreaking examination of sexual repression and desire. Francis lives alone in the woods in a house he built himself. Things are usually quiet until Mike, his nephew, shows up at his doorstep seeking refuge from his abusive parents. Francis wouldn’t mind if he wasn’t already entertaining another guest... who just happens to be tied up in his basement.
safeword/The Lone Wolf Collective premiered Nature of the Beast at
The Storefront Theatre, March 26th - April 11th, 2015. Support provided by the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council.
AWARDS
Nominee - 'Outstanding Performance - Male' (Jakob Ehman)
2015 Dora Mavor Moore Awards
Nominee - 'Outstanding Production'
2015 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
Nominee - 'Outstanding New Work' (Brandon Crone)
2015 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
Nominee - 'Outstanding Actor' (Nicholas Rice)
2015 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
Nominee - 'Outstanding Supporting Actor' (Jakob Ehman)
2015 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN GUNDY
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN GUNDY
PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN GUNDY
Nature of the Beast Trailer
REVIEWS
"Brandon Crone is known for plays that analyze contemporary sexual relationships and politics with a young and smart point of view.”
"...A very impressive Ehman, and a stunning immersive set by scenographer Claire Hill."
-Carly Maga, The Toronto Star (Read full article here)
"Brandon Crone is the bad boy of Canadian theatre."
"All the actors, Jakob Ehman, Clint Butler, and Nicholas Rice are terrific.”
"Luke Brown does a fine job of keeping the pace delightfully brisk, as a little bit of fibbing triggers a vortex of hilarious deception.”
"Crone’s writing is accurate and funny as hell. And what Crone bravely describes is far more commonplace than a Toronto audience might readily admit.”
-'In the Belly of the Beast' - Burke Campbell (Read full article here)
"Crone smartly bypasses the obvious sex-farce stuff and goes for deeper humour and observations, nailing them consistently.”
“Designer Claire Hill’s done outstanding work bringing us into the picture, easily the best set I’ve seen at the Storefront in ages.”
"Crone’s script is piled high with goodies for the actors, and they run with it.”
-Mike Anderson, Mooney on Theatre (Read full article here)
MEDIA
Interview Series with Playwright Brandon Crone - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
Interview Series with Nicholas Rice - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
Interview Series with Jakob Ehman - My Entertainment World (Read article here)
(2016)
written and directed by brandon crone
performed by prince amponsah, benjamin blais, marcia johnson,
khadijah roberts-abdullah
stage management by katherine belyea
produced by alex dault, claire hill, samantha holland
set design by rachel forbes
lighting design by julian bulof
costumes by holly lloyd
dramaturgy by emma mackenzie hillier
Freddie is paralyzed and unable to speak. His mother has hired a woman to have sex with him. An unconventional romance about love beyond words.
The Contemptuous Collective, in association with safeword/The Storefront Arts Initiative premiered Contempt at The Storefront Theatre, February 19th - March 6th, 2016
Support provided by the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council.
AWARDS
Nominated for 'Best Supporting Actor' (Benjamin Blais)
2016 My Theatre Awards Toronto, My Entertainment World
REVIEWS
"Playwright/director Brandon Crone delights in confounding expectations and the plot, and all of the characters, are surprising, twisted and achingly real."
"The actors inhabit their roles completely and fearlessly, moving seamlessly from harsh reality to flippant fantasy."
-Drew Rowsome, My Gay Toronto (Read full article here)
PHOTO CREDIT: John Gundy
PHOTO CREDIT: John Gundy
PHOTO CREDIT: John Gundy
PHOTO CREDIT: John Gundy
Contempt Trailer
"Contempt (is)...not only a spellbinding drama, but a terrific comedy as well."
"All the actors are very good and work seamlessly together."
-Burke Campbell, The Indie Critic (Read full article here)
"Very impressive on many levels."
"Contempt is what I would call a fabulous piece of theatre."
-Jess Gillis, Mooney on Theatre (Read full article here)
MEDIA
'Actor Prince Amponsah on returning to the stage after a tragic accident' - Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail (Read full article here)
'Brandon Crone on Contempt: Provocative IS the new mainstream' - Drew Rowsome, My Gay Toronto (Read full article here)