Evan Tsitsias
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PERFORMER/PRODUCER
"Triumphantly good work...Matthew Kutas and Evan Tsitsias have mastered a small platform stage. Remarkable and poignant."
- XTRA Magazine.
"If you consider the Megan Follows version of Anne of Green Gables to be the definitive stage or television classic, think again. Director/producer Evan Tsitsias has breathed new life into an innovative and touching rendition of the timeless tale."
- The Observer
"... director Evan Tsitsias beautifully weaves an aura of whimsy into the show."
- NYtheatre.com
"Director Evan Tsitsias knows the value of small gestures and keeps our attention..."
- Mooney on Theatre
"Director Evan Tsitsias and the actors have created a compelling show that grabs one’s attention and holds it." - Inside Halton
"Tsitsias and co-director Esther Jun stage a gripping, sometimes harrowing production."
-Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine
"Director Evan Tsitsias creates those desperate relationships carefully..."
- Slotkin Letter
* Nominated for the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical - "Kiss of the Spider Woman"
* Nominated for the John Hirsch Directing Prize - Canada Council for the Arts
* Nominated for a Broadwayworld Award: Best Director of the Decade of a Musical - "Sunday in the Park with George"
* Nominated for a Broadwayworld Award: Best Direction of a Musical - "Kiss of the Spider Woman"
* Nominated for a Broadwayworld Award: Best Direction of a Musical - "A Misfortune"
* Nominated for a Broadwayworld Award: Best Direction of a Musical - " I Love You, You're Perfect...Now Change"
* Outstanding Direction - NOW Magazine - Summerworks Festival - "Strange Mary Strange"
* Finalist - Charles Abbott Directing Fellowship - Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation
* Nominated for a BRAVO Award - Best Direction of a Musical - "Footloose"
* Thea Nomination - Outstanding Choreography - Cabaret
"Director Evan Tsitsias once again demonstrates his finesse for musical theatre as each song is cleverly choreographed and executed." -North Star
"Sharply directed by Evan Tsitsias..."
- Now Magazine
Director Evan Tsitsias' use of the space was nothing less than brilliant. - Now Magazine
"The success of this production rests with director Evan Tsitsias, who keeps the staging brisk, simple and uncluttered."
- Broadwayworld.com
Director Evan Tsitsias' staging is attentive to both the elegant spectacle and the more intimate moments...
- Istvan Reviews
DirectING
Inge(new) - In Search of a musical
Theatre Myth Collective at the Red Sandcastle Theatre
10 Broadwayworld Nominations
-Best New Musical
-Best Musical
-Best Direction of a Musical
-Best Choreographer
-Best Music Director
-Best Lighting Design
-Best Ensemble
-Best Leading Performer x 2
-Best Supporting Performer
An intelligent world premiere…a treat and a joy…cleverly written blur-the-lines Book… script takes a deliciously ironic turn of events… funny and poignant… (The cast is) WONDERFUL. They deliver four uniquely distinctive performances of tremendous conviction and ardent emotional passion…‘Inge(new): In search of a musical’ represents why we must continue to get out and go to the theatre. Go see it. - Joe Szekeres - Ourtheatrevoice
“Inge(new) soars…hilarious…clever…works wittily…a complete subversion of how a musical usually works… creates expectations only to shatter them… they (actors) are all stellar … Wieren is a force of nature…The music and lyrics could settle unobtrusively into an aspiring Broadway production. Inge(new) begins as an effervescent satire on musical theatre and the tortured souls who are compelled to create it, before taking a dark turn and becoming a poison pill homage to the very art and tradition of musical theatre. - Drew Rowsome - Mygaytoronto.com
Clever…all of the numbers are genuinely charming…fully compelling…the writing and performances gradually transcend the brazen cliches, knead the artifice until it reveals pockets of truth. – Istvan Reviews
“… it shines… The cast is small but mighty… Inge(new) is an enjoyable new musical. I was there with a friend who doesn’t often attend the theatre. She loved it…Inge(new) is simple, yet polished, and the performers pull off the comedy and Jen Cohen’s choreography as if they are a single organism. It’s smart, funny, and every moment bursts with energy. – Intermission Magazine
“…filled with delightful songs and pointed witticisms sure to dazzle audiences. You’ll certainly want to make sure you’re one of these first audiences to experience Inge(new)…captivating story…The songs were unique and wonderful…exceptional… An absolutely stellar cast… Inge(new) – In search of a musical strikes the perfect balance... It’s a beautiful piece and I truly hope that it goes on to many more amazing productions like this one! You absolutely have to check this out – A View From the Box
“Inge(new) is provocative. There’s tons of tension between the characters, enormous drama as we tippy-toe along the knife-edge between comedy and tragedy…All the music is excellent…a really brilliant work…I hope there must be a next time for such a worthy project.” - barczablog
Sunday in the Park with George
Eclipse Theatre Company at the Jam Factory
5 Dora Nominations and a Dora Award for Outstanding Musical Direction
3 Broadwayworld Award Nominations - Director of the Decade, Musical of the Decade and Ensemble
“One of the most important but often overlooked aspects of running a theatre company is curating the expectations of the audience. The Eclipse Theatre Company, an upstart musical-theatre company… has been doing a four-star job of this since launching last year.… you can be impressed by a clever bit of staging, or swoon at the lush sound of 34 voices singing the harmonies…” - Globe and Mail
"...intimate and ambitious... lots of nice details…offers lots to admire. What's surprising in this version is how intimate and refreshing the show feels… achieves an immersive, intimate feeling... works beautifully ... achieves musical theatre transcendence. Eclipse Theatre remains one of the more intriguing new companies on the scene. – NOW MAGAZINE
"... a sumptuous experience... riveting... this Sunday in the Park with George is always in motion and deliciously intimate. And conceptual flourishes have been layered and layered without disturbing the flow of the story. If you want to think, there is a lot to digest, but if you just want to sink back and lean into a luxurious musical theatre experience, it unfolds right before your eyes and ears…take this opportunity to savour this fine ensemble's stellar version. – Drew Rowsome Mygaytoronto.com
“…a spine-tingling moment of visual and musical harmony. This is a beautiful canvas. Take it in.” - Mooney on Theatre
“…this production is lush, atmospheric and captures—with stirring emotional force. A live painting (by Lori Mirabelli) is created on stage during the performance. This bit of creative embellishment is compelling in its thematic significance and a fun contribution to the creative ambiance of this production. – Istvan Reviews
"Colour and Light", brings the show to a high that carries it through the rest of the evening …a lovely way to spend a Sunday, or any day.” – Broadwayworld
“…creative and energizing…we will hope patiently for a full blown production to follow” – On Stage
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Eclipse Theatre Company presented at the Old Don Jail
6 Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominations - Best Musical, Direction, Choreography, Musical Direction (Winner) and Performances by Tracy Michailidis and Kawa Ada
8 Broadwayworld Nominations - Best Musical, Direction, Choreography, Company, and 4 Performing nominations
"Eclipse Theatre's site-specific staged concert production of the Tony Award-winning musical delivers a one-of-a-kind experience. Director Evan Tsitsias' use of the space was nothing less than brilliant. Eclipse Theatre's inaugural production will hold you completely captive." - Now Magazine
"...near perfect...with such a strong first outing and powerful buzz, you can bet Eclipse will be presenting more of these delightful site-specific escapes from reality." - Mooney on Theatre
"The audience is drawn into the imaginative act and the performers’ energy is compellingly focused. The ambition and the musical achievement bode well for Eclipse’s future." - The Toronto Star
"..it proves an atmospheric – and arresting – experience" - Sesay Arts Magazine
25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee
Produced by Koogle Theatre at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre
Starring: Mark Allan, Niko Combitsis, Daniel Spragge, Leslie Kay, Laura Caswell, Shaina Silver-Baird, Cara Pantalone, Christopher Alan Gray, Giovanni Spina
"Favourite Local Musical" of 2016 - Burlington Post
"Spellbinding Show...Wildly entertaining...This production had nifty comic twists...
Directed by Evan Tsitsias, the show featured great, freewheeling song and dance numbers...
very moving... worthy of an encore performance."
- Burlington Post
"As good as it gets...Summer fare that is worth the time." - Burlington Gazette
ECHO
Written by: Evan Tsitsias, Chang Nai Wen and Laura Tesman
Co- Directed by : Evan Tsitsias, Chang Nai Wen and Laura Tesman
Starring: Iphigenia Grivas Aristea Stafylaraki, Irene shoulder, Katerina Drakopoulou Thanos Foskolos, John Harbatsis Stavros Giannouladis George Kissandrakis, James Mindrinos & Tali Custer
This was a part written, part devised piece developed as part of the WWL and the Syros Institute in Syros, Greece. It explores the subject of refugees and the current political crisis in Greece through the lens of Greek Chorus. What happens when an individual steps out of a group? What happens to both the individual and the group? These were some of the questions explored.
Performed at the historic Apollo Theatre in Syros, Greece.
"A sensational artistic experience... "Echo" touched us, left us shaken and spoke directly to the heart..."
- Anthony Boumpas, Daily Journal
We Are the Play
Written by: Evan Tsitsias
Co-directed by: Evan Tsitsias and Chang Nai Wen
Starring: Jonathan Aikins, Kristin Becker, Sonja Chan, Dilan Gülmez, Para Kiala, Lara-Sophie Milagro and Larius Phoulivong
Produced by Sysiphos Der Flugelefant and English Theatre Berlin and performed as a site specific, immersive experience at the Berlin Wall Memorial in Germany.
"Thoroughly enlightening, very entertaining excursion..."
- Der Tagesspiegel
A Misfortune
A new Canadian musical based on Checkov's short story of the same title.
* CRITICS PICK and BEST OF NEXT STAGE FESTIVAL- Now Magazine
"NNNN's...Sharply directed by Evan Tsitsias.." - Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine
"This piece is exquisite. It shimmers with simplicity, elegance and grace...Stunning...beautifully told...Director Evan Tsitsias creates those desperate relationships carefully..." - Lynn Slotkin
"Everything about the show works beautifully...every tiny gesture adds to the story. Director Evan Tsitsias knows the value of small gestures and keeps our attention...A Misfortune is like a puzzle where every piece fits perfectly. Definitely worth seeing." - Mooney on Theatre
" 5 stars! A riveting musical experience. Bravo." - Theatromania
"It would be a misfortune to miss A Misfortune." - Charlebois Post
* Nominated for 3 Broadwayworld Awards 2014: Best Direction, Best Musical and
Best Indy Prod.
Produced by: Common Descent as part of the Next Stage Theatre Festival
Starring: Adam Brazier, Rejean Courneyer, Kaylee Harwood, Trish Lindstrom and Jordan Till
Music Director: Chris Tsujiuchi
Designer: Joanna Yu
I Love You, You're Perfect...Now Change
"Much of the credit for the success of this production by Angelwalk and Koogle Theatre is due to director Evan Tsitsias who keeps the staging brisk, simple and uncluttered. "- Broadwayworld.com
"Director Evan Tsitsias also deserves credit for delivering such a well-staged play with lots of laughs and heartfelt moments."- Shalom Life
" Fortunately Angelwalk Theatre and director Evan Tsitsias have more than "pleasant" on their mind ... it does get under one's skin in an intriguing way. - My Gay Toronto
"The show was well-cast, well staged and polished." - Mooney on Theatre
"This new production is saved by the talents of its cast and director Evan Tsitsias, who helps bring some fresh tricks"- Charlebois Post
"Director Evan Tsitsias is well versed with this reality and steers clear of typical romantic comedy formula in this wild and wacky ride." - Torontostage.com
* Nominated for 8 Broadwayworld Awards including: Best Director, Best Musical and Best Ensemble
Produced By: Angelwalk Theatre and Koogle Thaatre
Performed at: North York Center for the Arts
Starring: Christopher Alan Gray, Dean Hollin, Leslie Kay and Alison O'Neil
First Dance
As gay marriage becomes legal in Canada, a man about to marry his male partner sets about devising their traditional First Dance. Through Ballroom dance and Theatre, his journey as a gay man is explored through the challenge of creating a dance for a ritual that has no history.
Produced by: Tottering Biped Theatre
Presented as part of Theatre Aquarius' Studio Series, Undergrand Series at The Grand Theatre - London, Impact Festival '13 and an Ontario Tour.
"Visually stunning, heart-wrenching and erotic…First Dance is an absolute must-see production."
- Donald's Dish
"Director Evan Tsitsias and the actors have created a compelling show that grabs one’s attention and holds it...riveting entertainment." - Dennis Smith, Inside Halton
"riveting, deeply felt production that holds you in total thrall. First Dance is an emotional tango of tangled emotions, heartfelt passion and exquisite connections of first love, first sex and first understanding of who you are. If you want to know what it feels like to live inside a heartbeat, surrender to the dance, passion and final exulatation of this touching piece of theatre."
- Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
Produced by: Tottering Biped Theatre
Written By: Trevor Copp, Jeff Fox and
Lisa O'Connell
Starring: Trevor Copp and Jeff Fox
Written by: Evan Tsitsias
Co-Directors: Chang Nai Wen and Evan Tsitsias
Produced by: Sisyphos Der Flugelefant and Thin Skin Theatre
Performed at: Kater Holzig in Berlin, Germany
Starring: Ana Mena and Sarah Jane St. Claire
This was an original piece we called a "Party Performance" that dealt with the idea of "Home". This was a site specific, fully interactive experience where the audience was free to move about during the performance
"...a compelling blend of theater, film, dance and good old-fashioned partying replete with smoking and drinking...a journey for everyone involved. A rollercoaster of theatrics from comedy, tragedy, farce, to melodrama, all packaged in a fun and intriguing postcard to the city"
- Artsconnect Berlin, Devo Nelson
Berlin Bound
Ich Bin Unsichtbar.de
Co-Directors: Evan Tsitsias, Petra Leonie Pichler and Alice Bever
Produced by: Bluespots Productions (Augsburg, Germany)
This was an original piece we created based on stories of immigrants and refugees to Germany. It was performed in a loop throughout the interior and exterior of the City Hall in Augsburg. The audience watched most of it from the balcony of the City Hall, wearing headsets as they tried to find the Invisible Theatre that was happening in the City Square. A fully immersive experience.
The piece was also invited to perform at Amnesty International in Karlsruhe, Germany and was published in Germany.
James and the Giant Peach
Produced by: Theatre Under the Stars
Performed at: The Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston , Texas
Interrupted
Co-Directors: Evan Tsitsias, Chang Nai Wen, Jocelyn Chang
Produced by: The World Wide Lab at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn, NY
Starring: Ilaria Ambrogia, Carlotta Brentan, Esther Chen and Tracy Michailidis
Sound and Composition by: Yan Li
This is a original piece we devised as part of the Festival with the entire cast. We were examining and exploring a world without touch.
The Blind
Co- Directors: Chang Nai Wen and Evan Tsitsias
Produced by: The World Wide Lab at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Starring: Mickey Ryan, Annie Last and Julie Berndt
This was a piece adapted from Meterlink's "The Blind". We attempted to create atmospheric theatre; allowing the audience to experience the same fear and panic as the characters.
The Blind
Edges
Produced By: Acting Up Stage
Starring: Jordan Bell, Sara Farb, Eric Craig and Gabi Epstein
This is a show I directed first as a staged reading/concert at the Centre for the Arts, and then as a full production at the Revival Nightclub for a two month run with Acting Up Stage.
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“Four joyous young singers and the pair of dynamite musicians who back them up are more than enough reason to urge you to go see Edges." – The Toronto Star – Inside Entertainment Canada
“It's a gem of a show that will have appeal to the young adult audience as well as those of indeterminate age who will notice that there are some things that never change.”– Scenechanges.com |
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Strange Mary Strange
An itch. A scratch. A moment on a plane triggers an avalanche of memories, forcing Mary Strange to confront and exorcise her former selves. A meditation of ritual, memory, forgiveness and hope inside the mind of a woman in her elusive search for "normal".
Mary Strange Premiered at the Summerworks Festival in Toronto.
NNNN's- Best of Summerworks/Outstanding Direction/Ensemble and Production- NOW MAGAZINE
* One of the Top Ten Favourite Highlights in the Festival - Torontoist
"...the plays’ creators deserve recognition, and watching their work certainly was jarring, edgy, and captivating."
"Tsitsias and co-director Esther Jun stage a gripping, sometimes harrowing production."
- Jon Kaplan, Now Magazine
"...incredibly well written by Evan Tsitsias...it was exceptional. It left us speechless."
- Talking Theatre
"...very powerful in it’s poetry and use of imagery...I found the staging really wonderful "
- Mooney on Theatre
Produced by: Theatre on the Verge
Presented at: Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace
Starring: Sarah McVie, Catherine Rainville and Emma Mackenzie Hillier
Developed through Pat the Dog Development Centre
Chandeleirva
This is a show I directed for the New York Fringe Festival in 2008 about the one night concert comeback of the diva clown "Chandeleirva" as she recounts her tumultous life. It's part clown, part musical, part magic and highly theatrical.
Performed at the Players Theatre in Greenwich Village/NYC
Starring: The incredible Suzette Araujo
"Araujo and director Evan Tsitisias beautifully weave an aura of whimsy into the show"- NY Theatre.com
"****stars. Wow...passionate and powerful...mulitiple characters, each distinctively drawn..smart use of costumes and props. I highly recommend this one" - TIME OUT, NY
Wedding
This is a piece that Orly and I adapted from Brecht's A Respectable Wedding" about a family wedding that slowly disintegrates as the evening progresses.
Co-directed by: Orly Noa Rabinyan and Evan Tsitsias
Produced as part of the World Wide Lab at Irondale Centre in Brooklyn, NY.
Starring: Joe Francini, Jacopo Ramini, Laura Capparotti, Amanda Holston and Noga Milstein
WEDDING
An original musical revue I created based on the songs of Kander and Ebb.
Produced by: Serendipity Productions
Performed at: Tallulah's Cabaret and Vaughan City Playhouse
Starring: Mark Allan, Donna Christo, Lizzie Kurtz, Sally Jones, Jen Cohen, Evan Tsitsias, Ellen McKinney, Jody Butler, Jamie McKnight, Suzette Araujo, Kim Sneath
Don't Tell Mama
The Silent City
Written by: The Stagehands
Performed as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival
Starring: Justine Moritz, Marko Pandza, Nemenja Protic, Geoff Stevens, David Yevonkian and Mackenzie Zufelt
* Winner- BEST OF FRINGE
Remounted as part of Best of Fringe at the Berkeley St. Theatre
"The Silent City is Scratching the Surface of Something Really Exciting..." - Twisi Theatre
Grarya
This is a devised piece I worked on with Chang Nai Wen exploring domestic and child abuse in a world where nothing is black and white. Based on a children's book titled "Sarah and the Cloud".
Performed as part of the World Wide Lab at Irondale Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Starring: Lizzie Kurtz, Annie Last and Mickey Ryan
Grarya
The Breakfast Variations
This is a devised piece exploring the strained relationship between a mother and son as they struggle to connect over the son's rebellion against his mixed cultural background. It is told in layers of sound and movement as they prepare breakfast.
Created and Performed as part of the World Wide Lab at Irondale Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Starring: David Armanino and Vidhu Singh
The Breakfast
Variations
Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
Produced by: Divine Co-op
Performed at : Tallulah's Cabaret
Costumes by: Dimitra Argiros and Evan Tsitsias
Starring: Mark Allan, James Anderson, Suzette Araujo, Michael Boisvert, Jonathan Chambers, Sally Jones, Sarah Martyn and Evan Tsitsias
Gallery of other shows I've Directed
