With East Toronto roots, Torrent Productions is back in town for pantomime production of Jack and the BeansTalk at Harbourfront

By JESSICA SHACKLETON

Torrent Productions is back in Toronto for its first performance in the city since the pandemic. Residents are invited to join the company for its presentations of Jack and the BeansTalk: A Merry Magical Pantomime this weekend.

Torrent Productions was created by East Toronto residents Rob Torr and Stephanie Graham and began in the basement of Royal Canadian Legion Branch on Coxwell Avenue. In 2015, they began performing an annual pantomime at the Legion.

Performances in past years have included Robin Hood (2016), Pinocchio (2017),  and Cinderella (2018 and 2024). Jack and the BeansTalk was originally performed in 2019.

Torr writes and directs the show and is happy to be back for Toronto audiences after moving out of the city.

“We moved out to Kingston and took a bit of a break and then we decided it was time to bring some of that joy back to our community out there,” said Torr. “We got this phone call asking if we’d be interested in coming back to Toronto and we said, ‘Yes’. It’s been lovely to come back to the city. It feels like home.”

Pantomime (panto) is an interactive Victorian-era theatre style. It’s a children’s fairytale that has been thrown up in the air and comes back topsy turvy. Characteristics are slapstick comedy, good versus evil, and happy endings. The heroes get cheers and the villains get boos. 

Torrent’s annual production became a tradition for many families in East Toronto.

“Panto is a really important part of my life, I find it’s a wonderful opportunity to create a world where kids can see adults laugh. I don’t see where we can do that in today’s world,” he said. “The kids provide so much joy when they laugh that I’d like to try and create an opportunity for people to hear that laughter. It’s all about laughter and community and creating memories.” 

One of Torr’s favourite memories is when he went to his first pantomime at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa with his family. His grandfather couldn’t stop laughing and he holds that image close.

“I want to help create those memories because if we don’t create a place for those memories to happen they can’t happen. So that’s what I’m hoping I can give to the world,” he said. “That’s the beauty of live theatre. It only exists in that time.”  

Greg Campbell has been in all six of Torrent Production’s pantomimes and has played villains and fathers. In Jack and the BeansTalk, his role is the Squire of the Village and Jill’s father.

“I love theatre. I’ve always loved theatre, I love singing especially, I love musicals. Why I do these ones particularly is they are so fun to do and entertaining for the audience,” he said.

“Everyone from children to grandparents love these shows. They’re full of theatricality and pop songs, standards, gags, and schtick. I’ve done drama, comedy, musicals, these are fairy tales but they’re presentational. They’re larger than life and they’re old stories we bring new life to.”

Having worked with Torr and Graham on many productions, Campbell appreciates their style.

“He’s so clever and is really smart as a writer and a director. (Graham) is an actor’s dream. I’m not much of a dancer, so she always makes me look and feel good as a dancer,” he said.

The last time Campbell performed at Harbourfront was in 1985, and it all felt familiar when he walked into the theatre space.

“It’s great to be able to be downtown doing a show where everybody from all over town can come. It’s a great showcase place,” he said. 

Keenan Smits and Kendall Ackland play the roles of Jack and Jill. Both graduates of Sheridan College’s drama program, this is their first pantomime production.

“When I graduated, I took a long break from performing on stage. Coming out of the lockdown years and seeing it come back slowly, there really is nothing like it,” said Smits, who graduated in 2020. “For film and TV, you’re capturing little moments but they’re out of order. With live theatre you’re seeing it all happen from start to finish.” 

The two were in another production together over the summer, soon after Ackland graduated, which was Smits’ first performance back on stage.

“When you are performing live in front of an audience you really do feed off of the energy of the audience. When I first started theatre school we were still at the tail end of COVID and so we were still virtual. It kind of sucked the fun out of it because I was singing and acting to a screen rather than people,” Ackland said.

“As soon as I got in front of my classmates there was already a shift in energy. Being able to do shows in front of audiences when they’re laughing and reacting elevates everything.”  

The troupe began rehearsing together at the start of the month, so the process has been fast and productive. It’s been a great experience for Smits and Ackland to learn how to work with a quick turnaround.

“Everyone works at such a high-stakes and professional way, it was really easy to put it on its feet,” said Smits. “The audience is so involved in this style of theatre, and everyone makes sure you’re having fun in the room while you’re learning.”

It’s been fun rehearsing to the empty chairs, said Smits and Ackland, but everyone in the company is excited for when the theatre is full and the audience can be part of it.

“That’s the exciting part, when it all comes together. This is us navigating this new style of theatre we haven’t done before and Rob mentioned to us that It’s a show for everyone, not just kids,” said Ackland. “It’s been so cool to learn how to do that.”

The show takes the stage at Harbourfront on Saturday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21.

The production then moves to Odessa, just outside Kingston, for performances from Dec. 23 to Jan. 4.

For Toronto tickets, visit: https://harbourfrontcentre.com/event/jack-and-the-beans-talk-a-merry-magical-pantomime-winterfest-2025/

To learn more about Torrent Productions, please visit: https://torrentproductions.com/