About this site

Welcome to So Sumi! My name is Glenn Sumi, and I've been an arts writer and editor for more than 25 years. I wrote my first theatre review (see clipping below) for Toronto's NOW Magazine in November 1997, and I stayed with them on staff as a theatre writer, arts editor (stage and film) and then acting managing editor until they cut off my email access in December 2022.

Discussing opera with the great Tilda Swinton and future *Call Me By Your Name* director Luca Guadagnino at TIFF. *Photo by Kathryn Gaitens*

I was also a weekly on-air pop culture contributor at CTV News Channel for two years, talked about theatre and film on CBC Radio, TVO and other outlets and have written for the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Variety, Xtra!, Quill & Quire and several now defunct publications. Recently, I wrote about the (then) Broadway-bound musical & Juliet for a brand new glossy magazine out of the UK called Musicals.

I've sat on several juries, including the Toronto Film Critics Association, the Toronto Theatre Critics Association, the Canadian Screen Awards, TIFF's Canada's Top 10 list, the Juno Awards for best comedy album and the Chalmers Awards.

My first NOW theatre review, in November 1997, of the masterpiece *Harlem Duet.*

What is So Sumi?

So Sumi is about the Toronto performing arts scene: theatre, comedy, opera, performance art. Besides reviews, it will include the occasional news item, trend piece, rant. I'll try to cover certain books, movies and TV shows if they have a Toronto or performing arts hook.

The punny name suggests both my fearless approach to criticism ("So sue me!") and a certain style for which I've become known ("That's so Sumi"). Since launching, someone even came up to me after a show and asked, "Soooo.... Sumi?" meaning, "What did you think?"

The site now includes a comprehensive, constantly-updated Toronto Theatre Listings section so you can plan what to see – this week, later this month or a few months from now. Be sure to bookmark it.

Email newsletters

If you subscribe, you'll get full access to the website as well as newsletters delivered straight to your email inbox. No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed.

Because there's so much live theatre in Toronto, most of the content on here will be reviews and free for everyone to read and share; there are so few trustworthy outlets covering live theatre these days that I didn't want to put those behind a paywall.

If you upgrade to a paid membership, however, you'll get access to interviews, extended articles, trip reports and more. You'll also help me cover the site's operating costs and explore new ways of writing about the Toronto performing arts scene.

Meet people like you

Theatre is a social activity. By subscribing to So Sumi, you'll be able to comment on articles and become part of a community who share the same interests. With some social media sites about to self-destruct because of megalomaniacal, narcissistic billionaire owners, I'm hoping this blog becomes a forum for discussion, arguments, promotion (within reason) and celebration of all aspects of the performing arts.

Thanks for stopping by!

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