Can you believe that 2019 is coming to an end? We are about to enter a whole new decade, filled with endless possibilities. Before this month is over, let me remind you of all the memorable artistic pursuits that happened in 2019.
In January, Theatre Erindale rang in the New Year with a production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit. The play welcomed the audience into the 1940’s, where novelist Charles Condomine has to cope with the ghost of his ex-wife terrorizing his new wife in a series of events.
At the beginning of February, Ariana Grande released her fifth studio album Thank U, Next, featuring singles “7 Rings” and “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored.” The album had a pop and R&B genre and hit number one in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom.
Theatre Erindale also produced Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play in February. The play explored the early history of female sexuality with its introduction of the vibrator. Theatre Erindale closed their 2018/2019 season in March with Anton Chekhov’s play Three Sisters. The play follows three sisters Olga, Masha, and Irina as they navigate family matters while building a legacy on the brink of revolution.
Early March saw the release of Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson as Carol Denvers—Marvel’s first female-led superhero film. The movie reached an international gross of $1.13 billion and cleared the path for the anticipating finale of Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame in late April.
Avengers: Endgame was a soaring success. Fans packed the theatres to watch the three-hour action movie. The film became the highest grossing motion picture of all time with a $2.80 billion international gross.
Aside from movies and plays, remember when Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner eloped in Las Vegas, Nevada in May? The iconic photograph of them relaxing on top of a pink convertible as Joe wears a suit, Sophie sucks on a ring pop, and they both wear sunglasses became a popular meme for millennials. The couple later held a second formal wedding ceremony in Paris, France a month later.
In July, the anticipation was high for the remake of Disney’s The Lion King starring Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, and Beyonće Knowles-Carter. The movie became the second highest international gross of 2019 with earnings of $1.60 billion.
Netflix released the third season of Stranger Things in July. The newest season had extremely high ratings with over 40 million accounts watching at least 70 per cent of the season within the first week.
Meanwhile, the month also saw new albums by Chance the Rapper, J. Cole, Ed Sheeran, Jaden Smith, and Of Monsters and Men.
In mid-August, Netflix released the third season of Thirteen Reasons Why. Katherine Langford, the actress who played Hannah Baker in the first two seasons, did not return for this season, so the show revolved around the mystery of Bryce Walker’s (Justin Prentice) death.
2019 has also been the year of reunions, remakes, and reboots. Many T.V. shows that ended over 10 years ago have made the decision to make sequels. Disney announced in August that Lizzie McGuire, starring Hilary Duff, would be getting a reboot. The reboot will focus on Lizzie living in her 30’s in New York City. The show will also include familiar faces from the original, such as: Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, Jake Thomas, and Adam Lamberg.
As September rolled by and a new school year began, UTM announced the formal name for the New North building as Maanjiwe Nendamowinan. The name acknowledges Indigenous history and means “gathering of minds.”
The Medium also created a new section for Volume 46. The team introduced a Satire section, focusing on humoristic irony and commentary on the UTM/U of T community and GTA.
Logics of Sense 1: Investigations was the Blackwood Gallery’s first exhibition of 2019/2020. The visual exhibit explored decentralized perspectives in forming technoscience. The exhibition was followed by Logics of Sense 2: Implications.
In the world of performance, Hart House Theatre opened their 2019/2020 season with Jill Carter’s Encounters at the “Edge of the Woods” in September. The play featured stories and spoken word pieces written by the cast about encounters in the Indigenous land. Meanwhile, Theatre Erindale began theirs with Beth Flintoff’s The Glove Thief in October. The show took audiences back to 1589 where four women sew tapestries in an attempt to change their future from political unrest.
In November, Theatre Erindale produced The Oresteia while Hart House Theatre produced Portia’s Julius Caesar. Both plays interacted with the audience by breaking the fourth wall and allowing audiences to be immersed in the stories.
As we step into the final month of this decade, we can see that 2019 has been a great year for movies, music, plays, and new beginnings. However, 2020 brings the opportunity for more entertainment.
