The Theatre Centre’s latest production,
Monday Nights, has all the hallmarks of a classic sports tale: a team of underdogs, personal and athletic growth, a dramatic final shot, and most importantly, a lot of heart. The only difference is that this isn’t Hollywood, it’s real. So real that the audience is invited to play along with the show’s ragtag team of five Toronto actors (provided they’ve got the appropriate footwear).

Monday Nights, created by 6th Man Collective, has been in the works for more than five years. It’s inspired by a tradition of Byron Abalos, Colin Doyle, Darrel Gamotin, Richard Lee, and Jeff Yung, who would play basketball at the court on the corner of Queens Quay and Bathurst Street until the lights went off. In the theatrical adaptation of their weekly ritual, each member of the audience chooses one of four teams, and each team is captained by one of the creators (the fifth plays the part of referee on a rotating basis). Through a series of drills, each team is awarded points based on how well their captains and “volunteammates” compete. The loser does that night’s laundry (and as you can imagine, two hours of basketball under theatrical lighting creates one sweaty cast).

But the competitive aspect of Monday Nights is not the focus of the show. The games are fun diversions that reveal deeper truths about the captains. From the fear of responsibility, to the prospect of fatherhood, to the pain of a broken heart, one by one the captains address the reasons they came to depend so heavily on their weekly tradition. The audience sees each actor from multiple perspectives—each captain introduces himself to his team, and through headphones his rival captains describe his qualities and shortcomings. The audience is then able to witness how those traits manifest themselves in each captain’s on-court technique.

It’s difficult to produce a play that is both personal and consistently engaging, but 6th Man Collective come very close. It’s not perfect—there are perhaps too many drill competitions, some moments in which the spotlit captains reveal their insecurities don’t fit the tone of the show, and the ending is somewhat abrupt. But to borrow a phrase from the sporting world, what the show lacks in polish it makes up for in heart.

The best moment on opening night came at the very end of the show: each captain must complete a free throw before he’s allowed to leave the stage. Doyle, captain of the purple team, is the last to go. He takes a deep breath, and then takes his shot. In a Hollywood sports movie, he would make it—and it felt like the whole room was expecting him to. But he missed, and it took him one more try to end the show. It wasn’t a movie moment—it was better.

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