“After the show, a lot of us cried happy tears”: What it’s like for a National Ballet dancer to be back onstage
"Big jetés and tours require a great deal of physical power, and it took a while to build up the strength to execute those moves again"
reopening 2021
We laughed, we cried, we hugged our grandparents. True tales from the summer’s reopening
A series of memoirs from the people who lived it
“The first day, we had people lined up around the block”: AGO director Stephan Jost on reopening his museum
"The Warhol show had to be hung virtually. We invented a whole new system using virtual couriers"
“We set up our synagogue in the park wading pool”: This rabbi held in-person services for the first time in nine months
"I must have said, ‘It’s so great to see you!’ dozens of times—and I meant each one"
“There wasn’t a dry eye the whole night”: This couple finally got married after rescheduling five times
"We made four separate guest lists because we didn’t know how many would be allowed on the day"
“We haven’t sold this much high-end wine in a long, long time”: Restaurateur Charles Khabouth has reopened his night spots and rehired hundreds of people
He had to lay off 98 per cent of his 2,000-person staff at the beginning of the pandemic
“It was such a thrill to hear our voices echo through the cathedral again”: This 16-year-old reunited with his choir after a year apart
"In the school’s auditorium, we sang in clear, three-sided booths built from pipes and plexiglass"
“We rehearsed through rain, heat and strong winds”: How Stratford staged A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a covered parking lot
"One particularly powerful gust sent hundreds of pages of scripts flying, and the the entire company chased after them"
When we reopened our sports league, we brought back 1,250 teams, 15,000 players and even a couple of Arkells
"After teams scored, there were a lot of elbow bumps instead of high-fives"
I was hired in 2019 to lead the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. After almost three years, I’m finally making my official onstage debut
"Playing together again reminded us of who we are and what we love to do"
“I made 8,000 candles in my apartment”: How one woman transformed her Instagram side hustle into a bricks-and-mortar store
"When we opened registration for our first candle-making class, it sold out in half an hour"
“It was like a big party”: What it’s like for a hair salon owner to reopen her business
My regulars come in and say, 'We’re home at last!'
“She showed them her new shoes and her big-girl backpack”: This seven-year-old reunited with her grandparents after nearly two years of separation
They threw her a llama-themed birthday party
We bought a ramshackle 1970s motel in Thornbury for $1.2 million. Now it’s a boutique roadside destination
"The first night, my eyes welled up with tears. I was seeing this vision come to life"
“Our director dialled into rehearsals on Zoom”: After six months of delays, this theatre producer finally opened his show
"Each audience member downloads an app and listens to the dialogue on their headphones"
