Writer/director Jason Maghanoy’s tale of high school racial tensions and inevitable gun violence set right here in Toronto gets an admirable first production in this year’s Next Stage festival. Tracking the events surrounding the plainclothes-police shooting of a wrong-kid-trying-to-make-right, the five-member cast tackle a number of ethnic backgrounds and gang-related posturing through a series of characters whom they slip in and out of with effective ease.

But whether the characters border on stereotype (see: the redneck cop or the Arabic economics student) seems beside the point as any superficial traits or immature relationships are essential to the adolescent intensity that fuels the play’s rapid-fire delivery. The ensemble is equally effective, even more so than any individual performance, and the minimal props and clever lighting (minus a groan-worthy heavenly ascent) keep things interesting throughout. Unfortunately, the intensity wanes when things turn introspective and brooding for the third act, where silences are awkward instead of insightful and the ending trails off into melodramatic obscurity. However, The Corner is still a worthwhile glimpse into mindset of youthful arrogance that maintains just enough tension, both racial and dramatic.

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