Skip To Main Content
Joshua Chong on Muck Rack

Joshua Chong

Verified
(He/Him)
Toronto
As seen in: The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, blogTO, Northeastern Global News, Waterloo Region Record, Winnipeg Free Press, The Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, ON), Toronto.com, Brampton Guardian, GuelphMercury.com, The Peterborough Examiner and
Covers:  Investigative journalism, theatre criticism, opinion writing, education reporting, feature writing
Senior Arts Critic @TorontoStar • tips and pitches: jchong@thestar.ca

Get in touch with Joshua

Contact Joshua, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack

Actions

Share this page

Joshua Chong’s Biography

Read Full Bio →

Joshua Chong is a journalist and performing arts critic based in Toronto. He is currently a staff reporter at the Toronto Star. He joined the newspaper in September 2021 as a breaking news reporter working out of the radio room. He is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto studying English and Drama. Previously, he was an associate features editor at The Varsity, the University of Toronto’s student newspaper. There, he covered beats such as student governance and the CO…

Joshua Chong’s Journalist Portfolio

See all →
PANDALAND lightens the atmosphere in Seaton Village (Aug. 2021)

PANDALAND lightens the atmosphere in Seaton Village (Aug. 2021)

It started with seven wicker baskets, seven plastic pandas, and a piece of string. In early June, Seaton Vill…

View article →
ARTS: Space, the local frontier (Aug. 2021)

ARTS: Space, the local frontier (Aug. 2021)

Locally-made film Sound of Space lifted off at Toronto Fringe Festival The premiere of Tyler Morgan's Sound o…

View article →
NEWS: Lamon steered Tafelmusik to international acclaim

NEWS: Lamon steered Tafelmusik to international acclaim

Director remembered for leadership, dedication to education By Joshua Chong Jeanne Lamon was a titan and trai…

View article →
CHATTER: Patio pioneer passes

CHATTER: Patio pioneer passes

When Rocco Mastrangelo Sr. and his younger brother Paul established Café Diplomatico in 1968 under its origin…

View article →
NEWS: Limited-edition brew named through a community contest

NEWS: Limited-edition brew named through a community contest

"Pitstop," developed by the Henderson Brewing Company, will soon be Christie Pits Park's official beer. Chris…

View article →
Making music no matter what - songwriter Britta Johnson

Making music no matter what - songwriter Britta Johnson

Before the pandemic, Canadian musical theatre composer, lyricist and writer Britta Johnson was on a roll. Hot…

View article →

Articles

Join Joshua Chong for an exclusive ‘Pre-Existing Condition’ experience

|
By Ceri Marsh Verified, Joshua Chong Verified
| The Toronto Star Verified
The Coal Mine Theatre’s Canadian premiere of ”Pre-Existing Condition” is the next installment of the Star’s Theatre Club. Written by acclaimed actor Marin Ireland, the play looks at the challenging aftermath of intimate-partner violence. Ireland emphasizes its pervasive nature by naming her characters A, B, C and D. Before the play, Theatre Club members will receive an email from senior arts critic Joshua Chong, sharing information about the script and what he’ll be watching for in the production.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

We need to stop asking if a play is ‘good or bad.’ Here’s how I’m trying to change that

|
By Joshua Chong Verified
| The Toronto Star Verified
There’s something almost unnatural about traditional theatre criticism. The performing arts are inherently ephemeral, and no two performances of any given show are exactly the same. Each is informed by the choices of the actors and the audience members present. When a show closes, its curtain drawn for the final time, all that’s left is the memory of it. Yet, by putting ink to paper, theatre criticism tries to lend permanence to something inherently impermanent.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Shaw Festival comes to Toronto with a new residency at Harbourfront Centre. These are the shows you can expect to see

|
By Joshua Chong Verified
| The Toronto Star Verified
A pair of Shaw Festival productions will cross Lake Ontario later this year as the repertory theatre prepares to launch a new residency at Harbourfront Centre, marking the Niagara-based company’s first foray into the Toronto scene in nearly three decades. “Sleuth,” a cat-and-mouse psychological thriller by Anthony Shaffer, will kick off the residency with a two-week run from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?
See all 3,279 licensed articles (3,280 Total)

Interview

See all →

What was your first job as a journalist?

Staff writer for my high school paper.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes, surprisingly. My grandmother had one in her office and I'd play with it every time she brought me to work.

How is social media changing news?

News on social media is less insightful.

Awards

See all →

John H. McDonald Award for Excellence in Student Journalism

2021 - Investigative Reporting

Recognized alongside Hana Sharifi for our three-part investigation published in The Varsity on Trinity College's institutional reckoning following allegations of anti-Black racism at the college.

View Award

Toronto Star High School Journalism Award

2019 - Best Newspaper — Over 15 Staff

Recognized alongside my Co-Editor-in-Chief Hana Sharifi, and the rest of the editors and staff at Graffiti, for volume 37 of the publication.

View Award

Toronto Star High School Newspaper Award

2016 - Feature Writing – Long

Recognized alongside Hana Sharifi for our investigation published in Graffiti on how parents buy fake addresses in order to ensure that their children can attend prestigious high schools outside their catchment area.

View Award

Toronto Star High School Journalism Award

2019 - Critical Writing – Runner-Up

Recognized for my review of 'Crazy Rich Asians' that was published in Graffiti.

View Award

Toronto Star High School Journalism Award

2019 - Reporting

Recognized for my news article published in Graffiti on delays to North Toronto C.I.'s new water bottle refill station.

View Award

Toronto Star High School Journalism Award

2017 - Reporting

Recognized alongside Meagan Leider for our news article in Graffiti on the TDSB's Indigenous land acknowledgement and other initiatives in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation report.

View Award

Toronto Star High School Journalism Award

2019 - Layout & Design – Page

Recognized alongside Hana Sharifi for Graffiti's front page design covering the sexual assault incidents at St. Michael's College School.

View Award

Youth Journalism International Award

2021 - Reviews, Film and Theatre

Recognized for my review of Hamilton, published in Graffiti, and my review of the National Ballet of Canada's 2020 triple bill Angels Atlas with Chroma & Marguerite and Armand, published by The Dance Current.

View Award

Youth Journalism International Award

2021 - Reviews, Music

Recognized for my album review of Clara - Robert - Johannes: Darlings of the Muses, published in The Whole Note.

View Award