Paper Street Theatre Improv Festival April 12-16, 2016. Celebrating 5 years as a company. I was first introduced to the improvisation techniques of Dave Morris in 2009 with his hit Victoria Fringe show—Dave Morris is an Asshole (definitely a catchy and fringy title). In 2011 he founded Paper Street Theatre with the express desire to develop a literary-based long-form style, and attracted some of the city’s finest improvisers to his … [Read more...]
Paper Street Theatre Improv Festival April 12-16, 2016. Celebrating 5 years as a company.
April 8, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The Charming of the Shrew by Launch Pad Theatre Co March 31-April 9 2016 at Craigdarroch Castle
April 4, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The Charming of the Shrew by Launch Pad Theatre Co March 31-April 9 2016 at Craigdarroch Castle. In the elegant surroundings of a beautiful mansion, a group of cultured ladies and gentlemen bid you welcome as they proceed to desport themselves for your enjoyment. David Radford and Christina Patterson of Launch Pad Theatre Co. present a vigorous modern version of Shakespeare’s classic, now re-named, The Charming of the Shrew. As a conceit, … [Read more...]
Catalyst by Island Circus Space April 2 & 3 2016 in Victoria BC
April 1, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Catalyst by Island Circus Space April 2 & 3 2016 in Victoria BC. Jake West of Island Circus Space is a man with a mission and a vision—to bring a professional-level circus school and performing community to Victoria BC. Since arriving in Victoria, he’s gathered a group of high-level circus performers, among them graduates of l’École Nationale de Cirque and former Cirque de Soleil members, with the express goal of creating this … [Read more...]
Ten Theatre Festivals for 2016 in Victoria BC.
March 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Ten Theatre Festivals for 2016 in Victoria BC Victoria is a city of theatre with over 50 companies (both large and small, new and established, traditional and emerging) regularly producing work. This is the year the Belfry Theatre celebrates its 40th season, Paper Street Theatre celebrates its fifth and the Victoria Fringe Festival turns 30! As I began to catalogue the many events audiences can look forward to in 2016, I came to the … [Read more...]
21 Ways to Make the World Last Longer. Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review.
March 24, 2016 By Leave a Comment
21 Ways to Make the World Last Longer. Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review. Exquisite enchantment and home-spun wisdom couple in 21 Ways to Make the World Last Longer—currently celebrating its world premiere at the Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival (March 22-26, 2016). In a series of short vignettes, the personages in Cathy Stubington (Runaway Moon Theatre) and James Tait’s original work come to life with alacrity. Craftsmanship is … [Read more...]
The Gay Heritage Project at Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review.
March 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The Gay Heritage Project at Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review. Begin with what you know—or, in the case of Damian Atkins, Paul Dunn and Andrew Kushnir, the uber-creative team responsible for The Gay Heritage Project (currently at the Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival March 22-26, 2016)—what you do not know. In an entertaining, challenging, and at-times-breezy compendium that simultaneously dives deep into intimate details and sweeps the … [Read more...]
Promotions 101 for Fringe Artists
March 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment
This article was originally written for the online Charlebois Post in April 2013. Since this publication ceased operations in January 2015, I asked for permission to re-publish it here. Promotions 101 for Fringe Artists In an ever-evolving media landscape, the prospect of promoting a show on the Fringe circuit, whether in a single city, or across the country, may seem daunting. It needn’t be. From my perspective, as theatre-goer, active … [Read more...]
The Gin Game at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre March 15-27, 2016. A review.
March 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment
The Gin Game at Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre March 15-27, 2016. A review. The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn currently onstage at Blue Bridge Theatre at the Roxy (March 15-27, 2016) is an apt illustration of the aphorism “how you do one thing is how you do everything”. Weller Martin (Scott Hylands) has a penchant for gin rummy—alone on the porch of a down-at-the-heels nursing home (design—Laurin Kelsey), he attempts to win over the new arrival, … [Read more...]
Huff by Cliff Cardinal at Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review.
March 17, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Huff by Cliff Cardinal at Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review. Huff by Cliff Cardinal balances on the razor’s edge of light and dark, humour and despair, myth and reality. It’s one thing to know the sobering statistics, and another to enter, albeit briefly, the tortured and tormented lives of young isolated First Nations kids involved in solvent abuse. Cliff Cardinal in Huff. Photo: AKIPARI Sparing no grim detail, Cardinal, in a … [Read more...]
Iceland by Nicholas Billon at Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review.
March 16, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Iceland by Nicholas Billon at Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival 2016. A review. Intense focus and crystalline dialogue propel the economic thriller Iceland, by Governor-General-award-winner Nicolas Billon (WhyNot Theatre), currently onstage at the Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival (March 15-19, 2016). Discordant strings (sound designer Richard Feren) thrum and whine—setting an uneasy feeling even before the action begins. Set design (Joanna Yu) is … [Read more...]
