The first impression of Blue Bridge Theatre’s Uncle Vanya (June 4-16, 2013 at the McPherson Playhouse) is one of elegance. Designer Nathan Brown’s simple, effective and stylized panels hang like draperies in bygone châteaux or large Norman cathedrals. The décor relies heavily on lighting (Giles Hogya) and sound (John Mills-Cockell) to create the ambience of the piece – there is a certain sense of the elegiac, of portent and fore-shadowing, and … [Read more...]
A Summer of Theatre in Victoria BC 2013.
June 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Summer is off to a bang in local theatre. No sooner did May wind up with Intrepid Theatre’s 16th annual UNO Fest, the inaugural Little Fernwood UFO (UNO offsite) and the first show in new company Epiphany Productions schedule (Godspell), than summer announces an incredible line-up of regular season offerings and unexpected surprises. Local actors Andrew Bailey (the Adversary), Izad Etamadi (Borderland), Mike Delamont (God is a Scottish Drag … [Read more...]
Epiphany Productions presents Godspell! May 30 – June 2, 2013
May 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Epiphany Productions presents a family-friendly version of the hit 1970s musical Godspell May 30 – June 2, 2013 at St Matthias Church. This brand-new theatre company was created by Noelle Antonsen and Joseph Goble, two young performers in their very early 20s who graduated from Victoria’s Canadian College of Performing Arts third year diploma program in late 2012, with the goal to “celebrate faith through theatre, create jobs for emerging … [Read more...]
Sin City: Live Improvised Serial. Season Three- Bedlam-by-Sea. Season Finale.
May 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
It’s time to bid a very sad farewell to the denizens of Bedlam-by-Sea as the third season of Sin City the Live Improvised Serial wraps up tonight (May 28th) at the Victoria Event Centre. Season Three was originally planned to start in the fall of 2012, but busy acting schedules meant the season was advanced to January, for a total of 21 episodes playing to full houses. It’s “FawltyTowers meets Coronation Street, with a dash of Austin Powers, … [Read more...]
Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre presents the Chekhov classic Uncle Vanya June 4 – 16, 2013
May 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Anton Chekhov is one of the great 19th century playwrights – on par with Shaw, Ibsen and Strindberg - yet we seldom have an opportunity to see his plays in Victoria – the last production I can remember being “Three Sisters” adapted by Amiel Gladstone for Theatre SKAM in 2010. It’s no better in Vancouver where Three Sisters is being re-mounted for the first time since 1980. Thankfully, audiences can look forward to Blue Bridge Repertory … [Read more...]
Underbelly – Uno Fest 2013. A review.
May 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Jayson McDonald’s Underbelly, UNO Fest 2013, is a considerable achievement for this perennial Fringe favourite performer who came to the attention of Victoria Fringe audiences with the sleeper hit Giant Invisible Robot in 2007. In the intervening years his shows Boat Load, Fall Fair and Gunpowder have played to sold out audiences. His ability to craft and portray an entire cast of characters single-handedly is remarkable; the plasticity of … [Read more...]
Broken – UnoFest 2013. A review.
May 26, 2013 By 1 Comment
Have you ever misplaced your keys, forgotten the name of someone you’ve just been introduced to and found it difficult to count backwards by sevens from 75? All signs of cognitive impairment or early stage Alzheimer’s as Brian Fidler gently informs us in Broken, now playing at Uno Fest. Broken celebrates the relationship between 10 year old Will and his grandfather, an accomplished photographer who now lives in the family’s basement. Photo: … [Read more...]
Kaleidoscope Theatre presents War of the Eagles at Fort Rodd Hill, May 25/26 2013.
May 24, 2013 By 1 Comment
Fort Rodd Hill stands in for wartime Prince Rupert in Kaleidoscope Theatre's site-specific adaptation of Eric Walters multiple-award-winning children’s of the Eagles (now part of the BC school curriculum). Photo: Miles Lowry Canadian history is rife with shameful incidents of colonization and racism, yet how do you translate them to a younger audience in a way that will resonate with their experiences? War of the Eagles, despite some … [Read more...]
How to Disappear Completely – Uno Fest 2013. A review.
May 24, 2013 By 1 Comment
Lighting Designer Itai Erdal How to Disappear Completely has designed for opera, dance and the stage. In Victoria you’ve seen his work at the Belfry Theatre (The Life Inside, Billy Bishop Goes to War, Where the Blood Mixes) and Metro Studio (Three Sisters by Theatre SKAM). In 2011 he won the Victoria Critics Spotlight award for The Life Inside. By his own admission, he’s “not an actor”. He is, however one of the best lighting designers in the … [Read more...]
My Pregnant Brother, Uno Fest 2013 – a review
May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Joanna Nutter (My Pregnant Brother) uses a simple piece of chalk to lay down the lines of her Montréal plateau neighbourhood and immediately catapults the audience through time and place into her family’s life. With compact clarity, insight and humour this remarkable story teller moves us between east coast and west coast, gender, family and love, as she unravels the threads of her family’s story. Raised by a single hippy mother, her … [Read more...]
