Spring is a busy time traditionally in Victoria BC theatre, and 2013 is no exception. The period March to May is book-ended by festivals - the Belfry Theatre's Spark Festival in March, and Intrepid Theatre's UNO Fest at the end of May - and includes theatre for all tastes, with three (Let's Make an Opera/the Little Sweep, the 39 Steps and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown) that would be appropriate for young audiences (without being children's … [Read more...]
Saltwater Inc presents: Side by Side by Sondheim – February 28 – March 3rd, 2013
February 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
One of my highlights of the 2010 Victoria Fringe Festival was seeing Saltwater Inc's production of Kurt Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel. Joanna Hounsell had only recently formed Saltwater, and this was an ambitious project, complete with projections and choreography. Now, she brings the music of one of musical theatre's most-awarded composers and lyricists, Stephen Sondheim, to the stage with Side by Side by Sondheim. This revue features songs from … [Read more...]
In the Next Room at Theatre Inconnu – a review
February 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Ah, those Victorians – they certainly get a bum rap as stuffy, given their adventurous natures. One wonders if our descendants will laugh as much at our sexual antics as we do at theirs in “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play” currently at Theatre Inconnu. A doctor (Julian Cervello) invents an electrical device to treat hysteria in women (and sometimes, men). Misconceptions about sex, desire and orgasm abound in this rollicking and rapid … [Read more...]
Helen’s Necklace at the Belfry Theatre – a review
February 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
What woman has not, on losing a treasured object, turned house and home upside-down, searching until it is found, remaining inconsolable if it is not? Helen, in Carol Frechette’s miniature parable Helen’s Necklace, (Belfry Theatre) echoes the common response in an uncharacteristic way. … [Read more...]
Reasons To Be Pretty at UVic Phoenix Theatre – a review
February 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The language is as blue as the collars of the four young working class protagonists in Neil La Bute’s Reasons To Be Pretty but it is not gratuitous. Filled with all the passions and dreams of these twenty-somethings on the cusp of adult-hood, this naturalistic, sprawling juggernaut of a tale moves rapidly from scene to scene, underscored by the throbbing music of “the Boss” himself – Bruce Springsteen. Reasons To Be Pretty premiered in 2008, … [Read more...]
Wired Arts Festival, the first online performing arts festival
February 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment
We’re at a pivotal moment in the future of the performing arts, world-wide. New technologies and social media give us the ability to connect, as performers and audiences, in un-paralleled fashion. Kathryn Jones and the team at Virtual Arts TV hope to capitalize on this interest as they present the first online performing arts festival Wired Arts Festival, February 19th – March 2nd, 2013. I first met Kathryn on Twitter, and became very … [Read more...]
The Third Annual Victoria Spoken Word Festival – “Objects in Space”
February 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment
More than anything else, social media has given me connections to people; people locally in Victoria like Missie Peters - communications professional, spoken word artist, performer and founder of the Victoria Spoken Word Festival. Peters was already an established slam poet, two-time winner of the Victoria Slam, when she had the germ of an idea. She'd toured to other cities with spoken word festivals, but noticed a need for a festival that would … [Read more...]
Stratford Director returns to Victoria to direct “The Grapes of Wrath”
February 14, 2013 By 1 Comment
Join Year II students of the Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) as they present The Grapes of Wrath, directed by former Stratford actor and associate director Darcy Evans. I've been a dedicated supporter of CCPA since my second son attended and graduated. He's now living in Toronto, and busy with his artistic career. It's important to me to give back to an educational institution that provides training in the arts. College graduates … [Read more...]
Diversion 2 Cabaret – February 13th, a fundraiser for the Victoria Event Centre
February 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Since January 2013, a new cabaret has appeared on the busy performance calendar at the Victoria Event Centre (VEC) - Diversion is scheduled for the second Wednesday of the month, and is a fundraiser for the Victoria Multicultural Society who runs the VEC. Funds raised will help with improvements for this very busy venue. This month's cabaret features performing artists I'm familiar with (Missie Peters, performance poet; Ryan Bangra, comedian; … [Read more...]
Hello Baby! launches Theatre SKAM’s 2013 season
February 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Theatre SKAM recently celebrated 18 years of producing alternative theatre in Victoria, and for the first time, they've announced a complete season. Founded in 1995 by 4 UVic grads (Sarah Donald, Karen Turner , Amiel Gladstone and current Artistic Producer Matthew Payne) – hence SKAM, they are well known for their site specific work in alleys, parks, cars and loading docks. More history here. I'd seen a handful of productions over the year's … [Read more...]
