I trace my love of print making to a Pablo Picasso retrospective in Hamburg circa 1974. With a couple of hours wait before the ferry left for Denmark, this art opening caught my eye. It was a very humbling experience for a young woman from Ucluelet (which at the time had no art galleries or shops) to have the opportunity to view, in person, works that covered his artistic career from start to finish. Prints afforded me the possibility of … [Read more...]
Opening Night: Sin City A Live Improvised Soap Opera – Season TWO: Carnies
November 1, 2011 By 9 Comments
Well the joint was hopping last Tuesday night at the Victoria Event Centre (VEC) as the good citizens of Victoria came out in full force for opening night of the very popular Sin City A Live Improvised Soap Opera - Season TWO: Carnies. The actors in Sin City are well known to local audiences, having performed with Atomic Vaudeville, Giggling Iguana, Launch Pad, and other companies on stages all around town. Season cast members include: Wes … [Read more...]
Cariboo Buckaroo by Theatre SKAM Rides Again!
October 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
European explorers arrived in what is now British Columbia in the last quarter of the 1700s. The period from then to now is relatively short and yet, I am woefully uneducated when it comes to the events that have helped shaped the province. Living on Vancouver Island with an island-centric mentality has not helped. For instance, I knew nothing of the Chilcotin War and the Gold Rush (beyond how it related to Victoria). Well, now rides … [Read more...]
The Fall of the House of Usher – Craigdarroch Castle. A review.
October 21, 2011 By 2 Comments
I love site specific theatre. For me, going to a play is visceral - the sights (costumes, sets, décor) sounds, and sometimes smells (gunpowder) combining to create an emotional experience. Adding the ability to live within the décor only serves to heighten this feeling. Giggling Iguana and director Ian Case have been creating site specific work in Victoria since 2001 at Craigdarroch Castle, beginning with Ian's adaptation of The Fall of the … [Read more...]
Gormenghast – William Head on Stage
October 18, 2011 By 2 Comments
What a magnificent choice to celebrate WHoS (William Head on Stage) 30th year and 50th production, in this, the centenary year of Gormenghast's author Mervyn Peake. This tale - part morality play, part fantasy - recounts the history of a kingdom where rule and ritual reign and the mantra "No Change!" is well respected. It's production in a federal minimum security institution carries a certain level of double-entendre. … [Read more...]
Victoria Conservatory of Music Presents! Concert Series Premiere Season
October 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Founded in 1964, the Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM) has trained generations of musicians. They slowly outgrew several locations - the Union Hall near Centennial Square, Craigdarroch Castle, the annex of St Ann's Academy. In 1997, with over 1000 students, they purchased the Metropolitan United Church at the corner of Quadra and Pandora, moving into the space in 1999. The magnificent 800 seat Alix Goolden Hall is a much desired … [Read more...]
Moscow Stations by Theatre Inconnu, Fundraiser Performances
October 14, 2011 By 2 Comments
Theatre Inconnu is Victoria's longest surviving alternative theatre company, established in 1978 by Katya Kern-Aho and Clayton Jevne. I've been a fan since 2005 when they produced The Ecstasy of Rita Joe in the round using masks. The play was almost 40 years old but this hard-hitting treatment made is as relevant to today's audience as it was in 1967. Why had it taken me so long to appreciate their offerings? During the 1980s and 1990s I was … [Read more...]
Fundraiser for Actor, Chris Mackie, injured in pedestrian-bus accident
October 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I was first introduced to Chris Mackie in 2008 when he performed in Martin McDonagh's harrowing tale The Pillowman at Theatre Inconnu. He was so menacing as the cop Ariel that I was terrified, and queasy. … [Read more...]
A Fall of Theatre in Victoria BC
October 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Now that the heady days of summer are over, and we've fringed until we can't any more, what's a theatre-goer to do during the fall theatre season? There are plenty of options between now and the winter (Christmas) holiday. Many people are familiar with The Belfry Theatre, the Phoenix Theatre and Langham Court but what about Theatre Inconnu, Giggling Iguana, WHOS (William Head on Stage), Sin City, Paper Street Theatre, Island Repertory … [Read more...]
And Slowly Beauty – Belfry Theatre and NAC co-production
September 26, 2011 By 2 Comments
A play about a man who goes to the theatre to see The Three Sisters by Chekov, and is changed. Does this sound boring, a play about a play? Well – it’s not. As a matter of fact, And Slowly Beauty, by Michel Nadeau, is just that – a slow moving heartfelt meditation on the beauty of life that surrounds us, minute by minute, often – ignored- and of the transformative power of the arts. … [Read more...]
