In our ongoing exploration of 2013 as The Year of Taking More Risks, Having More Fun, and Expanding Cultural Horizons, why not spend a Sunday afternoon at the historic Spencer Mansion, home of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), listening to the cool tunes of some of the city's most renowned jazz artists. Founded in 2010 as a collaboration of the UJAM (Universal Jazz Advocates and Mentors) Society and the AGGV, Jazz at the … [Read more...]
Internationally-Awarded Slam Poet Buddy Wakefield Returns to Victoria March 18th 2013
January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
My introduction to slam poetry, Tongues of Fire, the Victoria Slam Team and many other local poets was at a Buddy Wakefield event in January 2011. Photo: Inti St Clair Arriving close to start time, to a packed Solstice Café, I was ushered to one of the only seats left, a comfy arm chair at the very front of the room. As one of the oldest people there, I felt very cossetted and definitely unworthy of that special attention. After the open mic … [Read more...]
Finding The Poem in Your Heart’s Garden with Wendy Morton at RRU February 9th 2013
January 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I have declared 2013 to be The Year of Taking More Risks, Having More Fun, and Expanding Cultural Horizons, and will be exploring this theme on my blog. I can’t think of a better way to do all three than to attend Finding The Poem in Your Heart’s Garden with Wendy Morton at Royal Roads University, Saturday February 9th. Wendy is my poetry mentor, the woman who re-ignited my passion for the form, both written and spoken. … [Read more...]
An Interview with Kirsten Van Ritzen, multi-talented performer
January 15, 2013 By 2 Comments
It seems that everywhere you turn lately you’ll see or hear Kirsten Van Ritzen. This popular Victoria-based actor, comedienne, writer and television producer has an incredibly busy schedule for the months of January and February; playing the mother in Polly Stenham’s hard-hitting, award-winning drama, That Face, at Langham Court Theatre while simultaneously launching a third season of the live-improvised serial, Sin City: Bedlam-by-Sea, and … [Read more...]
A Winter of Theatre in Victoria BC – Jan/Feb 2013
January 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Theatre companies in Victoria are launching 2013 with a number of dark plays (some of them dark comedies) deemed “suitable for mature audiences”, as well as ground-breaking trans-media and immersive experiences at the new Winterlab Festival. Families will be happy to hear of a new Family Theatre Festival, and lovers of multi-cultural story telling will want to check out WorldPlay (re-scheduled to March 7-10th) Sin City returns for a third … [Read more...]
Top Posts of 2012
January 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I've never posted a "top posts" recap before and thought it might be interesting to see what resonated with my blog audience this past year. I write a lot about the arts but my post on outdoor movies was in the top three, while my post on art shows and tours handily eclipsed all the theatre seasonal posts and reviews. What would YOU like to see more of on the blog? A Spring to Fall 2012: Art Shows and Studio Tours in Victoria BC Movies … [Read more...]
Theatre Recap for 2012
January 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Following on Lois Watson's lead, (Lois is a stage manager based in Vancouver who I originally met online), here is my theatre recap for 2012. I saw 105 productions (a far cry from Lois' 174): 67 during the regular season, and 38 at the Victoria Fringe Festival. I've listed them in chronological order. There were 72 theatre related posts on this blog, including 28 reviews, 3 interviews, 5 seasonal posts and over 20 previews. I'd like to … [Read more...]
Theatre for the holidays in Victoria BC, December 2012
December 21, 2012 By 2 Comments
There's nothing quite like the theatre to whisk you away, and what better way to celebrate the holiday season than with tickets to an awesome show and time with family and friends. The theatrical offerings this year from December 21st to year end are varied, ranging from the traditional (A Christmas Carol and St Luke's Christmas pantomine), to variety/vaudeville (Derwin Blanshard and Atomic Vaudeville) , dance (Pandora's Box), and even more … [Read more...]
“A Place To Listen” concert December 19, 2012
December 18, 2012 By 3 Comments
I love how life works. One of my goals has been to expand my cultural horizons, and push the boundaries of what I would normally watch, attend or listen to. In November, during the Cage 100 celebrations and series, I had the opportunity to meet a number of young composers, among them Chrisopher Reiche of Open Space, and Daniel Brandes, founder of the "A Place To Listen" concert series. Just as in later work by Cage, Brandes is interested in … [Read more...]
Kafka the Musical by Murray Gold at Theatre Inconnu. A review.
November 30, 2012 By 1 Comment
Kafka the Musical is a mad-cap, whirlwind, absurdist descent, into the delirious mind of one of the early 20th century’s most influential writers and thinkers, Franz Kafka. It was originally written in 2011 as a BBC radio play by Murray Gold, playwright, and compose for the BBC's Dr. Who series. David Tennant, as Kafka, was named Best Actor at the inaugural BBC Audio Drama Awards in January 2012. Composer Murray Gold By unique and happy … [Read more...]
