Antigone by William Head on Stage WHoS October 6-November 4, 2017. A review. In their 36th year, for their 57th production, the actors of William Head on Stage (WHoS), the only remaining prison theatre company operating in Canada, return to a text after several years of devising original work (Sleeping Giants-2016, Here: A Captive Odyssey-2015, Time Waits for No One-2014, Fractured Fables-2013). And, what a challenging text it is—Antigone … [Read more...]
Antigone by William Head on Stage WHoS October 6-November 4, 2017. A review.
October 11, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Antigone by William Head on Stage October 6-November 4, 2017. An interview.
September 27, 2017 By 2 Comments
Antigone by William Head on Stage October 6-November 4, 2017. An interview. Since 1981, the inmates of William Head Institution in Metchosin have mounted theatrical presentations open to the public. Antigone is their 57th. William Head on Stage (WHoS) is now the only inmate-run theatre company in Canada. VW, the current managing director of William Head on Stage, answered a series of questions about their sci-fi remount of the ancient … [Read more...]
Sleeping Giants by William Head on Stage WHoS October 7-November 5 2016. A review.
October 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Sleeping Giants by William Head on Stage WHoS October 7-November 5 2016. A review. Sleeping Giants currently playing at William Head on Stage (in collaboration with SNAFU) is SNAFU’s founder Ingrid Hansen first introduced devised theatre to the men at William Head in 2010—the result was CHALK, a silent movement-based piece. In the intervening years, they have gone on to imagine Fractured Fables (a series of fairy tales based on inmates' … [Read more...]
ArtSmarts Monday Magazine October 2016
October 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment
ArtSmarts Monday Magazine October 2016. Spooky theatre among October events. This content was first published in the October 2016 print edition of Monday Magazine and I have been given permission to re-publish it online. For theatre enthusiast in Victoria, October represents one of the year’s busiest months with chances to experience shows in every genre in a wide variety of venues—including a scene shop and a federal institution. Whether … [Read more...]
A Fall of Theatre 2016 in Victoria BC
September 15, 2016 By Leave a Comment
A Fall of Theatre 2016 in Victoria BC Fall, with its abundance of theatre performances, is once again here--I count an astonishing forty performances in the period September-December 2016 (and am sure there will be more announced! This article will be updated regularly as I become aware of them.) The Belfry Theatre celebrates a 41st season that is "Contemporary.Canadian." with an emphasis on plays by women, about women, directed by … [Read more...]
HERE: A Captive Odyssey by William Head on Stage WHoS October 9-November 7, 2015. A review.
October 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment
HERE: A Captive Odyssey by William Head on Stage WHoS October 9-November 7, 2015. A review. HERE: A Captive Odyssey created by William Head on Stage Prison Theatre (WHoS) and The Prison Arts Collective is an ambitious project and striking reminder of the fleeting nature of our brief human lives. Taking as inspiration the very land itself and working from source material from the Royal BC Museum archives , and William Head’s library as well as … [Read more...]
Time Waits For No One at William Head On Stage (WHoS). A review.
October 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Time Waits For No One at William Head On Stage (WHoS). A review. October 10-November 8, 2014. Filled with a sense of magical realism and wonder, Time Waits for No One (A Prison Play), currently at William Head Onstage (WHoS) October 10 to November 8, 2014—a joint production of the Prison Arts Collective and the inmates at this federal institution—brims with equal measures of fantasy and the hard-won lessons of life. From the moment the … [Read more...]
Fractured Fables: The Prison Puppet Project – a review
October 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Words like “labour of love” and “massive undertaking” are often over-used. In the case of Fractured Fables: The Prison Puppet Project currently playing at William Head Onstage (WHoS) they accurately describe not only the creation process but also the end result. Founded in 1981, William Head on Stage is the only inmate-initiated, inmate-run theatre program inside a Canadian federal prison which opens it’s gates to a public audience. Over the … [Read more...]
Theatrical Treats for Halloween in Victoria BC
October 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Since time immemorial people have gathered together at this turn in the seasons, as night falls earlier and earlier, and conversation around campfires, hearths and living rooms has turned to spooky and scary tales. Victoria theatre companies have seized upon this desire for the frightful, and propose a panoply of plays for your viewing pleasure. In addition, the ever popular Ghost Bus Tours narrated by local historian John Adams, a fundraiser … [Read more...]
The Hobbit at William Head on Stage (WHoS) – a review.
October 19, 2012 By 1 Comment
It’s a fair journey through the country roads of Metchosin for William Head on Stage’s production of The Hobbit, but definitely not as epic as the one travelled by the intrepid band of thespians interpreting Tolkein’s classic for our viewing pleasure. Now in its 31st year (The Hobbit is their 51st), WHoS started as a final exam for prisoners taking the University of Victoria’s drama course, and is the only inmate-initiated, inmate-run theatre … [Read more...]
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