Music community unites in support of the Roxy
In Edmonton, all art scenes come to meet in the middle. Last night that middle ground was the Artery as musicians joined together in support of the Roxy. The eclectic crew that crowded the Artery proved that The Roxy was not just for thespians. When the last of the building came down, the music scene […]
THEATRE: Director takes risks in Northern Light opener
“Steampunk” is a forbidden word in the presence of local theatre director Trevor Schmidt – he calls it the “S-word” – but when you’re presenting a play set in the late 1800s that may involve a time machine, even a dedicated contrarian can’t avoid it. Bitches & Money 1878, a tale dealing with Victorian criminals […]
SOAP-A-THON: Inside the Improvisers Studio
When Die-Nasty workshop leader Patti Stiles asked if there was anybody who had never improvised, I was the only one who raised my hand. Everyone else applauded! Some 30 actors, many of them professional, gathered on the Varscona Theatre stage Tuesday night for the first of two preparatory “workshops” leading into this weekend’s 21st annual […]
New Brad Fraser play too fast for its own good
Kill Me Now is a title that speaks to a desire for death in the face of pain and misery. Add an ironic twist and playwright Brad Fraser’s trademark raucous humour and you might have a hit on your hands. With his new play, running through Sept. 22 at La Cite Francophone, he boldly makes […]
THEATRE: Actor pretends to be a bastard in Private Lives
When I was very young, I wanted to be a fire truck. So, naturally, I pretended to be one. I didn’t realize it then, but I was acting. Acting is a solitary exercise. There are other actors on stage with you, and an audience watching, of course, but you’re on your own – pretending. Noel […]
On thin ice: play looks at global warming
One of the most disturbing things about global warming is hearing people’s reactions on how it’s going to affect their “lifestyle.” Another example comes in a play called “6.0: How Heap and Pebble Took on the World and Won” – a funny yet poignant tale of champion figure skaters trying to stage a comeback in […]
A FEW GOOD MEN: The movie?! You can’t handle the movie!
“You want the truth?! You can’t handle the truth!” Imagine having that damned line of dialogue hanging over your head when you’re trying to do a serious stage version of “A Few Good Men.” Hell of a distraction. The line – uttered by the crusty Colonel Nathan R. Jessep in the famous courtroom blowout in […]
Funny business afoot as Rapid Fire Theatre moves to the Citadel
The old idea that the Citadel Theatre is the Edmonton version of Broadway, this ivory tower that’s both artistically and financially above all other local theatre companies is about to get turned on its head. Rapid Fire Theatre is moving in. These guys are loud, known to cuss, usually hilarious, and they don’t even know […]
MEET THE FRINGE CRITICS: Opinion and perspective needed
The army of Fringe theatre critics – more than 65 in all – have by now seen and reviewed just about all of the 215 plays at Village of the Fringed. Each review comes with a star rating to aid the bewildered theatrical consumer in making the difficult choice of what to see on the […]
FRINGE HOLDOVERS: The people, and the critics, have spoken
Want to see that great Fringe play that got five stars in all the papers, but found it’s all SOLD OUT? They hate it when that happens – which is why we have the annual Fringe Holdovers, the Fringe After the Fringe, starting next week at the Westbury Theatre (Venue 1, Arts Barns) and at […]
