When sitting beside audio artists Eleanor King and Stephen Kelly, the surrounding sounds in the room become more noticeable. Almost on cue, as King is talking about how she instinctively connects sound to personal memories, someone drops a dish on the cafe counter, its tinny boom resonating across the floor. “See,” she says, pointing to […]
Arts + Music
Live theatre, art exhibits, comedy, literary, spoken word – The Coast guide to Halifax and Dartmouth, NS . The downtown, local arts scene – plays, writers, actors, artists and performers. Painting, sculpture, photography, stand-up, stage.
Posted inArts + Music
Fletcher won
Jon-Rae, minus the River, will flood Gus’ Pub with his elated gospel-country tunes on January 12. “There are so many references to rivers and water in my old songs,” says Jon-Rae Fletcher over the phone from Toronto. “Whether it’s crossing over the river or going into the river. To me it’s about abandonment; letting the […]
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Proper conduct
It is, to use Dinuk Wijeratne’s word for it, serendipitous that he is here in Halifax, of all places. Wijeratne and his mother, Vino, a well-known ballet teacher in Dubai, wanted to be residents of Canada. Why Canada? Because Vino’s best friend lives here. In Toronto? No. In Vancouver? No. In Clayton Park. So Wijeratne […]
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The Producers
The new screen version of The Producers doesn’t establish itself as a distinguished entity from the 1968 film. But it doesn’t disgrace the original either. The success of The Producers on Broadway made the film cash-in inevitable. Unlike when Little Shop of Horrors took the same path, the result of a movie inspiring a stage […]
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Letters to the editor
Comments on all aspects of the paper’s performance and city life.
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ANABLOG
The craziest statistic we read this time last year was over 1,000 magazines launched in 2004. Most of them didn’t make it, of course. But we’re still here, a year and change later, and it’s been quite a freakin’ year. Like every other overpaid columnist in every publication in the world, we will now offer […]
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2005’s Emergency exit
If you ask Joel Plaskett the best way to ring in the New Year, you’ll likely get the answer an increasing number of people are saying themselves. Plaskett and the Emergency’s New Year’s Eve bashes have become tradition and the 2005/06 edition is his most ambitious yet. “Dave Marsh, Ian McGettigan, Joel Plaskett and Welsh […]
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Snow day
Peninsular Halifax is catching up with the Joneses. For years, Haligonians on the peninsula and in parts of Spryfield and Armdale have been hacking away at their sidewalks with shovels and picks, while their Dartmouth and Bedford neighbours wait cozily inside for city staff or contractors to come clear the way for pedestrians. But that […]
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Spaced out
At a Christmas party held earlier in December, hosted by the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia, artist Jim MacSwain smiles and mingles with peers and friends. It’s a sharp contrast to his demeanour back in October, when he joined fellow artist Suzanne Swannie at her home to talk about the loss of their studios last […]
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The local playlist
Jam band of the year After months of speculation, our fair city—once dubbed The Next Seattle—got a taste of the old guard as west coast grunge gods Pearl Jam rolled into Halifax on September 22. While “cross-country tours” often end in Montreal, this month-long trek actually earned the title, visiting 15 major cities between Vancouver […]
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Fun with Dick and Jane
Jim Carrey, as everyman slob Dick, stands on top of a table in a high-class bar, ranting wildly about how the patrons (corporate employees) are just puppets. His wife Jane (Tea Leoni) tells off the bartender for serving her husband so many drinks to allow him to make such an animated fool of himself. The […]
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Art and soul
At the end of the year, most of us aren’t think-ing about anything more intellectual than peeling the foil off the last chocolate ball. In other words, the state of the city’s art scene is probably not your biggest worry. But it deserves some thought. In the city’s excitement over its bid for the Commonwealth […]