Alana Yorke w/Brinleigh, Greg MacPherson, The Skydiggers Thursday, January 22 Bus Stop Theatre, 2203 Gottingen Street 8:30pm, $20 “I’ve been making music forever,” says Alana Yorke. And anyone who listens to Dream Magic—the local composer/singer/pianist’s latest—can hear the years of experience. “Ian [Bent, Yorke’s partner] is my co-producer and arranger for specifically orchestral instruments like […]
The Bus Stop Theatre
Best Comedy Night
Gold Winner Yuk Yuk’s Silver Winner Geeks vs Nerds, The Bus Stop Theatre Bronze Winner LaughterBurner, Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs Stand-up comedy is having a bit of a renaissance these days. Gone are smoky clubs with old touring veterans playing to middle-aged crowds. Comedy today has gotten more accessible and more energetic. Third-place […]
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is a brilliantly-structured comic re-imagining of Hamlet from the point of view of the two doomed minor characters. The brainy Guildenstern (Katie Dorian) and the simple Rosencrantz (Ira Henderson) exist in a kind of surreal, dreamlike state as Hamlet unfolds around them. The world makes little sense to […]
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 11
The 24th annual Atlantic Fringe Festival came to a close last night with a lively party and awards show at The Bus Stop Theatre. Hungry artists scarfed down pizza. Beverages were consumed. Buckets of cold ice water poured. (Hardworking Festival Chair Kevin Kindred rose to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge). Festival Director Thom Fitzgerald announced […]
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 10
So ho, by so ★★★★ This play took me by surprise. It’s a rich, layered theatre experience that delivers an emotional punch in only 15 minutes. So ho, by so takes the Jacobean comedy The Birth of Merlin as its starting point, but viewers don’t need to be familiar with either Arthurian legend or 17th […]
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 7
I have to confess. I’ve not only been binging on theatre, but on food and drink as well. Yes, much of the down time between shows has been spent visiting many of the fine establishments around town. Countless cups of coffee and fresh-baked cookies at Alteregos. Sparkling wine (and conversation) at Obladee. Cheese and sangria at […]
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 5
Daydreams of Kaleidoscopes ★★★ After seeing this show, I left the theatre with a lot of questions. Why was the young man in the play dying? What was the relationship between his mental illness and his impending death? Why was his therapist a disembodied voice…was he real, a figment of the boy’s imagination, or a […]
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 3
The Atlantic Fringe scheduling offers two really valuable tools for mapping out a Fringe Binge: the opening night Fringe Sampler and Festival Chair (and charming funnyman) Kevin Kindred’s Fringe Talk Show. The Sampler has come and gone, but there are two more opportunities to take in the talk show, which shines the spotlight on an assortment […]
Fringe Binge 2014: Day 2
I’d forgotten how fun, and frantic, Fringe can be. Trying to see the bulk of the shows means mad dashes across town to meet tight turn-around times as well as lengthy layovers in The Bus Stop lobby that offer a chance to discuss and digest the plays. Last night’s offerings certainly offered lots of food […]
Behold! Atlantic Fringe Festival’s 2014 program
Get your scrolling finger ready, the list is a doozy! Advance tickets are now available online at atlanticfringe.ca. All tickets are $10 or less. Catch a sampler show on August 28 at Neptune Studio Theatre, one minute from about every show. Whirlwind! The 24th Atlantic Fringe program is: The Adversary by Andrew Bailey. Drama • […]
Queer Acts Theatre Festival
I felt both weighted down and buoyed up as I left the Bus Stop Theatre late last night I’d seen five very different plays that are part of the sixth Queer Acts Theatre Festival. The plays are in various stages of development, from newly-hatched to fully-feathered. They all made me laugh a little. They all […]
Best All-ages Venue
Gold Winner The Pavilion Silver Winner Plan B Merchants’ Co-op Bronze Winner Bus Stop Theatre Admittedly, there aren’t too many dedicated all ages venues in the city to start with, but the all ages scene is nothing if not inventive. Topping the list this year (and previous years) is the Pavilion, a devoted space for […]

