You know the part in the Wizard of Oz where Toto pulls back the curtain and exposes a guy who’s pulling levers to create a talking head holograph that’s supposedly the wizard? That’s the scene Garry Williams uses to explain the theme of this year’s DaPoPo Theatre Live-In. “We’ve called this Live-In ‘Looking Behind the […]
Theatre
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Council Review: A tide in the affairs of men
“Right now, the scenario isn’t good if you’re a lighthouse.” —Councillor Stephen Adams “I was very disappointed this sumer, having family from Toronto, not being able to have an ice cream at the canteen.” —Councillor Bill Karsten, on Point Pleasant Park. “Thank you councillor cranky birthday boy.” —Deputy Mayor Darren Fisher, on councillor Matt Whitman. […]
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My Funeral: the dry run puts the fun in funeral
You’ve got three more chances to see Jane Kansas’ Fringe play My Funeral: the dry run, with shows tonight, Friday, and Saturday at Gottingen Street’s (((Parentheses Gallery))). “I’ve been thinking about my funeral for many years,” says Kansas, “and then in February my sister dropped dead. In March, I was talking about my funeral to […]
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Have a nice Trippin’
“It was my wise idea to do this,” says Trippin‘s co-writer-actor-director Jackie Torrens, laughing. “I think you have to seize any opportunity you can to be creative, that’s how you stay creative. There’s lot of jobs that you take just to get money to pay light bill, but then there are other jobs—ie Fringe—that you […]
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So ho, by so judges not
“It actually began as an assignment. I read The Birth of Merlin and the way he wrote the mom was I guess appropriate to the time period, but it was really misogynistic,” says playwright Sarah Higgins of So ho, by so. “So I got angry and wrote the play in response.” All students not writing […]
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Tribe of One gives you science fiction
“The thing about theatre is, theatre doesn’t tend to do epic very well.” Those are very curious words coming from Michael MacPhee, the creative director of The Doppler Effect and the writer-director of the company’s latest play, the entirely ambitious, instant Fringe hit Tribe of One. Set 450 years from now, after we’ve ruined and […]
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On the Fringe
This year, the 24th Atlantic Fringe Festival went big. Boasting a whopping 350 performances of 60 shows, and with every single ticket coming in at less than $10—you owe it to yourself to catch at least one. Local and international theatre troupes, comedians and playwrights flood the city with their creations, all you have to […]
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Fringe Binge 2014: Day 6
After entire days in dark theatres, three shows in one evening seems like a walk in the park. Unfortunately, Lumber Jack & Jill’s Double Date was only scheduled for the beginning of the festival, so there are no more opportunities to catch this improv show. Last night’s edition included special guests Mark Little and Naomi […]
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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 […]
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Fringe Binge 2014: Day 4
Audiences are building as the buzz gets louder about the 2014 Fringe. So much good comedy at this year’s festival, but also an impressive range of drama from heart-touching to mind-bending. Something for everyone! Watch Out WildKat! (Yer Dealin’ with the Devil) ★★★★★ I’m telling you, run, don’t mosey, to get your tickets for this […]
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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 […]
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Fringe Binge 2014: Day One
Fifty-eight plays from now to September 7th. That’s what I’m aiming for. (And even at that, it is still physically impossible to see every play at this year’s Fringe.) My reviews will be short., but I’m trying out a star rating system to see if that helps in choosing what to see. However, we […]