Shakespeare by the Sea, Halifax’s beloved outdoor theatre company, has faced some serious challenges since staging its first show on Canada Day, 1994. Some challenges—such as the scarcity of funding—are faced by all arts-sector groups. Others, like the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Juan on the company’s home in Point Pleasant Park and the untimely death […]
Theatre
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Painting the past
In the fall of 2006, Luna/Sea Theatre Company’s Martha Irving attended a show at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia called Two Artists Time Forgot: Frances Jones (Bannerman) and Margaret Campbell MacPherson. Luna/Sea’s mandate is to celebrate women’s stories and Irving immediately saw the potential for them to tell the story of Frances Jones Bannerman, […]
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Rosa Laborde’s Léo
The themes in Léo—Ottawa native and Toronto-based playwright Rosa Laborde’s production about a more-bitter-than-sweet coming of age—are in some ways universal. Anyone who can remember being a teenager will find themselves identifying—to differing degrees—with the play’s three characters, Léo (the poetic hedonist), Rodrigo (the political revolutionary) and Isolda (the wanderer). All three are experiencing the […]
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Culture smash
THEATRE by Kate WatsonBefore I sat down to write this year-end review, I decided to count the number of plays I had seen in 2007. I was astonished when they numbered over 60—a testament to the vibrant theatre community in Halifax. Here are just a few awards of merit in a truly memorable theatre year. […]
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Jack and the Beans Talk
The Theatre Arts Guild Christmas production Jack and the Beans Talk could be a primer for anyone wanting to know how to make amateur theatre more professional. It all starts with a great script. One, that while written for children, has some humour aimed straight at adults, and music that will appeal to both generations. […]
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Neptune’s White Christmas
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is two hours of great holiday escapism. There are no heavy messages or piercing insights in the show, and that’s just fine by me. It’s glittery and glitzy with catchy tunes and energetic dance numbers. The costumes are fun and fabulous and the scene changes are nothing short of miraculous given […]
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Revisited
Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. That’s three lovelies for 2b Theatre’s Revisited. One is for the story, a tale of life and love that manages to be both specific and universal at the same time. One is for the acting. Neither Steven McCarthy in his multiple roles, including the neurotic piano teacher, the female town busy-body and […]
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Table talk
In 2b theatre’s acclaimed play Revisited, there’s no physical division between audience and actors, just strangers coming together to share stories.
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Jitters
There didn’t appear to be any opening night nerves at Dartmouth Players. The cast of David French’s backstage comedy Jitters were in fine form, and the real play appeared to go off without any of the calamities that befall the cast of the fictional play. Jitters is perfect fare for small amateur theatre, despite the […]
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The Veil
The Veil is visually stunning and totally engrossing. It is as intricately woven as the fine carpets that adorn the foyer at the Neptune Studio. It is a story that spans 85 years in the turbulent life of Khanoom, a Persian princess who escapes the palace harem and experiences much of the political and social […]
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Driving lessons
Filmmaker Sam Fisher’s first play In The Backseat wraps up our post 9/11 concerns and fears in a comedic wrapper.
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Underneath the Lintel
The audience in the tiny Theatre NS Space on Agricola is packed cheek to jowl. The room is hot. The chairs are hard. Yet, the discomfort ceases to matter when a Dutch librarian (Christian Murray) steps onto the stage and begins his 90-minute monologue about a quest that starts with a library book returned 113 […]
