Take Me Back to Coles Notes before Take Me Back to Jefferson

 Photo Credit: Katherine Fleitas Before you head to the NAC for its latest production, Take Me Back to Jefferson, do yourself a favour and dig out your high school English class copy of As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, or at least your Coles Notes version if you still have

‘Stuff Happens’ at the NAC

 Photo courtesy of Andree Lanthier Take yourself back to post 9/11, to the time of George W. Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ in Iraq and the cast of characters like Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and Tony Blair, just to name a few. There have been so

Take a stroll in Moss Park

 Photo: Mark Halliday Any play by Canadian playwright George F. Walker is a satisfying theatre experience. Sometimes disturbing, funny, moving or sad—sometimes all at the same time. Walker’s work is always thought provoking and entertaining. Last year, the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s season included the hilariously brilliant moral-questioning Walker comedy,

The Strumbellas on music, tour life and making it big

 Photo credit: Heather Pollock “I know I’m supposed to say my favourite part of being on tour is meeting the fans,” says the Strumbellas frontman Simon Ward. “But really it’s trying all the different food from everywhere we travel.” If I wasn’t a fan of the Strumbellas before, you can bet

Curtain Call

 Enriching lives through the magic of theatre, Phoenix Players is a registered charity dedicated to bringing high-quality, affordable entertainment to Ottawa communities. It has been a long journey to success for Phoenix Players. In 2001, the initial founders were motivated by their passion for theatre and wanted to improve the

Take a Trip with Alice Through the Looking-Glass

 It is often debated whether or not author Lewis Carroll was under the influence of some kind of narcotic when he created Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass. It is completely understandable to ponder the question as the stories are wacky, out-of-this-world, fantastical and outrageous.  They are equally

Get Lost in Shipwrecked with the Company of Fools

 Photo courtesy of Andrew Alexander Clever and funny are what you expect from the Company of Fools and its latest creation, Pomme and ‘Restes: Shipwrecked! On the Tempestuous Lost Island of Never, is no exception. It is currently running at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Photo courtesy of Andrew Alexander Characters

Crack Up with Craigslist Cantata at NAC

 If you’re not familiar with the strange and sometimes wacky world of Craigslist, you would be wise to visit the web site before heading to the NAC to see Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata or it may not make a lot of sense. This show,

GCTC’s 40 Seasons Strong and Just Getting Stronger…

 photo credit: GCTC/Andrew Alexander As  the GCTC celebrates its 40th season, it once again proves it is on the cutting edge of thought-provoking, hard-hitting, fantastic Canadian theatre.  The GCTC chose a whopper of a play to open its 2014-2015 season, The Boy in the Moon, by Emil Sher. Based on

Celebrate Jane Austen in Perth tonight

 There is no question Jane Austen fans were celebrating the bicentennial anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice in 2013. However, it’s not too late to tip your hat to the occasion. The play Elizabeth - Darcy: An Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which had two successful Toronto runs,

Drop a Few Coins to See The Financier (Turcaret)

 One of the great mid-summer treats in Ottawa is the return of Odyssey Theatre to Strathcona Park and its masked Commedia dell’ Arte productions. This year’s show is the adaptation of Alain-René Lesage's play, Turcaret, translated by Joanne Miller and Odyssey’s Artistic Director Laurie Steven. The Financier (Turcaret) follows the

Great way to spend your night … Catch 9-5

 There is nothing like a good musical to pick you up when you are feeling down and 9-5 fills the job nicely.  For those you may have forgotten, 9-5 was actually a 1980 film that went on to become one of the highest-grossing comedies.  Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly

Tapas and Theatre at Teatro Café

 Take a walk down Wellington Street West and you will find an array of restaurants--all ready to feed a hungry stomach. So how does a new restaurant make the move to join in on the food fiesta and compete, let alone survive, in the area? Just ask Teatro Café owner

Oil and Water is On Fire at the NAC

 As the world mourns the passing of Maya Angelou, the NAC’s current  production, Oil and Water, by Robert Chafe, seems all the more poignant.  It is a compelling story and it is also true. There are a number of plot elements that weave together but never confuse throughout the course

huff at the NAC: It will blow you away

 Photo Credit -  Cliff Cardinal It is poignant, powerful, funny, touching and deeply disturbing.  huff, currently at the NAC , written by and starring Cliff Cardinal, movingly tells the heartbreaking story of Wind and his brothers , (Huff who is younger and Charles is their older brother who is a

Cultural Life of Kazakhstan: Preserving the Past to Create the Future

 by Ambassador Dr. Konstantin Zhigalov Kazakhstan has a long and culturally-rich history. Thanks to its geographical location in the heart of the Eurasian continent, it was at the crossroads of many historic events. These include the arrival of the horse-mounted nomads at Eurasia; the bright and dramatic fate of the

And the Tiara Goes to Miss Caledonia at the NAC

 It is endearing, entertaining and very humorous. The play is Miss Caledonia and it follows the dreams of 1950s’ Southern Ontario farm girl Peggy Ann Douglas, who longs to become a movie star.  She pins her hopes on winning a local beauty pageant to get her started --- but not

Don’t Miss Innocence Lost at the National Arts Centre

 Lynne Harper’s murder is one that dominated the news for years and to this day, remains one of most famous unsolved cases in Canadian history. The year was 1959 and 12-year-old Lynne Harper was raped and killed and a 14-year-old boy was convicted and sentenced to death based on flimsy

Catch Third Wall’s Fab Production of God of Carnage and Enjoy the Slaughter

 It’s always a treat when a Yasmina Reza play graces the stage. Third Wall Theatre Company’s current production is its rendition of Reza’s Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage and it does this complex play justice. It is most certainly worth seeing. God of Carnage runs until March 2 at the Great

9th Hour Theatre Company presents Agnes of God

 9th Hour is proud to share with audiences its fourth and final production of the 2012 season, Agnes of God, in the studio theatre at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, playing for a 12-performance run November 1-10. In this drama by John Pielmeier, a court psychiatrist, Doctor Martha Livingstone, is

Acting: The Craft of Deceit to Get to the Truth

 Acting and poetry saved my sanity as a teen. At 13, I auditioned for the role of  Juliet – Shakespeare’s daughter. I was in grade nine, and I was up against grade 13 gals. I'd never taken an acting lesson, but I got the part. Getting up on that stage

Shakespeare in Ottawa’s Great Outdoors

 Every summer, local theatre enthusiasts gather in parks around the city to experience productions by A Company of Fools. As part of Torchlight Shakespeare, the company has presented an outdoor production during the summer season since 2003. Scott Florence is the artistic director of A Company of Fools, which is

Ireland Welcomes You Home

 Your Irish Heritage Is Waiting To Be Discovered. It seemed fitting to take my daughter on a trip to Ireland to explore the land of her paternal ancestors. Thanks to the mild oceanic climate, the south and south west of Ireland are a beautiful lush green carpet peppered with towns,