theatre, arts and culture in Edmonton
Despite the kooky premise, there’s a lot to find familiar in Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs. Sure, most of us probably aren’t blood-addicted nurses descended from Eastern European nobility who can sniff out your blood type from 50 paces, but our host Bianka has a familiar tale…
Alberta’s new budget slashes funding for the arts and I went on a rant about it. Then I have a wonderful conversation with Gerry Morita, artistic director of Mile Zero Dance Society, about their upcoming season. Contemporary dance is fascinating both to experience and to…
Well, here we are: the federal election has come and gone and there sure wasn’t a wave of NDP support this time around. Quite the contrary – Alberta painted itself blue, again, except for a little island of orange in the very centre (again). This…
I can’t think of a better show to see this election season than Fight Night, an odd theatrical experiment by Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed, part of the Citadel’s Highwire Series. (OK, except maybe E Day.) Fight Night feels more like interactive performance art than…
This week is all about taking back the stage for the middle-aged ladies. First up is Kristin Johnston, who is starring in Northern Light Theatre’s season opener Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs. After that is Nancy McAlear, director of The Roommate, which is opening Shadow Theatre’s new…
Studio Theatre’s gritty, urban production of Richard III feels uncomfortably familiar to audiences in 2019. Director Max Rubin – who is an MFA directing candidate with the University of Alberta – has reimagined Shakespeare’s history of the rise of the infamous Richard III within the…
Things get political this week with a pair of interviews that fit perfectly with the upcoming Canadian federal election. First is Dave Horak, who is directing Theatre Network’s first show of the season, E Day – a new comedy by local Edmonton playwright Jason Chinn…
If you can manage to get tickets to tonight’s show of Taj Express, do it. Alberta Ballet’s season opener is only doing a couple shows in Edmonton – last night and tonight – before the production continues its North American tour. Taj Express is a…
October is here and we have some ghost stories to share! In this extended episode you’ll get to hear from the folks behind Dead Centre of Town (DCoT), Edmonton’s travelling, immersive theatre show that takes place in literal haunted houses. I spoke with Megan Dart,…
I’m adding my own voice to the chorus of unabashed praise for the Citadel’s excellent production of The Color Purple. Truthfully, I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said by my fellow critics. The show is fantastic and you should go see…