theatre, arts and culture in Edmonton
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…
Like a Canadian social studies lesson come to life, No Change in the Weather gives a hefty dose of East Coast history and politics alongside a suite of 18 sea shanties and jaunty jigs. Even the program is more like a miniature textbook than a…
What even is a clown? This week Mel talks to Christine Lesiak, director of Edmonton’s Play the Fool clown festival, to find out the answer. Funny clowns, sad clowns, scary clowns, naked clowns – we talk about all types of clowns in this fascinating conversation. …
Should a written review be attached to every media comp at the Edmonton Fringe? The Globe and Mail just ran a very interesting story about a controversy that started at Edmonton’s Fringe Festival and continued into the Vancouver Fringe. It concerns media passes, specifically whether…
The Color Purple is opening soon at the Citadel Theatre and I spoke to Jesse Lipscombe to get the inside story about the production. Lipscombe is an Edmonton actor, singer, producer and activist who founded the #MakeItAwkward anti-racism campaign in 2016. I also spoke about…
This week, Mel interviews Azimuth Theatre co-artistic producers, Vanessa Sabourin and Kristi Hansen, about Azimuth’s upcoming 2019-20 theatre season. We discuss their upcoming panel discussion and the season to come. Along the way, we talk about the role that art plays in society, whether consuming…