(in) habitat takes us on a dreamlike adventure with two wonderfully talented dancers; Tara Dyberg and Chengxin Wei. Their undulating bodies in the opening are a testimony to the incredible muscle control and strength these two dancers possess.
A stark stage with muted lighting flooding the space in every direction, a man stands muscular, powerful. Motionless on stage left, he commences by moving his arms in an angular fashion, as if starting the engine of his being. He seems unsure when to begin. Is it fear holding him back?
Anna is a modern dancer who is looking for a new place to live. Technophile Patrick just happens to have put up a sign for a newly available basement suite at her dance studio. Sweet dreams are made of this.
This is a big month for adaptation of children’s classics. Last week, David Benedictus’ Return to the Hundred Acre Wood was released, the first authorized sequel to the original A.A. Milne books from the 1920’s.
Josue Laboucane and friend from Love You Forever. Photo by Tim Matheson
Productions at Langara College’s Studio 58 are one theatrical experience I’m always excited about. Although I’m not partial to biblical stories, Lot’s Wife, advertised as offering “new and unique perspectives of the story of Abraham”, intrigued me.
God (Benjamin Elliott) and Abraham (Byron Noble) in Lot's Wife at Studio 58
Summer 2009 may seem sometime ago (especially by internet standards) but really was it so far back? Justin Haigh submitted his final round-up of mini-reviews for Toronto's SummerWorks Festival right in the middle of the Victoria and Vancouver Fringe Festival madness. We had to table the reviews - and Justin's take on the overall Festival experience - until now, when we've had a bit of a chance to catch our breath.
Feeling melancholy that summer play is over or the Melancholy Play from last summer.
They say there's strength in numbers. This is particularly true when it comes to sketch comedy where a larger cast offers several advantages: the ability to construct complex scenes with a multitude of characters, a more diverse collective mind to bolster the creative process, and the ability to cast roles according to suitability rather than sheer necessity.
The inspiration for MK Woyzeck is Georg Büchner's 1837 play, simply called Woyzeck, which was left unfinished at his death. According to the program notes for the production currently on at the Frederic Wood Theatre out at UBC, the mounting of a version of Büchner's challenging political play has become a rite of passage in theatre circles.
Moneca Lander, MariaLuisa Alvarez and Fiona Mongillo in MK Woyzeck; Photo: Tim Matheson
A Buddha statue sits prominently downstage centre, radiating out a message to the audience: “keep your eye on me, something terrible is about to happen to me”. The anticipation of disaster and predicting which of the various elements will likely go wrong is at the core of a work like Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy, currently in production at the Arts Club.
Julie McIsaac and Charlie Gallant in Black Comedy. Photo: Emily Cooper.
House of KOSA by Miranda Huba, presented by the TigerMilk Collective, depicts the warped personalities of the family that governs a fictional fashion house, with particular focus on the relationship between the head of the household and the daughter who is his only scion.
The chorus look on mother in House of KOSA. Photo credit: Cory Dawson
A unique collaboration of writers, actors and directors, Leaping Thespians is a group of talented women who take turns in all of these roles, and it really works!
Once Upon a Lesbian: no touching, photo by Peter Taylor
Shotgun, written and directed by Kari Marken and Jody Parasiers, is a series of vignettes about four high-school teachers car pooling. Mike, Ben and Kathryn (Jeff Kerrie, Hector Johnson, and Gemma Levinson) are the returning car poolers while Tessa (Ela Desmarchelier) is a newcomer from Australia.
Did your teacher look like this? Mike demonstrates deep knowledge about lego characters.
Midnight Hotel Productions is a new company out of NYC that has decided to bring their above mentioned show to not only the Victoria Fringe, but Vancouver as well. Good for them: get out, see the west coast, “go kayaking with the orcas”, have fun.
