You are an extra. Your call time is 8:30pm, location the Picnic Pavilion. You are handed a costume consisting of a hood made from a black garbage bag and a plastic mask. You are working for a cookie. They are making a movie, or trying to anyway. Is it high art? Is it porn? Can it be both?
This is Not a Porno is described as a “site-specific interactive roaming show” and true to its word, it tows the audience around various locations on the island, sometimes at the end of a rope. There...
The lighting was basic and the stool was black
In Studio 16 that night.
There's a man in shorts and a T-shirt on stage
Telling his story just right.
There was evil early on and there was triumph by and by
And a film actor made his stage debut.
Oh and we heard about his childhood and all the things that were hard
It was very dark as we were led down the path towards what I could only have assumed was the stage. I hadn’t the foggiest idea what Meanwhile was about since the play I was supposed to check out had canceled on me. I wandered over to the next theatre tent where I knew Allyson would be standing, waiting for her show to begin.
“Looks like no porn for me tonight. The show is canceled today. I will have to pick it up tomorrow.” I said.
“We can see Meanwhile together. They allow a maximum of two people per show....
I walked into the darkish theatre of the Culture Lab (at the The Cultch in East Vancouver) about ten minutes early and I was slightly peckish. Five o’clock shows can do that to you when you’re just arriving from your place of employment and it can leave you lean and ready to review.
“Don’t lie to me, just give me the straight goods,” I wanted to say to the few people littered about the audience. “I want to learn something and be entertaining about it!”
I shook off the short hunger pangs and got into character. I was there to...
Waiting for a performance to begin is normally a solo affair. If you are lucky to have other people you know with you, the experience becomes somewhat less fulfilling. For me, anyway. Of course, don’t get me wrong, I like it when my friends attend the theatre with me. It is a far too rare occasion these days. But I also enjoy a good, singular think - and most of the time, a dark and reasonably quiet theatre is a great place for it. I like the feeling of having found my seat and, while I look at the...
Movent takes us to a new location on Main Street (10th at Broadway in the Ukrainian Centre) but brings along their dance floor and black drapes. Its 29th iteration features James Fagan Tait as the poetry-quoting emcee and a diverse line-up of dancers co-curated by Julie-Anne Saroyan and Karissa Barry. Come early to enjoy perogies and sausages (or just grab a drink and chat with friends).
The evening features nine different choreographies. Overall, it feels somewhat sci-fi and futuristic to me (which I think is a combination of costumes, music and titles). Small Stage has a special place in my...
I begin with a story. Sketch comedy and homelessness. A combination not suitable for the Vancouver East side. (In my best Al Pacino voice.) “Yah, funny.” Granted, I feel that way because I had a short interaction with a homeless person out in front of the theatre just prior to the show.
“Hey, can you spare some change?” She said in a slightly cracked voice.
“I have a dime I don’t need for parking.” I handed her the pittance.
“Thanks, man. Saved me.” She said and walked off.
It wasn’t a unique experience. This is Vancouver after all. But,...
Here is what I have to say about The Last Piece. Ready? Go see it. Really. Seriously. Go see it. Get up right now and go. Only if they have a show time right now as I wouldn’t want you to get there and stand around but you get the point I am trying to make. I was really impressed with this little gem of a show.
We meet Kate (Tara Pratt) and Lee (Joanna Gaskell) in a bookstore and a strange and heartbreaking friendship is born, if only for a night. These opposites attract...
One woman. One trombone. The apocalypse. Such is the premise of Sarah Liane Foster’s show. As with most Fringe shows the luck is in the draw and I had no idea what to expect when walking into the theatre. Foster is an endearing performer and her energy is appraisable. The character however I began to lose patience with quite quickly.
The characterization, voice and physicality never changed. There was so much information crammed into the script that the character was never allowed to breathe. Therefore we aren’t either. Which can sometimes be good but in...
I sat down. I saw. I laughed. The performers (Nyla Carpentier, David Kaye and Brad Duffy) have a blast performing this show and you can tell. They bounce off and react to each other quite well. David Kaye, who plays the Trickster Coyote, has a super quick wit and I am just wondering aloud here but did he remind anyone else of Aziz Ansari? Nyla Carpentier, who plays the Trickster Raven and who also wrote the show, is a beautiful performer and luckily we got to witness some stunning dance moves. Brad Duffy, as the MC, turned an...
Genre definition = Naughty · Warm and Fuzzy · Intimate
