Trauma reverberates through a life in ways that are almost always unquantifiable, and it is a state that lends Bryony Lavery the title of her 1998 play, produced by Seven Siblings Theatre and onstage at the b current studio theatre in Artscape Wychwood Barns. All three characters are caught in an emotional paralysis, frozen as […]
Seven Siblings Theatre is coming off their strongest season yet with a staged reading, a festival of new work, and two mainstage productions including the Critics’ Pick Award-nominated Fringe run of Eliza Clark’s Recall. They’re kicking off their 2018 season with Bryony Lavery’s Frozen, an emotionally potent drama about tragedy and trauma. Before tonight’s preview, […]
Despite featuring several intriguing characters and relationships, Corbin Went’s new play Old Names for Wildflowers suffers from a lack of focus and originality – resulting in a two and a half hour meandering plot dotted with compelling moments. Exploring themes of ostracism, religious morality, taboo relationships and the many social constraints facing women, Wildflowers uses a post Civil War […]
The eclectic pairing of a visually ambitious but narratively light 20th century Russian mixed bill directed with theatrical ambition and a rich Italian bel canto full-length narrative with restrained character-focused direction makes for a beautifully balanced spring season for the Canadian Opera Company, a stretch of programming that offers something for everyone no matter why […]
For about a year now, I’ve been receiving press releases from the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. I don’t live in London or even have much excuse to go there, but I read each one with increasing interest. With the North American premiere of Chariots of Fire (UK playwright Mike Bartlett’s adaptation of the iconic […]
The intimate Circle in the Square theatre has never felt so atmospheric. A lush revival of the Lynn Ahrens’ and Stephen Flaherty’s Once on this Island fills the theatre in the round with such vibrancy and authenticity that it is difficult as an audience member not to feel pulled into the action of the tale unfolding on stage. […]
Without a doubt, I am a huge fan of non-linear work. I feel it’s more reflective of how our brain’s complex neural pathways actually work. Red Light District and Buddies’ co-production of LULU V.7//Aspects of a Femme Fatale has had four years and seven versions to explore the intimate relationship one has with the subconscious, […]
Thalia Kane’s new play offers up a dark version of four young women’s coming of age in a rural Canadian high school. While the script needs some development, the play makes a significant contribution to current political conversations around consent and assault. Entering the space, the set is immediately impressive. Strings hanging from the ceiling […]