Chiaro:Scuro an unconventional successI recently went to see Chiaro:Scuro, produced by Broken Rhythms Dance Company at the Metro Theatre on April 7 and 8. The performance is inspired by film noir to convey the light and dark of human experience using jazzy and atypical instrumental music, shadows and fog, and unique dance moves that Broken Rhythms calls “rhythmical […] Continue Reading |
Dance Theatre of Harlem presents ballet performance with multicultural rootsFounded in 1969, the Dance Theatre of Harlem has for over 50 years created a safe space for dance-related artists of all backgrounds to express themselves openly. On March 24 and 25, the travelling troupe will be hosted at the Royal Theatre, performing works of ballet by George Balanchine, Helen Pickett, William Forsythe, and Robert […] Continue Reading |
Bull difficult, painful, brilliantWhen I left my house to see Theatre Inconnu’s latest production, Bull, I had no real idea of what I was in store for. Directed by Don Keith and written by British playwright Mike Bartlett, Bull is a quick-witted and dark summary of the spiral of shame one person can fall into while being gaslit […] Continue Reading |
Mojada shares tragedy of undocumented immigrants struggling to surviveIn 431 BC, the ancient Greek playwright Euripides wrote Medea, a theatrical production regaling tragic adventures of love and betrayal. It has been adapted countless times, most recently by Luis Alfaro, who has brought the storyline into the present day, as Mojada, using Hispanic cultural influences to create characters that modern viewers can connect with. […] Continue Reading |
Claire Coupland dives into the darkness with New LightDespite the name of Claire Coupland’s second album, New Light, the local indie-folk musician says that the record covers some darker topics. She mentions a theme of longing for home, which makes sense, as the album was recorded in LA. “It talks about some darker song topics and story topics, also sort of narrative-style writing […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Beat Awfuls look at dark side of youth culture on new albumBeat Awfuls PAWS (Youth Kulture/Cocoa Beach Tapes) 3.5/5 Richmond (by way of Lexington and Boston) lo-fi rock trio Beat Awfuls intrigue and provoke on their fourth album, PAWS. With song titles like “Interstate Skeletons” and “Ego Death Kult,” it’s clear that PAWS was intended to be edgy. The album conveys a cherry-flavoured apathy for life […] Continue Reading |
Art lecture series explores depiction of old age throughout history, across culturesThe Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s Sunday Art Lecture series is back for its ninth year, this time out featuring Katherine Young’s As if Autumn Leaves: Age in Asian and Western Art. A professor emeritus at McGill University and associate fellow at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, […] Continue Reading |
Victoria Film Fest 2023: The Nexus reviewsHidden Letters is a documentary directed by Violet du Feng that shares the personal stories of countless women living in traditional villages in China who had few rights and were shown even less respect. For women in traditional China, aggressive subjugation and abuse is common and accepted, even to this day. The film focuses on […] Continue Reading |
Opera The Birds gets sweet with satirePacific Opera Victoria founding artistic director Timothy Vernon is giving audiences a look into the work of Greek comedic poet Aristophanes with the opera The Birds. Aristophanes was a satirist, using his work to comment on the society of his day. “What he was writing wasn’t necessarily through-line plots as [it was] satires, making fun […] Continue Reading |
Vinegar Tom well-produced but not much of a playVinegar Tom is a theatre production originally written by Caryl Churchill in 1976, and currently directed by Francis Matheu under the University of Victoria’s department of theatre. It sets its story in 17th century England, during the rampant witch trials where countless innocent women were accused of heresy, and drowned, burned, or hanged. These women were […] Continue Reading |
