Dara Ó Briain to bring the yuks to Royal TheatreIrish comedian Dara Ó Briain first became interested in comedy through a very serious medium. Ó Briain—who will be performing at the Royal Theatre this month—got intrigued with the art of making people laugh while attending debates in university. “In Irish universities we do debating in a big way, which means big public debates,” says […] Continue Reading |
Art exhibit explores mushrooms, ecology, climate changeThis month, guest curator Mel Granley and chief collaborator Jaimie Isaac are releasing a new environmental-focused exhibit at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. It’s called Symbiosis and, according to Granley, the exhibit’s main focus is the power of mushrooms and how they can help us tackle climate change. “I have been interested in mushrooms […] Continue Reading |
2023 Fringe Fest review: Celexia mind-opening experienceI saw Celexia, written and performed by Alexa R. McGinn, last night at the Victoria Fringe Festival. Celexia is a deep and thought-provoking account of McGinn’s own relationship with a dyslexia diagnosis. I was immediately drawn in to McGinn’s performance; she has a sharp and witty style. Her extremely personal story begins in childhood, and […] Continue Reading |
2023 Fringe Fest review: Renfield gutsy in more ways than oneI love the Fringe Festival. I love everything it stands for. I especially love that it gives aspiring actors, writers, and directors the chance to produce their own work, to get to see or perform that work, and to have other people experience it. One of the Fringe performances I saw recently was Renfield or, […] Continue Reading |
2023 Fringe Fest review: Pico and The Golden Lagoon fun but not much morePrior to attending Pico and The Golden Lagoon at the 2023 Victoria Fringe Festival, I’d only ever seen one theatrical performance in my adult life. It was an experience I walked away from with the opinion that live theatre is profoundly boring and not something I’d ever want to do again. Then I got an […] Continue Reading |
2023 Fringe Fest review: Pieces Of connects with audience through visualsPieces Of, which I saw at the 2023 Victoria Fringe Fest, is an interdisciplinary work that incorporates video, 360-degree surround sound, interpretive dance, and fragmented stories. It’s an immersive journey through one woman’s memories of drug abuse, sex work, homelessness, and friendships. This experimental performance executed by Chandler McMurray-Ives (who is also the creator and […] Continue Reading |
2023 Fringe Fest review: Sadec 1965 endearing story but lacking stage presenceSadec 1965: A Love Story by Flora Le tells the story of her trip across Vietnam on a motorcycle in a mission to visit her estranged, late father’s hometown to find emotional closure. The performance oscillates between time periods, recollections of Le’s trip interspersed with flashbacks of the life that led her to that narrow […] Continue Reading |
Reverb delivers three days of great music and beerVancouver Island festival-goers were treated to talented musicians, craft beer, and delicious food trucks during Reverb at Phillips Backyard from Friday, August 11 to Sunday, August 13. I had doubts going into the festival, as I’d heard complaints about the layout and overall organization of the event from last year; this year, however, it was […] Continue Reading |
Jayne Imagination gets personal with friends imaginary and realLocal electronic musician Jayne Murray—also known as Jayne Imagination—released her new album Friends on July 27. And while the album—her second this year, following up May’s Messenger—is the latest step forward for Murray, she’s also looking back. Murray says that she had a spectacular childhood, so much so that she never wanted to stop being […] Continue Reading |
Monsters on Maple Street interesting but not light summer readMonsters on Maple Street: The Twilight Zone and the Postwar American Dream by author and historian David J. Brokaw delivers a thought-provoking examination of the relationship between the classic science-fiction show The Twilight Zone and post-World War II America. Reading this non-fiction book is like taking a step back into the 1950s and 1960s, to […] Continue Reading |
