I, Claudia successfully tells big story through minimalistic means

I, Claudia examines the life of Claudia, a 12-year-old girl struggling through her parent’s divorce, her dad’s remarriage, a school science project, and, worst of all, puberty. Directed by Treena Stubel, this one-woman show is hitting Victoria for the first time since 2004 and starting off Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre’s 2022 summer season. Although the […]

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Mother Mother continue to use music as medicine

Vancouver-based indie rockers Mother Mother are no strangers to success, but something unlikely happened during the pandemic. A few songs from Mother Mother’s 2008 album O My Heart began trending on TikTok, amassing millions of views. “I think it made us more humble, more sensitive to our own shortcomings and our own inadequacies as a […]

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Hawksley Workman emerges from pandemic healthier and ready to rock

Juno-winning and gold-certified singer/songwriter and, dare we say, Canadian legend Hawksley Workman is set to return to the stage here in Victoria after more than two years away. “I’m looking forward to getting out there,” says Workman. “We loved that last show [in November 2019]. The place was packed. It was one of the best […]

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Pacific Opera Victoria’s Don Giovanni does Mozart proud

Going out the other night to see Pacific Opera Victoria’s Don Giovanni, I was excited simply because it was the first opera I had ever seen, many years ago, at five years old. Even then I had been enchanted by the costumes, the singing, and Mozart’s inimitable music. Don Giovanni is an opera oozing with […]

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Classic alt-popsters Men Without Hats return, from Victoria

Legendary new wave band Men Without Hats—once from Montreal but these days based in Victoria—recently released their first album of originals in a decade. The band is best known for ’80s pop standards “Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World”; lead singer and founding member Ivan Doroschuk says that new album Again (Part 2) is […]

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The Nexus summer movie preview guide

Congratulations—we’ve made it to the end of the winter semester, which means that it’s time to talk about the summer movie season. From roaming dinosaurs to interacting superheroes, these six summer flicks are guaranteed to give students good entertainment value for their money. See you all at the movies. Nope Calling all horror movie fans: […]

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Daniel Lapp’s Joy of Life returns this weekend

Local fiddler Daniel Lapp is bringing his annual Joy of Life Festival concert back this weekend, after two years of online-only performances. For over 20 years, the concert has been welcoming the warmer months with a joyful assemblage of musicians and musical pieces. Joy of Life—which is sold out this year, although a livestream option […]

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New play at Belfry Theatre takes on sexual misconduct with a twist

The complex story of a relationship between a university professor and a 19-year-old undergraduate student is being told in Hannah Moscovitch’s Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes at The Belfry. Director Michael Shamata says the play—which runs until Sunday, April 24—is a good life lesson. “It’s a good play for students to come to,” says […]

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New novel So This Is Ever After interesting concept but struggles to deliver

F.T. Lukens’ new novel So This Is Ever After promises readers a humour-filled tale of romance and fantasy, but it doesn’t deliver on that promise. I found the concept of this book intriguing—the characters and plot feel like a marriage between Arthurian legend and a campaign from Dungeons & Dragons. In the first chapter, the […]

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New novel The Resting Place tense, descriptive, surprising

In Camilla Sten’s new novel The Resting Place, the reader follows Elanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, aunt Veronika, and lawyer as they venture to her murdered grandmother’s secret mansion. Elanor, haunted by the murder, hopes to discover the circumstances surrounding it. Through the thoughts and narrations of Elanor, The Resting Place’s main character, Sten clearly explains […]

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