Arts

I’ve talked here before about my love for writing reviews of live theatre and of how distressing it was for me to have to put that writing on hold while COVID-19 took over. Finally, it appears that COVID’s disruptions might be on hold for the moment, which means that Blue Bridge Theatre is boldly stepping […]

Canadian artist and Victoria resident Emily Carr may have painted her scenes close to 100 years ago, but her work has never been more relevant than it is today, says Art Gallery of Greater Victoria acting chief curator Nicole Stanbridge. Stanbridge is also co-curator of a new exhibit, Emily Carr: Seeing and Being Seen, at […]

Victoria-based figurative painter Lisa Hebden became interested in the idea that sparked her current exhibit, Swimmers, while in Argentina in 2012. It was a hot summer and she spent a lot of time in pools; she wanted to delve deeper into how the connection to ourselves changes when we’re in the water, our skin distorted […]

I love live theatre. I love the anticipation of a night out, watching excited actors come alive in their roles, the admiration I feel for the work and creativity put into the sets and costumes, and, most of all, the telling of stories. Needless to say, I was heartbroken when COVID-19 put an end to […]

In order for an artist to make good art, they really need to be willing to dive into challenging themes. Think of the classic example of William Shakespeare’s depressing break from comedy while he did the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, or, to give a more modern example, Dennis Lehane’s dark description of human nature […]

The Homeless Gospel Choir This Is a Protest Song (A-F Records) 2/5 Derek Zanetti is a singer/songwriter from Pittsburgh who has travelled the world singing acoustic punk rock protest songs. Many of his songs deal with global politics, addiction, and mental-health struggles. The live This Is a Protest Song has a very unique tone and […]

When the pandemic put a wrench in live theatre, it threw local director Fran Gebhard for a loop. Through her master’s degree, teaching theatre at UVic, and directing, she has devoted her entire life to the theatre. Now, after 15 months off from live shows, Salt-Water Moon—a love story set in Newfoundland in the 1920s—is […]

Jayli Wolf Wild Whisper (Independent) 4.5/5 The best kind of music for me is the kind that tells a cohesive story. Just like movies, books, or paintings, music can be used as an effective storytelling tool that can translate its story to its audience in an exciting way and leave an indelible impression that will […]

Local French-Canadian artist Stéphanie Prest essentially put the rest of her artistic life on hold for two years to make the art that eventually made up her exhibit Big Sky. Between when she started the work for the exhibit and now, Prest has been through multiple chapters of her life. Things have changed; she’s processed […]

Camosun University Transfer alumnus Dylan Thomas (Qwul’thilum) grew up listening to stories about the importance of salmon. It’s not just a food resource to coastal BC, he says—it’s a source of art and culture. Thomas is a Coast Salish artist from the Lyackson First Nation, and the story passed down to him from his mother’s […]