The play’s well-written banter between all characters is noteworthy. It makes the chemistry and emotional ties between all characters feel legitimate and are made better by the aforementioned acting. In other words, it has plenty of lighthearted personality to keep you engaged. This is also important because these are the play’s only saving grace.
The musical is based on the 1983 movie, A Christmas Story, which is itself based on a series of short stories published in the early 1960s by Jean Shepard. En route to the Arts Club Theatre Company, this story has been filtered through several layers of nostalgia, resulting in more than a few elements that feel oddly anachronistic.
That idea of the essence of life is something fundamentally important to Beckett’s pieces. Writing in the wake of World War II, his absurdist theatre is some of the most influential in the world. Comparing him to Shakespeare, Vanderwoude explains the story of Beckett 15.
Musical Mario medleys, burlesque, sword fighting, cosplay and yo-yo shows – if any of these piqued your interest, head on down to NerdFest, the brainchild of UBC alumna Morgan Zentner.
Well, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky the Pig, Pepe Le Pew, Elmer Fudd, the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote on the television screen every weekend has been the highlight of many a child's weekend since the beginning of Warner Brothers Incorporated.
"It's kind of hard to find places to play when you're underage."
The project, in its first year, invites those affected by mental illness to share their experiences through visual art and has organized two workshops with complimentary art supplies for participants. The collection will be displayed at a reception at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House for anyone to enjoy.
Drawing from a wide range of influences and having no formal musical training, Tavares likens her songwriting process to cooking. “I learned a couple of chords on the guitar, I practiced a bit – I just let it flow."
Throughout the show, however, one person remains standing, treading in a sea of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion. This individual moves in time with the composition but her dance is different. It hasn’t been choreographed in order to flow in tandem with the music. It is the music.
When the lights came back on and the clapping had died, there was an immense feeling of exhaustion that permeated the theatre after seeing The Amish Project. The play is a one-woman act of 60 minutes with no intermission, and in that time it will take its audience on an intense, funny and often harrowing journey through Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania in the fall of 2006.
The finale was the aforementioned Shostakovich, and it was excellently done, thanks to the superb and amazingly entertaining conducting of Girard, who rather than limiting himself to his baton, directs his orchestra with his whole body, becoming as much a tool of expression for the work, as any other instrument.
Personal experience with mental health was not necessary for artists to participate in the event. Some artists still desired to address issues that pertained to discussing mental health even if indirectly.
Opera has the ability, over straight theatre or musicals, to be over-dramatic without compromising the legitimacy of the performance or storyline. Of course falling in love in the space of one song is ridiculous, but the sold-out audience of opening night were swept along with the comedy, romance and excitement.
According to tradition, the first performance of tragedy at the Dionysia festival was by the playwright and actor Thespis in 534 BC in ancient Athens. His award was a goat. Today, while there aren’t any goats involved, members of the UBC Players club have created their own Festival Dionysia.
“The book isn’t so much about religion but is about the Jewish experience or one aspect of the Jewish experience and looking at the experience of Jews in Canada,” he said on the topic, which he notes was overlooked for large periods of Canada’s history.