Author Archives: Liz Nicholls

Is theatre itself a form of hypnosis? An Oak Tree at Theatre Yes, a review

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca At the Aviary, a little performance space off the beaten track that’s nobody’s idea of a conventional theatre (except there’s a bar), something weird is happening. It’s magic and you have to be there to experience … Continue reading →

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A big week at the Mayfield: The Full Monty, a new artistic director, a new season

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Kick off your Sunday shoes. It’s a big week at the Mayfield. For one thing, the theatre’s 50th anniversary season continues with a Broadway musical hit, blue of collar, warm of heart. The Full Monty, opening … Continue reading →

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Straddling cultures on an adventure in Chinatown: Barbara Mah directs King of the Yees at Walterdale

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca When director Barbara Mah discovered King of the Yees, she knew she’d found a soul-mate of a play. An alignment of the stars perhaps? The Walterdale community theatre production that opens Wednesday is the result of … Continue reading →

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War as the human constant through time: After The Trojan Women, a review

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca The centrepiece of the stage is a gory altarpiece that looks a red tree upended, or maybe a giant artery wrenched out by its roots. Alison Yanota’s striking design for After The Trojan Women cuts to … Continue reading →

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We’ve lost a remarkable theatre artist: a tribute to the late great John Wright

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca With the passing of John Wright last weekend, far too soon at 74, the Canadian theatre and its audiences have lost not only a superb artist and mentor but an engaging, authentic, real-life character with a … Continue reading →

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What makes the theatre magical? An Oak Tree at Theatre Yes, a preview

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca There is nothing predictable, run-of-the-mill (or run-of-deMille for that matter) about the Theatre Yes production that opens a short run Wednesday. Just for starters, An Oak Tree happens in a venue where you’ve probably never seen … Continue reading →

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‘A story lives forever’: Meet Amena Shehab, whose new epic play After The Trojan Women premieres at Common Ground

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca There is a certain inevitability that theatre artist Amena Shehab would find inspiration from Greek tragedy in creating (with Joanna Blundell) her first and “very personal” play. After The Trojan Women premieres Saturday at the Backstage … Continue reading →

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The Citadel announces their upcoming 60th anniversary season

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Edmonton’s largest playhouse, which entered the scene 60 years ago, celebrates this anniversary — and an expanding repertoire of local, national, and international connections — in the 2025-2026 season unveiled Monday. At the centre of the … Continue reading →

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Portrait of a men’s movement recruit: Angry Alan at Northern Light, a review

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca There are so many reasons to dismiss a guy like Roger, the protagonist of Angry Alan, a smart, surprising little stinger of a play, and the latest in Northern Light Theatre’s ‘Making A Monster’ season. I … Continue reading →

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Mapping the frontier of empathy: Bea at Shadow Theatre, a review

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca The Varscona stage is dominated by a bed. And in the opening moments of Bea, we see a young girl using it the time-honoured kid way — bouncing on and off it, dancing, singing along with … Continue reading →

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