Author Archives: Liz Nicholls

Through the looking glass: The Ugly Duchess, streaming at Northern Light Theatre. A review

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca At the start of The Ugly Duchess, a woman seen from the back walks away from us to approach an elaborate golden altar constructed of mirrors. When you look in the mirror, who looks back? Trevor … Continue reading →

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The journey of the outsider: The Ugly Duchess, streaming finale of the Northern Light Theatre season

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca “That night I dreamt of the faraway land where the ugly women are loved by the blind men, the men that were the pincushions of cupid’s arrows….” The Ugly Duchess by Janet Munsil Direct to you from … Continue reading →

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Concrete Theatre’s Sprouts Festival grows new plays, online

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Edmonton’s Concrete Theatre, a company with a national profile in theatre-for-young-audiences, is into its mid-30s with a new pair of co-artistic directors — and in this strange pandemic time, the need to re-invent one of its … Continue reading →

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To be or not to be: Hamlet served six ways, from Thou Art Here Theatre

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca The time is out of joint (I think we can all agree with Prince of Denmark on that). Isolating, infuriating, anxiety-making, rippling with hints of mortality and “the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh … Continue reading →

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‘Questions that make the house shake with silence’: Something Unspoken streamed at Northern Light. A review

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Northern Light Theatre’s exquisite little streamed version of Something Unspoken, a rarely produced Tennessee Williams’ one-act from the ‘50s, is a bit like a whisper in a bubble. Breathe too hard and it will vanish. In … Continue reading →

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New plays for big stages: Collider, the Citadel’s debut play development festival

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Line most often heard from Canadian theatre producers by playwrights labouring on new scripts. “Great, but could you make it smaller? How about three actors, better yet two, instead of five?” If ‘think small’ is the … Continue reading →

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A theatre to-do list for the week, including a bread and circus combo, kid stuff, costume and video installations, shows to stream

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca In week ten thousand of the pandemic, before you actually melt into Netflix and disappear, clicker in hand, put a couple of suggestions on your theatre to-do list. The word ‘fun’ does not go amiss, I … Continue reading →

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Follow the ‘once upon a time’ through the fairy tale world: The Secret in the Wings at Studio Theatre

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Don’t let the ‘happily-ever-after’s fool you. Fairy tales are not, contrary to popular belief, a Disney invention, the have-a-great-life tag to rom-coms on a roll. The production that opens today online, in the Studio Theatre season,  … Continue reading →

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Happy 4-5-7 Will! With news from the Freewill Shakespeare Festival

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca But soft! We bring you birthday news. The playwright-in-residence at the Freewill Shakespeare Festival celebrates his big 4-5-7 today with with alternate plans for a second pandemic summer. Where there’s a Will there’s a way. “So, … Continue reading →

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Transformations: what would it take to change the world? Catalyst Theatre enlisted three artists to ask the question

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca “When you sign ‘new’ it means ‘to grow’.” — Chris Dodd, The Transformers: Regrowth Can something positive, something transforming emerge from a year of devastation? To imagine a better future for the world, who better to consult … Continue reading →

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