Category Archives: Previews

Catching ‘starstuff’ onstage: Peter and the Starcatcher at the Citadel

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca “Use your thoughts to hoist the sails,” advises the stalwart Victorian captain of a British frigate in the prologue to Peter and the Starcatcher, opening on the Citadel’s Maclab stage Thursday. Which is exactly what director … Continue reading →

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Lighting a (bon)fire under improv

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Wrap your mind around this terrifying idea for an improv show: What if an improviser found himself onstage in a fully rehearsed, costumed, blocked 30-minute play he knows nothing about — without a script, as a … Continue reading →

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The Maggie Tree presents 9 Parts of Desire: the women of Iraq

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Survival: Life and love in a time of war and occupation. There is nothing simple about the lives of the nine Iraqi women we meet in the 2003 play cum theatrical documentary that opens Thursday … Continue reading →

Posted in Previews | Tagged Edmonton theatre, Heather Raffo, Iraq War, Maggie Tree | Comments Off

Art and politics mix it up at Gravity cabaret

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca The situation is … grave. And getting graver. Yup, Gravity, “the cabaret of art and politics” that made its debut 18 months ago, has a lot to work with this time out. We’re at a moment … Continue reading →

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Colleen Murphy: burning brightly at Studio Theatre

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca “Our big fat myth,” declares Colleen Murphy (whose declarations tend to have a combustible edge to them) “is that we’re a classless society.” “The tremendous gap between the wealthy and the working poor, and the rage … Continue reading →

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The Fall of the House of Atreus: fun and games with Greek tragedy

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca “Three actors, 300 prop gags!” “It’s either the highest of the lowbrow or the lowest of the highbrow. One or the other!” declares playwright Jessy Arden cheerily of The Fall of the House of Atreus, the … Continue reading →

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Panache: the Ponce is back for Pt. Deux of Firefly’s circus satire

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca There never would have been a sequel if the unthinkable hadn’t happened. When last we met Ponce de Ponce de Panache, 12 months ago, it was at a pep rally for the self-glorifying blusterer and king … Continue reading →

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Serca: celebrating the Irish in us

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca For poetic impulses and vivid characters, and a certain raucous soulfulness and way with words, you can’t beat the Irish. And Serca (the Gaelic word for “love story) is the festival that celebrates that multi-faceted contribution. … Continue reading →

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“Together again at last!” Waiting For Godot arrives for the Serca Festival

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca One of the most delicious true-life stories ever to come out of the Edmonton Fringe, a great natural repository of theatrical absurdities, can be traced, in a direct line of descent, to the One World Theatre … Continue reading →

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#starcrossedlovevic: a classic musical and a classic play in rep at Vic

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Liz Nicholls

By Liz Nicholls, 12thnight.ca Greg Dowler-Coltman sent me a Leonard Bernstein quote this week. “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” “How did he know?” jokes Victoria School’s theatre department maestro. He’s … Continue reading →

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