Ottawa transplant Angela Hillier brings Art Battle to Victoria

Six months ago, long-time Ottawa Art Battle volunteer Angela Hillier made the move west from Ontario to BC. When organizers got word of her plan to relocate, they asked her to be the Art Battle coordinator for Victoria. Hillier says she can’t wait to bring this unique experience to our beautiful city, and she’s a […]

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New Music Revue: Brother Octopus enter Canadian indie rock spotlight

Brother Octopus Sea of Champions (Oak Apple Records) 3.5/5 When I first laid eyes on Sea of Champions by Brother Octopus, I immediately imagined it would be one of the oddest things I’d ever listen to. I was anything but disappointed. The band is classified as indie rock over at iTunes, which I wouldn’t argue […]

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White Lung’s Mish Way says haters gonna hate

White Lung vocalist Mish Way is not only the front-person for one of the best punk rock bands going right now (even though she’ll be quick to point out they “don’t play punk”), with one of the best albums released in 2014 in Deep Fantasy, but also an accomplished freelance writer for publications such as […]

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Venus in Fur brings a bit of masochism to the Belfry

Venus in Fur, currently playing at the Belfry Theatre, is an intimate play about the provocative power relationship between an auditioning actress and a director; in other words, this isn’t a play you would want to bring children to. Based on the book by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the play deals with themes of masochism, power, […]

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New Music Revue: Vogue Dots get dreamy with their pop

Vogue Dots Mauka (Indica Records) 4/5 Mauka is the latest EP release from Vogue Dots, a dream pop duo hailing from New Brunswick. Right from the start, I found myself being consumed with this release. “Way with Silence,” the first track from the record, sounds like drowning in electronic bliss.  It’s a really great track, […]

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New Music Revue: Noah Wall’s machine music

Noah Wall Print the Legend (Driftless Recordings) 4/5 Noah Wall’s soundtrack for the documentary Print the Legend blends instrumentals with dream-like technological sounds. The songs, which aren’t longer than a minute or two, are mesmerizing. I listened to the album without any knowledge of the manufacturing and industrial elements of the film, and I was […]

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Dickens holiday classic gets unique local treatment

Kelt Eccleston is somewhat of a local celebrity; he’s been a local musician for “too many years to count,” he says, and also keeps busy as an actor. The last notable performance Eccleston has done was a Belfry Theatre production of the homelessness-themed Home Is a Beautiful Word, but this time he’s starring in a […]

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University of Victoria students mount entirely German play

Students in UVic’s Performing German Drama class are readying a two-night run of a dark comedy entitled Der Besuchen der alten Dame (roughly translated to The Visitor), performed entirely in German. And if that sounds like a vast undertaking, it’s because it totally is, according to UVic student Caitlin Burritt, who performs two supporting roles […]

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Directors of The Small Room at the Top of the Stairs embrace darkness in art

When someone says the word “director,” images of Broadway and Hollywood come to mind. But speaking to director Naomi Simpson, images of prison replace all thoughts of celebrity life. No, she’s not an inmate, but she has directed shows in Victoria at William Head Institution. And despite her unique directing background, she hasn’t been doing […]

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Themes in classic tale of Camelot still ring true today

When the curtain rises on a new production of Camelot, Victorians will get a chance for some time travel. The musical brings King Arthur’s Round Table, with costumes, music, chivalrous knights and all, to life in song, drama, and humour. The storyline of the Victoria Symphony/Pacific Opera Victoria c0-production explores the fallout from a love […]

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