Victoria Film Festival reviews: Frieda’s Case, Sweet Summer Pow WowFrieda’s Case Frieda’s Case depicts the real-life 1904 Swiss court case of Frieda Keller, a woman charged with the murder of her five-year-old son, Ernst. Unlike a more typical legal drama, the actions of Frieda are never in question—she confesses within the first few minutes of screen time. Yet, despite believing her confession, her family […] Continue Reading |
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night insightful commentary on modern issuesShakespeare’s 21st play is a romantic comedy that, while produced in 1600, seems quite relevant to a contemporary audience, dealing with social issues like gender norms and other pressing problems like climate change and related ecological disasters. Directed by Fran Gebhard and presented through UVic’s Phoenix Theatre, Twelfth Night is set in what may be […] Continue Reading |
Pieces of Performance: Sovereign Ace brings Black excellence to islandReigning from Nanaimo is a most mystical and mind-bending performer. Sovereign Ace has been nothing short of an incredible creator and sharer of any fantasy realm that they can dream up. From fan of drag to performing for two years, they have presented Black excellence from Nanaimo to Victoria. Celebrating gender fluidity and freedom has […] Continue Reading |
The Killing Game hit-or-miss anthology of flippant fatalitiesThere’s something familiar to me about a raging deadly pandemic sweeping through a population, laying waste to its inhabitants and sparking political unrest, and through the residual trauma, I want nothing more than to just laugh and laugh at all of the fresh gravestones and ruined lives. This, at least, is the conceptual basis behind […] Continue Reading |
Behind the Moon a stellar hitBehind the Moon is a gloriously triumphant victory of stage theatre. I went into it not knowing much, aside from the fact that it takes place in a Toronto-based Indian restaurant and stars one of Schitt’s Creek’s most endearing actors, Rizwan Manji. Aside from that, I was blissfully unaware of what I was sitting down […] Continue Reading |
Queen Maeve explores forgiveness through fantasyDirector and set designer Diana Budiachenko is a lover of creating abstraction and fantasy through her theatre productions, so it makes sense that she was excited to take on Queen Maeve. Theatre Inconnu’s production of Governor General Award winner Judith Thompson’s play is a perfect fit for Budiachenko. “When I read it for the first […] Continue Reading |
Isle of Tease returns to showcase diversity in burlesqueIsle of Tease has become one of the most anticipated burlesque shows of the year. Event co-producer Cherry Cheeks says that Isle of Tease, which brings together performers from local and afar, means a lot for the island burlesque community. “I’m always excited for the local performers… [They] get to be on a theatre stage […] Continue Reading |
Pieces of Performance: Gender witch Brujo Mars/Minx Latinx representing on stageThey claim themselves lovingly as a gender witch, but audiences know the reigning Venezuelan drag king and burlesque beauty as Brujo Mars, or Minx Latinx (also known as Monika). When they started performing in April 2022, they set out to represent Latinos on stage and share an important story. “I am extremely proud to be […] Continue Reading |
The Killing Game tragedy encased in absurdist hilarityAbsurdism is a philosophical movement arguing that the universe is illogical and meaningless, and absurdist theatre, such as Eugene Ionesco’s The Killing Game, highlights this through a study of ridiculous human nature in response to extreme tragedy. Although written in 1970, The Killing Game, being presented through UVic’s Phoenix Theatre, will feel familiar to modern […] Continue Reading |
Pacific Baroque Festival celebrates musical artistry borne from tragedyThe Thirty Years’ War, during the first half of the 17th century, was a period of intense political and religious upheaval in Europe, which claimed the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians due to conflict and famine. However, it was also a time of artistic flourish. “Somehow, the music that came out of that […] Continue Reading |
