Home for the Holidays
The National Stage Company of Canada’s Home for the Holidays: A Nat King Cole Christmas will be at the nearby Port Theatre in downtown Nanaimo for one night only on December 5—and The Navigator will be giving away two tickets! Touring Vancouver Island December 3–13, Home for the Holidays features New York actor, singer, and … Continued
Port Theatre’s Virtual Spotlight Series
After having shut its doors for six months, the Port Theatre reopened at the beginning of October. Because the theatre’s usual 800-person audience capacity has been reduced to just 50, the Port Theatre Society understands that many people won’t be able to attend upcoming shows for a variety of reasons, such as quicker ticket sell-outs. … Continued
Cradle of a Certain Harbour City Culture
The infamous China Steps of Downtown Nanaimo, located between Victoria Crescent and Terminal Avenue, has this post-historical aroma of a cultural genesis and if you look ever so closely, you might be able to see a spry blue building that cradles a certain Harbour City culture; enter: The Hub City Cinema Society (HCCS). This nonprofit … Continued
How transformative is theatre? VIU Prof talks about prison production
In 2017, VIU Theatre professor Eliza Gardiner spent a lot of time in prison. For nine months she directed a cast of inmates in a play at William Head Institution, a minimum-security federal facility located in Metchosin, just outside Victoria. Professor Gardiner will share her experiences working with inmates in a presentation on November 23 … Continued
The fourth wall
In film, ‘breaking the fourth wall’ is a term for when actors break character and address the audience directly, blurring the line between fiction and reality. It’s been used for comedic effect in movies like Deadpool (2016), Space Balls (1987), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), and many more. In theatre, breaking the fourth wall is … Continued
Is theatre still relevant?
Even in a time when Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell sold out in London and Hamilton broke out of Broadway to become a cultural sensation, it has been questioned whether theatre is still relevant. People these days spend a lot of time watching movies and television. The entertainment industry keeps pace with technology, yet theatre … Continued
News in a nutshell
By News Editor Aislinn Cottell WHAT On April 12, VIU Sustainability is hosting researcher Jackie Hildering, from the Marine Education and Research Society, to speak about humpback whales WHERE Nanaimo Campus Malaspina Theatre 7 – 8:30 pm WHY YOU SHOULD CARE Recently taken off the endangered species list, humpbacks are still at risk for net … Continued
Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes mystery
Photo via artsclub.com By Arts Editor Brendan Barlow On November 15, a large crowd was treated to an Arts Club production of Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. The show is billed as a “fast-paced farcical adventure”, and features the exceptional talents of five actors filling the roles of 40 characters. While the actors portraying Dr. … Continued
A costume piece, a prop, a quote and a sound bite
By Managing Editor Molly Barrieau This year for the first time, Malaspina Theatre inspired competitors to put their creative minds together for one short weekend to put on a live show by Sunday. The rules were simple: each group was given a box containing a random assortment of items, anything from a mink stole to … Continued
Potted Potter: A review
Above: Photo via kansascity.com By Arts Editor Brendan Barlow For those who may not follow every piece of writing I publish in this section, you may have missed the feature in the previous issue regarding the upcoming Potted Potter—a show that takes its audience through the seven books of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series in … Continued
Fractured Land Comes to VIU
By contributor Chantelle Spicer On December 15, VIU will host the film Fractured Land in the Malaspina Theatre, co-sponsored by Solutions: A Sustainability Network and the Aboriginal Students’ Union. A film rich in the beauty of the BC landscape and cinematography, it won two awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2015. The documentary, now on tour across the country, … Continued
Port Theatre Youth Initiative team during an event advertising workshop at CHLY
National Youth Arts Week brings a new wave of inspiration to Nanaimo’s arts and culture. On May 14, The Port Theatre Youth Initiative will present a night organized by young promoters dedicated to young audiences. Headlining the event will be Vancouver-based band The Wild Romantics, 2009 Peak Performance Project winners We Are The City, and … Continued
VIU Theatre: A Servant of Two Masters
By contributor Natalie Gates The theatre department is taking on a modernized version of an Italian commedia dell’arte play, A Servant of Two Masters, for its spring production. Commedia dell’arte is a form of Italian comedy that originated in the 16th century and was characterized by masked characters. But the department’s version has been modified … Continued
Satyr Players return for annual VIU theatre festival
This month, theatre and creative writing students gather on campus together to share their craft at the Malaspina Theatre from January 27 to 30. The VIU One Act Festival, held each spring semester, is a 4-night event, showcasing a collection of short plays written by students. This year, the festival features four plays: The Dance by Jennifer … Continued