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Robot Girls is full of Laughs and a Love for Science at Shadow Theatre!

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If you’re looking for a show on in Edmonton this week and next, I highly recommend  Robot Girls  presented by  Shadow Theatre at the Varscona. It’s a brand new work by Trevor Schmidt about about a school science club at an all-girls junior high school. The four actors (played by Larissah Lashley, Hayley Moorhouse, Abigail McDougall and Jayce McKenzie) are letter perfect as grade 7, 8 and 9 students who endeavor to build a robot in their club to go to an international science competition. Their teacher advisor is missing in action, so it’s all up to them to figure out how to get the work done. As a junior high school science teacher myself, I was both tickled and impressed by the portrayals. McKenzie is simply hysterical as the grade 7 club member Vanessa. She's filled to the brim with a golden retriever puppy energy that feels all too real. Moorhouse, on the other end of the age spectrum, plays the senior member of the club, grade 9 Bloody Mary, with just the right amount of distai

A Monstrously Exciting Season on the Horizon for Northern Light Theatre!

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There were quite a few hints about what might be included in Northern Light Theatre's upcoming season rolling our in advance of their Season Launch last Monday.  Quotes from thrillers and murder mystery authors had me preparing for a spooky and scary line-up. I'm always down for what Northern Light Theatre is offering. They consistently choose the unusual and challenging and deliver with complete design concepts. Unlike other theatres in town, you are more likely to see something that surprises you and makes you think about something you haven't before.  The new season, titled Making A Monster, presents three plays featuring characters possessing qualities of modern monsters in our midst! " This season, NLT wants to examine the human capacity to be monstrous to other human beings ", says Artistic Director Trevor Schmidt . " We want to ask ourselves and our audience what keeps us from behaving cruelly- and we want there to be discussion. Nobody is immune to

Sometimes it's hard to be nice... Lessons Learned with Donna Orbits the Moon and Spinsters in #yegtheatre this week...

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I caught two thought-provoking (and funny) shows this weekend.  Patricia Darbasie in Donna Orbits the Moon , Brianne Jang BB Collective Photography The first, Donna Orbits the Moon presented by Northern Light Theatre, was a one-woman show with the impressive Patricia Darbasie as Donna, a woman finding herself reacting with intense rage to inconveniences in her life. We are not exactly sure at the beginning why these moments are provoking such anger and violence, but there's something in the way that Donna tells the story that we are totally on her side. Indeed when I read a description online before seeing the show, I immediately connected. Too often we are expected to smile and be accommodating and the desire to say " No! " is often very strong with me. I see you, Donna! But there's something more to Donna's rage. There's a concrete reason she's suppressing and the reveal is deftly revealed in a touching and emotionally moving way (Directed by Trevor Sch

MOB at WWPT - When words online do more damage than sticks and stones...

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 Last night I took in MOB presented by Workshop West (WWPT) . When first announced, I was going because the phenomenal Kristin Johnston was in it but I couldn't tell much about the show from the promotional material. A chance conversation a few weeks ago with another theatre artist about the show's subject matter made me even more interested. The show deals with the fallout after a woman is relentlessly harassed online by anonymous trolls that spew the vilest of the vile at her and she has no legal way to shut them down. Her solution is both an escape from her ruined life and attempt to seek some sort of redress.  It's a tough watch, but really, really good. You have to have the stomach for it. The online warning ( While keeping you and our actors safe, this show contains coarse language, sexual themes, nudity, violence, emotionally charged scenarios, and may deal with subjects which are personally challenging to you. We use strobe effects and water-based theatrical fog th

Little Shop of Horrors gets me in the mood for Hallowe'en!

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I spent a fun afternoon out at The Citadel Theatre watching Little Shop of Horrors . I’ve never seen it onstage before and while some things were different than what I was expecting (having only the move for reference) I had a great time! I forgot how it ended, so that was a surprise! Ha ha ha! I loved hearing Suddenly Seymour and Somewhere that's Green (two of my favourite musical theatre songs) and both were delivered excellently! Tenaj Williams was a terrific Seymour, and John Ullyatt was hilarious in his many identities! Great to groove to the doo-wop! Audrey Two was also a hi-light (both the vocals and the puppetry!)! Only drawbacks were that the band was occasionally too loud and it was hard to hear lyrics in some of the bigger energy songs, and some of the lighting was oddly dark and even though I was in row B, I had trouble seeing all of the production numbers when there was a spotlight on a featured singer. I guess Hallowe’en is a “come in costume” night. Definitely the

Four Shows in One Week! Am I a Madwoman?!?! From Northern Light Theatre to The Citadel to Walterdale Theatre to Jubilations Dinner Theatre - talk about a theatrical rollercoaster!

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October is my birthday month, so it is fitting that I took in four shows this past week, starting on my actual birthday! Those who know me, know that theatre is the thing I love the most (outside my friends and family)!  Photo Credit Brianne Jang On my actual birthday I took in Opening Night of Northern Light Theatre's A Phoenix Too Frequent by Christopher Fry. The set-up features a young widow (Julia van Dam as Dynamene) and her servant (Ellen Chorley as Doto) dramatically mourning the mistress's recently deceased husband. It takes place in his tomb as they wait to die to join him. You begin to realize very quickly that it's not all serious business. Chorley is quite funny as the servant who's there for her mistress, but not quite as committed to the whole process and easily distracted. Enter a young and handsome Legionnaire (Brennan Campbell as Tegeus) who spotted the light from the tomb while on guard and came to check things out. He's handsome, Dynamene is also

Fringe #42 - Final Day of the Fringe - Last Reflections!

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Yesterday was another 2 show day. At this point, I need to pace myself since I am not as young as I used to be! I first took in DomestiKATE which was a really fun little show featuring Kate Ryan (not that Kate Ryan, the other one!) who is a phenomenal hula-hoop artist. It was aimed at the little ones primarily, but it was still a very fun show and Ryan was very funny in addition to skilled with her hula-hoops. She also did some cool quick changes and there was well-managed and entertaining audience participation. No more chances to catch that one as I caught her last show.  Then, in late afternoon, a few of the ladies of Penelopiad and I caught The Clockmaker . It's a very cool script, about a clockmaker, but so much more. I don't want to give too much away. There are scenes of domestic violence so a warning for folks, but these are well choreographed and necessary to the story. The story itself is a love story dealing with what makes a good man and what are the moments in ou