Finster Finds

If you like to embrace all things scary and spooky this time of year, there are a few options in the #yegtheatre scene that you can check out... The Bone House by Marty Chan is being presented at the Varscona Hotel. Here's the description: For the past 19 years, a shadowy figure has been drifting about, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Nobody has seen his face, and some believe he is only an urban myth. Self proclaimed mind-hunter, Eugene Crowley disagrees. He is going to find him but he needs your help to expose the Midnight Cowboy before he strikes again. He could be anywhere...or anyone. It's an immersive piece of theatre that explores the nature of fear and imagination. Starring Lew Wetherell, Jason Hardwick, Nicole Grainger, and Murray Farnell, and directed by Jennifer Krezlewicz. I saw The Bone House a few years ago and I remember being terrified. Although the details in my memory are a bit hazy, I often reference the experience as the most scared I have e...

When I was in university, one of my part-time jobs was working front of house and bar-tending at the University of Alberta Studio Theatre shows. As a result, I think I saw pretty much every show there from my second year on. I have always loved the atmosphere and aesthetic of the Studio Theatre shows. The plays chosen are always smart and sharp ( and unpredictable ) and the design concepts are always complete and specific and imaginative. This is certainly the case for Lenin's Embalmers , currently onstage at the Timms. First of all, I was pleased to see not only a Canadian playwright, but an Edmonton playwright being produced. Vern Thiessen is not only the playwright, but he's also onstage as Lenin in this production, and that gives a little more meta to the whole thing ( Lenin observes the world after his death; playwright observes his play from within after he's written it ). Directed by MFA Candidate Alexander Donovan, the show is darkly funny and intelligent. The cas...

I guess I truly began the marathon with Once at the Citadel. You still have a chance to catch it tonight or tomorrow. If you are looking for a little romance and music, this kitchen-party show will fit the bill! On Wednesday, I took in The Triangle Factory Fire Project at Walterdale Theatre. A nearly sold-out house witnessed the events of March 25, 1911 as the Triangle Waist Factory Fire took the lives of 146 workers and the subsequent trial of the owners of the factory. The first act was incredibly engaging and compelling as the story of the day was pieced together from testimony of survivors and speculation of events based on the evidence. The second act focuses on the trial, and it made me reflect on the voicelessness of those without power. In light of recent history, it felt incredibly relevant. The Triangle Factory Fire Project   runs to October 20th with shows at 8 p.m. and a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. Tuesday, October 16 is their Pay-What-You-Can Night. Click here for t...

In less than a week, Walterdale Theatre's 60th Anniversary Season officially begins with the opening of The Triangle Factory Fire Project . It's a hot start to a sizzling season! The production features a cast of 20 (both new and returning to Walterdale's stage) and underscores the need for safe working conditions for all. In the Triangle Waist Factory off downtown Manhattan's Washington Square—where 500 immigrant workers from Poland, Russia, and Italy toil fourteen-hour days making lady's dresses—a cigarette is tossed into a bin of fabric scraps. Despite desperate efforts, flames sweep through the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors. Panic-stricken workers run in all directions. Dozens leap from the windows to their deaths, shocking the crowd of onlookers gathered below. And some through bravery or sheer luck make it out alive. In the space of twenty-eight minutes, the fire is under control, but 146 people, mainly young immigrant girls, have died. The Triangle Factor...

It was lovely to return to the Citadel Theatre last night to take in Once , their season opener. I brought Gibson along to celebrate his 14th birthday as I knew the show would appeal to his musician's heart, and I was not wrong. To confirm this, after the bows, he turned to me and said, "Well... that was quite good." For me, it was the third time seeing the show, so I was curious about how the Citadel would approach it. There were some significant differences, primarily in design choices. The other two productions I saw (Mirvish - Toronto, and Broadway Across Canada - Edmonton) made the base location an Irish Pub. Here, designer Cory Sincennes has given us a kitchen party amidst the rolling green hills of Dublin. I think the production owns the space, and director Ann Hodges along with choreographer Julie Tomaino, have made lovely choices to move from scene to scene and location to location. There are a few moments when the background action distracted me from the m...