By Amanda Hu
Most people want to see the world be a better place, one free of crime, hunger and other maladies. While the sentiment may be there, it dissolves for many when confronted by those in need, and the self-sacrifice that offering relief can entail.Habitat, Downstage’s final production of the 2007–08 season, explores themes of displacement, intolerance… Continue reading Finding the elusive suburbian niche
By Janice Tran
To Kill a Mockingbird is a piece of literature that anyone in North America with a high school diploma should be familiar with. Over 30 million copies of Harper Lee’s original novel have been sold since its publication in 1960. The book has won countless literary awards, among which is the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. Even… Continue reading Workshop Theatre brings a literary classic to town
By Ryan Pike
The prosperity of Calgary’s oil and gas industry has led to an influx of fortune-seekers from other provinces and other countries, transforming the city into a multicultural melting-pot metropolis. The issue of co-existing with newcomers of different cultures, languages and religions is the subject of the latest presentation from Downstage Productions, Heaven. “The play’s about… Continue reading Downstage goes to Heaven
What if a sexually transmitted pandemic raged across North America, but you just couldn’t keep it in your pants? This is the problem challenging the young character in the University of Calgary production of Newhouse, a drama questioning human reaction to social crisis. Placed in a contemporary Canadian setting, this adaptation of Don Juan and… Continue reading Theatre Preview: Newhouse dripping with STDs
By AP Downey
Remember the time when we absorbed our information through tiny humorous factoids? You know, when we got more information about Canadian current events from Don Cherry and Rick Mercer than Peter Mansbridge or Paul Martin? Do you remember that entire era when comedy was the easiest way to swallow our world? Downstage remembers. Rights and… Continue reading Bad dog, put down the stick
Imagine becoming so anxious and fearful about your life that you lose the ability to sleep. You start taking baths at five in the morning and are unable to help your spouse with your newborn child. This unsettling scenario occurs in the University of Calgary’s production of Insomnia, a play by award-winning playwrights Daniel Brooks… Continue reading Stay awake, the play’s begun
Theatre isn’t the first medium people think about when pondering how to inspire political discussions and debates, but Downstage Theatre and Performance Company is structured around this very concept. The group’s mandate is to provide quality socially conscious and politically charged theatre to patrons in Calgary. “I love working on and seeing all kinds of… Continue reading Staging an Uprising