Tag: Theatre

By Nicole Dionne

There’s nothing that mimics life as graphically, or as realistically as theatre,” says new head of University of Calgary drama department, Clem Martini. An award-winning playwright, screenwriter and writer of short fiction, he’s been a professor at the University of Calgary for a number of years, prior to his new position. With this experience, he’s… Continue reading Celebrated playwright takes the reigns of U of C drama

By Amanda Hu

Push-up bras are becoming the hippest thing with the five-year-old demographic. Given time, these girls can hope to be the newest eye candy for various shows that elicit toplessness with the promise of a free t-shirt or subjects of billboard advertisements featuring their gaping crotches just hidden by a tiny swatch of 100 per cent… Continue reading Objectification is the new liberation

By Amanda Hu

The Calgary Fringe Festival is in full swing and there are many productions to choose from, spanning from one-person show to musical, to puppet show and beyond. Here is the Gauntlet‘s look at some of what the festival has offered so far.Use Me: An Undead Musical There’s a first for everything. In the case of… Continue reading Of singing, stereotypes and sex

By Kevin de Vlaming

Forget acting school, Khari Jones proves that football can be as successful a lead-in to a career in the performance arts as anything else. Jones, a veteran CFL player of nine years, is playing the lead role in the forthcoming Company of Rogues production of Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train. Jones defends his unique career… Continue reading Cages on stages could be outrageous

By Jeff Clemens

Shakespeare had a sense of humour. Though he was best-known for his tragedies, where nearly all the major characters die, the legendary playwright actually wrote a good deal of comedies–seventeen, to be precise. The University of Calgary’s drama department has decided to put on one of the Bard’s most popular comedies, Twelfth Night, complete with… Continue reading Shakespeare liked to wear girls’ clothes

By Kyle Francis

Amateur theatre is like training wheels for the larger community. Sometimes there’s extreme promise in the awkward teeter of the first few feet, but other times, the pit bull that lives down the road hops his fence and inflicts twenty-eight stitches worth of damage. Oddly, 8-0-8 Productions’ new pair of one-acts reflects both the potential… Continue reading Sex and violence–not quite an unbeatable team

By Robin Ianson

While most people’s exposure to the world of puppetry has been limited to Saturday morning children’s shows and corny ventriloquist acts, Calgarian Xstine Cook’s International Festival of Animated Objects is working to change all that. The IFAO runs Jan. 19-28 and will highlight the best and brightest from the world of puppetry, masks and all… Continue reading Puppets and penises

By Kevin DeVlaming

Tim Crouch is the Prince of Denmark. He is also the founder of England-based theatre company News From Nowhere, a hypnotist in his critically acclaimed play An Oak Tree, and a glass of water, if he says so. “News From Nowhere is more of a nom de guerre,” says Crouch. “It’s a name that enables… Continue reading Get thee to a Rodeo

By Kevin de Vlaming

Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica set the bar for future probes into the steamy under-the-cup world of NHL players in Canada when it premiered last Thursday as this year’s High Performance Rodeo headline show. Dave Bidini, author of the Five Hole novel as well as member of the Canadian rock band Rheostatics, collaborated with… Continue reading Five stars for Five Hole

By Kevin de Vlaming

This year’s High Performance Rodeo lineup will knock the stockings off of even the staunchest of traditional theatre fans. The lineup, announced by Rodeo curator Michael Green on Tuesday, was decided upon with a broader goal in mind for this year’s Rodeo than in previous years. Calgarians will recognize the longstanding tagline for the High… Continue reading Festival Preview: High Performance performs highly