S5E31: Two Jerks. One Crab. Many Sheep.

Ensemble cast of Freewill Shakespeare Festival’s The Winter’s Tale.
Credit: Ryan Parker Photography

It’s an all-Italian Summer for the Freewill Shakespeare Festival this year. Fawnda takes guests Matthew Stepanic and Andrea Anderson on a jaunt to the (very damp) Hawrelak Park for the company’s re-imagined Two Gentlemen of Verona, and the endearing pastoral clime of The Winter’s Tale. Do the ladies make it out okay? With ol’ Bill, well, never. But the laughs are there… right?

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S5E30: The Improvised Everything Episode

It’s an extravaganza of improvised delights this week as Fawnda takes guest Andrea Anderson on her very first foray into contemporary dance at BWDC‘s The Liminal. And, it wouldn’t be an improv episode without taking in a night at Improvaganza, Rapid Fire Theatre‘s annual fete of the comedic form (also, that’s where you can find Paul until June 22). Enjoy!

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S5E29: Likely Stories, Sterling Noms, and Other Consonants

The cast of Teatro la Quindicina’s A Likely Story. Mat Busby Photography.

In this episode we step into the quirky, continent-traversing world of Stewart Lemoine’s latest play, A Likely Story. Then, Paul takes in a bit of #NXTFST, and Fawnda takes a road trip to see Marienbad at TDT (Toronto Dance Theatre), and we muse on the Sterling Awards’ new non-gendered acting categories. Oh, and that new thing they’re building in Hawrelak Park. How big of a deal is that, really?

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S5E28: Pinter & Performance Art

Cody Porter, Elena Porter, and Chris Cook in Broken Toys Theatre’s production of Betrayal, by Harold Pinter.

Pip-pip, we’re back, and off to Pinterland! Classical correspondent Colleen Feehan visits to discuss Broken Toys Theatre’s mounting of Betrayal, while Paul and Fawnda venture out to cake their shoes in hair and salt at Zero Gravity, a new performance art festival held in collaboration between dc3 Art Projects and Mile Zero Dance.

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S5E27: Hell is empty, and the devils are just fine

Cast members from the Citadel Theatre’s The Tempest.
Photo by Ian Jackson, Epic Photography.

‘Twas a night of saluting Billy Shakes, moving storytellers, and also lovers/haters of whatever you think iambic pentameter is, was, or could be. We took in the Citadel Theatre’s The Tempest this week, which boggled and delighted all the senses.

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S5E26: The Empress, The PM, The Spins

Darrin Hagen in Theatre Network’s The Empress and the Prime Minister.
Photo by Ryan Parker Photography.

On the heels of last week’s election, we go on aptly timed flashback tour to 1969 as drag queen activist ted northe rubs shoulders with an ambitious Pierre Trudeau in Darrin Hagen’s The Empress and the Prime Minister.

Then, to wrap up Easter Weekend we’re joined by multidisciplinary performer (and famed pysanky painter) Larissa Pohoreski to chat about the latest offering in the Brian Webb Dance Company’s season: the up-and-comers in Next Generation South Asian Dance.

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Notes to episode: In the audio, we refer to Darrin Hagen’s induction into the Q Order of Canada, which isn’t actually a thing. Hagen was inducted into the Q Hall of Fame Canada in 2013.

Also, the red dye for dancers’ feet and hands as mentioned in the discussion of Next Generation South Asian Dance is called Alta. And now we know!

S5E25: Flamenco in the Fun Home

Paul returns to the co-hosting chair to discuss Plain Jane Theatre‘s production of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. And Fawnda is joined by her belle soeur to recount their fiery experience at the Edmonton Flamenco Festival featuring Tierra Flamenca.

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S5E24: The Party, The Candidate, The Late-Stage Abortion

Martha Burns and Kevin Bundy as the Straughans in Citadel Theatre’s The Candidate.
Photo by Ian Jackson/Epic Photography.

Colleen Feehan joins Fawnda for a whole week of theatre; please enjoy as we mess up character names, toss aside our election fatigue, and try really hard—so darn hard—to not give away anything that happens in The Party/The Candidate. And then we sob our way through the incredible and deeply affecting performance by Vanessa Sabourin in Northern Light Theatre’s 19 Weeks.

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S5E23: Heroes, Politicos, and Flamenco Glory

The case of MAN UP! in Heroes, presented as part of Mile Zero’s Dance Crush series.

We’ve been off for a while, so we thought it’d be fun to do a nice fat episode this week! Guests abound, too: First, Matthew Stepanic comes in to cover MAN UP!‘s boy-lesque extravanganza in Heroes at Spazio Performativo. Then, Colleen Feehan offers some quick thoughts on The Party at the Citadel (first of a two-part review—we’ll be seeing The Candidate next week). And finally, Jane Ogilvie visits the ECF studio to dish about all the addictive qualities of flamenco in anticipation of the third annual Edmonton Flamenco Festival. Whew! Enjoy!

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S5E22: A mid-spring night’s Midsummer

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The balletic take on the bard. Photo from the Kansas City Ballet.

Spring has sprung! Snow is melting! Paul and guest Beth Dart got out to see Alberta Ballet’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and all of the well-costumed spinny-spinny dance dance it contained. Recorded in ultra luxurious lo-fi.

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