Max Reimer can't be held responsible for the death of the Playhouse. I don't think Max was the right person for the job, but nobody has been the right person since Larry Lillo; Glynis Leyshon wasn't and Susan Cox certainly wasn't. The Playhouse couldn't have had a...

The teachers' job actions, which I fully support, may have an unintended casualty: Carousel Theatre's production of A Year with Frog and Toad. I saw this production last season and it's lovely. Todd Talbot is a charmingly effervescent Frog, and Josue Laboucaine is...

Michael Redhill's script, Goodness (pictured above) has been touring internationally for seven years. Both the production and the script have been getting rave reviews everywhere from Edinburgh to New York. The play is about a recently divorced guy who travels to...

When I sent out my theatre pick yesterday, I FORGOT that Chelsea Hotel is still playing till March 3. My apologies to both Leonard Cohen. whose songs are the basis of the script, and Tracey Power, the powerhouse behind this remarkable production. The material is, of...

I was nervous about interviewing Nina Arsenault about her solo show, Silicone Diaries; I knew I wanted to ask some tough questions—including why such a glamourous transsexual woman decided to keep her penis—and I was worried about offending her. I needn't have been....

Every so often, I have the privilege of addressing the students in the Studio 58 theatre program. I love these talks, partly because I love theatre and students, but also because it gives me a chance to establish a relationship with emerging artists that is both...

                I just got back from doing a presentation for members of CWILL BC, an organization of children's writers and illustrators. I spoke about the three-act template and about what I actually do once I get a manuscript...

Q: What does a standing ovation mean in Vancouver? A: The show's over. Sometimes it can feel like that, anyway. And, to be fair, it's not just Vancouver; North America is standing-O crazy. Studio audiences leap to their feet when talk-show hosts arrive on-stage, for...

The three-act structure is a useful tool. It can help you to structure your story in the early stages of writing, and it's a great lens through which to examine a draft. That said, not every successful story is going to fall neatly into the three-act structure. "Ride...