Authors sometimes ask me about the structure of short stories. In my experience, this can vary wildly. Some short stories may include elements of the three-act structure that's the underpinning of many novels and screenplays—a Call to Adventure, a Refusal of the Call,...

This year, all of the Arts reviewers at the Straight picked two highlights from the past year. You can find all of them, including mine, at http://www.straight.com/article-571426/vancouver/years-worth-visions

Waiting for Godot divides theatregoers into two camps; you either love it or hate it. The non-fans complain that it's intimidating and/or boring. But, well produced, the play can be extremely funny—as well as harrowing. And good performers bring out the humanity, as...

  In the three-act structure, there's a difference between a mentor and a Mentor. Friends, allies, and mentors might help your hero out at any point on her journey, but the capital M Mentor serves a specific function: the Mentor helps your protagonist to overcome...

          Carousel Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz is probably the best theatrical holiday entertainment currently playing in Vancouver. Under Carole Higgins's direction, the cast is confidently eccentric. I especially enjoyed Mike...

Sometimes writers make the mistake of thinking that, to tell a story, all you have to do is answer the question, "What happens next?" It's not that simple. As I see it, the question is more like, "What does the protagonist do next in order to reach her (or his) goal?"...

I've been posting my weekly theatre picks on Monday, but this week's pick, Hotel Bethlehem, will have finished its Vancouver run by then, so I'm jumping the gun a bit. Drew McCreadie's script is completely wacky. Not all of it works, but, under Diane Brown's...

  When asked what advice I'd give to aspiring writers, I often say, "Take an acting class." That's because, in an acting class, you'll find out what storytelling feels like from a character's point of view, and you'll get that feeling in your bones. An actor...

A wise young actor named Sasa Brown once told me that, if you're not having fun onstage, you have no business being there. Well, in Aaron Bushkowsky's witty new play, After Jerusalem, actors Andrew McNee and Deborah Williams establish their right to be on any stage...