This is the time of year when people choose top-ten lists. Just to be perverse—and because it's my own damn blog—I've chosen my 11 favourite shows from the past calendar year. It's interesting to note that I saw three of those 11 at the Vancouver Fringe. And nine of...

If you have time to catch Leo at the Cultch this weekend, by all means do it. This excellent show closes on the 15th. Originator and solo artist Tobias Wegner is a handsome and crazily skilled physical performer. Conceptually, he will trip you right out. In the show,...

I just got back from England, where I went to see my 14-year-old godson, Leon, perform in his first professional acting gig. It's with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. He's playing Falstaff's page, Robin, in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Yes, I am...

'Tis the season—for remounts. Of these, the best, in my books is the Ruby Slippers production of Hotel Bethlehem. Drew McCreadie's script turns the story of the Nativity into a Fawlty Towers episode that focuses on the famously unaccommodating innkeeper. Diane Brown...

  I've seen three shows this week that are about female experience, that are written by women, and that feature largely female casts. It's been a terrific week and I recommend all of the shows. The top of my personal list is Electric Company's Initiation Trilogy,...

I opened my mailbox at lunch today and found a copy of Alanda Greene's Napi's Dance, which I story edited and which Second Story Press has just released. Alanda has a poetic voice, the book looks handsome, and I was very touched that Alanda mentioned me in her...

Sometimes when you're writing—especially if you're writing fantasy material—the sheer pleasure of invention can become seductive and you start making up all sorts of groovy stuff: there are 18 ranks in the Air Command; your hero travels to an alternate universe. Cool....

Two of the last three nights, I've been at Rebecca Northan's Blind Date at the Cultch. That's how good it is. In the show, Northan's red-nosed clown character, Mimi, picks a guy from the audience. In the ensuing improvised performance, they go on a date together....

I saw John Grady's solo show, Fear Factor: Canine Edition at the Fringe last night and loved it. There's only one performance left: Saturday, September 15 at 7:20 pm in the Waterfront. I highly recommend that you catch it. It's one of the best things I've seen at this...