Hit the Links with the Ladies’ Foursome at Hudson Village Theatre

 Summer is here and that means that the Hudson Village Theatre (HVT) season has finally arrived. It is one of the true joys of summer because without fail, the HVT offers up stellar theatre. Ottawa Life will feature more about the HVT in the days to come, but for now

Rocking with ‘Boom’ at the NAC and Orpheus’ ‘A Chorus Line’

 A scene from 'A Chorus Line.' Photo courtesy of Orpheus Musical Theatre Society.  There are only two days left to catch Boom at the NAC and three days to catch A Chorus Line, Orpheus Theatre’s latest show now on at Centrepointe Theatre. Time is of the essence. In Boom, award-winning

Rocking the Vinyl on HBO

 Vinyl . J.C. MacKenzie (Front Left) as Skip Fontaine, Ray Romano as Zak Yankovich, Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra.  Photo: Niko Tavernise/HBO. You may have heard already that Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese have teamed up with Rich Cohen and Terence Winter to create a series on HBO that offers insight

Theatre: ‘The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God’

 All photos by Andrée Lanthier. There are two days left to catch The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God at the NAC.  If you have the chance, it’s definitely worth it. Book your whole night off thought because the show is very long. It runs two hours

Get Your Politics On With Generous at the GCTC

 All photos courtesy of Pascal Huot The Great Canadian Theatre Company is opening its season with a solid hit of political theatre. Generous, by award-winning Canadian playwright Michael Healey, is a great play to see at any time, but it’s a special treat during an election campaign. Generous at first

Navigating Mirror Mountain with Christopher Rohde

 Photo provided by Christopher Rohde. Christopher Rohde is the Festival Director of the Mirror Mountain Film Festival. The fest is bringing independent, underground and alternative cinema to Ottawa from December 4th to the 6th. Rohde is an award-winning filmmaker and Carleton University alumni. OLM chatted with Rohde to talk about the

Feel the Love with Odyssey Theatre

 All photos by Maria Vartanova. Odyssey Theatre, the open-air theatre in Strathcona Park that specializes in telling stories with the use of masks, opened its 30th season on Sunday night, and this year’s theme is love. With a nod to three Spanish literary giants, (Cervantes and Tirso de Molina from

9th Hour Brings Comedy and Conflict to the Stage

 Above: Johnny Eaton, Mary Beth Pongrac, David Plouffe, George Dutch, Benoit Trudel, Robin Guy. Photo credit: Andre R. Gagne. The Ottawa premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business is here! 9th Hour Theatre Company is bringing this thought-provoking production to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre from July

O God Brings Spirituality to the Stage at the Ottawa Fringe Festival

 Audiences are encouraged to turn their phones off at most Ottawa Fringe festival but at O god they’ll be told to keep them on. Cast members of the interactive play, put on by Ottawa Faith and Arts, encourage the audience to tweet their thoughts on heaven and prayer before and

The NAC’s Needles and Opium Mesmerizes

 Photo credit: National Arts Centre Spectacular is the only way to describe Robert Lepage’s reproduction of his 20-year-old play Needles and Opium, currently playing at the NAC. Photo Credit: NAC The play centres around three characters. Jean Cocteau shares his thoughts and impressions on his first visit to the U.S.

Take Me Back to Coles Notes before Take Me Back to Jefferson

 Photo Credit: Katherine Fleitas Before you head to the NAC for its latest production, Take Me Back to Jefferson, do yourself a favour and dig out your high school English class copy of As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, or at least your Coles Notes version if you still have

Outstanding Obaaberima

 Photo credit: Jeremy Mimnagh Looking for something incredible to do this week? Head to the National Arts Centre to see its latest production Obaaberima. Playwright and actor Tawiah M'Carthy won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Outstanding Production in 2013 for his masterpiece. The play actually won three Doras in total:

Curtain Call

 Enriching lives through the magic of theatre, Phoenix Players is a registered charity dedicated to bringing high-quality, affordable entertainment to Ottawa communities. It has been a long journey to success for Phoenix Players. In 2001, the initial founders were motivated by their passion for theatre and wanted to improve the

Schitt’s Creek: A Levy Twist on TV Comedy

 Something new is coming to the CBC, and it has the makings of a big hit. The highly anticipated CBC comedy Schitt’s Creek premieres tonight, Jan. 13, and with this all-star Canadian cast, we will definitely be tuning in. The show follows the filthy wealthy Rose family and their sudden

Take a Trip with Alice Through the Looking-Glass

 It is often debated whether or not author Lewis Carroll was under the influence of some kind of narcotic when he created Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass. It is completely understandable to ponder the question as the stories are wacky, out-of-this-world, fantastical and outrageous.  They are equally

Oscar Wilde Still Going Strong at the NAC

 Alex McCooeye, Christopher Morris. Photo by Andree Lanthier He may be one hundred and sixty years old, but there is no question Oscar Wilde still has what it takes to please a crowd. Even when it’s done badly, you love it. Thankfully, The Importance of Being Earnest, the season opener for

Drop a Few Coins to See The Financier (Turcaret)

 One of the great mid-summer treats in Ottawa is the return of Odyssey Theatre to Strathcona Park and its masked Commedia dell’ Arte productions. This year’s show is the adaptation of Alain-René Lesage's play, Turcaret, translated by Joanne Miller and Odyssey’s Artistic Director Laurie Steven. The Financier (Turcaret) follows the

Come Blow Your Horn: Perth’s Classic Theatre Festival

 Calling all theatre lovers! The fifth annual Classic Theatre Festival is happening right now in Heritage Perth, Ontario. With plays going on until the end of August, you will not want to miss a show. One play gaining much praise is Neil Simon’s comedy Come Blow Your Horn-- based on

An Actor’s Life Bonus Disc: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad (Film) World

 Life's like a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters. – Lucius Annaeus Seneca   I'm just looking for the best story being told by the best people and the best part that I can find. If those things add up, I want to

An Actor’s Life — The Trilogy

 The lovely and talented crew! – Guillaume Arsenault, Mathieu Coderre, Marc-Olivier Guindon, John Koensgen, Johny Hendricks, Alex B. Carrière, Christian Roy, Pete Dillon, Luigi C. Saracino, Chris Newton and Pierre Beaulne (Photo Credit: Marilou Simard) Disc 2: Fight For Your Life Club or Just What Do You Talk About When

An Actor’s Life: The Sequel

 Disc I: Film City or Mr. Saracino Works in Ottawa The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in. – Harold Goddard A word does not frighten the man who, in acting, feels no

An Actor’s Life or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Standing in an Alley in the Dead of Winter for 12 Straight Hours with only Linty Pocket Candy to Eat

 Acting is nothing more or less than playing. The idea is to humanize life. George Eliot Acting deals with very delicate emotions. It is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts he does not hide; he exposes himself. Rodney Dangerfield For nearly 30 years of my life,

Acting: The Craft of Deceit to Get to the Truth

 Acting and poetry saved my sanity as a teen. At 13, I auditioned for the role of  Juliet – Shakespeare’s daughter. I was in grade nine, and I was up against grade 13 gals. I'd never taken an acting lesson, but I got the part. Getting up on that stage