The undercurrents theatre festival has made a name for itself by trying to showcase some of this country’s boldest theatre performances here in the Capital city. Last year saw the exhilarating stage presence of Sébastien Heins and the bass-thumping Brotherhood: the Hip Hopera, not to mention the audio-adventure that was Ghost River Theatre’s Tomorrow’s Child. … Continue reading Undercurrents 2018 Launch: Undercurrents Gets Politcal
On Reaching Out to the Media
One of the great things about digital media is that it’s a lot easier and faster for the publisher to open up a dialogue with the public: updating a problematic sentence on a web page is simple and guarantees that future readers will see the corrected version, whereas the corrections in a newspaper, for example, … Continue reading On Reaching Out to the Media
Ottawa’s theatre criticism landscape is changing
By Tamara LaPlante On November 21, 2011, Iain Armitage posted his first theatre review to his YouTube channel: IainLovesTheatre. He was three years old at the time. After seeing a production of Hairspray at Signature Theatre, Armitage filmed a 34 second stand-up with his reactions to the musical. His channel is one example of the … Continue reading Ottawa’s theatre criticism landscape is changing
New Criticism & Writing From a Place of Privilege
Edited by Caitlin Gowans The hype around #Canada150 has seemingly come and gone and like many others, I spent Canada Day in reflection. On this occasion there was an outpouring of ‘think pieces’ from white individuals, myself included, stating their discomfort or feelings of awkwardness in regards to celebrating Canada Day this year because of … Continue reading New Criticism & Writing From a Place of Privilege
Online Criticism & Artistic Darwinism
Are online theatre critics, or digital content creators in general, artists? To answer this seemingly rhetorical question, let me begin with a story: Not too long ago I found myself walking in a park in a quiet town in Germany and sat down by the edge of a pond, where I was greeted by an … Continue reading Online Criticism & Artistic Darwinism
Cultural Exchange|Theatrefullstop
"Introducing a new segment to both Theatrefullstop and New Ottawa Critics. As two independent blogger collectives, we are both inspired by what theatrically is happening beyond our borders. Each month, we will correspond with all the latest happenings in our cultural cities. This is an opportunity to learn, be inspired, communicate and collaborate!"- Lucy Basaba, … Continue reading Cultural Exchange|Theatrefullstop
D is for Diversity
Fresh Meat Theatre Festival just opened their call for submissions for their 6th annual edition, and have also taken some really exciting steps towards increasing the diversity of programming available in the awareness of the Ottawa theatre community. What’s the big deal about diversity anyways? Diversity exists on a (ha ha) wide range of axes, … Continue reading D is for Diversity
Half-baked
I wrote some time ago about “the end” of art. Now it’s time to talk about the beginning. How does the artist know when a piece is ready? How does the audience know when it’s half-baked. There are different kinds of ready. A play might be ready for a staged reading. It might be … Continue reading Half-baked
The Unresolved
There’s a tendency I’ve noticed in theatre writers and theatre-goers alike to want things to be tied up in a neat little bow. But what if things weren’t so tidy? What if the playwright conspired with the director and the actors to leave a few things unresolved. What if we left the theatre with questions, … Continue reading The Unresolved
On Mediocrity in Theatre
I’ve been reading Jordan Tannahill’s Theatre of the Unimpressed, and it has been hitting some chords for me. The main inspiration for writing this book is Tannahill’s observation that a lot of the people he talks to have sworn off ever attending the theatre. They went once, their experience made them unforgivably bored, and they … Continue reading On Mediocrity in Theatre
The New Ottawa Critics 