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
Do you miss Fringe?
I had my first day off in 4 months after the Ottawa Fringe let out on June 18th. That day off was real nice. And now I’m supposed to wrap up the festival this year. I’ve been on the road doing theatre, both Fringe-y and not, since April, and I have no plans to really … Continue reading Do you miss Fringe?
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
Critics on the Road: Tampa International Fringe
The season is upon us. What season, you ask? Fringe season, of course. It’s less than 3 weeks ‘til Ottawa Fringe begins, and last week I was in attendance at the 1st annual Tampa International Fringe Festival as a kind of warm up for the long haul of the season. This week for Dark Day … Continue reading Critics on the Road: Tampa International Fringe
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
Happy Birthday to Me (or Blow Out the Candles, Make a Wish)
The New Ottawa Critics is celebrating its 5th birthday this week, so this Dark Day Monday Tuesday, we’re here to tell you a little bit more about our plans for the upcoming year and why we need your help more than ever. Over the last 5 years, the New Ottawa Critics and I have been … Continue reading Happy Birthday to Me (or Blow Out the Candles, Make a Wish)
The End? of Art
This Dark Day Monday I’d like to lean back into a more theoretical query: what is the end of theatre? I’m being deliberately vague (not to mention pretentious) about this question, because it lets me explore a few boring assumptions about theatre in an interesting way. This question has two distinct meanings that I’d like to … Continue reading The End? of Art
Community Voices
What are community voices, anyway? This is a new section of NOC devoted to giving space to people who normally live in the background of the conversation around art making and art criticism a dedicated place to speak. The community is a sound designer sick of people not appreciating their work, because people don’t know … Continue reading Community Voices
Where We Live (New Ottawa Critics in Residence)
I’ve been talking for weeks now about what the critical landscape currently looks like in this country, what the New Ottawa Critics thinks it’s trying to accomplish, and the theory behind that. Now it’s time to talk a bit about how exactly we are hoping to address some of these issues. So this edition … Continue reading Where We Live (New Ottawa Critics in Residence)
The New Ottawa Critics 