Women playing Kings.

Mikaela Davies has written a strong case for women playing more roles in the Shakespearean canon over at Intermission. And she, along with some other great actors, are living it right now at the Stratford Festival. This is an idea that is near to my heart, having just completed a workshop for Bard on the Beach with an all female cast, using POW camp theatre as jumping off point, I hope to explore this idea further.  Our greatest actors are women – they should be getting the greatest parts.

 

 

Trying to be Good.

Emelia has a blog I have a long admired. And now she has a radio show. Last night she had me on to talk about growing up in small towns, making art, and throwing love at problems. Listen here.

Onegin Fan Art.

I love how our Onegin is inspiring folks to make their own visuals in response.

Lady Lottie’s sketches from her tumblr:

Markian made a poster, based on a David Cooper photo:

Roan posted these on FB:

And Brian started a new meme:

Onegin opens tonight.

Onegin final previews.

Reflected words can only shiver
Like elongated lights that twist
In the black mirror of a river
Between the city and the mist.
Elusive Pushkin! Persevering,
I still pick up Tatyana’s earring,
Still travel with your sullen rake.
I find another man’s mistake,
I analyze alliterations
That grace your feasts and haunt the great
Fourth stanza of your Canto Eight.
This is my task–a poet’s patience
And scholastic passion blent:
Dove-droppings on your monument.

– Vladimir Nabokov, on translating Pushkin

We are headed into our final 2 previews of Onegin before opening night on Wednesday March 23. It’s been a real joy to add the final touches after the almost 3 year journey to bring this to the stage. Audiences thus far have been warm and curious.  Veda and I are more aware of the audacity we have to attempt this, and our deep hope that we are doing Pushkin’s legacy proud in some way. And as for Monsieur Tchaikovsky? His masterwork is as perfect as an opera can be – we are not trying to improve or update, we want to make our own distinct thing, all respect and adoration to our original author and all of us that love them.

 

Wish List.

Selina Martin has a new album coming out. The first single to be released, Wish List, has a video that a few of us got together to shoot on Toronto Island in August. It was fun and stressful and sweaty – none of which you can see in the video, thank god, as it’s a special Christmas song. It was my first time doing something like that and I was grateful to Selina for taking a chance and making something with me. And special thanks to Scott, for all the editing work.  Happy End to 2015.

Dark Sisters closes this weekend.

Nico Muhly and Stephen Karam’s opera about the women in a polygamist sect is running until Saturday in Vancouver Opera’s production.

It’s a challenging piece, full of hard questions, and the cast and Kinza are giving their all.

As hoped for, reviews are all over the place, and I’m glad people are talking about it. If you want to read what the some of the reviewers are saying:

Vancouver Sun and Classical Voice America (same reviewer!), and the  Straight, a rave on Lords of Dogwood, Review Vancouver, Backtrack,