In March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic locked down the world. As a result, eight months later on Nov. 28, I found myself standing alone in my room and being sworn into the COVEN by two drag queens on Twitch. “We are a coven. We are here to support each[Read More…]
Theatre
Tuesday Night Cafe Theatre takes theatrical activism to the radio
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably hindered live theatrical productions at McGill this year, Tuesday Night Cafe (TNC) Theatre has persevered. State of Denial, written by Rahul Varma and directed by Zachary Couture, U3 Arts, was TNC’s first production of the year, and instead of taking to the stage, it took to[Read More…]
Players’ Theatre confidently adapts to a virtual format
Theatre at McGill looks a little different this year. Rather than traditional live productions, which are no longer possible due to public health restrictions, Players’ Theatre went virtual. This is a Play and Life is a Dream were presented through Zoom, running from Oct. 29-31. The McGill Tribune attended each show to find[Read More…]
Players’ Theatre proves that the show must go on
Theatre-lovers everywhere are mourning the days of live performances with sold-out venues, elaborate production designs, and most importantly, a sense of collective belonging. COVID-19 has caused major disruptions for McGill’s theatre community, especially since Montreal moved into its Red Zone earlier this month. Understandably, theatre clubs at McGill have struggled[Read More…]
‘En Pointe’ is an optimistic return to Montreal’s in-person theatre
For several months, COVID-19 brought Montreal’s theatre scene to a halt, but as public health measures are slowly being lifted, Tableau D’Hote Theatre has emerged as one of the first production companies to offer its patrons a safe theatre-going experience. En Pointe, their current production, is a series of bilingual[Read More…]
From The Viewpoint: The Festival of Marionettes
No one likes marionettes. In my mind, a marionette is one of three things: A lying rascal named Pinocchio, a demon-possessed puppet that haunts an abandoned Opera House, or, simply, entertainment for children. Marionettes are uncanny—miniature human figures stripped of all bodily autonomy, hanging limply with lifeless eyes. I never[Read More…]
Finding feminist solitude in Natasha Perry-Fagant’s “The Absence of Silence”
Walking past Segal’s, the beloved Saint-Laurent grocery store, you may have noticed the phrase “#FringeBuzz” plastered to the windows on the second floor. Behind those windows is the Minimain, a black box performance space in the Mainline theatre. This is where actor, director, and playwright Natasha Perry-Fagant performed her one-woman[Read More…]
‘Medea’ perfectly blends classical tragedy with the contemporary
Continuing its acclaimed annual tradition, the McGill Department of History and Classical Studies held its McGill Classics Play, Medea from Feb. 5-8 at the Mainline Theatre. This classical text, written by Euripides, is a sequel to Jason and the Argonauts—the Ancient Greek myth where he finds the golden fleece. This time,[Read More…]
Gilbert and Sullivan remain fresh in ‘The Gondoliers’
Gilbert and Sullivan are ubiquitous in the theatre world and beyond. Their songs appear in television shows both in their original form and in parody, in shows like Star Trek and Family Guy. Yet while other productions play with their time period, projecting plot and characters into modern scenarios, much of the charm[Read More…]
Apocalypse is at the centre of Centaur Theatre’s ‘The Tropic of X’
At first glance, Caridad Svich’s The Tropic of X seems like an ordinary science fiction play depicting a dystopian future. However, it is clear that Svich grounded this political drama in reality. Criticizing North American colonialism, capitalism, and consumerism, the narrative becomes a commentary on the negative conditions that such structures[Read More…]