Megan's Blog

Sound Machine: What Edmonton Audiences Have Been Missing

The fact you likely won’t understand what’s being said or sung makes positively no difference whatsoever – the quirky, dynamic, downright entertaining Compagnie Drift take you on a bizarre exploration of sound and rhythm accessible to anyone and everyone. For those familiar with Righteous Babe Records, Sound Machine is the equivalent result of detonating That One Guy all over the stage. A brilliant combination of video, dance, music and sound, audience toes were tapping to the addictive beats of Sound Machine’s noise-inspired pop compositions throughout the performance. A fun, engaging and curiously entertaining piece of experimental theatre, Sound Machine is a peculiar example of what Edmonton audiences have been missing: straight up strange in all the right ways.

Add new comment

BASH'd - AGAIN!

The first time I saw BASH’d was five years ago in what was then The Roost. A downtown gay bar tucked behind the main city drag, The Roost was a place to dance, drink, and be whoever you wanted – or needed – to be. The Roost was a welcoming, exciting place daringly different from the mainstream: it was where to go to be accepted, whether gay or straight, so long as tolerance was your mandate.

Much like my fond memories of The Roost, and just as fresh and relevant as my first time ‘round the BASH’d dance floor, my second date with the boys of BASH’d proved as exciting, enticing and electrifying. Equal parts hilarity, heartbreak and brilliant beats, BASH’d is poignant and touching and will – regardless your orientation – radicalize your beliefs on gay love and marriage.

While the sound was somewhat inconsistent at times, occasionally interfering with T-Bag and Feminem’s ability to be heard above the phat beats, the technical shortcomings of the venue had little impact on the tight rhymes Craddock and Cuckow spun without losing their flow – or their breath.

See it once, and then see it again. You won’t be disappointed.

Add new comment

My Name Is...

A fresh draft of a text-in-the-works, My Name is by Michele Vance Hehir is an accessible exploration of the damaged, awkward and heartbreaking relationship of a family torn by guilt and lament. An honest peek into the world of disturbed and – in startlingly beautiful moments – disturbing characters, My Name is paints an intentionally scattered portrait of what it means to lose and be lost, to get stuck in an emotion and to reconcile wickedness. A study in coming-of-age, My Name is tackles issues of love, sexuality, failings and identity with magnetic ease.

Presented by the Alberta Playwrights’ Network as part of Canoe Festival’s Adventure in Whitewater Theatre, the reading provided an intimate look at Herhir’s work. I could easily imagine the transition to stage, and am excited to hopefully find it there in the very near future. My only lament is there was no official talk-balk session following the reading. While the audience was invited to approach the playwright, I had hoped for communal conversation and would have been interested to hear how the audience (which ranged in age from the very young to the young at heart!) felt immediately following the reading.

Post script: Big ups to the actors who so delicately handled Herhir’s text – you expertly drew me in!

Add new comment