Author Archive
Review: No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre (Art and Lies Productions)
By Nadaa Hyder
Sartre’s No Exit by Arts and Lies Productions delves into existentialism at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto
Last night in the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace I saw No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. With little plot development and a main focus on character development, there are three characters whom we get to know very well. This is my kind of play – I personally love this structure and loved the show last night. No Exit is one of Sartre’s more well-known writings, and although I am not familiar with the original – this rendition was enjoyable and got the message across boldly.
Review: Convergence (Pivotal Motion Dance Theatre)
By Nadaa Hyder
Convergence at the Winchester Street Theatre is an interesting show with eight different dance sequences. Since working for Mooney on Theatre I have seen many dance shows and have grown to really appreciate great dance performances. Even though I could not relate to the subject matter, I was certainly able to appreciate the talented dancers and choreographers that brought this show together.
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Review: FLUENCY Tribal Crackling Wind (DanceWorks)
By Nadaa Hyder
FLUENCY Tribal Crackling Wind is a show choreographed by Peter Chin which combines dance, documentary, lecture and talk show interviews in one show. It is driven by Chin’s social experiment of trying to become a Nicaraguan, and it touches on the issues that he has experienced in the process. This may sound like a haphazard structure for a performance, but in fact it helps provide a plethora of information to an otherwise uninformative dance performance.Chin, of Indonesian descent, was born in Jamaica and immigrated to Canada at a young age. He explains that throughout his life he has always felt like a foreigner. In this show we are taken on his journey of trying to become a Nicaraguan.
Review: Name in Vain (Decalogue Two)
By Nadaa Hyder
At the Tarragon Theatre I watched Name in Vain (Decalogue Two) in their Extra Studio Space. We follow the interaction of five monks working in their monastery. As they have made a vow of silence, we watch them interact with each other with no spoken words.
There is no music -for obvious reasons- and so the only sound is that of birds, rain, and the occasional grunt from one of the monks. Although there is potential for an interesting concept, the lack of words and minimal sound makes this play quite dull in my opinion.
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Review: The Studio (Young People’s Theatre and Bouge de là)
By Nadaa Hyder
At the Young People’s Theatre, I attended an invigorating dance performance named The Studio. The Studio is a show that is set in an artist’s studio and conveys visual art in an abstract manner.
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Review: The Specials in 9/11/11
By Nadaa Hyder
Shudder (hum dansoundart) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Nadaa Hyder
Shudder is a show inspired by the paintings of Francis Bacon. Comprised mainly of what I would describe as creative movement, but not quite dance, this show is like nothing you’ve ever seen.
Francis Bacon was a painter with an unusual style, especially at his time. He conveyed a sense of the strange and eerie with his paintings, and this show certainly does as well, but in my opinion this becomes overstated.
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Dancing to a White Boy Song (ift theatre and Newface Entertainment) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Nadaa Hyder
Last night at the Theatre Centre I saw Dancing to a White Boy Song. Due to the title I expected a dance-heavy performance, which was not the case. With that said, this play did a great job and conveyed what it aimed to.
Dancing to a White Boy Song is a play simply about immigration and the struggles immigration brings to those who partake in it. It combines not only dance, but also poetry, spoken words, and visual imagery. Even though it specifically deals with African immigrants, the issues are easily relatable to those of all backgrounds.
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Lizardboy: A One Man Show (Winged Centarous and Whimsical Productions) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Nadaa Hyder
Lizardboy: A One Man Show is a window into the life of a 9 year-old Columbian boy. Victor Gomez, as both actor and playwright, creates a whole setting simply through anecdotes and role playing.
This is a play that deals with a child’s innocence and the development of violence due to one’s surrounding community. It is certainly a thought-provoking subject matter that is presented from a child’s perspective. This results in a serious subject becoming more playful, making it an interesting experience as an audience member.
Combat (tinybird theatre/Sore for Punching You) 2011 SummerWorks Review
By Nadaa Hyder
Combat is a play that creates an interesting correlation between a battlefield and an office workplace. It deals with a subject matter that nearly anyone can relate to – workplace conflicts and relationships. Adding the comparison to a battlefield allows war to become easily accessible by the common person who would not have considered it before.
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