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Amira Benjamin
Amira Benjamin is an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa in sociology and anthropology. She is interested in all forms of journalism, especially arts and community reporting. You can find them critically analyzing Marvel movies or filling up a Pokedex. They are a member of the 2023 cohort of the IBPOC Critics Lab, supported by Intermission Magazine and the Stratford Festival.
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iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of Theatre Calgary.
REVIEW: The Play That Goes Wrong dazzles at Theatre Calgary
The Play That Goes Wrong is a sparking-flaming-smoking car crash that you just can’t take your eyes off of. A fiery, racing delight, this is not a production to be missed.
iPhoto caption: Sara Topham in Hedda Gabler at the Stratford Festival. Photo by David Hou.
Gatekeep, gaslight, girlboss: The delight of female rage in theatre
Personally, I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs — especially when it comes to my girl Hedda. And it seems that at least two Ontario directors share my viewpoint, with Hedda Gabler opening twice in the same month at Stratford and at Coal Mine Theatre in Toronto. What makes her story so appealing?
iPhoto caption: Photo by Rick Clifford
REVIEWS: Toronto International Film Festival 2024
A filmed production of an experimental Egyptian opera, a TV series penned by Jordan Tannahill, and the moviemaking debut of Broadway director Marianne Elliott are among the offerings at this year’s TIFF with connections to the world of theatre.
iPhoto caption: Kailin Brown in the Broadway National Tour of Chicago. Photo by Jeremy Daniel.
I’m not a woman, I just play one
“As a performer, my job is to play a character, and if that character is right for me it doesn’t matter what gender they are,” writes non-binary actor Kailin Brown. “What matters is that I can make a difference in someone’s life who can relate to the character, or to me as the actor.”
iPhoto caption: Promotional image from The Tempest: A Witch in Algiers at Shakespeare in the Ruff. Photo courtesy of Shakespeare in the Ruff.
REVIEW: The Tempest: A Witch in Algiers brings new meaning to a classic tale
You may think you know the story of The Tempest, Shakespeare’s shipwrecked saga about wizards, spirits, and nobility on a remote island. But in The Tempest: A Witch in Algiers, playwright Makram Ayache invites new consideration of canonized characters,
iPhoto caption: Starr Domingue and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane in Something Rotten! at the Stratford Festival. Production stills by David Hou.
Yes, those standing ovations at Something Rotten! are real — just ask Portia and Bea
Two mid-show standing ovations? Really? Yes, really. Or so say the leading ladies of Something Rotten!. For those who’ve spent the summer living under a rock, Something Rotten! (written by...
iPhoto caption: Wendy and Peter Pan production still by David Hou.
Wendy and Peter Pan explores the power of love — and grief
“Part of what gets me through the very emotionally tumultuous ending of the story is remembering that Wendy has to live for the family members who are still there,” says Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks, who plays Wendy in the Stratford Festival’s production of Wendy and Peter Pan. “I just think that that's such a beautiful part of this adaptation.”
REVIEW: Ottawa’s undercurrents festival explores a vast sea of emotions and styles
Curated by Ottawa Fringe, the 14th rendition of undercurrents festival has concluded, having brought fresh, fiery theatre productions to audiences in Canada's capital.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Prison Dancer at the NAC is a rehabilitating tale of humanity
Carmen Leilani De Jesus, Romeo Candido, and Nina Lee Aquino have created a contemporary classic with Prison Dancer.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Jeremy Daniel.
REVIEW: Hairspray in Ottawa is a sugar-sweet song and dance down memory lane
Did someone order some Hairspray? Well, it’s arrived at the National Arts Centre, and it’s more than ready to win your heart over.
REVIEW: The Supine Cobbler is a hilarious, deeply intimate trip to the abortion clinic at GCTC
The play is strange, which is a loving compliment to Connell’s playwriting, but also entirely familiar; the space used feels endless, a testament to how malleable the play is and the strength of Pearlman’s direction.
“I was thinking about which histories we actively remember, we choose to remember, and which ones we choose to forget and how important that is.”
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