The Unknown Studio

A few weeks back, we got an email from Kathleen Ochoa asking if we could publish a review she did of Madame Butterfly, which she saw the last weekend in August. We meant to post this sooner, but then we got busy and it was pushed down our inbox list. Sorry Kathleen!

Enjoy her post, and read more about Kathleen at the end of the story.

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I’m not sure that many people attended Mercury Opera’s production of Madame Opera the weekend of August 27th, but, for those of us who made it out to this unique outdoor event, it was totally worth it.

I have to admit sometimes to being a “hater” when it comes to my hometown — mostly when it comes to the events that happen in parks. They always seem to have the look of empty festivals that leave you with the feeling of, “gee if we were just in a bigger city, this event wouldn’t feel so dead or empty.”

That being said, being a producer of events I understand how much work and money it takes to put on a well-conceived event, never mind all the work it takes to produce a successful show with high artistic talent. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 20% [?]

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. And sometimes, to cope, people need to lash out at something – anything – just to help make sense of it.

That’s more or less the premise behind Gargamel, a new tragicomedy by Trent Wilkie and the folks over at Mostly Water Theatre. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 16% [?]

Justin Bieber, bigger than the Beatles since 2010

I won’t lie to you. I rarely know who anyone on the cover of the magazines at the grocery store are. It seems that I have to watch Saturday Night Live just to even attempt to keep up to date. It wasn’t until Tina Fey hosted her old show with musical guest Justin Bieber that I learned that Canada had a young pop-star that is winning over the rest of the world.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my Flixster ap on my Blackberry to see that there is a Justin Bieber movie! How long has this kid been around for I wondered. Michael Jackson didn’t get a concert movie until after he died. Now, this guy gets a movie when he seemingly just started. I just don’t get what makes a person famous anymore I guess.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 16% [?]

There are two sides to every story

What if the Wicked Witch of the West wasn’t bad? What if  Dorothy wasn’t as innocent as she seemed? That’s exactly what Gregory Maguire tells us in his novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Maguire is the same author who wrote Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that this is from the perspective of one of Cinderella’s step sisters. Wicked is a whole new telling of the Wizard of Oz that is witty and a very enjoyable read. This novel also reminds you that there are indeed usually two sides to every story. You might even start to feel bad for the Wicked Witch of the West. In this novel she didn’t have a very easy life and well, circumstances were outside of her control. I don’t want to spoil any plots as there are several sites out there  that can do that for you. Not only that, but I’m sure this will eventually become a movie. Hollywood must be running out of ideas when children’s movies staring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are what it’s come to.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 20% [?]

Friends, it’s time again for that most wonderful time of year I like to call “Oscar Season.” It’s a lot like “Rabbit Season” and “Duck Season”, except with more glitz, less bird-shot to the face, and tons of forced happiness.

And with this week’s announcement of the nominees, it’s also time for my yearly tradition of giving you my knee-jerk Oscar picks – which are guaranteed to be totally accurate.*

Let’s begin shall we? Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 14% [?]

I consider myself to be a “social drinker.” I don’t go out to get drunk, and I rarely have any sort of alcoholic beverages by myself, but I enjoy them with company. Beer, scotch, girly-drinks: there’s always something for me to enjoy.

But I’ll admit I’ve never been very knowledgeable about wine. Oh, I like wine – but it’s not my go-to alcohol, and I can’t say I really know much difference between a pinot-noir and a chardonnay. I know that some wine is red, and some is white. And I prefer the white one.

So when Adam and I were invited to a sneak-preview of the Flavours of BC’s Naramata Bench Wine Tasting & Auction, I was quite thrilled! It was a great opportunity to get to know a little more about a beverage I really don’t know too much about. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 15% [?]