Transforming Timmy’s

Edmonton recently had its hopes raised, then summarily dashed, by the Oilers’ adequate performance in the playoffs. For a brief moment, all Canadians threw in with the plucky underdogs. We were envisioning a uniting moment, not unlike the one we got in 2016, when the Hip played Kingston. In Canada, we are always a bit…

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Transforming Healthcare

In Michael Moore’s 2007 documentary Sicko, he contrasts the United States pre-Obama healthcare system with the more government-regimented systems of four other countries. First, he goes to Canada, where he mugs surprise at the camera while hosers in Tim Hortons tell him they didn’t have to pay for medical treatment. That’s the government’s job, they…

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Ham and Sharp: In the Wings with a Grounded Director

This post is not about Hamlet. Not really. But it’s about Shakespeare, and theatre, and especially my own co-dependency with same. Last night I watched a documentary called Now: In the Wings on a World Stage. The subject is a 2011 world tour of Bridge Theatre’s production of Richard III, directed by Sam Mendes and…

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Line by Line: Act 1, Scene 1, Lines 6-8

FRANCISCO: For this relief much thanks: ’tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart. BERNARDO: Have you had quiet guard? FRANCISCO:                                          Not a mouse stirring. One of the things I love most about Shakespeare is his instinct for when to use flowering, grandiose imagery, and when to keep things arrestingly ordinary. These lines, which…

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