undercurrents

Brian Carroll: “The soundscape of Tomorrow’s Child is rich and lush. From the first scenes of the playground and the helicopter, the soundscape is immersive and enveloping… Ray Bradbury would probably have liked this sonic adaptation of his story. “

Barb Popel: “Theatre 4.669’s production of Un-Countried has restored my faith in Canadian theatre. It’s not often Ottawa audiences get to see a world premiere of such a well-crafted play. Rarer still that the playwright is a local.”

Jared Davidson: “Exceptional character work… [Burnt is] fascinating, clever, and immersive.”

Si l’an dernier le festival undercurrents avait enregistré un nouveau record d’assistance, on ne s’attend pas à moins cette année ! Parmi les neuf productions qui font partie de la programmation, voici nos coups de cœur.

This year’s undercurrents festival, to be held in February, will be headlined by repeats, solo shows among an eclectic 8-show lineup.

Macbeth Muet (speechless Macbeth), playing at the undercurrents festival, is an almost wordless abridged version of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Most of the main plot elements are there, from the three witches to the final battle scene. Some major elements are missing, but they are surprisingly few. To reveal them would be to give spoilers. Let me compliment […]

Moonlodge – part of the undercurrents festival of new plays – is a reworking of an Aboriginal Canadian classic by playwright Margo Kane. As part of the festival, it was workshopped at the NAC Fourth Stage on February 12 and 13. This is the NAC’s first participation in undercurrents; here’s hoping it’s not the last. […]

undercurrents has built a reputation as a forum for “theatre below the mainstream”, a place where artists and audiences are encouraged to take chances with original contemporary theatre. Since 2011, it has brought 12 world premieres to stage. Kristina Watt and Martha Ross’s Particle is one such premiere. Particle has a pedigree. Ottawa audiences know […]

Miscegenation (noun): the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types. Sarah Waisvisz travels a murky, muddled and miss-remembered heritage in Monstrous a world premiere performance at undercurrents that blends storytelling to dance in Waisvisz search for cultural belonging. Premiering during Black History Month this work comes at an opportune moment offering insight […]

Fringe theatre by its very name explores characters and topics frequently marginalized.  Getting to Room Temperature adheres to this tradition in Arthur Milner’s one-man show recounting the struggles that accompany the decline and death of his mother Rose. Based on Milner’s experience with his mother Rose’s death the work was inspired by her pursuit of […]

The title of this play is Forstner and Fillister Present: Forstner and Fillister in: Fosterner and Fillister. If that makes you laugh, you will like this play. If the use of punctuation concerns you, you’ll probably still like this play. This is a play that it’s hard not to like. Those who have fond memories […]

Jared Davidson is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Apt613. Follow his Twitter for more. The opening night of undercurrents closed with Mouthpiece, a play from Toronto’s Quote Unquote Collective, and a play whose title only hints at the social commentary that bursts forth from this performance in new and important ways. It is […]

Post by Eric Coates, Artistic Director of the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Full disclosure: my personal picks for undercurrents are all projects that GCTC has supported, in one way or another, so it makes sense that I want to highlight them. I’m like a hockey parent cheering for my kid’s team, and woe betide anyone […]