And, suddenly, it’s December. It’s Winter Solstice today, and the final weeks of the holiday season are unfolding unlike any other before. Many of us are in, or about to go into, lockdown. Favourite holiday traditions, family gatherings, shopping and outings have had to be cancelled or rearranged to follow public health protocols and localContinue reading “Safe & happy holidays”
Tag Archives: joy
Reaching out during COVID-19
In these strange new normal times of physical distancing, we’re reminded how important it is to stay connected—staying in touch with family, friends and colleagues, as well as neighbours who may need company or assistance, is so important for both our mental and physical health. Even introverts like myself, while generally well-equipped for staying homeContinue reading “Reaching out during COVID-19”
Melanie Peterson’s “Christmas Breaks My Heart” a gentle, melodic nod to holiday heartache
Melanie Peterson, live at Free Times Cafe for last night’s “Christmas Breaks My Heart” launch. It was standing room only at Free Times Café last night, as Melanie Peterson celebrated the launch of her new holiday single “Christmas Breaks My Heart”, featuring the talents of fellow Toronto-based singer/songwriter guests Matt Gerber and Angela Saini.Continue reading “Melanie Peterson’s “Christmas Breaks My Heart” a gentle, melodic nod to holiday heartache”
Love, joy & connection in the deeply moving, inspiring Between Breaths
Darryl Hopkins, Steve O’Connell & Berni Stapleton. Set & costume design by Shawn Kerwin. Lighting design by Leigh Ann Vardy. Photo by Rich Blenkinsopp. Factory Theatre continues the celebration of its 50th anniversary with a presentation of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland’s production of Robert Chafe’s Between Breaths, directed by Jillian Keiley, assisted by Sharon King-Campbell,Continue reading “Love, joy & connection in the deeply moving, inspiring Between Breaths”
SummerWorks: Relationship wisdom from the mouths of babes in the playful, surprising & moving CHILD-ISH
Photo by Graham Isador. Sunny Drake and the CHILD-ISH Collective present a work-in-progress presentation of CHILD-ISH, written by Drake, and directed by Alan Dilworth and associate director Katrina Darychuk—and running in the Franco Boni Theatre at The Theatre Centre. Exploring the theme of relationships from various angles, CHILD-ISH is a piece of verbatim theatreContinue reading “SummerWorks: Relationship wisdom from the mouths of babes in the playful, surprising & moving CHILD-ISH”
Dancing in the key of life in Kaeja d’Dance’s joyful, moving, dynamic Porch View Dances 2019
PORCH 2: Lifesongs (Her Mixtape’s a Masterpiece), choreographed by Shannon Litzenberger. Kirsten Boer, Marion Oliver, Lori Pacan, Evelyn Sham and Myriam Zitouni. Photo by Cate McKim. Kaeja d’Dance opened its 8th annual Porch View Dances, presented in and around Seaton Village in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto (starting at 92 London St.) last night. PartContinue reading “Dancing in the key of life in Kaeja d’Dance’s joyful, moving, dynamic Porch View Dances 2019”
Happy holidays 2018!
Hey all! Holy cow, it’s that time of year again! Time to get the holiday activities into high gear, with shopping and social events taking over the calendar. This also means it’s time for the cowbell blog’s annual December hiatus. This gives me a chance for some R&R after a very busy Fall theatre season,Continue reading “Happy holidays 2018!”
SummerWorks: Revolution, gratitude & being with a roar in The AMY Project’s brave, bold Lion Womxn
The AMY Project returns to SummerWorks with the brave, bold and deeply personal multimedia, multidisciplinary ensemble-generated Lion Womxn. Directed by Julia Hune-Brown and Nikki Shaffeeullah, assisted by Jules Vodarek Hunter and Bessie Cheng, Lion Womxn ran for three performances at the Theatre Centre—I caught their closing night show in the Incubator last night. Created andContinue reading “SummerWorks: Revolution, gratitude & being with a roar in The AMY Project’s brave, bold Lion Womxn”
Toronto Fringe: Party like a sumo wrestler with Robin F*cking Black in the gutsy, inspirational Enjoy the Hostilities
Robin Black. Photo by John Laszlo Bruce. Pressgang Theatre takes us on a wild, wisdom-filled storytelling ride with its Toronto Fringe production of Enjoy the Hostilities, written by Robin Black and Graham Isador, directed by Isador and performed by Black—running now at The Bovine. Part personal journey, part edgy TedTalk, the storytelling is frank,Continue reading “Toronto Fringe: Party like a sumo wrestler with Robin F*cking Black in the gutsy, inspirational Enjoy the Hostilities”
Finding equilibrium amidst the pain & joy in the candid, vulnerable, sharply funny Periscope
Megan Phillips. Photos by Corey Palmer. Vancouver-based writer/performer Megan Phillips was in town at Bad Dog Theatre last night for a one-night-only performance of her autobiographical piece Periscope—the up and down journey of finding equilibrium in her life when personal day-to-day miracles stopped coming—directed by Jeff Leard, with dramaturgy by TJ Dawe and musicContinue reading “Finding equilibrium amidst the pain & joy in the candid, vulnerable, sharply funny Periscope”
life with more cowbell 