Phoenix alumna Erin Macklem (right) working with co-creator Brad L’Écuye on This Little Light
Looking for some seasonal theatre over the holidays? Our always busy Department of Theatre alumni have you covered with a wide range of holiday offerings! Here’s what’s coming up in Victoria over the next few weeks:
- This Little Light – Dec 10-23 • Belfry Theatre, 1291 Gladstone • Tickets $25-$53
Phoenix alumna Erin Macklem — currently Artistic Associate and Outreach Coordinator at the Belfry Theatre — presents the world premiere of her new musical, for which she wrote the book and lyrics, in association with musical director Brad L’Ecuyer. This Little Light is a one-hour outdoor, musical adaptation of The Little Match Girl, written specifically for Victoria and Fernwood, and starring members of the Canadian College of Performing Arts’ Company C Studio Ensemble, local school choirs and other special guests.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Peter (left) and Chris (right)
- A Peter n’ Chris-tmas Carol – 7pm Friday, Dec 16 • Metro Studio Theatre, 1411 Quadra (at Johnson) • Tickets $15
Join busy — and always funny — Phoenix alumni Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson for this one-night-only hilarious send-up of the classic Charles Dickens’ Christmas story. When a grumpy Chris is visited on the night before Christmas (or maybe like a week before Christmas, honestly it’s a busy time for these ghosts), he wastes most of his time with the first ghost. Now he must decide which of the ghosts he wants to meet before sunrise in order to change his ways. Peter n’ Chris are masters of parody and theatrical comedy, sending everyday life up to absurd heights. A Peter n’ Chris-tmas Carol promises to be all the things you love about A Christmas Carol, performed the way only Peter n’ Chris can: a fast, smart, hilarious new take on an old classic.
Brian Richmond
- Miracle on 34th Street and It’s A Wondeful Life: the radio plays – Thursday-Sunday, Dec 15-18 • The Roxy, 2657 Quadra Street • Tickets $15-$30 • Miracle runs 8pm Dec 15 & 17 plus 2pm Dec 18 • Wonderful runs 8pm Dec 16 & 18 plus 2pm Dec 17
Theatre professor Brian Richmond’s Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre continues its holiday tradition of offering audiences an entertaining and nostalgic look at how plays were produced in the golden age of radio with its hit live productions of the classic films Miracle on 34th Street and It’s A Wonderful Life. Both shows are performed in front of microphones and live audiences, in exactly the same manner as they would have been in the 1940’s when radio was king. Directed by Richmond with a fantastic local talent pool—including Amanda Lisman, Wes Tritter, Christopher Mackie, Shauna Baird, Griffin Lea, Tara Britt, Michael Armstrong, Jacob Richmond, L.J. Wallace, Jeffrey Renn and more.
Bindon Kinghorn with Clayton Jevne (right) in Shockheaded Peter. (photo: Times Colonist)
- Shockheaded Peter: A Junk Opera – Runs to Dec 17 • Theatre Inconnu, 1923 Fernwood Road (across from the Belfry) • Tickets $10-$14 • Showtimes 8pm Dec 8-10 & 14-17, 2pm Dec 10 & 17.
The reviews have been strong for this quirky holiday offering, directed by Phoenix alumnus and Theatre instructor Clayton Jevne. “If you find traditional Christmas entertainments saccharine and wholesome, Shockheaded Peter may be just the palate cleanser you’re looking for,” says the Times Colonist in this review. Described as a “Junk Opera” — a term used to describe the work of The Tiger Lillies, an English trio of cabaret-style musicians — the show is based upon Heinrich Hoffmann’s Struwwelpeter, the 1845 German cautionary-tales book for children.
The music is an intoxicating blend of Eastern European gypsy with French-style cabaret, and a sprinkling of melodic heart-rending ballad. The lyrics – in a very darkly comic manner – demonstrate what happens to little children who misbehave. The presentation style is one of puppetry, pantomime, story telling, and orchestrated mayhem. Local band Party On High Street – who have accompanied past Inconnu musicals – will be back to provide eclectic musicianship for a host of local voices —including busy Theatre alum Cam Culham and retired Theatre staffer Bindon Kinghorn. Plus, the costumes are by Theatre alum Ian Case, former GM of Intrepid Theatre and UVic’s current director of Ceremonies and Events.