All posts by Andrew Sketchley

In Review: Theatre UNB Presents ‘Cats, Cockatoos, and Caca: Two Plays by Eugene Ionesco’

Theatre UNB is concluding the semester for their Drama 2173 class with ‘Cats, Cockatoos, and Caca,’ a double-feature of plays by Eugene Ionesco, the Romanian-French playwright best known for his pioneering work in the genre of the Theatre of the Absurd. Focusing on the surreal, the inexplicable, and the outrageous, director Len Falkenstein selected two of Ionesco’s early works, ‘Jack, or the Submission‘ and ‘The Bald Soprano,’ with the stated intent of challenging the actors’ skills and encouraging growth. Continue reading In Review: Theatre UNB Presents ‘Cats, Cockatoos, and Caca: Two Plays by Eugene Ionesco’

In Review: Theatre St. Thomas’ ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead’

Theatre St. Thomas has opened their production for the Fall 2017 semester; Tom Stoppard’s classic ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,’ is returning to the stage since TST’s last performance of it eleven years ago. Put on by St Thomas University students and under the direction of New Brunswick theatre luminary and newly appointed member of the Order of Canada, Ilkay Silk, ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ is a perfect showcase of STU’s upcoming theatrical talent. Continue reading In Review: Theatre St. Thomas’ ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead’

New Music: Penny Blacks Release Sophomore Album ‘Long Lights’

Long Lights, the second full-length album of Saint John’s Penny Blacks, saw release this season. The creative vessel of songwriter Jason Ogden, Penny Blacks has been making periodical creative offerings since 2011, blending genres and putting out some of Saint John’s strongest records. Continue reading New Music: Penny Blacks Release Sophomore Album ‘Long Lights’

In Review: TNB’s Season Opener ‘Fortune Of Wolves’

Theatre New Brunswick’s 2017-2018 season has opened with Fortune of Wolves, an ambitious dramatic undertaking. Written by New Brunswick playwright Ryan Griffith, Fortune of Wolves tells the story of Lowell, a young man who leaves home to travel across Canada, doing tape recorder interviews with those he meets along the way. On his journey, though, accounts of unexplained disappearances and supernatural phenomena start turning up in both the interviews and in Lowell’s own audio journals. These sinister peripherals boil over at the end the first act, at which point the play takes on a far more apocalyptic tone, though the exact nature of what is happening is left intentionally vague. The play’s second half finds itself far more reminiscent of Stephen King’s ‘The Mist’ or of Cloverfield, if it had also been a roadtrip movie, focusing on the reactions of everyday individuals and civilized society across the country in the face of a horrific yet unknowable threat. Continue reading In Review: TNB’s Season Opener ‘Fortune Of Wolves’

New Music: Floodland Releases Second Album ‘Static Walls’

Back with their second full-length album, Floodland has recently launched their newest album, ‘Static Walls.’ Focused on innovation and reinvention, ‘Static Walls’ covers a broad spectrum of genres, from hard rock to acoustic indie jams, with each track exploring the band’s potential in a new direction. With much of the album recorded live, Floodland delivers a raw, authentic sound that ties the whole album together regardless of the specific song’s style. Continue reading New Music: Floodland Releases Second Album ‘Static Walls’