Category Archives: Interviews

Questions for Marilyn Gronsdal

Posted on September 27, 2022 by barczablog

Marilyn Gronsdal is an opera director whose work we’ve seen with the Canadian Opera Company, reviving productions premiered in earlier seasons. In 2019 the COC brought back Atom Egoyan’s 2015 Cosi fan tutte. I liked that 2019 version much better … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Interviewing Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) aka Tanya Smania (she): probing Tatyana’s Secret

Posted on August 25, 2022 by barczablog

I’m intrigued by the upcoming production of Tanya’s Secret produced by Opera Queens, an adaptation of Eugene Onegin, a work that seems to invite questions. Mike Fan | 范祖铭 (they) aka Tanya Smania (she) is the artistic director and driving … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Who’s Afraid of Titus? Sky Gilbert isn’t.

Posted on August 10, 2022 by barczablog

The title Who’s Afraid of Titus? has at least three meanings I can see. 1: Performers who fear that audiences won’t come see an unfamiliar play. 2: Professors (Shakespeare theorists) confused by a play that doesn’t fit the usual template. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Popular music & culture, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lindsay Anne Black: canary in the mine

Posted on June 2, 2022 by barczablog

Whether your Kafkaesque fate is to wake up to the discovery you’ve turned into an insect, or merely that you have to hide inside your house because of coronaviruses and lockdowns, I think we’re ready for Eldritch Theatre’s current theatrical … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Food, Health and Nutrition, Interviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kyle McDonald talks about Conan and Mightier Productions

Posted on April 27, 2022 by barczablog

Kyle McDonald and Mightier Productions premiere a new opera on May 5th, titled Conan and the Stone of Kelior. I asked Kyle a few questions. BB: When I look at your website, I see a commercial venture: (hopefully you recognize … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Opera, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adam Paolozza explains Italian Mime Suicide

Posted on April 19, 2022 by barczablog

Adam Paolozza and theatre ensemble Bad New Days are coming back to Toronto with the provocative genre-bending piece ITALIAN MIME SUICIDE at The Theatre Centre (Franco Boni Theatre) beginning April 21 to May 1 (opening night April 23). Inspired by … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Corey Arnold & Kyle McDonald talk about The Lion Heart: their new opera

Posted on March 19, 2022 by barczablog

In 2016 I reviewed James Bond: A Convenient Lie , by Kyle McDonald. It’s subtitled “Opera in Pasticcio“, a form where Kyle combined existing music from opera with his comical lyrics to tell his spy story. For example he takes … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Interviews, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Chatting with Bruce McGillivray about the German bow, music and rehabilitation

Posted on February 28, 2022 by barczablog

After a short stay in Mt Sinai after collapsing in early September, my mother went to Bridgepoint Hospital for rehab, gradually seeking to re-cover her mobility with the help of physical therapy. The beautiful view through the window lifts patients’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health and Nutrition, Interviews, Music and musicology, My mother, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sky Gilbert talks about Pat and Skee, a dark new comedy about his parents

Posted on February 14, 2022 by barczablog

Pat and Skee opens February 25 at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, a darkly comic memoir of a challenging childhood. Sky Gilbert is a ‘child of divorce.’ Pat and Skee is an homage to Sky’s parents—who did their best to raise … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Zorana Sadiq talks about MixTape

Posted on October 14, 2021 by barczablog

A Dora-award winning multidisciplinary artist of Pakistani descent, Zorana Sadiq creates work that is wide ranging and spans different types of performance, including theatre, television, chamber music, contemporary music, and opera. Zorana is currently a Creator in Residence at Crow’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment