Author: Mel Priestley
Mel Priestley is a consulting astrologer and writer based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has been studying astrology for many years and completed the Fundamentals of Natal Astrology Certificate at Kepler College in 2021. She has been a professional freelance writer for over 15 years and has written extensively about wine, food, theatre and now, astrology. She has served previously on the executive committee of the Edmonton Astrological Society and as co-lead of OPA’s Canadian satellite.
Small town hospitality with Bed and Breakfast
This week I had a fun conversation with Mathew Hulshof and Chris Pereira, the two performers in Theatre Network’s production of Bed and Breakfast. This fast-paced, hilarious script is written by Canadian playwright Mark Crawford […]
Studying French with Madame Catherine
How does a script change when you translate it into another language? I find out the answer on this week’s show, where playwright Elena Eli Belyea gives us the lowdown on their show, Madame Catherine […]
Commercialized queens: a review of Citadel Theatre’s SIX
At the risk of being a complete party-pooper and raining on Edmonton’s current theatre parade, I have to say that SIX didn’t blow me away. There has been no shortage of hype for this show […]
Telling stories of healing with Three Ladies
This week, I spoke with Lady Vanessa Cardona: poet, performer, artist and community builder. Her show, Three Ladies, is opening Fringe Theatre’s off-season. In Three Ladies, Lady Vanessa weaves together monologue, ceremony, poetry, hip-hop and […]
Staging a true crime: a review of The Ballad of Peachtree Rose
NOTE: I decided to break this review into two parts: the first gives a spoiler-free overview of the show and the second discusses some very specific aspects of the story. If you haven’t seen the […]
Crime and stage management with The Ballad of Peachtree Rose
We don’t often get to hear from the perspective of stage managers when talking about theatre, so this week I spoke with Millie Winzinowich, the apprentice stage manager for Workshop West’s new show, The Ballad […]
Home invaders: Shadow Theatre’s The Roommate
Shadow Theatre’s season opener will have you thinking about your experiences with roommates, past or present. This two-hander, written by New York playwright Jen Silverman, features Coralie Cairns and Nadien Chu as a pair of […]
Bloody and bejeweled: a review of Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs
Despite the kooky premise, there’s a lot to find familiar in Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs. Sure, most of us probably aren’t blood-addicted nurses descended from Eastern European nobility who can sniff out your blood type from […]
Dancing the Alberta budget blues with Mile Zero Dance
Alberta’s new budget slashes funding for the arts and I went on a rant about it. Then I have a wonderful conversation with Gerry Morita, artistic director of Mile Zero Dance Society, about their upcoming […]
Canonizing the Orange Crush: Jason Chinn’s E Day
Well, here we are: the federal election has come and gone and there sure wasn’t a wave of NDP support this time around. Quite the contrary – Alberta painted itself blue, again, except for a […]
Democracy on stage at the Citadel’s Fight Night
I can’t think of a better show to see this election season than Fight Night, an odd theatrical experiment by Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed, part of the Citadel’s Highwire Series. (OK, except maybe E […]
All the middle-aged ladies put your hands up
This week is all about taking back the stage for the middle-aged ladies. First up is Kristin Johnston, who is starring in Northern Light Theatre’s season opener Baroness Bianka’s Bloodsongs. After that is Nancy McAlear, […]
