Happy Birthday, MagNorth
As the revelries continue for Canada’s 150th anniversary, let us not forget about another anniversary: Magnetic North, Canada’s only national theatre festival, turns 15 this year. Known mostly to industry insiders, this capital-based festival visits a Canadian city every second year. It’s back in Ottawa from June 16 to 24.
This year, Brendan Healy has taken over as artistic director, and his edgy, adventurous sensibilities are sure to shake things up (Healy never shied away from controversy during his six seasons in charge of Toronto’s home for queer theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre). By presenting shows from across Canada, Healy hopes that Magnetic North will expand the conversation around the country’s legacy, identity, and place in the world.
Three shows will do just that: Home Is a Beautiful Word will examine homelessness in Victoria, whose size and character are comparable to Ottawa’s, through verbatim theatre (a style of performance where the content comes from interviews with real people). Do any of them have the solution? Find out. Foreign Radical will be a theatrical representation of a video game that puts its audience in charge of exploring issues of security, profiling, and privacy in the age of cyber-surveillance. And from Wakefield’s own internationally renowned STO Union, Trophy is a live art installation of 150 structures on George Street in the ByWard Market — the objects are inspired by stories of transformation from people across the Ottawa-Gatineau area.
“There is a curious, devoted, and sophisticated audience for art and culture in our city, and it’s a pleasure to give them an opportunity to discover some of Canada’s talented and innovative theatre artists.” –Brendan Healy