Local theatre company shuts down for 2011–12 season
THIRD WALL THEATRE Company will cancel its shows for the 2011–12 season due to financial issues associated with grant reductions from the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Ottawa. Scheduled to perform Three Sisters, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Checklist for an Armed Robber, the company will continue performing Chekhov’s Three Sisters in what was supposed to be a collaboration with the University of Ottawa, but now will be presented solely by the university’s Department of Theatre.
“While this is a difficult time and decision, it is the only course of action that will allow the company to stabilize, strengthen, and move forward with a renewed vigour,” says James Richardson, the company’s artistic director.
Fundraising for the theatre company will continue, including a wine tasting event set to take place on Oct. 29 at the Mercury Lounge.
—Sofia Hashi
Photographs of famous actress create a stir
PHOTOGRAPHER TYLER SHIELDS recently captured Glee actress Heather Morris in some racy disturbing poses and costumes on his website. With 50s hair, S&M style clothing, and obvious bruising, the scantily clad Morris was meant to portray a physically abused housewife. The series of photographs caused quite the uproar among women and families faced with domestic abuse.
Shields is no stranger to racy shoots and misinterpretations of his art. He photographed another well-known actress, Lindsay Lohan, with a gunshot wound and lying in risqué lingerie soaked in blood. Morris’ photographs, though controversial, do have a message: The abused housewife image should be erased in today’s culture. She may be an abused woman, but she is still alive and strong enough to break free from domestic violence. To underline the true intentions behind this photo shoot, Shields is donating the sales from the photos to multiple women’s shelters.
—Victoria Dudys
ISPs hindering gamers
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS’ (ISPs) per usage billing is impeding the advancement of video games. ISPs only allow customers a certain amount of downloads each month. They also actively employ throttling, which is when certain applications run slower. Both of these restraints have now garnered attention not only from consumers, but from those behind big video game franchises.
“We’re trying to progress and move into those new areas of downloading content and full games and streaming live. We’re pushing forward and it seems like they’re going backwards,” says Mark Rubin, the executive producer at Infinity Ward, which is responsible for the Call of Duty series.
ISPs, however, state that throttling and the capping of usage are both needed to avoid overcrowding.
This has not stopped gamers from complaining to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in the past, but in spite of this, ISPs seem to be moving toward even smaller monthly caps.
—Sofia Hashi
