Reading Time: 2 minutesSlam poetry or a ‘slam’ is simply the competition between fellow poets, and allows for individual or group performances. The performers and the audience resonate through each other, and vicariously experience what the poets have to share. Through a dance of words it forms a discussion or a debate where the winner is chosen by judges who are typically advocates of the art.
Reading Time: 2 minutesUnlike the latest cash-in remake, the 1959 version of Ben-Hur didn’t need half-assed CGI or a bad Morgan Freeman wig to create an epic feel.
Reading Time: 2 minutesShannon Fournier, the organizer of Rise Up and a former criminology student at the U of O, explained that through her own experiences, and during her time at the university, she learned about the holes that exist in the criminal justice system for victims of sexual assault when reporting crimes.
Reading Time: 3 minutesOdyssey Theatre has done productions of this play before, but what makes this version stand out from its predecessors is that it’s set in 1950s Venice as opposed to the 1700s.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe street was lined with an array of businesses, banks, political parties, and charitable organizations—like the Foundation for Wellness Professionals of Ottawa—all standing in solidarity and support for the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe attention to detail and the variety in instrumentation that Ocean curates on the album is unparalleled, and his maturity shines bright in his songwriting, experimentation, vocal performance, and overall artistry.
Reading Time: 2 minutesRenowned for its dazzling productions and invaluable use of comedia dell’arte, or comedy using dramatic masks, the Odyssey Theatre company is living up to its reputation with its most recent production, The Servant of Two Masters.
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn many ways, she chronicles her maturation process knowing that life can end at any minute. This is represented by the skull in the cover art—death is always hanging just over her head.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe British quartet, famous for their arena-filling folk-rock—and for being that band who had a banjo, and then ditched the banjo—break new, beautiful ground with their latest offering.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWe can all picture the perfect summer bar—a place with a nice patio, available seats, and a drink menu that boasts a long list of summery selections. Waller Street Brewing doesn’t have a patio, but it does create a unique summer atmosphere all its own.
Reading Time: 2 minutesKÄSE is a three-piece jazz-fusion rock band, but Cam Buie, fourth-year piano performance student and the group’s pianist, says that he would describe their sound more as “punk rock for sissies.”
Reading Time: < 1 minute[View the story “Doc on Hassan Diab premiers at the U of O” on Storify]
Reading Time: 2 minutesDirected by MFA candidate Pamela Feghali, the play tells the tale of four friends and their twisted experiences of insobriety and sabotage. The discourse surrounds the tribulations of the artist, whose beauty and talent causes both admiration and envy.
Reading Time: 2 minutesA breakfast restaurant, namely Flapjack’s Pancake Shack, is probably one of the last places where one would imagine a spoken word poetry event would take place. Urban Legends Poetry, however, believes that Flapjack’s is the perfect place for poetry performances, which is why they have begun a new series at Flapjack’s on Preston Street called “Poets and Pancakes”.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIrving and his bandmates have gained a lot of experience touring since their 2012 performance at Bluesfest, and as much as he says they love the intimate shows that they have been performing at, Irving says that “nothing can match hordes of screaming fans.”
Reading Time: 2 minutesOde, this year’s grad show, will be one of the largest ever. An annual tradition, this is the last opportunity for artists in their final year of their undergraduate degree to present their work that has been the product of four years of artistic exploration and self-discovery. The exhibit is run entirely by the students, who organized themselves into groups responsible for fundraising, planning for the opening night, or creating the catalogue.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWith school nearing its end, it’s time to finally look forward to summer. Soon you’ll be out of the library and sweltering under the hot summer sun. Try this spiked lemonade to help escape the heat, and forget about exam season as quickly as possible.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis is why on April 6 OCTEVAW, who have worked with professors and done guest lectures at the University of Ottawa in the past, held a screening of the documentary film, The Mask You Live In, to raise money for their public awareness campaign catered to men, MANifest Change, at the ByTowne Cinema.
Reading Time: 3 minutesWeezer (2016), or The White Album, picks up where Everything Will Be Alright in the End left off, and continues to build upon the progress by delivering one of the most consistently strong records in the band’s massive discography. Opening with a trio of instantly classic, alt-rock anthems, the LP immediately exemplifies all of Weezer’s strengths, both reassuring long-time fans and creating new ones.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhen this Gee-Gee travels, only the finest greet him… and by finest I mean the finest cut out. While I may not have been greeted by the actual Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban ki-Moon while visiting Vienna a few weeks back, just a cardboard cut out, my colleagues and I did get the opportunity of a lifetime to visit and tour international institutions based out of Vienna.
Reading Time: 2 minutesAs I browsed the festival, the Fadi’s Fabulous Foods menu caught my eye, and when I noticed the General Tao Poutine I finally understood what Hannah Montana meant when she sang about the “best of both worlds”. This dish had the perfect balance of two of my favourite foods—poutine, a Canadian staple, and General Tao chicken, my favourite kind of Chinese food.
Reading Time: 2 minutesDespite Nicholson’s decision, many Canadians believe that Diab is innocent and has been wrongly accused. A group of these Canadians have become so passionate about the case that they created an organization called Justice for Hassan Diab, and have raised money through crowdfunding on Indiegogo to create a documentary to spread the word about Diab’s story.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe nature of this gallery makes its latest exhibit, Full Catastrophe, appear almost ironic. The pieces, all created by University of Ottawa MFA candidates, disrupt the tranquility, leaving behind a catastrophe of sorts, reflecting the nature of the seven artists’ pieces featured in the exhibit.
Reading Time: 2 minutesHowever, in a show dominated by soulful pop hits, the most memorable moments came from the classic rockers. Singing “If I’m gonna go down, I’ll go down rockin” (which is as good a mantra as any), Bryan Adams brought some much-needed bare-bones, no-nonsense rock-and-roll to the night.
Reading Time: 2 minutesOriginally created by Jordan Tannahill, Erin Brubacher, and Cara Spooner, and written for a Toronto setting, the play was adapted for Ottawa with a new local cast featuring two University of Ottawa students, and opened at the National Arts Centre (NAC) on March 31 to a full house.
