Torchlight Shakespeare at Ottawa’s Strathcona Park

Photo Credit: Company of Fools

Melodie Cardin (Twitter) has lived in the National Capital Region since 2000. A 2007 graduate of Carleton University’s school of journalism, she’s now the manager of communications for a small project assisting Canadian researchers to collaborate internationally. 

I cannot believe that after 10 years in the National Capital Region, I had never been to A Company of Fools’ Torchlight Shakespeare. Monday night I found friends and lawn chairs, and headed to Strathcona Park in Sandy Hill to enjoy this summer’s play, Antony and Cleopatra.

Strathcona Park in itself is an Ottawa gem. It borders the Rideau River, and so has that great smell of weeds and wildlife. From the small stone wall that runs along the riverbank is a lovely view of the bridge which connects Sandy Hill to Vanier. The North border of the park has a steep hill with a gorgeous fountain at the top of it, directly across Laurier street from Le Cordon Bleu.

The park is pleasantly full of people walking their dogs or basking under the shade of a giant tree with a book. It’s a nice size, has a bike path running through one side of it, and last night, was almost mosquito-free, despite the proximity to the river.

Strathcona Park

Normally, Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy, but A Company of Fools played it as a comedy to great effect. There were lots of modern touches thrown in, metatheatrical winks to the audience that were greatly enjoyed. Many of the actors took on several roles apiece, and they did a nice job of differentiating them not only through costumes but through exaggerated comedic body language.

Making a comedy out of the play was a good idea – a tragedy in the park might not have been a great idea. The barking of dogs, people calling out to each other, bikes riding by would likely have spoiled the tone of a tragedy, whereas the comedy allowed the actors to improvise and interact with their surroundings.

It may not be New York City, and Shakespeare in the Park with Al Pacino, but Ottawa’s actors are great – plus you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get a ticket. Of particular note, I thought, were Richard Gélinas in the role of Antony, and Katie Bunting and Cari Leslie playing several roles each. The banter between Antony and Enobarbus was the best part of the play, largely because of the excellent comic timing and chemistry between Gélinas and Leslie.

All in all, it was an evening I would highly recommend – the play was hilarious, the surroundings were gorgeous, and it’s a pretty cheap way to be entertained (pay what you can into the hat – 10$ donation suggested.) It’s kid and pet-friendly as well.

A Company of Fools has one more performance in Strathcona Park, next Monday. As well, Antony and Cleopatra plays until Aug. 20 in various parks around the city – see their website, www.fools.ca, to find out where.

“I’m dancing so hard I need a HIP replacement” – Melodie Cardin’s take of Bluesfest day 5

Melodie Cardin (Twitter) has lived in the National Capital Region since 2000. A 2007 graduate of Carleton University’s school of journalism, she’s now the manager of communications for a small project assisting Canadian researchers to collaborate internationally. The following views are her own.

Thursday afternoon, smacking myself in the forehead for not having thought of it earlier, I realized that my little brother, who now lives in Montreal, is just as much of a Tragically Hip fan as I am. I quickly texted him an invitation to come to Ottawa and, two days later, we found ourselves en route from my Beechwood Village apartment to Lebreton Flats. After a quick stop on Somerset Street for a bite of lunch at the Yangtze (his sweet and sour pork was quickly devoured, my shrimp chow mein? Not so much), we headed to Bluesfest. It was to be my fifth Tragically Hip concert and my third at Bluesfest.

This year's Bluesfest is on until Sunday, July 17

Bluesfest is generally my favourite event in Ottawa’s calendar, combining two weeks of great concerts with the best weather Ottawa generally has to offer. There are so many great things about Ottawa: the beautiful bike paths, the gorgeous river vistas, the many excellent museums, the farmers’ markets, but when it comes to nightlife I am often a little jealous of those in Montreal. Not so during Bluesfest.

We arrived in time for the start of Rich Aucoin’s performance at 5 p.m. on the MBNA stage. I had read in the papers that the set-up this year was causing long line-ups, but whether they fixed the problem or we were just early enough, it definitely wasn’t an issue.

We met a friend of mine and parked ourselves down on the grass for a few songs, before discovering it was not our cup of tea and decided to wander. That’s one of the nice things about the festival – with all the concurrent acts, if you don’t like the band you can easily find another one. We headed over to the Subway stage and settled in to listen to Ray Bailey, whom we enjoyed much more.  For anyone who hasn’t been to Bluesfest, it’s not strictly a “blues” festival, but they usually have at least one bluesy show happening, and this was it. I was also pleased to discover the B. Goods bakery van there, as I’m a fan of their gluten-free chocolate mint and orange hazelnut cookies.

Dennis Coffey (photo via Ming Wu, http://photogmusic.com)

At the end of his performance, we listened to some of a show I don’t remember much about, and then wound up back at the MBNA stage for the last of Dennis Coffey, who we thought was great.

It is around this time, I find, that the afternoon festival begins to morph into its evening self, which is a totally different animal. When I go to Bluesfest for the afternoon acts, I’m not a lawn chair girl. The reason for this is that as comfy as they no doubt are in the afternoon, I’d have no place to put them in the evening when it gets busy. Many, however, enjoy bringing lawn chairs or stools or picnic blankets to spread out during the afternoon. In previous years, I’ve seen a bit of conflict happen at the end of the day when those who’ve been camped out on lawn chairs near the stage all afternoon are forced to fold up their chairs and make space for the hordes coming to see the evening show. This didn’t seem to be too much of an issue on Saturday, though, as everyone near me peacefully folded up their chairs.

Erykah Badu performing at Bluesfest (photo via Ming Wu, http://photogmusic.com)

Anyway, the crowd thickened as Erykah Badu performed on the Claridge Homes Stage (what an amazing performer she is, incidentally) and we found our spots for the Tragically Hip. At this point I made an amazing discovery: I could see. In the past couple of years, the set up at Lebreton Flats has had the main stage at the east end. At 5’5” I am always a bit too short to see the stage. This time, the Bluesfest setup had the stage at the southwest end of the main lawn, with a wide audience rather than a deep one, and the sight lines were much better for my vertically challenged self.

The sight lines were also really good to the two screens so we could easily read the Twitter feed running along the bottom of each. Some of those tweets really made us laugh, eg. “I’m dancing so hard I’m going to need a HIP replacement.” (Incidentally, though – does anyone LIKE being proposed to via Tweet?)

The Hip show, of course, was completely mind-blowing. They played quite a bluesy set, including an unforgettable, melancholy rendition of “Fiddler’s Green.” I particularly loved when they started playing “New Orleans is Sinking,” moved on after the first verse to “Nautical Disaster,” and then came back to finish the last verses of “New Orleans.” I’d never noticed the common theme in the two songs before.

A photo from 2008 when The Tragically Hip last performed at Bluesfest (photo via The Tragically Hip website)

My little bro was happy because they played his favorite Hip song, “Poets,” and although I was a little surprised and disappointed that they didn’t play anything off the newest album, “We Are The Same,” which I’m completely in love with, I had a great time. It was actually a very golden oldies type set, with the only really recent song they played being “In View” from “In Between Evolution.” They did, however, also play a couple of new songs, which made up for it. Anyway, with the Hip, any set is great – they’ve never written a song I didn’t like. There were lots of tweets about how The Tragically Hip are Canada’s band, and I tend to agree.

Seeing them, again, in Canada’s capital, made my weekend.

Stay tuned for Melodie’s review of another Bluesfest show later this week, featuring a great Canadian band, Metric (she’s also going to try out the bike parking!). Did you go see The Tragically Hip show last Saturday?  What have you thought of Bluesfest so far?

A special thanks goes out to Ming Wu (website) for letting us use some of his stunning photos!

More on “It is what it is” at the National Gallery of Canada

Chris Millar Bejeweled Double Festooned Plus Skull for Girls. Purchased 2010. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photo: John Dean

Melodie Cardin is the Special Events and Communications Coordinator for the ByWard Market Business Improvement Area.

I had sort of middling expectations of It Is What It Is: Recent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art, since the National Gallery of Canada show opened in Ottawa with very little fanfare, especially compared to the summer’s Pop Life exhibit.

Surprise, surprise! As I walked from piece to piece in this exhibit, I kept thinking, “This is my favourite! No, wait a minute, this is my favourite. Nope, this is!”

After a few days of reflection and thinking about what has really stuck in my head, here are my top three:

“The Holes” by David Altmejd: A massive, jungle-like garden with crystals made of mirrors and huge brightly coloured flowers intertwines with intricate vein structures and overstated organs strewn helter-skelter. Feet, heart, liver and veins of a very human-like werewolf lie in a crystal garden. This sculpture, which took up an entire room, just fascinated me.

“Bejeweled Double Festooned Plus Skull for Girls” by Chris Millar: This sculpture sort of reminded me of Never Never Land crossed with a dollhouse. It’s a dream-like vacation resort rich with details which comment on the roles of materialism and advertising in our lives, particularly for girls.

“Tacet” by Antonia Hirsch: This piece is made up of three silent videos. In each video, a person is filmed silently reading music. The three pieces of music are the national anthems of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. From just the facial expressions of the three readers, you can tell which is which.

There were many more fantastic pieces, so go discover them yourself. The show runs until April 24, 2011.

What is your favourite part of the National Gallery of Canada?

How do we know the holidays are here? The ByWard Market smells like pine!

Carollers in the ByWard Market

Melodie Cardin is the special events and communications  coordinator for the ByWard Market Business Improvement Area, and she also apparently has some incredible mind-reading skills.  Just this weekend I passed by the very choir pictured above and thought I should write up a little something about just how wonderful the ByWard Market is at this time of year. The evening I sat down to write it, I realized I already had this little story sitting in my inbox. Thanks for your contribution Melodie!

I’m starting to notice as I head into work in the ByWard Market every day that the whole area smells like pine. It’s all the vendors outside, braving the elements to purvey Christmas trees, wreaths, boughs, centrepieces and all sorts of holiday goodies. There’s of course, also the traditional Canadian maple syrup (take it from me – get the amber – it’s the cheapest and the best!) and the usual mittens and hats and scarves reminding us all that the really cold weather is just around the corner.

The ByWard Market, circa 1903

This weekend, we started up our holiday programming and it was really a blast. For the first three Saturdays and Sundays in December, we have choirs who sing just outside EQ3 on George Street, and free hay wagon rides.  This weekend we had the University of Ottawa Residence Choir, Choeur de l’ìle from Gatineau, and the Nepean Choir. I just loved watching the choirs sing under just the teeniest bit of softly falling snow, as a crowd gathered to watch. It’s fun to watch the faces of people in the crowd, the smiles developing slowly as they walk by, the kids tugging on their parents’ hands to get them to stop and listen, and sing along, for a few minutes. The atmosphere is just wonderful and reminds me why I love Ottawa.

The wagon rides are also wonderful – there’s nothing that seems quite as magical as seeing a five year old’s face when that kid sees a horse. The kids and parents sing Christmas carols as the hay wagon makes its way around the Market. The hayrides are provided by Cundell Stables, which has been operating out of its York Street location since everyone was riding around in horse drawn carriages – the business is more than 115 years old.

There are two more weekends left to experience the choirs and hayrides – head down to the Market December 11th and 12th, or December 18th to 19th. The choirs sing between noon and 4 p.m., and the hayrides go from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.. They start on York Street, just outside the Moulin de Provence bakery. You can find more information at www.byward-market.com.

What do you love about Ottawa in the winter?

Shopping in the Byward Market: Frou Frou

Cubana knee-high suede boots, made in Portugal

Chelsea wearing Papillon shirt-dress

Lisa wearing a Kiki burgundy dress

 

Melodie Cardin is the Special Events and Communications Coordinator for the ByWard Market Business Improvement Area…we look forward to more posts from her!

I might as well start this off with a little confession: I’m not really a “clothes girl.”

I mean, yeah, I like a great handbag as much as the next girl, but I’m not really up on the latest trends and I don’t generally get a huge amount of pleasure out of shopping. Usually, I do it because I have to; because my favorite pair of jeans is too worn to fit even the loosest definition of casual Friday, or because my big toe  has officially gone through every sock I own. Once in awhile I shop for fun, but usually, malls stress me out, particularly at this time of year as the Christmas rush is about to begin.

I do get enjoyment though, out of a cute boutique with unique finds and great customer service, and that’s one of the reasons I love traveling – because in my experience, those kinds of places are really easy to find in places like New York, Paris and Montreal.

However, just as we often don’t bother to see the tourist attractions in our town, many of us don’t delve deep enough to find the shopping gems that Ottawa can and does provide. One of these little gems is Frou Frou, a shop on William Street in the ByWard Market that proves that the words “funky” and “elegant” can actually be used in the same sentence.

On my last visit, Assistant Manager Lisa Bowese and store employee Chelsea Regan were happy to pitch in as fashion models to show you a few of their best outfits.

“I love working here,” gushed Regan. “Aside from the rest of the staff being so wonderful, when people leave this store they feel better about themselves. The best thing is when the smile on somebody’s face isn’t just because they got a new dress, it’s when the dress they got makes them feel like a million bucks, and they had a great time shopping for it.”

Regan modeled a gorgeous sequined shirt-dress by Papillon. Bowese tried on a lovely burgundy party dress by Kiki, and offered to be a foot model so I could get a picture of these great Cubana suede knee-high boots, made in Portugal. She also showed me a line of eco-friendly, sustainable boots by Groundhog. Bowese has been at Frou Frou for two years, and four years with the company, which also owns the two Sassy Bead Co. locations (in the ByWard Market and the Glebe), Pom Pom and Pom Pom Too and Bank Street Framing. All of these shops bring something special to Ottawa, but I’m especially partial to Frou Frou as the fashions are just a little edgier.

“We tend to have funky clothing that can be worn by a large variety of people,” says Bowese, describing Frou Frou. “We have pieces that an older woman could wear and have that pop in her wardrobe, without looking like she’s trying to look too young.” For the younger set, she says, Frou Frou always has variety. “Here, if you buy a dress, you don’t have to worry about walking into the  party and seeing somebody in the exact same dress.”

The staff, for me, is a huge part of the draw of this store. At Frou Frou, someone will be there to assist you but there is never a feeling of pressure to buy. These ladies are genuine and truly committed to helping you walk out with something suited to both your body type and your personality. It’s enough to make a “clothes girl” out of anyone.

Note: Frou Frou will be holding a Midnight Madness event on December 3. They’ll be open until midnight and there will be great sales, so it will be a great time to check it out.

Where do you shop in Ottawa?