News stories tagged with "ottawa"

(03/27/12) East of Berlin is running at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa through April 8. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review. more

(03/19/12) "Penny Plain" is running at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa through April 1. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review. more

(03/09/12) One of Canada's top choirs celebrates its tenth season with a performance in Ottawa Saturday night. The Ottawa Bach Choir has performed its brand of Baroque music around the world and had its Carnegie Hall debut last May. Todd Moe talks with the ensemble's founder and Artistic Director Lisette Canton about Saturday night's performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion -- an authentic Baroque concert featuring an array of Canadian and international early music stars.

(02/17/12) Organizers of Ottawa's big three-week winter festival have learned from long experience there's just no counting on the weather. Take this year: a mild opening weekend. Then a chilly one. And now, a bit of a melt-down.

The Rideau Canal was closed on Thursday as temperatures reached the upper 30s, with another mild forecast on tap for today.

Winterlude's final weekend includes a provincial holiday "Family Day" on Monday, giving residents and visitors three full days to take in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Lucy Martin has more. more

(02/06/12) Creation is running in the Studio at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa through February 20. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has our review. more

(01/23/12) Blood on the Moon is running at GCTC in Ottawa through February 5. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng has this commentary. more

(01/19/12) Part of Ottawa's Rideau Canal Skateway opened for skating this past Sunday, kicking off its 42nd season. Once weather permits, nearly five miles of frozen canal will see heavy use for another month or two. The free skateway is a star attraction for Winterlude, coming up February 3-20. Sunday, just a short section was open, and the ice conditions were listed as poor.

Long time canal enthusiast Hugh Graham keeps a kick sled on hand for bad ice days. The sled looks like a light kitchen chair on long, thin runners. Wearing home-made studded boots, he can ride the runner with one foot, and push along at a good clip with the other. There's even room for some gear or a light passenger on the chair. Graham showed off his kick sled to Lucy Martin for today's Heard Up North. more

(01/19/12) The Canadian play, 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, has played on five continents and in more than 150 cities since it first opened 15 years ago. Its success worldwide is due to its universal themes of dreams and discipline.

The set consists of two grand pianos, and the cast is just two actors. It's a simple show, ostensibly about piano lessons, that's moving, profound and lots of fun. It was written and first performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt, both brilliant actors and pianists. They're back on stage at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa this month for the farewell tour.

2 Pianos, 4 Hands continues through Saturday, January 28th at the National Arts Centre's English Theatre. NCPR's resident theater critic Connie Meng and Todd Moe share a review of the show.

(12/12/11) Oliver! is running at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa through December 31. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review. more

(11/25/11) Nestled amongst the trees along the western edge of Parliament Hill in Ottawa is a small spot reserved for the residential feral cat population. Their ancestors arrived in the early 1900's to help control pests in nearby government buildings. The Canadian government and local volunteers have provided a place for them to take shelter and receive food and water since the 1970's. This cat sanctuary even has the Queen's blessing.

Today, the complex includes neat rows of tiny kitty condos, built by cat lover Renee Chartrand. Renee, dubbed the "Cat Man of Ottawa", is 90 and still lives in the city, although he's not able to make the daily trek up Parliament Hill. A team of friends and volunteers have cheerfully taken up his cause. Todd Moe recently played tourist on Parliament Hill and met some of the cats and their caretakers.