PodSask

EVERYONE likes the 5-star content 🌟 🌟 🌟
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PodSask gave out SIX 5-star reviews this year - which ones have you seen? And which ones can you still catch before the end of the Saskatoon Fringe Festival?

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2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival: The best of the best – PodSask Six Fringe shows received a vaunted five-star review this year - which ones have you seen?

The final round of Saskatoon Fringe Festival reviews - last but certainly not least! 🎭

Are there more five-star shows in the last bundle of reviews??? Check it out for yourself!

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2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival, Part 4: It’s the final countdown! (cue music) – PodSask Last but absolutely not least - the final batch of PodSask reviews from the Saskatoon Fringe Festival!

More Fringe, more fun, more theatre reviews! 🎭

We're stacking up five-star reviews - have you seen all of them? 👀 🎟

Saskatoon Fringe Festival is going strong!

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2024 Saskatoon Fringe Reviews Part 3: Music, magic, stand-up and rats – PodSask Three Fringe review posts, and still more to come - there's so much theatre to enjoy at the 2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival.

MORE five-star Saskatoon Fringe Festival reviews??? Yes please! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out the second batch of Fringe reviews from PodSask!

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2024 Saskatoon Fringe Reviews Part 2: Senior citizens and spooky shenanigans – PodSask The 2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival is well on its way, and a plethora of powerful performances have permeated the whole place.

The first round of Saskatoon Fringe Festival reviews are IN! 👀👀👀

Check out the first batch of reviews - the Fringe is starting off strong!

AND - who gets our first FIVE-STAR review of the season? 🌟

Check it out here!

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2024 Saskatoon Fringe Reviews Part 1: Romantic juggling and heartfelt hikes – PodSask The first round of reviews from the 2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival are IN!

It's time for the Saskatoon Fringe Festival once again!

Check out some of these need-to-know facts about this year's festival, and stay tuned to PodSask for reviews of every Fringe theatre show!

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It’s party time: 2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival gears up for celebration – PodSask The 2024 Saskatoon Fringe Festival presented by 25th Street Theatre is set to take to the streets (and nearby performing venues) from August 1 to 10.

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"The festival, in its thirty-ninth year, has branched out from exclusively producing Shakespearean plays to exploring more modern Shakespeare-adjacent productions like Done/Undone that masterfully present Shakespearean material in an understandable and thought-provoking manner."

Check out the review of the world premiere of Kate Besworth's new play "Done/Undone" performed by Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan!

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Review: Captivating world premiere of new play asks “Why Shakespeare?” – PodSask "Done/Undone" asks difficult and necessary questions that appear to set the stage for a future of SOTS that will include challenging and exciting productions.

***REVIEW***
"Glitz and glamour cast a veneer of decadence over the dark and ugly truths in Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan’s newest production of 'Hamlet,' and it’s one of the best shows the company has put on the stage in recent memory."

Check out the full review of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan's new, jazzy, slick and exciting production of 'Hamlet' here!

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Review: A roaring 20s ‘Hamlet’ shows the best of what’s possible for modern Shakespeare – PodSask Glitz and glamour cast a veneer of decadence over the dark and ugly truths in Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan's newest production of Hamlet, and it's one of the best productions the company has put on the stage in recent memory.

"It’s going to be different from any Hamlet I’ve been a part of or seen,” actor Skye Brandon said. “This is the first Hamlet on the new Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan site. Even if people have seen Hamlet over the years, they haven’t seen this one.”

Learn more about this year's Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan production of Hamlet below!

And stay tuned for the review!

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New season, old favourite: Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan kicks off with ‘Hamlet’ – PodSask This season's production of the popular tragedy 'Hamlet' is set in the flashy era of the roaring 20s.

"There’s also people who have never done a show before, and you’re welcoming them into the family,” actor Greg Malin said. “It’s an opportunity to meet a variety of new people and share the magic of theatre with them.”

Check out the full preview of Saskatoon Summer Players' production of "The Music Man" here!

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Saskatoon Summer Players celebrates its 60th with musical classic – PodSask The company’s 60th season wraps with 'The Music Man,' on at the Remai Arts Centre until June 23. The show tells the story of Harold Hill, a conman who arrives in River City, Iowa with a scheme to sell the unwitting townsfolk on funding the creation of a children’s marching band.

Lolabrickida Theatre is set to make its debut on June 12 at the Remai Arts Centre BackStage Stage with the Tony Award-nominated comedy-drama "In the Next Room (or The Vi****or Play)."

“The vi****or is the catalyst that brings the characters together, and acts as an instrument for some of the self-discovery, but not in the way that you think,” artistic and executive director Laura Negraeff said. “The way that it’s portrayed, it’s as a medical procedure. It helps them understand their bodies, question their relationships … It would be wrong to say it’s not a central theme, but not in the way we think of a vi****or in modern society.”

Check out more about the play here!

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New theatre company takes on taboo with exciting comedy-drama – PodSask Lolabrickida Theatre is set to make its debut on June 12 at the Remai Arts Centre BackStage Stage with the Tony Award-nominated comedy-drama "In the Next Room (or The Vi****or Play)."

"It’s a great place for people to meet each other and be surprised by art. It’s all around the city, so people can more or less go out their back door and see a show... the invitation is as wide as possible," said Sum Theatre Saskatoon artistic director Mackenzie Dawson.

Check out more about the newest Theatre in the Park show below!

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New Theatre in the Park show addresses digital life at home – PodSask Tackling topics around social media, the Internet and our digital lives through Sum Theatre's signature puppets and music, "The Reel Whirled" promises to be a family-friendly show out and about in parks throughout Saskatchewan.

"A lot can be done with vocalization and how the characters present themselves on stage," said Jennifer Dawn Bishop, the artistic director of Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre and the co-director of 'Lear.' "Even if you're an audience member that isn't fluent in any of the languages ... you're drawn into the beauty of the moment."

The run has already started! Learn more about the trilingual production of 'Lear' co-produced by GTNT, La Troupe du Jour and Never Never Shakespeare at the link below!

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Unique, trilingual Shakespeare adaptation takes Sask. stage – PodSask Never Never Shakespeare, Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (GTNT) and La Troupe du Jour have partnered together to produce an adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear" with a truly unique twist: the show will be performed in a combination of English, French and Cree.

“This whole conversation about identity has evolved … it’s become more complicated, but the basic question has not changed, which is ‘who am I? And how does my body fit into that?'” playwright Madeline Blais-Dahlen said. “Society has an opinion on you which they don’t have a right to have, they have an opinion on your value as a person based on your appearance.”

Check out more about the upcoming 25th Street Theatre play "The Art of French Cooking" at the link below!

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25th Street Theatre’s new play bares all in a celebration of self-worth – PodSask "Society has an opinion on you which they don't have a right to have, they have an opinion on your value as a person based on your appearance," said playwright Madeline Blais-Dahlen.

"'This is How We Got Here' will hit you in the chest. It is an important story that follows the road of grief far enough to see the hope of healing."

Check out Bobby Williston's full review of Persephone Theatre's production of "This is How We Got Here" below!

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Review: Newest Persephone production captures heartfelt loss, grief and hope – PodSask Keith Barker’s script contains moments of unparalleled beauty wrapped in a cloak of anguish.

“The show, to me, is about the misconnections people have. It’s about how we deal with grief in different ways, and how people avoid dealing with grief and that can create problems in your life,” actor Danny Knight said. “You’re going to see friends trying to go on with their daily lives, but they have all these questions they’re too scared to ask or answer.”

Check out the link below for the full preview of Persephone Theatre's production of "This Is How We Got Here"!

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New Persephone play explores family, grief and mental health – PodSask "I hope people think about opening up, and caring for one another, and making time to talk about heavy stuff with good friends and family."

"Persephone could not have put together a better show to capture the spirit of Christmas. It is at once fun and heartwarming, and the audience danced out of the theatre."

Check out the full review of Persephone Theatre's production of 'Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley' here!

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Review: Extravagant and adorable, Persephone Theatre’s Christmas play delights – PodSask Persephone could not have put together a better show to capture the spirit of Christmas. It is at once fun and heartwarming, and the audience danced out of the theatre.

“Once you get into the play, you see it’s really a classic story of a family coming together for Christmas,” performer Sam Fairweather said. “Yes, it’s set in the 1800s … but it’s very much a familiar story.”

Whether or not you're a Jane Austen fan, check out more about Persephone Theatre's production of 'Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley' here!

(Review coming soon!)

Pride and Prejudice and Christmas: Persephone holiday show a Jane Austen sequel – PodSask Persephone Theatre is bringing the spirit Regency Era to the stage for the holiday season with a show inspired by a classic novel. Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley serves as a sequel to the beloved Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. Set two years after the events of the novel, the play by Lau...

“People will not be disappointed when they come to this show,” director Lorna Batycki said. “There is definitely a lot of heart, soul, and, you know, skin… I always say it’s a cheeky little play with heart.”

Check out the preview for the Saskatoon Summer Players production of 'The Full Monty' at The Broadway Theatre!

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Saskatoon Summer Players Strips Down for ‘The Full Monty’ – PodSask The Full Monty is the first musical production of the 60th season of the Saskatoon Summer Players (SSP), and it promises to strip down to the bare essentials — both literally and figuratively. The show runs from Nov. 13 to 16 at the Broadway Theatre. Lorna Batycki, the show’s director, says “i...

“I was shocked we had sent artists to war. That’s why I wrote the play, never really knowing we were going to be ending up really grappling with war all around us and still making art in the middle of it,” playwright and director Yvette Nolan said.

Learn more about the Hardly Art Theatre production "The Art of War" by Yvette Nolan here!

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Of art and war: New Saskatchewan play gets long-awaited debut – PodSask Now, more than two years after it was originally scheduled to debut, 'The Art of War' produced by Hardly Art Theatre is getting its time to shine at the BackStage Stage from Nov. 9 to 12.

“It’s one of the things that drew me to this script in the first place, the opportunity to … tell (the story) in a way that we really are inviting the audience to feel the feelings with us,” performer and co-producer Katelyn Polischuk said. “The audience is always present with us, even in the scenes where we talk to each other.”

Check out the preview of the next show in the Live Five lineup - The Hagstone Collective's production of 'The Josephine Knot'!

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Family turmoil at the heart of next Live Five play – PodSask "It's poetry. The situations and the way the characters relate to each other are so essentially human," director Clare Middleton said.

We all like pumpkin spice lattes, right? ☕️ 🎃

Well, we went searching for the BEST pumpkin spice latte!

(Spoiler: Prism Coffee and City Perks were top of our list!)

Check out the rankings below!

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We found the best Pumpkin Spice Latte in Saskatoon – PodSask Sweetness, appearance, toppings, pumpkin flavour — a lot goes into a great pumpkin spice latte. Check out which of Saskatoon's PSLs is our favourite!

“There’s a time for lighthearted comedies in theatre, there’s a time for sentimentality and joy and love — that’s not this play,” director Jordan Harvey said. “It’s dark and disturbed … an inversion of the natural order.”

Check out more about Whirligig Theatre's upcoming production of "The Maids," running from Oct. 24 to Nov. 7 at The Avenue Room!

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New theatre collective making debut with provocative French play – PodSask Whirligig Theatre Collective's "The Maids" runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 7 at the Avenue Room in downtown Saskatoon.

"A love story is always fascinating to watch, but a true love story that lands in the middle of a pandemic and a war seems wild to consider. (Matthew) MacKenzie and (Mariya) Khomutova capture the playfulness of new love and infuse humour into tragic events."

Check out the full review of Punctuate! Theatre's production of 'First Métis Man of Odesa' at Persephone Theatre here!

Review: Cultures, love and humour collide in ‘First Metis Man of Odesa’ – PodSask A love story is always fascinating to watch, but a true love story that lands in the middle of a pandemic and a war seems wild to consider. Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova capture the playfulness of new love and infuse humour into tragic events.

“We just based it on the amazing story of our meeting and our love and our romance, and troubles we had later,” co-playwright and performer Mariya Khomutova said. “We didn’t have to invent anything. We just sort of wrote the facts, and it was already a play. The play was there.”

Check out more about Persephone Theatre's next show "First Métis Man of Odesa," a Punctuate! Theatre production!

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Real-life, world-spanning love story at heart of next Persephone show – PodSask The whirlwind life experiences of Khomutova and Mackenzie are the basis for 'First Métis Man of Odesa,' the new Canadian play gracing the Persephone Theatre until

“I love the fact (Duke Ellington’s) music is beyond category … I think it is very important music from multiple perspectives,” Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra artistic director Dean McNeill said. “Music that promotes this idea of compassion, promotes empathy and sympathy and humanity … is exactly what the world needs in this day and age.”

Check out more about the SJO's upcoming concert at The Broadway Theatre here!

Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra, guest artists tackle Ellington’s sacred music – PodSask The SJO's upcoming concert titled When the Spirit Moves You: Ellington's Sacred Music features guest artists Fred Stride and Dee Daniels, as well as the Aurora Voce choir conducted by Dr. Jennifer Lang (PhD).

“There shouldn’t be barriers to art. And there has to be something in the art world for every single person to enjoy,” Sean Homenick, one of Nuit Blanche YXE's festival organizers, said.

Check out more about Nuit Blanche Saskatoon, coming to a street near you this weekend!

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‘Smiles and light’: Nuit Blanche Saskatoon celebrating 10th arts festival – PodSask Nuit Blanche Saskatoon, the free contemporary street art festival, is making its return on Saturday, Sept. 23.

"This is a wise beginning to Persephone Theatre's season and it is a fantastic journey for its audiences. In capturing the layers of life and time, 'Bright Half Life' is beautiful in the happiest and saddest ways."

Check out the review of Persephone Theatre's first show of the season here!

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Review: ‘Bright Half Life’ starts Persephone season on a tremendous high note – PodSask The opening show of Persephone Theatre’s 2023/2024 season is a perfect example of how live theatre can simultaneously be hilarious and heartbreaking.

"When we're told a story that is linear, we can sort of sit back. It's a structure we're familiar with. When it gets switched around, it's asking us to lean in," director Kathryn Smith said. "It makes people pay attention to clues, find details."

Want to learn more about Persephone Theatre's production 'Bright Half Life'? Check it out below!

And keep an eye out for the show review coming soon! 👀

Persephone Theatre kicks off season with creative q***r love story – PodSask Kathryn Smith, the director of Bright Half Life, said presenting a story to an audience in a nonstandard, nonlinear way presented both challenges and opportunities for the artists.

It's the final Fringe reviews! (cue heroic music in the background)

The Saskatoon Fringe Festival has given us a great slate of 18 shows — which shows are you still excited to see?

Check out the latest reviews here!

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2023 Saskatoon Fringe Reviews Part 3: Children’s shows and one-person wonders – PodSask The final round of 2023 Fringe reviews! Who got five stars? Whose performances brought us to tears and laughter? Check it out here!