ARTS EAST

Two couples contemplate infidelity. One follows through, the other does not. Each choice creates ripples outward, like a stone dropping in a pond. Lives overlap and intertwine. A lost love reappears. A pair of shoes abandoned on the beach. A woman vanishes without a trace. Contracts broken between lovers and powerful bonds forged between strangers. What happens when intimacy breaks down? When do we recognize the danger of our inaction? How far will we go to feel something?  Find out this week when DMV Theatre presents Speaking in Tongues at Neptune Theatre’s Scotiabank Stage in Halifax. Recently we spoke with director Matthew Thomas Walker about what audiences can expect. What are your own roots? I’m Halifax born and raised, as was my Mother.  My father grew up on the South Shore in a small town called Milton. How long have you been involved in theater, and in what capacity? I got hooked into theatre during my undergrad at Dal by an Intro to Acting c...

Have you ever watched a play about a play? A play that has only two characters, one story but at the same time many characters and many stories? Presented by Halifax-based Matchstick Theatre on January 14, Daniel MacIvor's “In On It” is a true exploration of theatre and human life in a fresh, creative way. Critical thinkers will also find strong symbolism in the show that keeps the audience engaged on many levels, both as observers as well as participants. The actors uncover a simple truth: By watching what is happening on stage, we influence it with our emotions, reactions and we are being watched, too. The play is composed of multiple scenes that are interrupted by actors discussing those scenes and asking each other for feedback. How often do you get to see the actors arguing whether the actual poster of the play is good or not? Breaking of rules, breaking of characters and standard theatre play surprise the audience and uncovers another way of perceiving the whole ac...

Halifax-based actor, musician and photographer Hal Tatlidil remains at the forefront of creativity in Atlantic Canada. Recently we spoke with him about his passion for the visual arts. What is your own heritage?   I'm Turkish. I was born in Istanbul, Turkey and grew up in Canada. Where do you currently reside, and how old are you now? I've been working between Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax for the past several years. What first inspired you to take up photography? Photography was never really a thought for me…I mean I've always been moved by images but I started as a musician and had found fair success in that, which turned me on to film and TV where I still work as an actor. I suppose I've always been a visual thinker and the fact that my great grandfather was a photographer, I'm sure that had something to do with it. One day, between gigs, I had a thought; that I would do headshots for other actors and friends and it all started with that… ...