AWAKEN CHURCH

by Amanda Barnum - May 20, 2026

Thanks to a 14 year run on Broadway and the hit 2008 film featuring a star-studded cast, Mamma Mia! is one of the most well-known Broadway shows internationally. The timeless music of ABBA and the strong themes of love, family, and self-identity make this show an instant success. Its popularity was ...

by Amanda Barnum - May 15, 2026

Vertigo Theatre's 'The Verdict' was a fascinating look at one lawyer's quest to uphold the law and confront the powerful institutions that run Boston's churches, schools, and hospitals. For fans of John Grisham novels, you will find the story familiar yet captivating. For those audience members less...

by Amanda Barnum - May 03, 2026

I am a fan of the Netflix series ‘Black Mirror’, so I appreciated the use of cutting edge technology to reveal a darker side of human nature and just how far we would go to survive and protect those we love. The cast did a fantastic job of jumping quickly from memory to memory in a way that tugg...

by Amanda Barnum - April 28, 2026

Released 23 years ago, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ is the first film in what has now become a $4.5 billion franchise with five films released and a sixth on the way. The hilariously mischievous Captain Sparrow has been a fan favourite thanks to Johnny Depp’s skille...

by Amanda Barnum - April 26, 2026

This show has so many modern aspects that are blended in with the historic backdrop that the audience initially find the contrast comical. As the story unfolds and the offensive aspects that once seemed silly and outdated are suddenly not so different from modern issues, we are suddenly left with th...

by Amanda Barnum - April 21, 2026

The music is familiar to many thanks to various pop culture references including The Looney Tunes, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Simpsons, Pretty Woman, etc. The comedic timing of the performers was first-class, with so much of the story’s charm captured in the antics of the various larger-than-life charact...

by Amanda Barnum - April 21, 2026

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the feeling that it left me with. To witness such talented musicians sharing their passion was an absolute honour. Classical music really does feel like the epitome of cultured refinement, elevating our connectedness to each other by highlighting the miraculous g...

by Amanda Barnum - April 14, 2026

The revelations in 'A Doll's House' unearth truths about the role of women in society, the expectations of mothers in the overall family dynamic, the portrayal of the husband as both the caretaker and patriarch in the home, and even the influence of nature versus nurture in our behavioural tendencie...

by Amanda Barnum - April 11, 2026

“A Killing Snow” transports the audience to a blizzard-ravaged home in Huron County, Ontario where five ‘strangers’ are unwittingly drawn together to escape the storm....

by Amanda Barnum - March 30, 2026

Having never attended a show at the Stage West Theatre here in Calgary, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. As a former performer for Jubilations Dinner Theatre, and a fan of Edmonton’s Mayfield Dinner Theatre, I was well versed in what the dinner theatre experience could be. Stage West finds a...