Tag: Drama

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before: The Ice Keeps… But How Well?

The Ice Keeps reframes Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition with an all-female cast and a stronger focus on empathy and community. Its performances hold firm, but the survival drama still needs fuller scenic design to make the frozen environment come alive.

The Ice KeepsAlthough Josh Gates told the story better on Tales from the Explorers Club, the sheer melodrama and hell the crew of the Endurance faced while attempting the first land crossing of Antarctica are something to behold when retold on stage. Melissa Taylor’s adaptation, The Ice Keeps, offers a different take that generally works.

What’s presented during the Victoria Fringe Festival is clearly more of a work in progress than a finished show. Another producer and more funding could elevate the visual elements and make this interim version feel fuller. Taylor mentioned future plans, so her take may yet be explored further. I’ll gladly return to see the updated version, should it set sail, because I want to experience a full-on recreation of the environment rather than the drama alone.

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Diary of a Madman Unleashes Pure Rebellion at Victoria Fringe Festival 2026!

Clayton Jevne gives a mesmerizing performance in Diary of a Madman, but this minimalist adaptation expects audiences to know Gogol’s original story.

Diary of a Madman
Playing at the Victoria Fringe Festival 2026. Buy your tickets here.

Produced by Clayton Jevne

Despite the wild grey hair and unhinged grin, the promotional posters for Diary of a Madman at the Victoria Fringe Festival aren’t about Rasputin. Had the show been about him, I’d be deeply invested since this guy was more than an occultist. He was a seer. Well, that’s just my interpretation. Clayton Jevne plays Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin, the low-ranking clerk who tries to win Sophie’s favour and impress others above his station. But this lengthy one-man monologue requires some knowledge of Nikolai Gogol’s short story of the same name to fully appreciate the show.

Essentially, we’re watching this man go completely and utterly “mad.” What stands out is how quickly he becomes alienated from society, while nobody believes anything he says.

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A Nerd’s Guide to the 2026 Victoria Fringe Festival, and it’s Ruby Celebration!

The 2026 Victoria Fringe Festival celebrates its 40th year with another unpredictable lineup. Here are ten shows featuring theatrical legends, psychological horror, puppetry, wrestling, superheroes and other wonderfully strange ideas.

2026 Victoria Fringe FestivalThe 2026 Victoria Fringe Festival is celebrating a milestone, and once again, I’m ignoring any sensible attempt to see everything under the sun. Weather in Victoria, BC is fickle, and for those not wanting to wait in line for too long, it’s always good to bring a bottle of water! While they are keeping 40th century style celebrations a temporary secret, as they want to surprise, it’s best to subscribe to their mailing list and check online for the latest updates to find out what’s in store!

And once again, I offer my top picks on what to see at this year’s show. With a few returning shows to quickly include on the list, namely Space Queen and 52 Stories, Instead, I’ve gone hunting through this year’s lineup for shows that appeal to the nerdier side of the Fringe experience. That means science fiction, horror, pop culture, unusual adaptations, strange concepts and anything else that makes me stop scrolling and wonder, “What the heck is this?”

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Is It Doxxing or Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki? When Depression and Imagination Run Wild

Takeru Shinozuka’s Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki explores creative burnout through an animator who may be haunted, or protected, by a playful fox spirit. It’s a thoughtful animated short about depression, criticism and rediscovering the spark to create.

Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki animated short film poster
Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki played as part of the Anime no Bento 2026 shorts program on July 18, 2026.

Although the title of Takeru Shinozuka’s animated short, Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki, seems deceptive, that’s because this creature can be deceptively sinister or be a true trickster at heart. But that depends on which cultural lens this member of the canine family is viewed from. For this animator turned first-time director, the story he tells about life at an animation studio looks authentic; from being told what to do despite objection to having creative burnout, these pressures are real!

That’s what this work really focuses on. By the time Shinano (Wataya Miho) comes home, she can’t do anything without repeating sensei’s wax-on, wax-off training. The muscle memory is there, but not the spark. Koyami (uncredited online) is the trickster spirit who keeps saying, “Draw me instead. I need more expression.” But for this woman, she’s ready to call it quits! And her story about thinking she’s been possessed by a fox spirit is not traditionally recognized. Continue reading “Is It Doxxing or Foxing Kitsuné-Tsuki? When Depression and Imagination Run Wild”

At Fantasia 2026, Let’s Dance! Or Should That Break Free From the Everyday?

Actually, the title of this film is Kunio’s online identity. He yearns to Break Free from his roots, and this gangster comedy shows how he does it!

Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, movie poster
Played at Fantasia Film Festival 2026 on July 18 at the Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)

The Japanese movie Odore! Yakuza, known as Break Free in America, has style and nearly everything I want from a film featuring rhythmic music, yakuza fighting one another, and J-pop on top. It’s the perfect movie to begin my coverage of Fantasia Fest 2026 too! In this world, an anti-organized crime law enacted by the government has forced many gangs to either pack up or shut up. Whether that’s meant to mirror real Japanese law or simply serve the plot, I honestly can’t say.

The film is wildly gorgeous under Yu Nakamoto‘s direction. He delivers pathos and ethos in droves, while his focus on Kunio (Akito Fujii) shows just how deep a rut the character is in. He’s fiercely loyal to his crew, but they’re struggling to remain who they are rather than getting real jobs. That’s where the commentary comes in. Since Kunio can’t smack people around without getting tossed in jail, his protégé, Kuzunari (Atomu Mizuishi), comes up with the idea of recording him “dancing.” Goto (Kenta Kiritani), their boss, approves!

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From Night Flower to The Specials, Eiji Uchida Delivers Neo Punk Edgings To the Films He Makes

Eiji Uchida’s Night Flower follows two women trapped by poverty and the criminal world surrounding them. Their growing bond gives this bleak Japanese drama its emotional weight.

Night Flower screening Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Japan Cuts
Plays Thursday, July 16, 2026, at Japan Cuts. Purchase tickets here.

Eiji Uchida is a filmmaker who can’t be tied down. His film The Specials, which will soon play at Fantasia, is a movie that must be seen to be believed. In the meantime, I’m checking out Night Flower, which will soon screen at New York’s own film festival, Japan Cuts. It’s more of a social crime drama about poverty and desperation, following people on their last legs who are trying to escape their circumstances.

Keiko Kitagawa plays Natsuki, a woman desperate to escape the grip of a local drug boss who has her more tightly wrapped around his finger than she’d like to admit. The film is unflinching. It shows a side of society rarely seen in film, let alone in animation, through a protagonist hoping to find freedom.

Misato Morita plays another figure who needs to find her own way out. And I’m not alone in finding the chemistry between Kitagawa and Morita key to understanding this film. She plays Tamae, a boxer who wants to get back to the top. When they meet, it’s to sell narcotics for their bosses. These men don’t want to dirty themselves, so they leave it up to the women to do the job.

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