St. Joseph presents an inspiring, entertaining production of Sense & Sensibility
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Zoe Whitlock, Lead Critic
Colonel By Secondary School
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There's no better friend than a sister and St. Joseph High School's performance of Sense & Sensibility told a heartwarming tale of gossip, scandal, romance, and most importantly, sisterly love.
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Sense & Sensibility, based on the novel written by Jane Austen in 1811 and adapted for the stage by Kate Hamill, is a play that follows Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two sisters who move to a cottage in the English countryside with their newly widowed mother. Elinor Dashwood, practical and reserved, falls for Edward Ferrars, an awkwardly charming gentleman who is engaged to someone else. Marianne Dashwood, romantic and free, falls headfirst for John Willoughby, an irresistible man with a mysterious past. Through heartbreak and happiness, scandal and sickness, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood navigate the societal pressures of Regency era England and are tested in ways they would have never imagined. Sense & Sensibility tells the story of the bond between two sisters brought closer together by love, life, and loss.
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In the spotlight was the dynamic duo Anna Mansfield and Talia Daigle, playing Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Together they worked in harmony, beautifully portraying the strong relationship between the two sisters, while expertly bringing out their differences. Anna Mansfield as Elinor moved across the stage in a deliberate and cautious manner that matched the reserved nature of the character. When Elinor reveals to Marianne that she knew of Edward's engagement, Mansfield effectively portrayed emotional turmoil that had been building up after months of staying silent. Talia Daigle brought whimsy and life to the role of Marianne. Daigle was a ray of sunlight on the stage, from playing the character with an infectious energy that showed Marianne's unbreakable spirit to demonstrating impressive range by sobbing in panicked hysterics.
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In the role of Edward Ferrars, Finley Henderson moved in an awkward yet endearing manner and spoke in stilted speech that showed how nervous the character was around Elinor. As Robert Ferrars, Henderson snorted and sniffled across the stage, repulsing everyone along the way. Sammy O'Connor played John Willoughby with exorbitant bravado, demonstrating the arrogance of the character through comedic body language such as exaggerated hand gestures, dramatically flipped coattails, and smoldering looks. The Gossips represented the ever increasing pressure of society with high pitched, overlapping voices, and birdlike laughter.
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Four ornate windows looked out onto a beautifully painted backdrop of the rolling hills and cloudy skies of the English countryside. The windows were painted pink and white on the inside and draped with green vines on the outside, smoothly depicting the change in settings. Sense & Sensibility employed a wide variety of lighting techniques, including striking red lighting during scenes of romance, fading blue lights when Marianne is ill, and the flash of lightning across the thunder filled sky. Social status of the characters was reflected through colourful costumes, hair and makeup.
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Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
Global streamers fight CRTC's rule requiring them to fund Canadian content
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Amazon, Apple and Spotify had argued that if they made the payments and then won the appeal and overturned the CRTC order, they wouldn't be able to recover the money. Story continues below advertisement In court documents, the streamers put forward a long list of arguments on why they shouldn't have to pay, including technical points regarding the CRTC's powers under the Broadcasting Act. Spotify argued that the contribution requirement amounts to a tax, which the CRTC doesn't have the authority to impose. The music streamer also took issue with the CRTC requiring the payments without first deciding how it will define Canadian content. Amazon argued the federal cabinet specified the CRTC's requirements have to be 'equitable.' It said the contribution requirement is 'inequitable because it applies only to foreign online undertakings and only to such undertakings with more than $25 million in annual Canadian broadcasting revenues.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Apple also said the regulator 'acted prematurely' and argued the CRTC didn't consider whether the order was 'equitable.' It pointed out Apple is required to contribute five per cent, while radio stations must only pay 0.5 per cent — and streamers don't have the same access to the funds into which they pay. The CRTC imposes different rules on Canadian content contributions from traditional media players. It requires large English-language broadcasters to contribute 30 per cent of revenues to Canadian programming. 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It argued streamers have contributed to the funding crisis facing local news. 'While the industry was once dominated by traditional television and radio services, those services are now in decline, as Canadians increasingly turn to online streaming services,' the broadcasters said. 'For decades, traditional broadcasting undertakings have supported the production of Canadian content through a complex array of CRTC-directed measures … By contrast, online undertakings have not been required to provide any financial support to the Canadian broadcasting system, despite operating here for well over a decade.' A submission from the federal government in defence of the CRTC argued the regulator was within its rights to order the payments. Story continues below advertisement 'The orders challenged in these proceedings … are a valid exercise of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's regulatory powers. These orders seek to remedy the inequity that has resulted from the ascendance of online streaming giants like the Appellants,' the office of the attorney general said. 'Online undertakings have greatly profited from their access to Canadian audiences, without any corresponding obligation to make meaningful contributions supporting Canadian programming and creators — an obligation that has long been imposed on traditional domestic broadcasters.' The government said that if the streamers get their way, that would preserve 'an inequitable circumstance in which domestic broadcasters — operating in an industry under economic strain — shoulder a disproportionate regulatory burden.' 'This result would be plainly out of step with the policy aims of Parliament' and cabinet, it added. The court hearing comes as trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada have cast a shadow over the CRTC's attempts to regulate online streamers. The regulator launched a suite of proceedings and hearings as part of its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, legislation that in 2023 updated the Broadcasting Act to set up the CRTC to regulate streaming companies. In January, as U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term, groups representing U.S. businesses and big tech companies warned the CRTC that its efforts to modernize Canadian content rules could worsen trade relations and lead to retaliation. Story continues below advertisement Then, as the CRTC launched its hearing on modernizing the definition of Canadian content in May, Netflix, Paramount and Apple cancelled their individual appearances. While the companies didn't provide a reason, the move came shortly after Trump threatened to impose a tariff of up to 100 per cent on movies made outside the United States. Foreign streamers have long pointed to their existing spending in Canada in response to calls to bring them into the regulated system.
Japan Forward
19 hours ago
- Japan Forward
New Music Zine N.E.R.O. Launches June 19 with Shibuya Party and Three Cool Bands
When was the last time you picked up a really good music magazine? You know – a bound sheaf of pages filled with insightful interviews and striking photography of your favorite musicians? If you thought print was dead, now's your chance to witness the birth of a brand new zine: N.E.R.O. Chief Editor Yukiko Inoue is a veteran of the analog world. She began her career as a member of Flipper's Guitar, the seminal late-1980s/'90s Shibuya-kei band led by musicians Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada) and Kenji Ozawa. Later, in 2010, she founded the premium music magazine nero, whose pleasingly thick editions featured bilingual interviews with revered artists from Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon to Phoenix alongside a plethora of young up-and-comers. N.E.R.O. founder and Chief Editor Yukiko Inoue. Despite being an independent magazine, nero quickly attracted attention from music fans and fashionistas alike, with its glossy pages featuring exclusive shots from renowned photographers such as Ellen Von Unwerth and Autumn de Wilde. One issue even featured an exclusive cover illustration of French band Phoenix by artist Klaus Voorman, which referenced the cover artwork he made for the Beatles album Revolver in 1966. "I like print," says Inoue simply as we chat in a Shibuya cafe. "A lot of magazines have gone out of business over the years, and it has become tough, but I do believe that magazines, writing and photography will always remain. It's like fashion – the trends go round in circles." Borderless N.E.R.O. Now, Inoue is preparing to launch N.E.R.O., an English language publication made in Japan. It borrows from the aesthetics of fanzine culture to create bite-sized, carefully crafted issues themed around a different music artist each time. N.E.R.O. will launch with a party in Tokyo on June 19 that includes live performances from Melbourne band HighSchool, Paris-based Pol, and Tokyo's Luby Sparks. N.E.R.O. presents borderless night. The new zine's upcoming launch party will feature a live set by Melbourne band HighSchool. Inoue explains that N.E.R.O. was born from the ashes of her previous magazine nero, which faltered during the pandemic. "For various reasons, it felt like a good time to move on," she says. "I had some interviews already planned though, so I decided to find a new way to publish them, in a format that was more suited to the modern era. Magazines don't work the same way they used to, and a website didn't really appeal to me, as I am quite an analog person." With this in mind, Inoue settled on a zine format. While nero was presented as an aspirational magazine that made its bespoke photography look beautiful and timeless, N.E.R.O. will have a scrappier feel. It will be a series of zines devoted to one artist per issue, and readers can choose to buy just the ones they like or collect the whole set. Since each will have matching cover designs, they'll make a great collection. Countdown to the First/Last Issues Inoue is planning a set of around eight issues for this experimental first run – the first two of which feature interviews with HighSchool and POL. (Technically these are the last two issues, as they will count down backwards to zero, ending with an issue focused on Nick Knight.) Paris-based duo Pol will leave their first impression on Tokyo fans at the N.E.R.O. launch party in June. "In July, the next issues will be about Turnstile and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, who will be coming that month to play at the Fuji Rock Festival," says Inoue. "The great thing about doing separate issues about each band rather than one big magazine is that each issue can be timed to release when the band is in Japan, so fans can see their show and pick up the zine at the same time." The bands featured in N.E.R.O. are not exactly household names, as Inoue has a passion for discovering artists early in their career. Some of her discoveries have gone on to become relatively big, such as Sky Ferreira, The 1975 and Clairo. But more importantly, Inoue brings a sense of human curation that is essential in this digital world. The lineup for the June 19 launch event at Shibuya WWW is a great example of this approach, with three bands whose sound is individually unique yet who complement each other perfectly. If you like one of them, you'll probably like all three. Advertisement First Invites Melbourne band HighSchool "The first band I invited to join the party was HighSchool," explains Inoue. "They first came to play in Japan last year (2024), and I love their music and live performance. They have a nostalgic sound that reminds me of New Order and Joy Division, so I think they'll appeal to fans of that kind of music." HighSchool's bright guitar tones, downbeat vocal delivery and confessional lyrics recall classic British bands like The Smiths and New Order, while their live shows carry an intensity that is electrifying. Luby Sparks The next addition to the lineup was Luby Sparks, a Tokyo-based band. "I don't listen to much Japanese music, but I'm good friends with the band, and I thought they would be a good match for HighSchool," says Inoue. While Luby Sparks hail from Japan, their music homages the dreamier end of the '90s Britpop scale, underpinned with a US alternative-rock heart. The music video for their single One Last Girl featuring bedroom-wall posters of Echobelly alongside raunchier artists like Hole and Joan Jett, giving a clear indication of their influences. French band Pol Adding Goth and a Touch of France Deciding that inviting only one foreign band and one from Japan was not quite enough of a challenge, she added Pol to the lineup, flying them in from France. The band's music takes things a little further back to the '80s, with their guitar and synth combo drawing from the well of Gary Numan and the Human League. "Pol are not very well known in Japan yet, but they have a great visual style and their music has so much potential, especially since the type of new wave music they make is due a resurgence," says Inoue. Lillies and Remains vocalist Kent will perform a special DJ set. In addition, Kent, the vocalist from cult Japanese band Lillies and Remains, will also appear as a guest DJ, adding a ripple of Goth to the event. "There will be elements of guitar-pop and Goth, but it's all through the filter of just one person – me – so even if you don't know all the bands, I'm sure you'll enjoy it as an event," says Inoue. "People who love music and beautiful things, and people who want to meet likeminded people – give it a chance and come check out the show!" Advertisement Representing Asia's Music Scene The HighSchool and Pol issues of N.E.R.O. will be available to buy at the launch party. All the issues will also eventually be available to order online, with overseas delivery likely available too. Each issue will be published in English, with a foldout insert that includes Japanese translations. Melbourne band High School. Inoue writes the bilingual versions of her interviews with the help of a translator and an interpreter. For now, the majority of the musicians she interviews are from the West. However, she originally envisioned nero as a magazine that could represent Asia's music scene and which could be read in English around Asia and elsewhere around the world. Her new zine takes a similar approach, embracing a "borderless" concept. Inoue's selective approach means she is able to channel her passion for each artist into her interviews. In turn, that encourages them to open up. For example, in Volume 8 of nero magazine, Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon spoke in detail about personal topics such as their family dynamic, making for an unusually engaging article. Tokyo band Luby Sparks round out the bill at N.E.R.O.'s launch event. Inoue's Secret: Listening "I've been told that I'm like a counselor," she says. "With Sean Lennon, he was a fan of my magazine, and he offered to pay a photographer he liked (Greg Kadel) so we could do a cover shoot together. I don't know why, but music producers like Mark Ronson seem to connect with what I do as well, and they really open up to me. Maybe it's because I'm a good listener." As someone who has interviewed hundreds of creative people myself over the past couple of decades, I know how hard it is to build a rapport with someone in the few minutes before you hit record, and to have them forget their media training and speak from the heart. So I ask Inoue her tips for getting the best out of her interviewees. "The most important thing is to listen to their music over and over beforehand," she replies. "If you love their music, you'll have no problem finding questions to ask them, because you're naturally interested in what they have to say. "And then you have to listen carefully to their responses and follow up with deeper questions. If you do it with love, they can tell." Advertisement Interested in the June Event? N.E.R.O. presents borderless night takes place on June 19 at Shibuya WWW in Tokyo. It includes live performances from HighSchool, Pol & Luby Sparks. For tickets and further information about the show and the first issues of N.E.R.O., visit or RELATED: Interview by: Daniel Robson Read Daniel's artist interviews and his series Gamer's World on JAPAN Forward, and find him on X (formerly Twitter).
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
For Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves' co-star 10 years ago and once again, ‘Ballerina' is a pirouette
NEW YORK (AP) — Years before Ana de Armas was using an ice skate to slice a neck in 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,' she co-starred with Keanu Reeves in a much different film. The erotic thriller 'Knock Knock,' released in 2015, was de Armas' first Hollywood film. De Armas, born and raised in Cuba, had just come to Los Angeles after acting in Spain. English was new to her, so she had to learn her lines phonetically. 'It was tough and I felt miserable at times and very lonely,' she says in an interview. 'But I wanted to prove myself. I remember being in meetings with producers and they would be like, 'OK, I'll see you in a year when you learn English.' Before I left the office, I would say, 'I'll see you in two months.'' Since 'Knock Knock,' her rise to stardom has been one of the last decade's most meteoric. She was radiant even as a hologram in 'Blade Runner 2049.' She stole the show in Rian Johnson's star-studded 'Knives Out.' She breezed through the Bond movie 'No Time to Die.' She was Oscar nominated for her Marilyn Monroe in 'Blonde. ' And now, 10 years after those scenes with Reeves, de Armas is for the first time headlining a big summer action movie. In 'Ballerina,' in theaters Friday, de Armas' progressive development as an unlikely action star reaches a butt-kicking crescendo, inheriting the mantle of one of the most esteemed, high-body-count franchises. 'It's a big moment in my career, and I know that. I can see that,' she says. 'It makes me look back in many ways, just being with Keanu in another film in such a different place in my career. It definitely gives me perspective of the journey and everything since we met. Things have come far since then.' Taking on the pressure of 'John Wick' While de Armas, 37, isn't new to movie stardom, or the tabloid coverage that comes with it, many of her career highlights have been streaming releases. 'The Gray Man' and 'Blonde' were Netflix. 'Ghosted' was Apple TV+. But 'Ballerina' will rely on de Armas (and abiding 'John Wick' fandom) to put moviegoers in seats. Heading in, analysts expected an opening weekend of around $35-40 million, which would be a solid result for a spinoff that required extensive reshoots. Reviews, particularly for de Armas playing a ballerina-assassin, have been good. 'There's a lot of pressure,' says director Len Wiseman. 'It's a lot to carry all on her shoulders. But she'll be the first person to tell you: 'Put it on. Let me carry the weight. I'm totally game.'' De Armas, whose talents include the ability to be present and personable on even the most frenzied red carpets, has done the globe-trotting work to make 'Ballerina' a big deal: appearing at CinemaCon, gamely eating hot wings and cheerfully deflecting questions about her next film, 'Deeper,' with Tom Cruise. Yet for someone so comfortable in the spotlight, one of the more interesting facts about de Armas is that she lives part time in that bastion of young A-listers: Vermont. 'Yeah, it surprised many people,' she says, chuckling. 'As soon as I went up there, I knew that was going to be a place that would bring me happiness and sanity and peace. But I know for a Cuban who doesn't like cold very much, it's very strange.' 'This has been a surprise' Winding up in northern New England is just as unexpected as landing an action movie like 'Ballerina.' She grew up with the conviction, from age 12, that she would be an actor. But she studied theater. 'I never thought I was going to do action,' de Armas says. 'What was relatable for me was watching Cuban actors on TV and in movies. That was my reality. That's all I knew, so the actors I looked up to were those.' De Armas also had bad asthma, which makes some of the things she does in 'Ballerina' — a movie with a flamethrower duel — all the more remarkable to her. 'I couldn't do anything,' she remembers. 'I couldn't run. I sometimes couldn't play with my friends. I had to just be home and be still so I wouldn't get an asthma attack. So I never thought of myself as someone athletic or able to run just a block. So this has been a surprise.' At 14, she auditioned and got into Havana's National Theatre of Cuba. Four years later, with Spanish citizenship through her grandparents, she moved to Madrid to pursue acting. When she arrive in LA in 2014, she had to start all over again. Now as one of the top Latina stars in Hollywood, she's watched as immigrant paths like hers have grow increasingly arduous if not impossible. The day after she spoke to The Associated Press, the Trump administration announced a travel ban on 12 countries and heavy restrictions on citizens of other countries, including Cuba. 'I got here at a time when things were definitely easier in that sense,' says de Armas, who announced her then-imminent U.S. citizenship while hosting 'Saturday Night Live' in 2023. 'So I just feel very lucky for that. But it's difficult. Everything that's going on is very difficult and very sad and really challenging for many people. I definitely wish things were different.' 'She doesn't just enjoy the view' Chad Stahelski, director of the four 'John Wick' films and producer of 'Ballerina,' was about to start production on 'John Wick: Chapter 4' when producer Basil Iwanyk and Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate, called to set up a Zoom about casting de Armas. He quickly watched every scene she had been in. 'How many people would have played the Bond girl kind of goofy like that?' he says. 'I know that I can harden people up. I know I can make them the assassin, but getting the charm and the love and the humor out of someone is trickier. But she had it.' In 'Knives Out,' Stahelski saw someone who could go from scared and uncertain to a look of 'I'm going to stab you in the eye.' 'I like that in my action heroes,' he says. 'I don't want to see the stoic, superhero vibe where everything's going to be OK.' But it wasn't just her acting or her charisma that convinced Stahelski. It was her life story. ''John Wick' is all hard work — and I don't mean just in the training. You've got to love it and put yourself out there,' says Stahelski. 'When you get her story about how she came from the age of 12, got into acting, what she sacrificed, what she did, that's what got my attention. 'Oh, she's a perseverer. She doesn't just enjoy the view, she enjoys the climb.'' When that quote is read back to her, de Armas laughs, and agrees. 'Being Cuban, and my upbringing and my family and everything I've done, I've never had a plan B,' she says. 'I've never had that thing of, 'Well, if it doesn't work, my family can help.' Or, 'I can do this other career.' This was it. And I also knew, besides being the thing I loved the most, this was my survival. This is how I live. This is how I feed myself and my family. So it's also a sense of, I don't know, responsibility.' That makes her reflect back to when she was just trying to make it in Hollywood, sounding out words, trying not to disappoint directors whose instructions she could barely understand, trying not to be intimidated by the action star across from her who had just finished shooting the first 'John Wick.' 'I was so committed to do it,' she says. 'I was so invested in the trying of it, just giving it a shot. When I give something a shot, I try my best, whatever that is. Then I can actually say: I gave it a shot.'
