Doc Project with Acey Rowe
Latest
Inside the tall ship that carries a band of renegade theatre pirates, and a 50-year legacy
Since 1970, the Caravan Stage Company has been performing political, rule-breaking theatre across Canada and around the world.
Personal Essay
Desperate for adventure, I joined a renegade sea circus — until I had to flee
In 2012, aspiring actor Trevor Campbell put his life on hold to join a gang of theatre pirates and art activists. Known as the Caravan Stage Company, they travelled the world on a tall ship performing radical theatre productions.
Making hip hop in the Prairies may be tough, but Super Duty Tough Work is ready for their breakout
Winnipeg hip-hop act Super Duty Tough Work has enjoyed local success and critical acclaim, but frontman Brendan Kinley says it’s been challenging to find national support. However, with the rise of BLM, their politically charged party tunes are more relevant than ever.
How a Toronto woman discovered she has up to 600 half-siblings
In 2013, Simon Smith sent away his DNA for analysis. The results led him and his family to discover hundreds of branches in this family tree, all sharing the same roots at a pioneering fertility clinic in Second World War-era London.
40 years ago, this family set off from Winnipeg to the Amazon — in a canoe
In 1980, Don Starkell and his teenaged sons, Dana and Jeff, embarked on an epic record-setting journey that would span 13 countries and nearly 20,000 kilometres.
First Person
Ketamine-assisted therapy lifted me out of depression. But it remains costly — and controversial
A few months ago, Julian Uzielli's depression was as bad as it had ever been. His medically-induced psychedelic trip changed everything.
First Person
My father's unlikely dream was to return to Malaysia and build a bird farm. It didn't go as planned
Filmmaker Emily Gan follows her father to his hometown in Malaysia, where nests made of spit are sold for food, bird cries fill the air, and cement towers set the scene for visits into matters of the heart, hearth and heritage.
How talking about George Floyd transformed one father-son relationship
Growing up as the eldest son of a pastor wasn’t easy for Adriel Smiley. As an adult, he wasn’t too interested in having deep conversations with his dad. But the viral video of George Floyd's murder changed everything.
First Person
Why I'm opening up about the trauma of my difficult childbirth
Sara DuBreuil thought she knew what to expect when she delivered her first child, but she never imagined she'd need therapy to process her daughter's birth.
Becoming a pro wrestler helped this B.C. woman embrace her Carrier First Nations culture
Dawn Murphy, a.k.a. Princess Delta Dawn, fought in the pro-wrestling circuit in Canada, going on to compete in Japan. Murphy says she was able to reconnect with her Carrier First Nations culture, thanks to wrestling.
After a year of pandemic isolation, have we seen the last of Canadian drag legend Michelle DuBarry?
Russell Alldread, the man behind drag queen Michelle DuBarry, turns 90 years old this year. Friends want to get his drag alter ego back on stage after the pandemic.
Personal Essay
My grandma sang her way to Canada at a time when Chinese people were barred entry
Gar Yin Hune travelled with her Cantonese opera troupe when the Chinese Exclusion Act was in place, and never left.
How a 'laundry emergency' brought teen sisters together during the pandemic
When two teen sisters suddenly found themselves in confinement together at the beginning of the pandemic, they couldn’t stand it. A frequent sticking point: Laundry. Then came a diagnosis that changed everything — and cast those laundry emergencies in a new light.
How my epic fail of a preteen makeover made me a star. Sort of.
When Jennifer Warren's Grade 6 haircut went horribly awry, it led to an even more disastrous theatrical debut.
Rescue dog's philosophical musings on farm life spread joy online
Leonard the giant Lab mix 'has the heart we all need,' says owner Maureen Wilson. And the pooch's regular pup-dates are all the more amazing when she thinks of how his life could have gone.
Bean there, done that: Why Albertans build giant roadside attractions
Alberta has a penchant for building big things: the world’s largest pysanka, the largest sausage, and the largest pinto bean. But what’s the obsession with these massive structures, and are they telling diverse stories?
This man threw himself a 'coming out' party, 40 years after first declaring his sexual orientation
This past April, Alan Gotlib decided to publicly celebrate his 1981 coming out to provide hope for 2SLGBTQ youth.
First Person
Did I buy a condo on stolen land? How purchasing my first home made me question property rights
Last fall, Craig Desson bought a condo in Montreal’s Mile End with his partner. However, one thought lingered: Montreal lies on unceded land, as it was settled by the French without the permission of Indigenous peoples who lived there. Does that mean he effectively bought stolen property?
Black Prairies
How the mbira — an instrument with a complicated history in Zimbabwe — found a following in Western Canada
The desire to take the road less travelled led Chaka Zinyemba to pick up the mbira as a teenager in Zimbabwe.
Making hip hop in the Prairies may be tough, but Super Duty Tough Work is ready for their breakout
Winnipeg hip-hop act Super Duty Tough Work has enjoyed local success and critical acclaim, but frontman Brendan Kinley says it’s been challenging to find national support. However, with the rise of BLM, their politically charged party tunes are more relevant than ever.
This couple left white-collar jobs in China and became farmers in Canada
When Sun Shan and Li Bo became farmers on moving to Canada, they had some explaining to do. Their families in China didn't understand why they would choose such a lowly profession. Now the couple are sharing their knowledge and culture through their Ottawa farm.
Plants bring peace to gardeners grappling with grief, depression and anxiety
In a second year of pandemic uncertainty, garden centres and seed producers are running out of supply because people are flocking to the pastime of gardening. But for many people, gardening isn’t just a way to pass time, it’s a healing process to manage mental illness like depression, anxiety and stress.
First Person
I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Now I realize how misunderstood this condition is
CBC producer Allie Jayne's recent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis made her realize how pervasive the myths about the condition still are — and how those myths may be stopping other people from getting the diagnoses, treatment and acceptance they need.
At the World Porridge Championships, quick-cooking oats need not apply
When Johnny Spence was given a "spurtle" - a wooden porridge-stirring tool - he ended up in a tiny Scottish village, populated with rabid oatmeal enthusiasts from around the world.
First Person
How an enigmatic salesman sent me on a musical quest for the perfect towel
After the horrors of terrycloth are revealed to Tom Howell by an enigmatic poet-salesman, a new paradigm emerges.
