A heart-wrenching slice of life As part of The Bookshelf’s Sunday film series, the American drama Manchester by the Sea left much of its Guelph audience in silent tears. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the film stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, and Lucas Hedges. Manchester by the […]
Arts & Culture
The Ontarion’s arts and culture articles cover the local artistic scene, including news, interviews, and reviews.
Pop Philosophy: A national sense of self through art
How and why we differ from our closest neighbours Since the American election, I’ve been thinking about the fundamental differences in the Canadian perception of patriotic identity and the American perception. I’ve been wondering about where precisely along our closely linked histories our identities so wildly differed from one another. […]
Album of the Week
I will preface this review by saying that Sing Street was one of my favourite movies of 2016. But since this is Album of the Week and not The Weekly Scene, I will focus on the music. While the soundtrack includes hits from Duran Duran, The Cure, and other ’80s […]
The Weekly Scene: La La Land (2016)
4 extraordinary-nostalgic-musical-romances out of 4 If the common cinematic sensibility is that films need to be dark, brooding, and melancholy to truly move an audience, then Damien Chazelle’s sophomore feature La La Land is a challenge to this notion. The story is cheerfully simple to the point of being cliché—indeed, […]
Album of the Week
Alt-J’s 2014 album This Is All Yours is the British alternative-rock band’s sophomore album. It blends soft, non-traditional tunes with upbeat tracks reminiscent of—but totally incompatible with—their 2012 album An Awesome Wave. As far as artist evolution goes, Alt-J took experimentation to heart. The album presents itself as a travel […]
Welcoming the chill with Wintersleep and Hannah Georges
Canadian indie-rock at the Guelph Concert Theatre While Wintersleep might not be a household name, most are probably familiar with their single “Weighty Ghost” from the 2007 album Welcome to the Night Sky. The song became a hit, featured in ads and TV shows, leading to a performance on The […]
Peter Clark Hall transfigured into Hogwarts for the holidays
Student groups present Harry Potter Ugly Sweater Tea Party The University of Guelph’s Central Student Association (CSA) and Off Campus University Students (OCUS) gave Gryphons the opportunity to unwind during a Harry Potter-themed disorientation event on Dec. 1. Peter Clark Hall, in the basement of the University Centre, was decorated […]
Build-A-Band: Some assembly required
Musicians found across all programs With only 24 hours to put together an original song and a cover, five randomly assigned bands participated in U of G’s first Build-A-Band competition at Peter Clark Hall on Dec. 2. Presented by the College of Arts Student Union (CASU), the event aimed to […]
Trump versus Hamilton: A brief history of censorship in the arts
Trump’s Twitter outburst marks a trend in the intersection of art and politics On Nov. 18, vice-president-elect Mike Pence attended a performance of the hit musical Hamilton in Chicago. After the performance, actor Victor Dixon addressed Pence in a letter co-written by the show’s creator and director, Lin-Manuel Miranda, calling […]
Local theatre troupe returns to the land of Oz after 20 years
RCMPI’s The Wizard of Oz provides family-friendly theatre experience It has been 20 years since Royal City Musical Productions Inc. (RCMPI) last visited the Emerald City in their 1996 production of The Wizard of Oz. With a more ambitious vision and a larger stage, the company once again took on […]
About
The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.