I Have My Own Life to Live

Readers of this blog (and my Twitter feed) will know that I am a regular volunteer and patron of Intrepid Theatre.

I'm excited about the upcoming performances (March 4-13, 2011) of the play "Influence" written by Intrepid's artistic director, Janet Munsil, and produced to co-incide with the company's 25th anniversary.  And, thanks to the generosity of Intrepid, one of my readers (and a guest) will have the opportunity to attend too!

(See contest details below).

 Influence is set in the British Museum in 1817, the date of the controversial arrival of the Elgin Marbles. A young John Keats is taken on a visit to the museum by painter Benjamin Haydon when he inadvertently wanders into the middle of a millennia old feud waged by the gods of ancient Greece amidst the kidnapped statues of Athena’s Parthenon.
 
The play was commissioned and first produced by Touchstone Theatre in Vancouver in 2008 (directed by Katrina Dunn). While Influence had a reading in Victoria that same year, this will be the first time it has been performed in Victoria.  

Janet Munsil has been working for Intrepid since 1992 and is also a playwright whose works (that elusive spark, Circus Fire, Be Still, Emphysema) have been produced by some of the most respected contemporary theatres in the world (including Toronto's Tarragon Theatre & London's Soho Theatre). Influence is produced in association with her new Victoria-based production company, Missing Page.
 

Influence will feature a cast of Victoria’s favourite actors (Ian Case, Paul Terry, Elliott Loran, David Radford and Karen Lee Pickett).

(download)

Click here to download:

win-tickets-to-influence-by-intrepid-theatre-cmcjzAjmFGrkoeJlsxuH.zip (2.44 MB)

March 4-5 & March 9-12, 8pm

Sunday Matinees + talkback: March 6 + 13, 2 pm

At the Metro Studio (Quadra at Johnson), Victoria BC

TICKETS $25: www.intrepidtheatre.com or call 250 590 6291

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to a performance of "Influence", post a comment below - what is your favourite poem by John Keats OR what do you think about the controversy surrounding the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum?

A random draw will take place at 6pm Friday March 4th and the winner will be announced via the blog and Twitter.  The winner will have 24 hours to contact me before I redraw.

Join Powerhouse Performance Company for a short run of the hit musical EDGES: A Song Cycle by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

EDGES was written in 2005 while Pasek and Paul were undergraduate students in musical theatre at the University of Michigan.

This song cycle is about coming of age, growth and sef-discovery.Its most famous song, "Be My Friend", has come to be commonly known as the "Facebook song".  

 Powerhouse Performance Co. is co- founded by CCPA alumni Sarah Horsman (VOS "Will Rogers Follies) and Izad Etemadi (Theatre SKAM's "Smalltown").

"We're excited to begin the journey of contributing to the Victoria and Candian Theatre community!", they state.

January 7th-9th @ 8pm
WITH matinees January 8th and 9th @ 2pm
Tickets are: $12 for Adults and $10 for Students and Seniors

For more information or for advance tickets please contact Sarah Horsman or Izad Etemadi @:
 

powerhouseperformanceco@gmail.com

(250) 652-2458 - Sarah
(250) 889-0713 - Izad

I'm excited about the upcoming performances (January 12-16 2011) of the very well received musical "Red Letters" by Vancouver-based Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (VACT). And, thanks to the generosity of VACT, one of my readers (and a guest) will have the opportunity to attend too! 

(See details below).
 

The story begins in present day as Ping rediscovers the love letters his parents wrote to each other when his father Shen immigrated to Vancouver from China in 1922. Young Shen leaves his wife behind with the high hopes of making his fortune in Canada, or “Gold Mountain” as it was coined, and earning enough money to pay the head taxes to bring over his childhood sweetheart, Mei, and their new baby son, Ping.

Once in Vancouver, he finds support from all the bachelors in Chinatown, but especially from his employer and sponsor, Boss. But Shen also has to struggle against the harsh reality of language and racism. As the final act unfolds, the main characters show their resilience as they strive to maintain the dream of a better life in Canada for their son.  

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre is dedicated to showcasing Asian-Canadian cultural stories and actors in a contemporary setting. VACT uniquely displays “surtitles” transcribed in Cantonese to encourage Canadian Chinese immigrant populations to enjoy English-speaking theatre. This is VACT's first visit to Victoria.

Metro Studio 1411 Quadra Street January 12 to 16 (8pm nightly with select matinees) Tickets $30/24.40)
For tickets: http://www.vact.ca or call 250 590 6291

To enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the preview performance of Red Letters, Wednesday January 12th, 8pm at the Metro Studio, post a comment below - did you know about The Exclusion Act?  

A random draw will take place at 6pm Sunday January 9th and the winner will be announced via the blog and Twitter.  The winner will have 24 hours to contact me before I redraw.

Death of a Clown by Itsazoo Productions  at the Phoenix Theatre UVic, ends Saturday October 23^rd  

Written by Sebastien Archibald, and originally presented at the Victoria Fringe Festival in 2006, this play is part of the Spotlight on Alumni.

 “Meet Roy! He's a floppy, fun-loving clown born into a rigid and oppressive metropolis. A natural outsider, Roy is forced to suppress his clowning nature and claw his way up the corporate ladder. But when he meets Anna, a sassy clown with radical plans, Roy's life is thrown into chaos. A hilarious multi-media satire of our corporate world told through the art of clowing.”

Clark and I Somewhere in Conneticut  presented by Intrepid Theatre at the Metro Studio, 2 nights only Friday October 22^nd and Saturday October 23^rd.

Pay What You Can rush seats Friday night from 7pm.

“One of the most notorious theatre pieces to come out of Vancouver in recent memory”.

Winner of an Innovation Award at the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards.

 CHALK Phyical Theatre Behind Bars, by SNAFU and WHoS (William Head on Stage) opens Friday October 22^nd and runs til November 20^th.  All tickets must be purchased in advance.  See my previous blog post for more information.

 Love Kills, a Rock Musical by Theatre  Inconnu at Little Fernwood Hall 1923 Fernwood Road, til October 30^th

 “Based on a true story, Love Kills (the inspiration for the movies: Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers and Terrence Malick’s Badlands) is a moving and disturbing examination of criminal behaviour, as all four characters are forced to examine – and ultimately assume responsibility for – their own actions and responses.”

Count on Theatre Inconnu for challenging work. They never fail to generate discussions.

The Cursed Cabaret of Kelowna Day Taylor by Giggling Iguana at Craigdarroch Castle – til October 30^th. An original play, writtten by Karen Lee Picket with music by Brooke Maxwell, directed by Ian Case.

 "The Cursed Cabaret of Kelowna Day Taylor tells the story of Nancy, a harried young executive with a terrible secret.  Young Nancy is host to a roaring 20's fundraising event in a local historic house when things go terribly terribly wrong.  The spirit of legendary, glamourous and ruthless speakeasy hostess Kelowna Day Talyor arises.  Trapped in a terrible limbo by her own terrible secret, Kelowna will do whatever it takes to find release from her endless entrapment and Nancy seems to be the key to that release.”

Please note, this is site specific theatre. You will be moving around the castle. NOT wheelchair accessible.

Nevermore, a non-linear musical based on the life of Edgar Allen Poe, opens October 21^st & runs til October 30^th at the Maritime Museum of BC. Performed by Urban Arts Productions, Victoria’s newest theatre company.

“The imaginative Canadian premiere musical Nevermore uses Poe’s poetry and short stories as a base for the plot and his shifting obsessions with the women in his life as a catalyst. With hauntingly beautiful melodies, Nevermore breathes new life into Poe’s work and explores a twisted true-life tale as bizarre as his classic stories of the macabre.”

 “And Beethoven Heard Nothing”, an intimate audio-visual tale by LaSam Music at Merlin’s Sun Theatre. Saturday October 23^rd and Sunday October 24^th

 “And Beethoven Heard Nothing invites audiences into an intimate world informed by their personal experience of hearing and listening intertwined with soundscapes of the inner ear, visual images, sonic imaginings of Beethoven’s thought process and elaborations from fragments of Beethoven’s music."

This little gem of a theatre is one of Victoria’s best kept secrets. Located across from Abhkazi Garden on Fairfield Road in a quiet residential neighbourhood.  Please respect the neighbours, and bike, walk or use transit. If you must drive, please take care where you park.

Coming Up:

The Pilgrimage of the Nuns of Concepcion by Puente Theatre runs Oct 27-31 at the Metro Studio

Charlie Ross returns with his one man Lord of the Rings and one man Star Wars November 3-7^th in alternating performances as a benefit for Intrepid Theatre.

Blood Brothers by The Canadian College of Performing Arts is scheduled for November 12-14 at the Metro Studio.

I am not a reviewer, but do see a lot of theatre – 35 shows at this year’s Victoria Fringe Festival (and somehow I managed NOT to see all the shows from Victoria going on to Vancouver).   

Here's a list of all the shows from the Victoria Fringe that are coming to Vancouver. The productions are uniformly excellent.  However, my taste in theatre may not be yours. Caveat emptor!

Die Roten Punkte:  Featuring the talents of German punk rockers via Australia, Astrid and Otto Rot. Hilarious. Unique. A must see. Get to an early show. They will sell out. Guaranteed. Awarded #2 by the audience at the Pick of the Fringe ceremonies, Victoria Fringe.

 SHOSHINZ presents: A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup: Solo physical comedy, dance and music. Miss Hiccup (Yanomi) had the audience in stitches at the Victoria Fringe preview. An all ages show with abundant physical comedy.  Infinityliveproductions.com 

Lucky 9 by TJ Dawe, a Fringe legend. Autobiographical monologue. Truly the current granddaddy of Fringe performers despite his young age. Will sell out from opening night on! Get there early. tjdawe.com

 jem rolls: ONE MAN RIOT Another Fringe veteran, poet and spoken word artist Jem Rolls. Brilliant, mind boggling word artistry. Be alert if you’re going to his show – it demands your full attention. More storytelling than usual, explaining how Jem became Jem!

Poison the Well by Andrew Connor (of the Cody Rivers Show) and Elison Zasko (the Sputniks). A tense dialogue fueled drama. Something very different from two veteran Fringe performers whose previous performances I have admired. Stay alert and be prepared for twists and turns.

7 x 1 Samurai by David Gaines. A loose retelling of Kurosowa's epic film The Seven Samurai by a mime clown virtuoso. Incredible action and masks. Winner of Best Physical Theatre at the Victoria Fringe Pick of the Fringe.

Wanderlust by Martin Dockery. Storytelling that far transcends the usual autobiographical monologue. Many sold out shows at the Victoria Fringe. If you've travelled for any length of time, you know someone like Martin.

Antoine Feval by Chris Gibbs. Awarded #3 by the audience at the Pick of the Fringe ceremonies, Victoria Fringe. Few performers can stay so firmly entrenched in their character as they step off stage to offer water to a coughing audience member, or cope with squeaky chairs onstage. Hilariously funny dimwit: think Watson to Sherlock with humour and barbs. You won't be disappointed. Chris is a veteran of the Canadian Fringe and a most generous performer.  After touring the country, he still found time to perform in "Gibberish" as a benefit for Intrepid Theatre, producers of the Victoria Fringe.

The Peter n’ Chris Show presents: Pete n’ Chris Save the World.  Peter Carlone and Chris Wilson have performed with Atomic Vaudeville, Itsazoo Productions and the Phoenix Theatre.  They were recently awarded “Outstanding Duo Performance” at the Ottawa Fringe Peer Awards. An excellent team of comedic performers with wonderful transitions, great physical comedy and an amazing story arc. Many sold out shows at the Victoria Fringe. See them early.

Fucking Stephen Harper: How I Sexually Assaulted the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada and Saved Democracy. A Fringe Title for sure! Rob Salerno, actor and journalist recounts (loosely) an episode when he was working for Xtra! (Canada's gay and lesbian newspaper) during the 2008 elections.

Titania by Frances Kitson. Imagine Titania, queen of the fairies from Twelfth Night, as she copes with marital discord and a crying baby. An imaginative retelling.

Moving Along by Chris Craddock. This "electrifying" show was performed at the 2009 Victoria Fringe. Unbelievable theatre artistry as the actor delivers his monologue and manipulates all the lights from a specially designed chair. I sat on the edge of my seat - spellbound - through personal revelation after revelation. Riveting.

Limbo by Andrew Bailey. A favourite of younger audiences from his performances with iconic local troupe Atomic Vaudeville, Andrew is a talented monologuist. Expect complete honesty. Limbo was presented at the 2010 Uno Fest and is the final piece in his trilogy - previous episodes were Scrupulosity and Putz. Familiarity with his previous work is not necessary to understand this tale.

Reviews of the Victoria Fringe can be found at Monday Magazine, the Times Colonist and Camosun College's Nexus newspaper.There was also a very active #yyjfringe stream on Twitter. You can search using #yyjfringe and the name of the show you are interested in for audience tweets and #ThreeWordReviews.

Unfortunately I did not see: Route 66, One Man Show and Misadventures of a Massage Therapist - my apologies to the performers. Too much Fringe, too little time.

 Disclaimers first:

I am not a reviewer, but I do see a lot of theatre – almost 30 shows at last year’s Victoria Fringe Festival. During the year I volunteer regularly with Atomic Vaudeville, Intrepid Theatre, The Canadian College of Performing Arts, Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, and Theatre SKAM. I attend the Belfry, Theatre Inconnu and the Phoenix Theatre at Uvic too. My son is a performer.

I have either seen these performers in previous shows, or been intrigued by reviews from other Fringe festivals, or their performances at the Fringe Preview. Based on this, I’m planning to attend their shows at this year’s Fringe.

My picks are as listed on the Victoria Fringe Festival website. Caveat emptor. Happy fringing!!

Die Roten Punkte:  Featuring the talents of German punk rockers via Australia, Astrid and Otto Rot. Hilarious. Unique. A must see. Get to an early show. They will sell out. Guaranteed.

Venue 3: Victoria Conservatory of Music, Wood Hall (907 Pandora)

Unequal Harvest: Based on the snippet performed at the Fringe Preview, I’ll be attending this earnest effort at humanizing hunger and the Canadian food bank system.

SHOSHINZ presents: A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup: Solo physical comedy, dance and music. Miss Hiccup (Yanomi) had the audience in stitches at the Fringe preview.  Infinityliveproductions.com

Venue 4: St Andrew’s School Gym (1002 Pandora)

The Genghis Khan Guide to Etiquette: by Rob Gee, creator of last year’s Fringe sell-out “Fruitcake”. Comedy and spoken word. Fast paced. Sure to sell out again. Get tickets early.

Venue 8: Studio 16 ½ (16 ½ Fan Tan Alley)

The Human Body Project.  One woman, Tasha Diamant, naked, unscripted. Vulnerable. Human. How could I not go? Humanbodyproject.com

Venue 11: St Ann’s Academy (835 Humboldt)

Gunpowder and Celebrity Cult, by Jayson McDonald, creator of Fringe hits “Giant Invisible Robot”, “Boat Load” and “Fall Fair”. A must see. One man onstage, sans props, capable of creating it all for your mind’s eye. His shows sell out so don’t be disappointed. Suitable for some kids. Check Fringe guide.

Venue 12: Fairfield Hall (1303 Fairfield)

Lucky 9 by TJ Dawe, a Fringe legend. Autobiographical monologue. Truly the current granddaddy of Fringe performers despite his young age. Will sell out from opening night on! Get there early. tjdawe.com

Venue 15: Little Fernwood Hall (1923 Fernwood)

Fear of a Brown Planet  by Nile Séguin. Comedic monologue. Definitely not PC. Has his audiences in stitches at the absurdity of modern life. Will sell out! Nileseguin.com

Venue 16: University Canada West (950 Kings Rd)

jem rolls: ONE MAN RIOT Another Fringe veteran, poet and spoken word artist Jem Rolls. Brilliant, mind boggling word artistry. Be alert if you’re going to his show – it demands your full attention.

It's no secret - I love theatre, especially the Victoria Fringe Festival.

Every summer since 2007 I have made the last two weeks of summer my staycation, working half days, volunteering in the afternoons and fringing away like crazy into the wee hours of the morning.

Why?

• I'm a failed thespian; star of high school drama, and student in the U of C theatre department before becoming "serious" about life. Although I did manage a role as Clytemnestra in Satre's "Les Mouches" in France.

• My son, Elliott Loran, is a talented performer. I've had the chance to meet many young emerging artists when he studied at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, and performed in Victoria with Atomic Vaudeville, both for the cabaret and in Ride the Cyclone.They are some of the hardest working people I know, often holding down more than one other job while persuing their dreams.
  

• It's my way of giving back to a community of creative individuals who have enriched my life; I can't always support my son physically when he is travelling, but I can do it by proxy.

• Volunteering for the Fringe is FUN! I've met amazing people and continued those friendships long after the festival is over. It's wonderful to share intelligent conversations with like-minded individuals who are passionate about theatre.

• The staff at Intrepid Theatre, producers of the Fringe, treat volunteers like gold. What did I know, when first offering to help out, just what perks you receive - like Fringe Bucks. Artists also donate free tickets to volunteers.
• At a time of restricted financial resources due to cuts by the BC government, I can show my support in non-monetary ways. 

If any of the points above resonate with you, please consider volunteering for the Victoria Fringe Festival. You won't regret your decision.