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Festival Reviews

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The York Theatre: in danger

Posted December 12, 2008 - 1:14am by Andrew Templeton

York Theatre on Commercial Drive operated at the Raj Cinema for ten years before closing its doors
Heather Redfern, Executive Director of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, has sent out an urgent plea to members of the performing arts community about the fate of the York Theatre on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. Redfern is requesting that people turn up at City Hall on December 18 to show their support to save this historic theatre. The full text of the letter is posted below.

Built in 1913, and originally known as the Alcazar, the York seats 500 and is an important part of Vancouver’s theatre history. For 54 years, it was the home the Vancouver Little Theatre, starting in 1923. As the Vancouver Arts and Culture Forum website describes it, “during much of that time Vancouver Little Theatre was virtually the only live theatre seen in the city. Many well known performers received their first opportunity and experience in The Little Theatre.”

The York Theatre: saved!

Posted December 21, 2008 - 3:57pm by Andrew Templeton

York Theatre looking forward to better (and less pink) days.In a promising sign of their commitment to arts and culture, Vancouver’s newly minted City Council unanimously passed a motion on 18 December that should ensure the future of the historic York Theatre on Commercial Drive on the city’s eastside.

Slated for destruction as early as January 15, the nearly century-old theatre is currently owned by EDG Homes, who purchased the property in August 2007. According to the Province newspaper, at the time of the purchase, EDG had been assured by city staff that the theatre was of no historical significance or interest. EDG wishes to tear down the building in order to clear space for a townhouse development.

Vancouver developer Bruno Wall has stepped forward with a $12 million commitment to purchase and restore the 500 seat theatre. According to the Province, Wall has also offered to hand ownership to the city — in exchange for development rights equivalent to a 20-storey building, to be built on an as-yet undetermined city site. According to Tom Durrie of the Save the York Theatre Society, it is Wall’s intention that the restored facility be run by the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. In an e-mail announcement, Durrie described this arrangement as a guarantee of sound operation of the venue and that rental agreements will be affordable to local arts group.

Coming to the Right Place: PuSh Festival 2009

Posted November 23, 2008 - 3:42pm by Alexander Ferguson

Leina, Elena, Anouska and Keita appearing in That Night Follows Day at PuSh ’09: photo: Tim MathesonFor some reason, the last thing I expected to see at the sneak preview for PuSh ’09 was a live performance. So when I entered the Vancity Theatre and saw seven children (ages 8-14) standing before the big screen staring at me, I didn’t know what to make of it. Were they somehow related to the video that was about to be shown? I was aware that Vancouver’s Theatre Replacement would be presenting a show with children in it at the upcoming festival, so I assumed their presence had something to do with that.

For several minutes I sat in the audience watching the children. The children watched us. Then they opened their mouths and spoke in unison:

You feed us.
You dress us.
You choose clothes for us.
You wash us.
You bathe us.
You clean our teeth.
You sing to us.
You watch us when we are sleeping.

You tell us that once the world was full of dinosaurs.
That whales may soon be extinct.
That some snakes are poisonous.
That water and electricity are not good together.

You teach us that in the world there are bad men.
That monsters are not real.
That words are only words.
That the shadows are nothing to be frightened of.

Recipe for a Dancer

Posted November 7, 2008 - 3:09am by Guest Writer

The Tomorrow Collective in action, photo: Chris RandleBy Chick Snipper

With the arrival of shows like So You Think You Can Dance (important enough to have its own acronym — SYTYCD) and Dancing with the Stars, to name the biggies, dance has become the new American Dream. Fame, fortune, partners with pecs — they can be yours for the taking. All you have to do is become a dancer who is good (and cute) enough to fox trot, hip hop, jazzercise and barrel roll your way into the dazed eyes of loud-mouthed judges and screaming fans who have the power to dial you to stardom. I mean, how hard can that be?

I would be lying if I didn’t admit to watching a full season of SYTYCD at my daughter’s behest. (I had put all bets on the aptly named Twitch — he lost, so there were some boo-hoos in my house). When not upchucking at the yuckiness of it all, I was marveling at the technique and endurance this show demands from its dancers. I was particularly taken with the range displayed by hip-hoppers, some of whom had little or no formal training (outside of their own specific form) previous to joining the other SYTYCD initiates. This show proves to the world that dancers are more fit than some professional athletes, as well as high spirited, determined, and humble individuals.

Civic Election Countdown: does Vancouver want artists?

Posted October 30, 2008 - 2:01pm by Alexander Ferguson

Possible alternative housing for artists?This is the first part in a short series on artists, the city, and the civic election.

Vancouver’s season at the polls didn’t end with the Federal Conservatives’ minority victory. A civic election is almost upon us. Both mayoral candidates, Gregor Robertson (Vision) and Peter Ladner (NPA), have put affordable housing near the top of their agendas. The Vision platform actually targets artists as special candidates for some of that housing. At a town hall meeting in August, Robertson made it clear that he understands the central role artists play in creating a vibrant urban landscape. He knows that if Vancouver is ever to become the “Creative City” he hopes for, he needs to keep artists from migrating elsewhere. But how will he loosen the stranglehold real estate developers have on the city? How will he stop the upward climb of rents, property taxes and mortgages? Affordable housing is the key. But if Vancouver’s recent past, or similar gentrification trends in other North American cities are anything to go by, Robertson has a hell of a challenge ahead of him.