So a Fringe show called “Junk”. Hmmnn. Well, actually it turned out to be a family-friendly musical with musical instruments made from, yes, junk and a storyline about recycling and community. Always something to surprise you at the Fringe.
Paul Snider, the creator, plays Dan the Junk Man and also conducts his orchestra of 11 who play instruments such as the recycolin, tincello and (wheel) barrow bass I loved it that they occasionally took time to tune up.
I sat in the front row because I wanted to see the instruments played close up. Don’t do that. There’s a...
Tasha Diamant has been standing in front of people nude talking about whatever comes to mind for nine years now. Starting in Lethbridge which she doesn’t recommend as a starting point if you have a performance piece involving nudity as the place to launch.
I know women like Tasha. People who are good at feeling pain and living and pointing out paradox. I’ve had 60-minute conversations with them about many of the topics Tasha explored: feminism, global industrial complex and extinction of species including the human species. She invited us, the audience, to talk with her, or not. I’ve had...
For Body and Light combines spoken word, dance, and music. Set on a dimly lit stage, the performance enacts a sea voyage along (I think) the Atlantic Coast of the southern Maritimes and the United States.
A light above represents the moon. Ian Ferrier sits stage right illuminated in shadow, playing his guitar, and half-singing, half-reciting. Three women dancers move across the stage. They represent tides and movement.
The effect is hypnotic and trance-inducing. Ferrier's voice is so gentle, so reassuring. You feel the very gentle rocking movement of the boat as it makes its way down. Even when we get...
Fringe Description: Family Friendly · Poetic · Intimate
The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield in the Bosnian War -- it has a harrowing yet poetic sound just in the title. And this Vancouver Fringe production, held in the Cultch Lab, is at once poetic, harrowing, compelling, and horrifying. Yet, its ending is more positive and hopeful than you might expect. Although I also love many of the one-person, self-authored shows you see at the Fringe, I really appreciated the chance to see a serious production of this 1997 play by the acclaimed Romanian author Matei Visniec. I am keen to explore the rest of his oeuvre now.
I saw the preview of Orange is the New Blank at the end of August. Nicole Passmore, Briana Rayner, Diana Bang, Ese Atawo, Julianne Hoyak, Jamie Chrest and Brad Rossington make up the full cast. Not having seen the TV series Orange is the New Black didn't stop me from enjoying this event so no previous experience is required for this show.
There were only four female inmates in the penitentiary for the preview but they were all funny, quick and entertaining. Their characters were all unique and believable. I can only imagine that adding two additional prisoners would...
There's a new inmate at the penitentiary who's just learning the ropes. Anything could happen.
My experience with improv theatre is limited to a few Fringe shows that had me laughing all the way through, but now I couldn't tell you what I had been laughing about. It is very much an in-the-moment performance style. The ensemble behind Orange is the New Blank does an excellent job of having that momentary humour as well as creating a story that is worth remembering, which is no small feat. And that story will be different every night.
“A brand new adventure every time!” announces Brent Hirose as he sends us off after a very entertaining hour of Sci-Fi improv brought to you by Vancouver’s Instant Theatre.
It’s 2073 and we join Starship Galaxy as they float around the Universe…well…having adventures!
Join Starship Galaxy and watch the escapade unfold right before your very eyes with only one suggestion from the audience. This night “Peanut Butter” led to hilarity involving peanut butter and shellfish (allergies anyone?) and Smuckers 6, a planet entirely inhabited by berries led by none other than…who else but…King Berry!
Off to Dancing on the Edge tonight - went to a new Mascall Dance piece called The Three Cornered Hat. Featuring five dancers with choreography by Jennifer Mascall, it's happening at Chapel Arts which is just down the road from the Firehall Arts Centre. The music is by Stefan Smulovitz - he's also in the show playing live violin.
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@AllysonMcGrane At Mascall Dance show The Three-Cornered Hat - happening tonight at Chapel Arts!
@AllysonMcGrane Now everyone is talking! To the audience directly... Some seem interested, others bewildered.
@AllysonMcGrane Now a few start to...
Lara Barclay & Billy Marchenski (Photo by Chris Randle)
Touchstone Theatre has this wonderful mandate of producing only contemporary Canadian plays. In addition to this their Flying Start program (in association with Playwrights Theatre Centre and the Firehall Arts Centre) gives new Canadian professional playwrights an opportunity to develop and showcase their work. The Concessions is the product of the Fourth Flying Start Cycle.
I have come to expect a lot from Touchstone Theatre. They typically produce strong work and I always look forward to their season. I have yet to see a Touchstone Theatre production that didn't have an innovative set and an intelligent, complex script....
Emma Slipp and Sebastian Kroon - Photo by Tim Matheson
The Art of Stealing, playing at the Firehall Arts Centre until May 31, is a new dance creation from Response Dance and the creative mind of Artistic Director Amber Funk Barton. It is a mesmerizing work that integrates innovative dance with multimedia seamlessly. In Barton’s own words; “My fascination with themes of survival and transformation allowed my imagination to create my version of a post-apocalyptic world that became a vessel to explore the literal and conceptual theme of stealing.”
I think in fact she, along with fellow dancers Heather Laura Gray, Maiko Miyauchi, Manuel Sorge, Kevin Tookey and Lexi Vajda...
