Sunday, July 31, 2011

jul 23 - aug 7 | taming of the shrew | shadows and dreams

The funnest Shakespeare in town! PT dude Frank Nickel directs, with Alison Chisholm, Stephen Elcheshen, Kerri Norris and many more in the cast.


The Taming Of The Shrew
by William Shakespeare

July 23 24 30 31 + August 6 7 | 2pm

Free! Free! Free! – No tickets required
Queen’s Park Bandshell, New Westminster

Shadows & Dreams Theatre Company is back with another of Shakespeare’s timeless classics, The Taming of the Shrew, setting it in Colonial America.  Mayhem, romance, mistaken identity and ultimately love are all wrapped up in this whirlwind of a comedy.

Seating is first come first served. There are benches or you can bring your own chair or picnic blanket and sit closer to the stage.

The closer you sit, the better you’ll hear!

Monday, July 25, 2011

aug 4-6 | when i was, qui je suis | les petites taquines

Les Petites Taquines is a dance troupe that's got PT-family written all over it: former apprentice and technical director Linsy Rotar, former front-of-house manager Francine Dulong, publicist Andrea Loewen, and ongoing friend-of-the-family Jackie Faulkner. These gals have a show coming up!


WHEN I WAS, QUI JE SUIS
August 4-6 at 8pm
Pacific Theatre
Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at door
Purchase in advance (by Aug 1) through our IndieGoGo
2-FOR-1 OPENING NIGHT!

A new contemporary dance work that follows the life of one girl through four stages of life, incorporating the fantastical and everyday with dance, mask, and story.

aug 2 | peace it together

PT's longtime literary manager Kathy Parsons sent me a note about this intriguing show. Her daughter is screening one of the films.



Seven years ago, the organization Peace it Together began uniting youth from Israel, Palestine and Canada to engage in constructive dialogue and co-create short films about the conflict during an intensive summer program. The films they create together are used as peace-building tools to advance reconciliatory approaches to ending the conflict.

Tickets are now available for this world premier sponsored by CBC, where thirty Palestinian, Israeli and Canadian university students will proudly screen their ten short films revealing their ideas, hopes and fears related to the conflict. The films are a culmination of more than three weeks of intensive dialogue and creative exploration while living together in Pemberton, BC and on campus at UBC. Each film is created by a team of one Palestinian, one Israeli, and one Canadian.

All filmmakers will be present to talk about their films and reflect on their experience of stepping outside the pressure cooker of war to learn from each other.

Tickets: $25 Students: $15
Screening and Meet the Filmmakers Reception $100

Buy tickets online
or by phone at the Vogue Theatre Box Office (to avoid a $2.00 online charge)
(604) 569-1144

Invite others through our Facebook event page

Proceeds of this event will fund future Peace it Together programs.

Follow what is happening in the program right now on the "What's New" page at the Peace it Together web site where you will see short clips of the program and inspiring blog posts.

Support us further and attend the "Meet the Filmmakers Reception" $100

All thirty filmmakers will be available to mingle and answer your questions about their films, experience in Canada, motivations for joining this program, plans for the future, and more. Delicious traditional lite fare will be served in honor of Ramadan.

Tickets for the reception include reserved seating for the screening. A portion of the ticket is tax deductible.

If you cannot attend this event or you want to support Peace it Together further, your tax-deductible donation will be greatly appreciated to support these youth in the year ahead and for future Peace it Together programs.  Donate on line

Thursday, July 21, 2011

july 27-30 | compassion for killers | alison chisholm

Our administrative queen Alison Chisholm is a busy bee this summer - she's performing in the already-blogged-about production of TAMING OF THE SHREW with Shadows and Dreams theatre, and is co-producing and directing COMPASSION FOR KILLERS with her company Whirlwind Theatre Productions.


Fathers, brothers, and sons. Four generations of men get the chance for redemption and forgiveness with one man’s journey home. Almost a century after his great-grandfathers release from prison, Connor Strout retraces his ancestors footsteps in an attempt to reconcile his own actions through the tragedies of the men who came before him.

Written and performed by Christopher Cook. Directed by Alison Chisholm. Stage Management and Sound Design by Liz Wilton-McMahan

Runs July 27th – 30th at 8pm with a 2pm matinee on Saturday.
Pay-what-you-can preview July 27th.

At Pacific Theatre – 1440 West 12th Ave.

Tickets are $12. Call 604.761.8414 or email info@whirlwindtheatre.com to reserve tickets.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

june 17-sept 3 | joel stephanson | fiddler on the roof

You saw Joel Stephanson a lot last season: he was in GODSPELL, I WAS MEANT FOR THE STAGE, the student matinees of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, and when he wasn't on stage he was selling you tickets in our box office. This summer he'll be taking over Chemainus in their production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and next spring...  100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW.


June 17 to September 3

Fiddler on the Roof
Book by Joseph Stein
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Based on Sholom Aleichem's stories

Tradition, Matchmaker, If I Were a Rich Man and Sunrise, Sunset are just a few of the endless reasons to love Fiddler on the Roof. Winner of 9 Tony Awards, this smash hit musical has won the hearts of people around the world.

THE ULTIMATE CLASSIC
Buy tickets.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

project x (faust) | leaky heaven circus



project x (faust)
jul 19-24  8pm
russian hall | 600 campbell ave
tix online or cash only at door | $15/20

A Look at Faust Through the Leaky Heaven Lens

Leaky Heaven Circus is pleased to present project x (faust). Known for their innovation, ingenuity and originality, in this production, Leaky Heaven performs devils, demons and deals – both epic and everyday. project x (faust) runs for six evenings only, July 19-24, at the Russian Hall.

Collaboratively created by Steven Hill (Director), Michele Valiquette (Dramaturge) , James Long (Performer), Tanya Marquardt (Performer), Tanya Podlozniuk (Performer), Emilia Symington Fedy (Performer) and Conor Wylie (Performer), along with the design team of David Mesiha, Parjad Sharifi, Anna Gukov, Mirona Motoc, Flo Barrett, Jordan Bent, and Ally Colclough.

Leaky Heaven has been creating wildly experimental and original work in East Vancouver since 1999. This past year, their site-specific work on A Streetcar Named Desire earned them a Jessie Richardson Award nomination, while Peter Panties was recognized with the Critic’s Choice Award for Innovation. This is the second year in a row Leaky has been recognized with this award, as they picked up the Jessie in that same category in 2010 for antigone undone.

seating is unconventional (no chairs), please dress comfortably
email | leakyheaven@gmail.com

Sunday, July 10, 2011

july 13-16 | the casino and the disappearing

Our final apprentice production of the season, produced by Phil Miguel, is a pair of short plays by JP Allen, THE CASINO AND THE DISAPPEARING.


THE CASINO
by J.P. Allen
Two brothers see if blood is thicker than blackjack in old, mafia-run Las Vegas.

Featuring John Voth (Remnants, You Can't Take It With You, Godspell), Erin Germaine (Refuge Of Lies, Godspell), Robert Olguin (Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train, Stretch Dog, Re:Union)
Directed by Phil Miguel (You Can't Take It With You, You Still Can't, The Great Divorce)

THE DISAPPEARING
by J.P. Allen
A middle-class woman looking to disappear finds an unlikely connection with a homeless alcoholic in the alley she finds herself in.

Featuring Ron Reed (Mourning Dove, A Man For All Seasons, Godspell, A Christmas Carol) and Shalyn McFaul (Remnants, I Was Meant For The Stage, Godspell, The Last 5 Years)
Directed by JP Allen (Gambling, Macbeth)

Tickets: $11.50 in advance or PWYC at the door.
Buy tickets online.

SPECIAL SCREENING!
Saturday, July 16th after the show
JP Allen's film CENTAUR
Check out more information about the screening here.

Friday, July 08, 2011

sat jul 9 | volunteer needed | the disappearing


Saturday: still need somebody to be on book for our DISAPPEARING rehearsal at Pacific Theatre. All or part of the rehearsal day, 10am-3pm. No special skills needed: you watch the script while we rehearse the scene, and mark any lines that I say wrong. (Shay never makes mistakes) Wanna? Just email me: soulfood@ronreed.org

Thursday, July 07, 2011

jul 16 | centaur screening | j.p. allen

J.P. and I became friends back in CalArts days, and have stayed connected since. We performed his play The Casino in the Vancouver and Edmonton Fringe Festivals in 1989. He played the title role in our production of Macbeth in 1996, which ran in rep with his one-man-show, Gambling. He's in town now directing me and Shalyn McFaul in his one-act play The Disappearing, which runs with Phil Miguel's production of The Casino Jul 13-16.

A few years back, PT also screened the film version of
Gambling. On closing night of our run of The Casino / The Disappearing, we'll be screening of J.P.'s latest film, Centaur. Join us.

Tickets for
Casino/Disappearing here


CENTAUR
A Feature Film
Special Late Night Screening at Pacific Theatre
Sat Jul 16  10PM
(after closing performances of The Casino and The Disappearing, which begin at 8pm)

Can a single moment somehow change the past?
A man makes a video journal about his plan to commit a murder of revenge.
This mysterious film noir story of lost love, filmed in and around San Francisco and
the Golden Gate Bridge, stars JP Allen, Amy Mordecai and Chris Pflueger.

Written and photographed by JP Allen,
with music by Michael Slattery and SHOULDERS.
An Official Selection of 2011 Seattle True Independent Film Festival.


CENTAUR Trailer from coffeeandlanguage on Vimeo.

Website

Monday, July 04, 2011

july 6-7 | the verona project HELD OVER!

Evan Frayne's apprentice production of THE VERONA PROJECT  has been held over!  Two more performances have been added on Wednesday, July 6th and Thursday, July 7th.


The Verona Project is an unflinching, streamlined adaptation of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Adapted by the director, Evan Frayne and the ensemble, The Verona Project looks to explore the story of the young lovers through their relationships with family and friends; the community of Verona.

July 6th & 7th at 8pm
Tickets $11.50 in advance or pay-what-you-can at the door.
Book online or call 604-731-5483.

re:union | sean devine's washington dc research road trip 2

The second in a series of blog posts on the research and background for RE:UNION.  The first in the series can be found here.  Posts are written by Sean Devine, playwright and co-artistic producer of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre.

As Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and Pacific Theatre continue our development and pre-production work on our upcoming Fall 2011 project, Re:Union, we’re going to be blogging throughout our creation and development process.

For our second entry, HHG co-artistic director Sean Devine talks about recent trips to Washington, DC and Ottawa.

From one nation’s capital to another...

Who knew the life of a playwright-producer could be so jet-setting. Fresh from an amazing research and promotion trip to Washington, DC, I’ve just parked the car with a satchel bag full of promo materials as I prepare to amble my way through the 2011 Magnetic North Theatre Festival.

Washington DC was a great trip on so many levels. The amount of otherwise unobtainable materials that we collected at the National Archives and the Library of Congress was worth the trip alone, although it felt like a race against time downloading it all to our multiple hard drives, simply because there was so much of it. You know the scene in the caper / thriller movie where the hero tries to hack into the enemy’s top-secret computer files to copy the top-secret document that will expose the Crime of the Century? And as the “File Transfer in Progress” bar slowly makes its way across the screen while the Bad Guy or Bad Guy’s Head of Security is hot on the trail? Well, that was us, except without the Bad Guy. I was the Bald Guy.

Video projection designer Jason Thompson and I captured so many files, photos, movie clips, sound recordings, all of it offering wonderful conceptual possibilities for the Fall production, although who knows where the material will lead us. As the researcher / writer of the piece, it’s exciting to see tangible examples of historical events that I’ve only yet imagined, as well as actual films and photographs described in the original source texts the play was generated from. Maybe it’s not exciting and I’m just a research nerd.

Washington DC also turned out to be a great opportunity to meet with Woolly Mammoth Theatre and Literary Manager John M. Baker. Woolly Mammoth (www.woollymammoth.net) is a charter member of the US National New Play Network, the US alliance of new play development theatres. In other words, we were glad to get the meeting and are excited for their support.

Other highlights from DC:

• Venturing illegally onto the Pentagon parking lot to shoot film footage, only to be asked by an off-duty guard “Should I call for an armed escort?”
• Capturing other illegal footage at the Pentagon the next day and not getting detected; then deleting the footage cause I got scared from the previous experience
• Eating my first Krispy Kreme doughnut ever and not having to pay for it because it was National Doughnut Day
• Hearing more cheers than boos in a DC sports bar as Raffi Torres scored the winning goal in Game 1

Here’s a few pictures highlighting our experience in DC as well as a sampling of the types of materials we were collecting. Understandably, we’re holding onto the best stuff for the show itself.



Photo 1: The only pictures you’re allowed taking inside the Pentagon while on the Pentagon tour is of the tour guide itself. The podium and official seal make it look very real. It’s not. There’s a bubble gum machine immediately to my left.



Photo 2: Our high-tech setup at National Archives. Hours and hours and hours of sitting and watching old footage.



Photo 3: Still image captured from a US Air Force bomber of target post-strike.


Photo 4: The USAF-supplied description of said bombing.


Photo 5: View of Pentagon immediately post-9/11

Next blog: An account of our amazing Full Company development workshop that took place June 21 – 22, from guest blogger and production dramaturg Heidi Taylor of Playwrights Theatre Centre.

jun 28 - jul 9 | bash: latter day plays | mack gordon, john voth

John Voth was the love interest in You Can't Take It With You, Mack Gordon in You Still Can't. Kaitlin Williams is the love interest in Mack Gordon's life. But I'm not sure love is the main interest of this particular piece by former Latter Day Saint Neil Labute.... 


Nice Courier review here


Bash: Latter Day Plays
by Neil Labute

"Bash is a concussive prayer. Four characters share more with us than their most private confessions: they also share the depths at which they find ways to rationalize their sins. One speaks of the death of his daughter. One shares his history of violence. One tells us about her childhood relationship with a teacher. Neil Labute has crafted a drama that is heartbreaking, vicious, and, above all else, human."

preview jun 27  8pm
jun 28-30  jul 5-9  8pm
jul 9-10  3pm

hardline studios, 68 water wtreet, gastown
admission by donation (sugg $15) | preview free
reserve | tickets@hardlineproductions.ca

Directed by Mack Gordon
Featuring Cameron Anderson, Genevieve Fleming, Caitlin McCarthy and John Voth

Costume Design - Kaitlin Williams
Production Design - Christopher David Gauthier
Sound Design - Kris Przednowek

Video

PS. A couple summers ago, PT publicist Andrea Loewen also tackled this challenging show. 
Last word to Neil LaBute himself...

Saturday, July 02, 2011

david nykl, chy liu, debra sears, mark lewis on big screen

left to right: David Nykl, someone's back, beast
Pacific Theatre fans (not to mention Stargate: Atlantis fans) may remember David Nykl - Refuge Of Lies, 12 Angry Men, Mercy Wild, even back to I Am The Brother Of Dragons and Say No Max - who stars as Dr Paul Moran in the feature film The Beast of Bottomless Lake, which  has been sold to Superchannel and has a DVD release.  To celebrate, the Kelowna-lensed feature will be shown at the Denman Cinema July 15 with cast members in attendance.

Prior to the screening, several local short films will be shown, including Super-Anon, with PT folk Debra Sears, Chy Liu, and Mark Lewis.

Details here