artwork spotlight | the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe

This image will look familiar to a lot of you, because it was actually designed by Kolke Creative for the 2009 production! It's a beautiful image that captures the spirit of Narnia perfectly, and since we're more-or-less recreating this signature production of our tour of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, we thought using the same image again would be a good fit.

So what were we thinking with this image?

• The theme that year was centered around bringing the text off the page and onto the stage - we had several new works or productions based on literature - which is why we've got little pieces of the text cut out inside the snow globe.
• The snow globe itself captures that lovely, gift-wrapped, magical feeling of Narnia - in your hands but just out of reach.
• The famous lamp post that marks the entry into Narnia is right in the centre.
• Then of course there's Mr. Tumnis with his umbrella and red scarf.

artwork spotlight | wittenberg

Next up in our artwork spotlight: WITTENBERG.

This was also the first piece of artwork that Emily showed us, and we were over the moon the instant we saw it!  The tagline for this play is "Hamlet, Dr. Faustus, and Martin Luther walk into a bar, and the rest is history... Sort of.", and if you ask me, this image sums that up perfectly. The play is full of wit, comedy, epic characters, and intellectual debate.  Lots to grab onto, so let's pick this apart.

• The cosmos: The play takes place during the time when the official stance on the cosmos was that the universe revolved around the earth.  This was a huge point of contention for the Church and scientists, and is brought up in the play.
• Hamlet throwbacks: there's a few in here - the "to be" and "not to be", the Shakespearean garb, the skull
• Tennis: Hamlet is playing tennis for two reasons.  One, he plays tennis in the show.  Two, the back-and-forth of a tennis match reflects the back-and-forth of Faust and Luther's debates nicely.
• Beer: more than one scene takes place at the university's local tavern, with Luther and Faust having it out over a pint

jul 26 | free noon concert | regent | ryan mcallister

The next Noon concert at Regent College...

Thursday July 26
RYAN MCALLISTER
Pop/folk/rock
Ryan McAllister is a pop/folk/rock musician who started out as the lead singer for Dakona. He also runs Five Acres, a professional recording studio in a converted barn in Southwest BC. He recently wrote, produced, recorded, and mastered his first solo album: Music for a Rainy Town.

july 19-28 | birth | shayna lorraine

One of our new apprentices is in a show playing right now at The Firehall Arts Centre! It's a new play called BIRTH. Her invitation is below.

Dear Friends and Family!

I have just the thing for you.

Come enjoy live theatre that'll make you laugh, think, and maybe even tug at a heart string or two.

Opening JULY 19th is a lovely new show titled BIRTH.
Watch myself and other talented performers take you on a ride through the history of the most painful, beautiful, and earthy experience known to man.

Show dates: July 19, 20, 21
July 26, 27, 28

SHOW TIME: 8pm

LOCATION: FIRE HALL ARTS CENTER
280 East Cordova St Van BC
V6A 1L3

After you watch the show, be sure to thank your mothers.

For more info and to buy tickets, click here.

COME!
I promise you. No actual births will take place on stage.
But off stage... who knows.

honestly,
shayna lorraine

artwork spotlight | spitfire grill

We have another set of gorgeous images for this season's work, courtesy of the wonderful Emily Cooper.  Since there's a lot going on here, once again, I've got a little series for you featuring each image and some of the ideas behind it.  First up is THE SPITFIRE GRILL.

Our main goal with this image was to find something fun and uplifting with a diner-like feel, since this is a fun and uplifting musical set primarily in a diner!  As you can see, the image says diner all over.

Here are a few of the highlights from this image:

• The waitress needed to have a little spunk, so we made her uniform a bright red (the original image was a wee drab blue)
• The majority of the other elements just scream "Classic Diner!" - The backdrop, coffee stain, pinned on order note, coffee cup-head, counter, and stools
• Tying in the musical element, we've got some musical notation reflected in the coffee cup
• Then there's the flying burgers - those are mostly just for fun.  Who doesn't love a flying burger?
• The flying burgers and the spilling coffee also reflect a sense of chaos true to this lil' diner!

july 21-aug 5 | the tempest

Shadows & Dreams Theatre's production of THE TEMPEST includes a lot of friends-of-PT, most notably Kerri Norris (100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW), Stephanie Elgersma (THE GREAT DIVORCE), and our Production Manager/Resident Improvisor, Frank Nickel. Their summer Shakespeare shows are always a lot of fun, and this one is sure to fit right in!

Shadows & Dreams Theatre Company is back with another of Shakespeare's timeless classics, THE TEMPEST, this time with a fantastical, tropical setting. Twenty years ago, the deposed Duchess of Milan and her infant daughter were marooned on an island of terrifying supernatural forces. Now, she is the master of the island’s power, and when and when the usurper’s ship passes through her domain, she seizes her chance for revenge.

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!

Tickets: FREE! No tickets required.

Where: Queen's Park Bandshell, New Westminster (for directions visit: http://www.nwpr.bc.ca/parks)

Show Times: Shows are Saturdays and Sundays only: July 21, 22, 28, 29 & August 4, 5 - 2:00pm

****Performances are rain or shine – if there's an audience there's a show. ****


For more information call 604-515-0704 or visit www.shadowsanddreams.org.

jul 19 | free noon concert | regent | silk road music

The next Noon concert at Regent College...

Thursday July 19
SILK ROAD MUSIC
World music
Silk Road Music is a Vancouver-based world music ensemble that introduces audiences to different cultures through their experience, discoveries, and travels. The ensemble includes Qiu Xia He from China on pipa, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Andre Thibault, originally from Montreal, Quebec.

Thursday July 26
RYAN MCALLISTER
Pop/folk/rock
Ryan McAllister is a pop/folk/rock musician who started out as the lead singer for Dakona. He also runs Five Acres, a professional recording studio in a converted barn in Southwest BC. He recently wrote, produced, recorded, and mastered his first solo album: Music for a Rainy Town.

Aug 10-12 | Creative World Festival

The Creative World festival is coming up in less than a month! PT is proud to be partnering with Creative World for their second annual arts, justice and spirituality festival that is happening August 10-12 in Mission, BC. The cast of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Mack Gordon and Kaitlin Williams) will perform on the festival main stage, and along with PT Staffer Andrea Loewen, will later facilitate a workshop. You can read more about the festival below:

Creative World is a grassroots Christian camping festival over one weekend, celebrating the Biblical themes of creativity and creation, art and social justice.  The weekend features inspiring main stage speakers and more than 20 art, justice and faith workshops with people like Tom Sine, Joyce Rees, Jonathan Wilson, Brad Jersak, Cheryl Bear, Bob Ekblad and Pete Rollins, as well as socially conscious musicians like Derek Webb (of Caedmon's Call), The Friendly Folk and Compassion Gorilla.   This is a family friendly camping event with fun things for the kids as well as speakers, workshops and music that will appeal to all ages.

August 10-12, 2012 - bring your family, friends and neighbours and enjoy a relaxing and inspiring weekend with others passionate about justice.  The venue, St Mary's on Sto:lo Nation land, offers a panoramic view of the mighty Fraser River and its beautiful valley.  It is the perfect place to celebrate God's creation and our need to care for it.   For more information, or to purchase tickets,  see the website: www.creativeworldfestival.org or our Facebook group.

PT KiDS Summer Theatre School | Wrap Up

Our first ever PT KiDS Summer Theatre School came to an end last Friday. It was an amazing week and far exceeded our high expectations. All twelve kids were a joy to work with, and Kat and I felt so fortunate to have had such a great group. 

Through out the week we learnt what it meant to be an actor - practiced our breath control, projection, connection to our fellow actors, and unleashed our imaginations. We also discovered the joys of improv (with Frank Nickel and John Voth), learned some choreography and a song (with Andrea Loewen), and created an original play, which we performed on the final day of class. Phew...what a week!

Here's what some of the kids had to say about their experience:

It was awesome! I learned a lot about parts of the stage, how to act and how to do it well, but also really enjoy it! :) - Sophie


I wish I could stay another week. It was so fun. - Agatha


I loved the play!! - Harris


It was amazing - I just loved everything! - Lavinia


It was great, fun and everyone was really nice. It was a great experience. - Janne

If you missed out on this initial summer camp and are interested in future educational experiences for your child, please email me (Kaitlin) at kaitlin@pacifictheatre.org. We already have plans to expand this program for younger kids, as well as teenagers, so don't hesitate to email no matter what age your child is.

A big thank you to everyone who made last week such a success! That's a wrap for PT KiDS Summer Theatre School 2012.

july 12-14 | left, right | maki yi

Apprentice Maki Yi is hosting a staged reading of her latest script, LEFT, RIGHT? this week!

A mother accepted the traditional role of women while her daughter resisted the very same expectations. Unlike the mother, who never left her place, the daughter leaves for a new place. Then, life in a foreign land changes her perspective on the mother’s life. Was her choice right not to live like the mother?

LEFT, RIGHT? by Maki Yi
July 12-14 at 8pm
Pacific Theatre
Pay-What-You-Can at the door

year-end donor report

If you've donated to Pacific Theatre in the past year you received one of these babies in the mail already: our year-end donor report!  It contains a special thanks from Ron, info on where donor funds went this year, and a rundown of the season as a whole.  Click here or the image of the cover below to get to the full PDF of the report.

race | craig erickson

Craig Erickson (GRACE) is starring in this one!  The show's not until November, but they are selling early bird tickets as a fundraiser now.  Check out their promo video and then go to their IndieGoGo page for info on the production and different levels of support.





RACE by David Mamet
November 15-December 1
http://www.mitchandmurrayproductions.com/

jul 13 | michael hart | steveston

Note from Michael Hart, long-time musical friend of Pacific Theatre - as is Spencer Capier, of course...

Dear friends,

I am playing a concert this Friday.

Michael Hart with Spencer Capier in concert @ the Historic Cannery Building Gulf of Georgia Cannery ~ 12138 4th Ave, Richmond, Steveston Village - at the foot of 4th, by the water. Rain or Shine 6.30pm ~ The show goes on! Admission is by donation.

A finger picking mix of originals, instrumentals, and fab covers - a fun evening! (60-80min concert length) Look forward to seeing you there,

Michael

The series is produced by the Steveston Folk Guild, the Beatmerchant and the Cannery Society.

jul 12 | free noon concert | regent | doe bender

The next Noon concert at Regent College...

Thursday July 12
DOE BENDER
Jazz
The "Green on Blue" trio is Doe Bender on keyboards and vocals, Mark Bender on acoustic bass, and Bojan Bugarinovic on various guitars. There is a chemistry and spontaneous energy as they go all the way from exploring the standards of the Great American Songbook to the modern sounds of Pat Metheny.

Thursday July 19
SILK ROAD MUSIC
World music
Silk Road Music is a Vancouver-based world music ensemble that introduces audiences to different cultures through their experience, discoveries, and travels. The ensemble includes Qiu Xia He from China on pipa, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Andre Thibault, originally from Montreal, Quebec.

Thursday July 26
RYAN MCALLISTER
Pop/folk/rock
Ryan McAllister is a pop/folk/rock musician who started out as the lead singer for Dakona. He also runs Five Acres, a professional recording studio in a converted barn in Southwest BC. He recently wrote, produced, recorded, and mastered his first solo album: Music for a Rainy Town.

PT KiDS Theatre School | Day One

After months of planning, and many years of dreaming, the PT KiDS Theatre School got started with a bang this morning! The12 kids, Kaitlin and Kat had the most fantastic day exploring and creating together. Highlights included: discovering the tunnels in the theatre, playing imagination games together and reading the story we will collectively turn into a play and perform on the last day. It was a full day with lots of learning, and lots of laughter.

Joining us tomorrow are funny guys John Voth and Frank Nickel who will be performing and teaching us some improv. I guess we're in for more laughter!

To find out more about Pacific Theatre's education and community programs, contact Kaitlin at kaitlin@pacifictheatre.org

PT KiDS Summer Theatre School | All Full!

The last two spots were snatched up this afternoon, making our first ever PT Kids Summer Theatre School officially full! 12 fantastic kids will be joining me (Kaitlin) and Kat Gauthier next week to explore drama, dance, improv and music while creating an original play that they will perform for their parents on the last day. It's going to be so much fun, and we can't wait to get started.

Thank you to all of our supporters and audience members who spread the word and helped make the PT Kids camp a success. Check back on the blog through out next week to hear updates about how the camp is going.

And, if your child missed out this time around, keep checking back on our website and blog. We have  already started thinking about our next education series, which will likely take place next Spring!

But first... PT Kids Theatre School - here we go!

jul 5 | breanne mc daniel | free noon concert | regent

The next Noon concert at Regent College...

Thursday July 5
BREANNE MCDANIEL
Folk
Breanne McDaniel is a locally grown folk singer/songwriter with no shortage of passion for creativity. She recently finished her visual arts degree at Emily Carr University and is currently recording her first EP to be released this July.

Thursday July 12
DOE BENDER
Jazz
The "Green on Blue" trio is Doe Bender on keyboards and vocals, Mark Bender on acoustic bass, and Bojan Bugarinovic on various guitars. There is a chemistry and spontaneous energy as they go all the way from exploring the standards of the Great American Songbook to the modern sounds of Pat Metheny.

Thursday July 19
SILK ROAD MUSIC
World music
Silk Road Music is a Vancouver-based world music ensemble that introduces audiences to different cultures through their experience, discoveries, and travels. The ensemble includes Qiu Xia He from China on pipa, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Andre Thibault, originally from Montreal, Quebec.

Thursday July 26
RYAN MCALLISTER
Pop/folk/rock
Ryan McAllister is a pop/folk/rock musician who started out as the lead singer for Dakona. He also runs Five Acres, a professional recording studio in a converted barn in Southwest BC. He recently wrote, produced, recorded, and mastered his first solo album: Music for a Rainy Town.

july 3-7 | [un]box[ed]

How to introduce this one?  A show featuring the words and performances of Mary Jane Eden, Dice Squires, and Kaitlin Williams - these three performed together in GODSPELL, as well as separately in REFUGE OF LIES, DOUBT, and CASINO.  Heck, Kaitlin's on staff!  Oh, and Kat Gauthier (100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW, YOU STILL CAN'T, and yep, she was in GODSPELL too) is directing.  So yeah - this one's got PT written all over it. Press release below.

Four Women Come “Unboxed” at The Railway Club

Vancouver, BC—From Scarlet Satin Productions, the company behind 2009’s site-specific hit The Laundromat and last summer’s multi-storyline house party experience Party This Weekend, comes another fresh idea – this time showcasing multi-talented theatre artists in the legendary Railway Club.

[un]BOX[ed] premieres four short plays back-to-back, each penned by a local playwright-actress, with the same four women performing in each piece. To bring these stories to life, the Railway Club stage transforms into worlds as diverse as a yoga studio and a prison. The production is also teaming up with Atira Women’s Resource Society to support women in the Downtown Eastside.

A snapshot of each [un]BOX[ed] story

Run To The Mountain: One door, locked. One window, closed. Four strangers find themselves trapped in a mysterious cell where memories fade and no one is who she appears to be.
Four Women Who Work: What possesses a teacher to give her grade one class a lecture on divorce? Or a server to fantasize about peeing on people’s food? When your job sucks the humanity out of you, it may be time for drastic measures.
Boxed: Nothing could be better for Jane’s social life than a fire alarm at 6:30 a.m. She has party games on hand, and will make friends with her neighbours or die trying.
The Rules: Step into the secret, sacred world of the Women’s Washroom. But be warned—there is one thing you must never do. If it does happen, then for God’s sake don’t tell anyone about it.

One of the multi-talented artists involved is Katherine Gauthier, who makes her directing debut on the heels of acclaimed performances in The Honest Fishmongers’ King Lear and Pacific Theatre’s 100 Saints.

“I love the creation aspect of this show; the fact that we are making something out of nothing is magical,” says Katherine, who jumped on board when the scripts of [un]BOX[ed] were still blank pages. “These are refreshing stories—familiar and relevant, yet not often told in traditional theatre—and in order to tell them I wanted to do something completely new with The Railway Club that’s never been done before.”

The venue’s cabaret-like setting provides a social and intimate atmosphere, with some of the action flowing beyond the stage’s transformative set and weaving through the tables. “It’s a very immediate experience—essentially, our audience is the fifth character in each piece,” Katherine explains.

Created and performed by Mary J. Eden, Frances Kitson, Diana Squires, and Kaitlin Williams. Lighting design by Alia Stephen; sound design & original compositions by Julie Casselman.

Playing one week only, July 3-7 at 7:30pm with a 2pm Saturday matinee. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street. Tickets are $20 (or 2-for-1 preview) at www.brownpapertickets.com and at the door. For more info, visit scarletsatin.wordpress.com.

jul 3-7 | reasons to be pretty

A play by Neil LaBute

A love story about the impossibility of love, reasons to be pretty introduces us to Greg, who really truly adores his girlfriend, Steph. Unfortunately, he also thinks she has a few physical imperfections, and when he casually mentions them, all hell breaks loose.
*Warning: Strong language (swearing/crude humour) and minor sexual content

At the Havana Theatre, tickets 12$ at the door. Reservations can be made by emailing matchboxtheatrevancouver@gmail.com or phoning 604-506-2114. Please include your name and the number of tickets you wish to reserve, as well as a number at which you can be reached.

Cast
Steph: Megan Couch
Greg: David Shoffner
Carly: Rebecca Jayne
Kent: Jordan Schuurman


Director: Jessica Van Elk
Stage Manager: Benjamin Buckingham
Costume Designer: Sarah Ruth
Set Designer: Rachel Selinger
Lighting Designer: Crystal Dodding

july 6 | the confessional

A fundraiser dance party for your favourite PT Communications Manager's theatre company Xua Xua Productions!

Friday, July 6th at 8pm
CocoaNymph - 4 W 7th Ave (at Ontario)
Cover: $5 recommended donation at door

A dance party with absolution, THE CONFESSIONAL 2.0 invites party goers to step off the dance floor and into the confessional booth where they can anonymously write down a confession, and then watch as it's turned into art right before their eyes.

Confessions will be integrated into projections designed by Chloe Horowitz as well as turned into body art by Shalyn McFaul. DJ duo The Gal Pals (of FRIENDS Thursdays at The Electric Owl) blast dance tunes from the 90's and beyond.

hop the twig on cbc | kyle rideout

VOTING IS OPEN until 5pm today (Sunday , July 1)

VOTE HERE - 5 times! Or even more, it seems...

VIEW THE FILM HERE - you'll be glad you did!

"One of the best short films I've ever seen" - Ron Reed

You remember Kyle Rideout, right? His intensely creative vision made THE GREAT DIVORCE into an incredibly vivid experience of CS Lewis' world, and he has performed in countless PT productions. In between all this he made a short film called HOP THE TWIG, and it's up for the CBC Short Film Face-Off. To win, he needs your votes! Below is an email from Kyle about his film and the contest:

HOP THE TWIG will play on CBC and so I'm getting in touch to ask for your help in spreading the word and on JUNE 30th... VOTE!

This is sort of an American Idol type thing, but for filmmakers and needs votes on June 30th. (9 filmmakers were chosen from each region across Canada to compete on this TV series, I will represent BC and the winning film will receive $40K dollars for their next film... here is more info: http://www.cbc.ca/shortfilmfaceoff/

Save these dates for the TV show CBC Short Film Face-off:

June 16th @ 7pm -- episode one
June 23rd @ 7pm -- episode two, my film, HOP THE TWIG plays against two films from Montreal. And I am on the show and talk about the film. VIEW THE FILM HERE!
June 30th @ 7pm -- episode three, and VOTING begins for 24 hrs
July 7th -- the winner is announced.