corleone: the shakespearean godfather | about the godfather

CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER is based off of the first installment in The Godfather trilogy. Don't have time to see the film or read the book before coming to see the show? No problem! Below are a few key pieces of information about the original novel and film. Now, you don't have to be a Godfather expert to see and enjoy Classic Chic's telling of CORLEONE. In fact, all you need to do is grab a friend and a ticket and the ladies will provide you with (arguably) all the best parts of the story in 75 mins!

The Novel:

Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather, is based on the original story of The Godfather, written by Italian American author, Mario Puzo. The first book, written in 1969, is a crime novel following the Corleone’s, a family part of the Sicilian Mafia, living in New York from 1945-1955. The family is headed by Don Vito Corleone, nicknamed the Godfather, who became closely associated with the Italian Mafia. The novel also gives a snap shot into Don Corleone’s childhood and through the beginning of his time with the Mafia.

The book cover of The Godfather was created by S. Neil Fujita. The design is a large Gothic-style letter G with a long curl at the top emphasizing the first three letters of the title, accompanied by the hands of a puppeteer holding a set of strings over the “father” portion of the word.

The popular misconception that Puzo first deemed the title Godfather to hint to the underworld in his novel, has created some controversy in the media. In fact, the term The Godfather was originally used in Joe Valachi’s testimony during the 1963 United States congressional hearing on organized crime. Valachi used The Godfather in connection with the then present day Mafia.

The Corleone family consists of five prominent family members, Vito Corleone and is four children: Santino “Sonny” Corleone, Fredo Corleone, Michael Corleone, and Constazia “Connie” Corleone. Vito also informally adopts son, Tom Hagen, who became the Corleones’ consigliere. Vito Corleone is the godfather of singer and movie star Johnny Fontane. Although Vito is referred to as the godfather, the protagonist is actually Vito’s son, Michael.

The Film:

Puzo’s book inspired the 1972 film, The Godfather, written by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Years later, the book was developed into a trilogy of films: The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II (1974), and The Godfather: Part III (1990). The first film grossed approximately $269 million worldwide and won various awards, including three Academy Awards, five Golden Globes and one Grammy. The Godfather Part II won six Oscars, and became the first film of the trilogy to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

The film features: Al Pacino (Michael Corleone), Marlon Brando (Vito Corleone), Robert Duvall (Tom Hagen), James Caan (Sonny Corleone), Diane Keaton (Kay Adams), Talia Shire (Connie Corleone), John Cazale (Fredo Corelone), Al Martino (Johnny Fontane) and many more familiar faces.

The film and the novel are very similar in content; however, the film leaves out detailed back stories for the supporting characters. The Godfather Saga was later released and adoring fans were given an in-depth look into the history of the remaining Corleone’s, who were not fully featured in The Godfather trilogy.

Audience advisory: This next section contains spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

The most significant difference between the film and the novel is that the novel concludes with a promising, upbeat Kay Corleone, where she accepts Michael’s decision to take over his father’s business. The film, however, highlights Kay’s discontentment with Michael’s decision to take over for his father. It is in Michael’s ruthlessness to and determination where the second and third films are conceived and birthed to complete the trilogy.

Bibliography:

The Godfather, Wiki. Rottentomatoes.com and The New York Times, 2010.
http://godfather.wikia.com/wiki/The_Godfather_(novel)#cite_note-2. Accessed 16 January, 2017.

The Godfather, IMBD, FAQ. IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/faq
Accessed 16 January, 2017.

The Godfather (Mario Puzo’s Mafia). Goodreads, 2002.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22034.The_Godfather. Accessed 16 January, 2017.

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | inside scoop | Paige Louter

Paige Louter, the final apprentice in the 'inside scoop' series, has taken on many roles in, CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER. From paining to fight captain, Paige is getting a taste of what it's like to produce, rehearse and perform in a Main Stage show at Pacific Theatre.

As one of the younger members of this ensemble, I have loved having so many different women in the room to look up to. They are all further along in their careers than I am, and it's been really encouraging to see how they're making a life in theatre work for them. This show has been a particularly exciting project to work on because it's so full-on: singing, dancing, playing an instrument, running on- and offstage with tables and chairs -- it's full of energy. I've also had the privilege to be the fight captain for this show, which means getting to flex my stage combat muscles as I supervise fight calls and make sure everything is happening safely. I’m so grateful to Classic Chic for tackling this project in a way that provides so many substantial roles for women, and to our director, Mindy Parfitt, for guiding our huge troupe of twelve performers with such skill, wit, and grace.

- Paige Louter

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | the inside scoop | lindsay curl

The next apprentice to give her inside scoop on working with the CORLEONE team is, Lindsay Curl. This is Lindsay's first Main Stage show at Pacific Theatre and working with the talented women of Classic Chic Productions.

I am absolutely loving working with CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER. I am very honoured to be working with such an inspiring and talented group of women. It has been a great privilege and learning opportunity to observe and work alongside them in rehearsal. I am loving watching fight rehearsals with our fight director Josh Reynolds. I have learned a lot about stage combat. It is not very often that I get to see women executing fantastic fight choreography and battling it out! I have also gotten to learn the tarantella in rehearsal, which is so much fun! I could not ask for a better show to make my PT debut!

-Lindsay Curl

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | the inside scoop | danielle klaudt

Our fabulous apprentices take part in many artistic projects throughout the season. This year apprentices Danielle Klaudt, Lindsay Curl, and Paige Louter, have the exciting opportunity to work on and perform in, CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER. Danielle Klaudt shares her experience so far on working on the production. 

Working on Corleone has been a fantastic opportunity to study how professional actors work from the inside out. I get to see what is expected of an actor on the first day of rehearsal, through to performance. It's been especially valuable to watch Mindy work the actors through Shakespearean text. In most fields of work, you'd get some sort of on-the-job orientation on your first day. As an actor, you really just have to "fake it 'till you make it" and figure it out on the go. So something like this is such a precious opportunity to learn the ropes without a lot of expectation. It's also been incredible getting to know actresses I've admired on-stage on a personal basis. I am especially wowed by the work Corina takes on as a self-producing performer. Not only did she do the grunt work to get the production off the ground, she is designing sound and working through a leading role. I can really relate to how challenging that is as I take on a similar process in the miniature for my own apprentice projects. For me, this is what the apprenticeship is all about: transitioning from a school environment to a professional production.

-Danielle Klaudt

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | meet the cast

Check out the beautiful and talented, all female cast of CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER!

CAST

Nicola Lipman (Vito Corleone, Priest) • This is Nicola's first time on our stage! But you may have seen Nicola in action on many stages around town. Recent favourite credits include: OTHER DESERT CITIES (Citadel Theatre), GREY GARDENS (Acting Up Stage), DOMESTICATED (Company Theatre), NO GREAT MISCHIEF AND SCORCHED (Tarragon Theatre), DRIVING MISS DAISY (WCTC 1000 Islands Playhouse), LES MISERABLES (Arts Club).

Stefania Indelicato (Michael Corleone) • We are so excited for Stefania to make her PT debut in CORLEONE. Stefania has worked in theatre, film and television across Canada. Recent theatre credits include: ITHAKA (Dreams of Passions Productions/ Excavation Theatre), WHITE HOT (Kindred Entertainment), AFTER (Staircase XI), LEAVE OF ABSENCE/THE POSSIBLE LIVES OF DOLORES GRACIA-RODRIGUEZ (ATC).

Colleen Winton (Bonasera, Sollozzo, Tattaglia, Moe Greene, chorus) • Even though this is Colleen's first time on the PT stage, she has performed with Classic Chic for the past three years. Recent theatre credits include: THE WINTER'S TALE and GLENNGARY GLENN ROSS (Classic Chic Productions), DRIVING MISS DAISY (RuBarb Prod), HELLO, DOLLY! (RCMT) and SOUND OF MUSIC (Chemanius).

Christina Wells Campbell (Luca Brasi, Clemenza, Vitelli, Barzini, Chorus) • Christina is one of the fabulous founders and producers of Classic Chic. We're happy to finally have Christina on the PT stage for first time! Recent theatre credits include: THE WINTER'S TALE and GLENGARRY GLENN ROSS (Classic Chic Productions), SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER (Arts Club), THE MUSIC MAN (Theatre Under the Stars) and SHREK THE MUSICAL (Align Entertainment).

Kaitlin Williams (Kay, Chorus) • Kaitlin is a PT veteran! Last seen on the PT stage in A GOOD MOTHER. Other PT credits include: THE FOREIGNER, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE RADIO SHOW, and SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN. Kaitlin will also be making her Bard on the Beach debut this summer!

Elizabeth Kirkland (Fredo, McCluskey, Cuneo, Chorus) • Another first timer on the PT stage! We are so excited to welcome Liz for the production of CORLEONE. Recent theatre credits include: A CHRISTMAS CAROL and MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Theatre Calgary), THE CONCIERGE OF VANCOUVER (Matchmaker Productions), WICKED SHORTS (Alley Theatre), and A TOMB WITH A VIEW (GENUS THEATRE).

Corina Akeson (Sonny, Johnny Fontane, Chorus) • We are thrilled to welcome Corina back to the PT stage. This woman of many talents was last seen on the PT stage as Lynette in, A GOOD WAY OUT. Corina also assistant directed THE WHIPPING MAN in 2015.

Michelle Martin (Tom, Carlo, Stracci, Chorus) • This is Michelle's first time on the PT stage! Michelle is one of the producers at Classic Chic and will be taking on multiple roles on (and off) stage, in CORLEONE. Recent theatre credits include: GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (Classic Chic Productions), FOUR DOGS AND A BONE (Havana Theatre), SEE BOB RUN and TO HEAR WITH EYES (One Yellow Rabbit, Workshop West), LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES and A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Theatre Calgary).

Evelyn Chew (Connie, Lucy, Apollonia, Chorus) • We would like to welcome Evelyn back to the PT stage! Evelyn was last seen playing Carla in A GOOD WAY OUT. Other theatre credits include: BEDSTEFADER (Caravan Farm Theatre), TBD (Radix Theatre), ALL IN (The Frank Theatre Company), and FALL AWAY HOME (Boca del Lupo).

Paige Louter (Chorus) • Paige is one of our three company apprentices this year! Paige recently completed her MA in theatre at the National University of Ireland. She was last seen on the PT stage in THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS and IN THE FLESH (Stone's Throw Productions). Paige will also be expanding her musical talents in CORLEONE. But you will have to come see the show to find out what instrument she's playing!

Danielle Klaudt (Chorus) • Danielle joined the PT team this past summer as one of our company apprentices! We love having Danielle on the team and are so excited to see her in CORLEONE. Recent Pacific Theatre credit includes: THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS (Stone's Throw Productions). Danielle is also eagerly working on her upcoming project THE WOLVES (Stone's Throw Productions).

Lindsay Curl (Chorus) • Lindsay is another PT apprentice extraordinaire! Lindsay was last seen on the PT stage in THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS (Stone's Throw Productions). Lindsay is a UVic grad and this past summer had the opportunity to perform for Chemanius Theatre Festival in PET THE FISH AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE TALES. Lindsay is also currently working on her spring project, THE SHAPE OF A GIRL.

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | david mann

David Mann is an actor, director, and playwright and has been a theatre artist in Minneapolis, Minnesota for over 25 years. We recently asked David to share his thoughts on creating and writing CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER.

How would you describe Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather?

The play is a mashup of Shakespeare and the Godfather. It’s got equal parts of each. I didn’t want to do a straight transfer of the movie script into iambic pentameter, since I felt there was richer territory to be explored by incorporating iconic Shakespearean conceits into the narrative. So there are purely Shakespearean moments in the play that work in both worlds, and there are just as many dramatic moments as there are comic ones. I wanted the audience to feel that they were watching an actual Shakespeare play that happens to be about organized crime. It’s also a uniquely live experience - it’s written to be done by a relatively small group of actors with a lean, muscular performance style. The show rides the line between parody and homage - to both The Godfather and Shakespeare - and creates a new audience experience of both sources.

Does someone need to have seen The Godfather to enjoy this play?

Not at all. It’s obviously more fun if the audience knows The Godfather movies well, but the play stands on its own. I kept the plot points clear so audiences could relax and just enjoy it. I figured even if people had seen the movie it’s probably been a few years, so a little reminder here and there wouldn’t hurt. And it’s extra fun if the audience knows Shakespeare. There are just as many references to his plays as to The Godfather (Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Richard III, As You Like It, Julius Caesar…just to name a few), so hopefully its fun to watch how those references are played too.

What do you think of Classic Chic’s choice to cast all the roles with female actors? How does this change the experience of the play, if at all?

It’s always illuminating when Shakespeare is cast against gender, since it directs the audience’s attention to the universality of human experience. The same can be said of Classic Chic’s casting of Corleone. The story takes place in a heavily male-dominated world where women are relegated to the background. By casting all women, that balance is upset. We’re invited to see power (and its potential corruption) as something both men and women can wield with equal strength. If there’s anything that fundamentally changes with the all-female casting, it could be that we’re even more aware of how female characters are treated in the original Godfather story. I’m looking forward to seeing what the response is. I expect it to be quite positive!


What is your favourite thing about this play?

This may seem like too general an answer, but my favorite thing about this play is that it exists at all. I wrote one segment of the Godfather story in Shakespeare’s style as part of a Fringe Festival fundraiser in Minnesota in 2005. It was just a small piece, intended as nothing more than a silly sketch for one night. But afterward, everyone kept saying I should write the whole thing and do it as a Fringe show. So I did, and it went very well when we performed it that summer. After that run I was asked repeatedly to build the show out into a full-length show, which I did in 2009. That’s the script Classic Chic is using. It was difficult but rewarding to write, and I’m thrilled the show has had such a healthy life after that initial sketch in 2005.

If I were to choose a favorite moment, I’d say it’s Michael’s monologue after he visits Vito in the hospital. It’s so utterly Shakespearean - a private moment inside the mind of a character who is wrestling with an enormous life decision. The movie just depicts Michael saying “I’m with you now” to his father, which is a huge reversal for that character. But being a film, this critical moment is captured in one short sentence (and Al Pacino’s face). In Shakespeare, we’d experience the inner workings of the character’s mind in language. So I wrote what I though that moment would have been if it had been in a Shakespeare play. I’m happy with how it turned out.

jan.31- feb. 4 | a kind of alaska

The students at Trinity Western University invite you to join them for an evening of theatre featuring A KIND OF ALASKA followed by THE LETTER OF LAST RESORT. 

A KIND OF ALASKA by Harold Pinter

Production Company | SAMC Theatre at TWU
Direction | Lloyd Arnett
Lighting Design by Lora-Lynne Hanley
Stage Management by 

Set Design by Uliana Akulenko

Featuring| Alexandria Bay, Steven Simpson, and Joelle Wyminga

Deborah falls victim to "sleepy sickness" as a 15 year old and awakens 29 years later to find her world a changed place. As she emerges from a state of perpetual memory, past and present dance for dominance in her mind.
Deborah's younger sister, Pauline, now middle-aged herself, wonders how much of the truth Deborah can handle. More perplexing, was the doctor who was instrumental in Deborah's recovery her prince charming- or something more sinister?

Audiences will enjoy the challenge of piecing together Deborah's story in this one-act play by Nobel prize-winning playwright, Harold Pinter, inspired by Oliver Sack's book Awakenings.

Jan 31- Feb 4, 2017

Tuesday- Saturday 7:30pm

Sat matinees 2:00pm

7600 Glover Road, Langley

For tickets and more information click here.

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | advance photos part 2

Part 2 advance photos for CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER, are here! Featuring Kaitlin Williams as Kay Adams, Stefania Indelicato as Michael Corleone, and Nicola Lipman as Vito Corleone.

jan. 18 - 28 | the nether

Our friends at Redcurrant Collective opened THE NETHER last night at Firehall Arts Centre. Former apprentice, Julia Siedlanowska is featured in the show and associated artist, Chris Lam (director of SPRING AWAKENING on the PT stage March 8-11), directed it!

The Nether made its Vancouver premiere at this year’s Fringe Festival and was a favourite amongst critics. A detective story that explores the nature of virtual realms, fantasy and morality. Written by Jennifer Haley, The Nether is complex and darkly intriguing.

The play is set in the near future. The internet has evolved into the Nether, a vast network of virtual reality realms. Users may log in, choose an identity and indulge any desire. When Detective Morris investigates a realm called The Hideaway where pedophiles may live out their fantasies involving children, she brings its creator in for interrogation. They discover they have made emotional attachments in this realm that blind them to the greater questions of ethical behaviour, both in the imagination and the outside world.

Production Company | Redcurrant Collective
Direction | Chris Lam
Lighting Design by Jonathan Kim and Sound and Music Composition by James Coomber
Stage Management by Susan Currie
Featuring| David Bloom, Lissa Neptuno, Linden Banks, Julia Siedlanowska, & Douglas Ennenberg

Jan 18 - 28, 2017
Tue 7pm | Wed-Fri 8pm | Sat 4 & 8pm | Sun 3pm
Wed 1pm PWYC (Jan 18 & 25)

Box Office 604.689.0926
http://firehallartscentre.ca/get-tickets/firehall-productions/

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | advance photos

We had a great photo shoot with Emily Cooper and the cast of CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER. Here are some advance photos from the photo shoot. Stay tuned for more later this week!

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | costume design | chantal short

PT got a sneak peak of the costume design for CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER, at our meet and greet last week with the Classic Chic ladies. Costume designer, Chantal Short was given a tall order; Shakespeare, 1940's, cross gender, and a cast of 12 women, but she bravely accepted the challenge! Read on to find out how Chantal brings a little bit of Elizabethan flair to the classic 1940's design.

I came to Classic Chic, and CORLEONE as an invitation from Corina, who I'd recently worked with on, FLARE PATH for the Slamming Door Artist collective. FLARE PATH was set around the same time as the Godfather, the 1940s, so doing both shows back to back has definitely helped me get a handle on the period. I have a huge passion for vintage shopping and WW2 era fashion has always been one of my favorite periods. There's a certain romance in the clothing that I feel is really lost nowadays: it was really about complimenting the epitome of the feminine and masculine forms. I love the idea of getting dressed up daily, because it mattered how you presented yourself to society. Obviously this polarization was deeply rooted in sexism (you never would have seen a women wearing men's style clothing then!), so it's fun to be able to put a spin on it for the cross gender aspect of Classic Chic's take on the show.

Costuming a gender bending show was something I'd never done before, and like any artist, I think a new challenge always brings excitement and curiosity. Coupling that with creating a look all my own for a really iconic story made it an offer I really couldn't refuse! The Shakespearean element added to the story was really interesting to me too. I love the idea of trying to bring an anachronistic fusion to the costumes: a little bit of Elizabethan flair to the classic 40s design. I was super influenced by Valentino's fall couture collection this year, and Alexander McQueen's fall 2009 men's collection. Check them out! Really cool examples of bringing renaissance style into modern clothing. We're working with the idea of maybe adding some codpieces, some doublets, some ruffs. It's interesting because men's fashion by Elizabethan times would be considered really feminine nowadays. It was very common for men to wear tights, lots of jewelry, even makeup. We're trying to bring all these elements into Corleone for a really cool fusion of gender/time/ and story.

Ultimately though, I'm just really excited to work with a super kickass group of women who want to make good theatre. I can't think of many stories that are out there with big female ensemble casts that pack the same kind of intensity as Corleone. I just saw a friend comment on facebook the other day about how tired she is of female-centric stories just being about broken hearts, or virtue, or motherhood. Not that they're not important and valid topics, but sometimes girls like to throw down too! So I love that Classic Chic is rejecting the constraints of classic women's tropes, and letting girls get their gangster on! We just had our photoshoot the other day, and I was totally intimidated by how formidable our corleone boys looked! I'm really looking forward to sharing this one with the audience!

Recent credits:
FLARE PATH (Costume Designer) and A DOLL'S HOUSE (asst. Costume Designer) for Slamming Door Collective; 12th NIGHT (Costume Building) for TWU; LAND OF TRASH (Set Building) for Green Thumb Theatre; KOOZA (Wardrobe Prep) for Cirque Du Soleil; ANOTHER SHOT (Costume/Set Design) for star star Theatre; and THE GRADUATE (Costume Designer) for Metro Theatre. Up next: Costume designs for ALONE TOGETHER (Green Thumb Theatre) and BELFAST GIRLS (Penninsula Productions). Chantal is a graduate of the Phoenix Theatre at UVic.

www.chantalshortdesign.com

jan.10-21 | the fighting season

If you missed this show during the 2015 Fringe, this is your second chance to catch a host of fantastic Pacific Theatre artists. 


Bleeding Heart Theatre presents

THE FIGHTING SEASON
by Sean Harris Oliver

Inspired by his father's deployment in Afghanistan, Sean Harris Oliver's searing new play investigates the Afghan war through the eyes of a Canadian field medic, a doctor, and a recovery room nurse.

Played to sold out audiences at the 2015 Vancouver Fringe Festival and was awarded The Georgia Straight's Critics Choice Award.

Directed by Evan Frayne (THE AMISH PROJECT)
Featuring Tom Pickett (MASTER HAROLD AND THE BOYS), Siona Gareau Brennan and Kyle Jespersen.
Stage Management by Lois Dawson (HOLY MO: A CHRISTMAS SHOW)
Set and Props by Jennifer Stewart
Sound Design by Matthew MacDonald-Bain
Lighting Design by Itai Erdal
Costume  Design by Kaitlin Williams (SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN)

Showing Jan. 10-21 at the East Van Cultural Centre.
Click here for tickets and showtimes.

new year, new shows, new volunteer opportunities!

Have you been thinking about volunteering at Pacific Theatre this New Year? Well, you're in luck because we have six exciting shows going up on the PT stage all before summer, and we need your help! Read on to find out about the benefits of being a PT volunteer. 

We are always looking to grow our volunteer family here at PT. There are three different volunteer opportunities that you can sign up for: Program volunteer, Box Office volunteer and Concession Volunteer. You get to choose the specific date and to which show you would like to volunteer for. Our volunteers have the opportunity to meet new people and acquire new skills depending on the show requirements. Our volunteers get a tour of the theatre before the doors open to the public and get the staff discount at our concession. Not only do you get to help out and give back to the theatre, but you also get to see our shows for free! That's right, during your volunteer shift you are able to watch the show from the comfort of our audience.

Shows coming up at PT:

CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER  (Classic Chic Productions with the support of Pacific Theatre)
SIDE SHOW
SPRING AWAKENING (Phantom Moon Collective)
VALLEY SONG
TESTAMENT
OUTSIDE MULLINGAR

**Plus shows produced by Stone's Throw Productions 

Head to our website for more information and to sign up for your first (or 50th) shift today! We can't wait for you to join the team!

apply for our 2017-2018 apprenticeship!

We are now accepting applications for our apprenticeship program for the 2017-2018 season! If you, or someone you know, are interested in applying to be part of the PT team, read on! Application deadline is March 17th. We look forward to hearing from you!

Pacific Theatre offers a full-time professional apprenticeship program for emerging artists who are looking to build a bridge between academia and the professional marketplace. The Company Apprenticeship is composed of three primary, intersecting categories of activity:

Administrative:

A significant portion of the apprentice’s time will be spent working on assigned administrative tasks, mostly in the capacity of Box Office and Front-of-House staff, as well as potential mentorships with specific administrative roles (community engagement, marketing, development). These hours will ebb and flow as the production cycle progresses, often culminating in weeks of long administrative hours followed by open weeks to work on artistic endeavours.

Production:

Apprentices will be periodically required by the Production Manager to participate in crew calls for lighting, construction and strike. Such calls will take place outside of scheduled administrative time.

Artistic: 

Depending on the specific needs of the season, apprentices are invited to participate artistically in mainstage productions both in areas they are interested in pursuing, and areas which will round out the apprentice’s experience in professional theatre. This work may include: acting or understudying in a mainstage production, training and mentorship sessions with company artists, providing hands-on assistance to costume, lighting and/or set designers, designing lights or sound, assistant stage managing, shadowing a director, props construction, etc.

Apprentices will also be charged with collectively producing several ‘second-stage’ projects of their choosing throughout the year. Past examples include one-act plays, 24 Hour theatre festivals, actor showcases, etc. Such projects provide excellent opportunities for aspiring directors, producers and playwrights, as well as actors.

How to Apply:

Apprenticeships generally span eleven months from August to June. A modest living stipend is available.

Successful applicants will have read our “About Us” section, as well as looked at our past productions, to comment on what draws them to Pacific Theatre as a company.

Please note that due to Canadian Immigration Laws, we are only able to accept Canadian applicants.

Submissions should be made to Cara Cunningham at cara@pacifictheatre.org, or by mail to:

Cara Cunningham – Operations Coordinator
Pacific Theatre
1440 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6H 1M8

PLEASE INCLUDE:

-A headshot
-All relevant resumes (acting, production, general work experience, etc.)
-A letter of intent detailing reason for applying, why you want to work with Pacific Theatre, and what you hope to get out of an apprenticeship

Applications due March 17th, 2017.

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | classic chic productions

Classic Chic Productions have officially taken over at Pacific Theatre and we couldn't be more excited about it! Our team is beyond thrilled that we get to partner with this amazing company to bring you a show that has been on Artistic Director, Ron Reed's radar for over a decade. Give our box office a call at 604.731.5518 to book your tickets to CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER. Read on to learn more about Classic Chic Productions and the talented women who started it all.

Company statement

Classic Chic Productions is founded on the notion that there are great roles in the theatre (both male and female) that appeal to us as actors and human beings. We are creating a forum for women to explore these possibilities. We also strive to provide a supportive environment for women to continue to develop their acting, designing and directing skills. We are based in the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Classic Chic Producers

Christina Wells Campbell, Artistic Director

Christina has been on stages all over the Lower Mainland, as well as more exotic locations such as Edinburgh and Nanaimo. Recent acting credits include: The Winter’s Tale and Glengarry Glen Ross with Classic Chic Productions, She Stoops to Conquer with the Arts Club Theatre Company The Music Man at Theatre Under the Stars, Shrek the Musical with Align Entertainment, Fourplay (episodic dinner theatre at Salt Tasting Room in Gastown) with In the House Festival. She performed in and co-created a site-specific theatre piece in the Vancouver Fringe Festival: Rove: The Legend of Rusty Point. Other recent past credits include MacBeth, It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman, Lorelei, Nine, Iolanthe, and Ruddigore. Directing credits include: The Mikado, The Gondoliers, Sleeping Beauty the Panto, aka Marleen and The Case of the Frustrated Corpse. Christina has also been an arts administrator for many years working at the Arts Club Theatre Company where as a side project she created the popular Actor’s Intensive. Currently she is the Performing Arts Programmer with Surrey Civic Theatres. Christina has 3 kids, a husband, and a dog, lives in mortgaged suburbia and had no idea she would spend her spare time cross-dressing as a man. Life is weird. She could also use a nap and a personal assistant or five.

Corina Akeson, Production Manager

A Graduate of Studio 58, Corina has performed with professional Theatre Companies in BC, across Canada and in the US, such as The Arts Club Theatre Company, Carousel Theatre, Pacific Theatre, Repercussion Theatre, Project X, Mortal Coil and with various local Equity Collectives, such as Mad Duck. Some favourite past roles have been: Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Josie in A Moon For The Misbegotten, Hattie in Laundry & Bourbon, Butterball in Chickens and Gertrude in Hamlet. Corina spent a number of years co-creating and producing new works as a member of Cor Departure Physical Theatre Ensemble (now called The Minotaur’s Kitchen), both independently and in collaboration with the Evergreen Cultural Centre, for whom she has taught Drama for Primary, Elementary & High-School programs. Corina also works in voiceover, film and television, set carpentry, dabbles in sound design, visual arts and has most recently tried her hand at directing, an area in which she hopes to have many more opportunities. Outside of the arts, Corina is a professional residential carpenter and a Mom.

Michelle Martin, Marketing & Communications Director

Michelle is proud to be co-founder, producer and Marketing & Communications Director for Classic Chic Productions. She played Antigonus in Classic Chic’s inaugural production of The Winter’s Tale directed by Lisa Wolpe and enjoyed a career highlight playing Ricky Roma in Classic Chic’s acclaimed production of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. Selected theatre credits include Collette in Four Dogs and a Bone (Egg Theatre), See Bob Run and To Hear With Eyes (One Yellow Rabbit, Workshop West), Les Liaisons Dangereuses and A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary), The Importance of Being Earnest and Fool for Love (Theatre Junction), Cressida (Workshop West), Misalliance and Night Must Fall (Shaw Festival), 1-900-Dee-Lite (Persephone Theatre), All in the Timing (Summer at the Roxy), Hitting Town (Alchemy Theatre Projects), Cymbeline (Shakespeare in the Rough), Twelfth Night (U of T, Graduate Centre for Drama) and Summerfolk (Equity Showcase Theatre).

Film/TV credits include Frequency, Dead of Summer, The Romeo Section, The Whispers, Gracepoint, Supernatural, A Novel Romance, Accidental Obsession, two seasons as a series lead on the CBC evening drama, Riverdale, CTV’s Traders, the independent feature film, Backroads, and the short film Sleepwalk (2012 Audience Choice Award, New York City Horror Film Festival). Michelle is a graduate of York University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Program. She’d like to thank Ron Reed and everyone at Pacific Theatre for their support on this exciting journey.



Inspirations for Classic Chic

Chickspeare
Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company
Manhattan Shakespeare Project
The Queen’s Company
Smooth Faced Gentlemen
Woman’s Will Theatre

corleone: the shakespearean godfather | first read

Today was first read of CORLEONE: THE SHAKESPEAREAN GODFATHER! We couldn't be more excited to have Classic Chic Productions in our season, producing this funny and moving story. Here are some shots from the first read this morning.

soul food movies onscreen now | mass is ended, silence, jackie, manchester, l'argent

It's that time of year when there's lots worth seeing in the cinemas. I think of it as the Year End Film Festival - the YEFF.  I keep track of the critics' Top Ten lists - there's a post about that over on my Soul Food Movies blog - and I try to see as many as I can of those top films that catch my interest.

But before we get to some of those that are on Vancouver screens now, let me alert you to an older film with only one screening, this evening at 8:40 at the VIFF/Vancity Theatre. THE MASS IS ENDED is a 1985 film by Italian director Nanni Moretti, whose later film THE SON'S ROOM was a stunner.

"A young priest, Don Giulio, struggles to maintain his faith. Having been a radical college student in the 1960s, Don Giulio has now rejected his long hair and liberal ideals in favor of the church. He has himself transferred to his home parish, only to discover the church empty and the town indifferent. Meanwhile, Don Giulio’s friends from his radical days begin popping up with their lives in serious disarray. Don Giulio seeks solace with his beloved family, but his family too is in chaos." VIFF

Back to the YEFF. The event movie of the year, soul food-wise, is surely SILENCE, which Martin Scorsese has been planning to make and I've been eagerly anticipating for 25 years. In CalArts days or early PT days I read Shusaku Endo's play "The Golden Country," which is something of a prequel to his novel on which the film is based. The play very much affected me, and were the cast size not so large I would have staged it long ago at Pacific Theatre. There was a mutual admiration between Graham Greene and Shusaku Endo, and much in common not only in the priest characters in Greene novels such as The Power and the Glory but also in their view of the Christian faith - which would have much to do with Robert Farrar Capon's insistence that the church consists of the last, the least, the lost, the little and the dead (Parables of the Kingdom). There's a nice summary of the Greene-Endo connection in the essay "Bad Priests and the Valor of Pity" by Christopher A. Link; although that link will only give you the first few paragraphs of his piece unless you've got academic credentials I lack, it's enough to lay out the essentials.

Anyhow, SILENCE opened at the Fifth Avenue Friday at noon, and I was there. It didn't disappoint.

As if that wasn't enough, my buddy and I fulfilled a New Year movie tradition by making it a double feature, returning for the late matinee screening of JACKIE. Which exceeded all expectations. I thought it would be just another of this tiresome procession of mid-century biopics, Hollywood's dreary product-recognition strategy for boomers, the corrollary of superhero retreads for everybody else. But it's something far more aesthetic, rigorous than the run-of-the-mill nostalgia. I should have known; it's #10 on the Metacritic Top Ten Tally for 2017. Chilean (not French, as previously reported) director and (I think?) production crew; Pablo Larraín also directed such films as NO, THE CLUB and NERUDA. And surprising elements of Christian reflection, in the person of a Catholic priest who talks with – and challenges – Jackie. Soul Food in unexpected places.

I'm going to call MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Soul Food, as well, but your mileage may vary. A couple friends found it overwhelmingly sad, or bleak, which surprised me - yes, these are broken lives, but I found great hope in it all. The two obvious Christians are the film's only flat characters, skewered for comic effect - yet even that flatness deepens by the end of their scene as some of our judgment and expectations are reversed, and the conversation that follows it broadens the idea of who and what may be "Christian." Religious faith is a thread that runs through Kenneth Lonergan's work, from the remarkable, unremarked presence of a Lutheran pastor in YOU CAN COUNT ON ME - remarkable because church life is so much a part of the lives of so many of us, and so rarely a part of the lives of movie characters - to the Jewish character in MARGARET.  Lonergan has remarked that he is not a believer, but that he almost wishes he was - that there's something good about having that kind of hope and reassurance.

I think MANCHESTER is his most fully realized film. MARGARET was his most ambitious, and with that reach came flaws I'm more than happy to overlook, but which tripped up most critics and many viewers. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME has the scope and feel of a play - Lonergan has written many - and he nails it. But MANCHESTER reaches farther, I think, and to my sensibility, pretty much perfect.

And coming up soon, another older film, by Soul Food auteur Robert Bresson.  Two screenings only, this Monday and Thursday evening. I'll let the good people at Pacific Cinematheque tell you all about it...

L’Argent (1983, France, Robert Bresson)
Pacific Cinematheque
Mon Jan 9 @ 8:15
Thu Jan 12 @ 6:30

NEW RESTORATION | The awe-inspiring farewell film of Robert Bresson, one of cinema’s immortals, freely adopts a Tolstoy novella (“The Forged Coupon”) and transposes it to contemporary France. L’Argent (“Money”) charts the circulation of a counterfeit 500-franc bill and the contagion of evil it spreads as it passes from hand to hand. When an innocent man unwittingly uses it to pay for a meal, the consequences prove disastrous. As in all Bresson’s major works, the real drama here is internal, spiritual, metaphysical; it derives not from plot or character but emanates from a rigorous austerity and intensity, from a meticulous accumulation of detail. In Bresson, objects and gestures miraculously transform into manifestations of the transcendent! L’Argent is one of Bresson’s best and most beautiful films — and one of his most harrowing indictments of modernity’s spiritual bankruptcy. It shared the Best Director prize at Cannes in 1983 with Tarkovsky’s Nostalghia.

jan 12 | loren wilkinson | imago mundi book launch + documentary

My creative high point in 2016 was working on a collection of Loren Wilkinson's poetry. He's been an inspiration to me since we met the year before I headed off to CalArts. Loren taught a Regent class called "God and Man in Modern Literature" - reading Flannery O'Connor, Graham Greene, Frederick Buechner and others really shaped my understanding of the art a Christian might make. And Loren invited me into a writers group; I'd never heard of such a thing, and over the coming decades I was to start several more. They're essential to my own writing.

Over the years I heard Loren read his poems at various meals, classes, writers group sessions or other occasions, and a few years back I had the idea of gathering them all into a book. Loren was eventually persuaded to gather them all up, and I interviewed him a few times about the occasion of their writing, influences on various poems and details about the language. This summer I took a great, free swath of time and worked away on notes to the poems, one by one - "bird by bird," as Anne Lamott would say. Woke up each morning, carefully read the next poem in the stack, looked through my notes, and started writing.  Day after summer day.  It was glorious.  Those "Notes on the Poems" now comprise the back half of the volume.

Imago Mundi arrived in the Regent Bookstore one afternoon in mid-December, and it's a handsome volume indeed!  The first printing sold out by Christmas, and the second printing arrives any day now - just in time for a book launch and signing at Regent this coming Thursday, December 12 at 4pm. Luci Shaw and Rudi Krause will join me in celebrating the book and the poetry - they contributed a Foreword and Introduction -  and Loren and I will read several of the poems and talk together about them.

If you can't make it to the Regent Bookstore to pick up your copy, you can order Imago Mundi from Amazon.

IMAGO MUNDI POETRY READING: LOREN WILKINSON
Thu Jan 12, 4-5:30pm
Regent College on the UBC campus
For decades, Loren has been well known as a writer, teacher, and pioneer of the Christian environmentalism movement. Loren's poetry, until now, has been less known. In Imago Mundi, his first published collection, Loren looks deeply into the geography of southwestern B.C., drawing wisdom from tides, beaches, seals, and farm equipment.

"Loren Wilkinson is best known among most of us for his passionate, life-long care for the earth - the literal earth. The soil-and-flower, river-and-tree earth. But not nearly as many are aware that he wrote poems equally as skilled in revealing his care for language - the sounds and rhythms and metaphors that keep us alert to the Word made flesh." Eugene H. Peterson

"Loren Wilkinson is one of those native souls to whom the tag 'natural poet' adheres like pollen to a bee's knees. His personal presence and his way of living are models of enthusiasm for the creation and its Creator. He names things in order to bring them to our attention." Luci Shaw

"Loren Wilkinson is a poet who celebrates his faith as well as the simple things of creation in peasant ways, ever mindful that Christ is sacramentally there as Lord of all Creation. Daily events, then, are always Epiphany." James M. Houston

If you are able to join us, consider coming early or staying after to see the marvellous documentary Iwan Russell-Jones created about Loren - which also happens to feature some of the poetry, so essential to Loren's work and thought.  There will be two screenings:

MAKING PEACE WITH CREATION: PASTORS & CHURCH LEADERS SEMINAR
Thu Jan 12, 1-3pm
Pastors, ministers, and church staff are invited to this two hour seminar and film viewing. Professors Loren Wilkinson and Iwan Russell-Jones, creators of the documentary film Making Peace with Creation, will present the film, and provide context and encouragement for building a practical theology of creation in the context of the local church. This seminar is free for all pastors, ministers, and church staff.

FILM SCREENING: MAKING PEACE WITH CREATION
Thu Jan 12, 7-9pm
What can be done to address the enormous issues facing our fragile and threatened planet?
Is it possible to live confidently and creatively in the face of massive problems such as pollution and the acidification of the oceans?
What hope is there of making peace with creation?
In this hour-long film, Loren Wilkinson goes in search of answers to these pressing questions. Through personal reflections (set both in the beautiful Gulf Islands where he lives and in the urban context of Vancouver, where he continues to teach), stimulating conversations with leading thinkers, artists and activists, and specially created art work, together with extracts from his poetry, Loren Wilkinson presents his own compelling and beautiful vision for human life in the 21st century.

coming up in 2017

A new year means new shows at Pacific Theatre! We have five fabulous shows coming up for 2017 and we are so excited to share them with you. And it's not too late to subscribe to our 2017 season. Our Sampler Pass allows you to see four great shows for only $92.00 (not including taxes and ticket fees), as well as a handful of subscriber benefits. Give our box office a call at 604.731.5518 to subscribe today.

feb 8-10 | marilynne robinson | regent college laing lectures

Marilynne Robinson: Considering the Theological Virtues
The 2007 Laing Lectures
Faith | Feb 8
Hope | Feb 9
Love | Feb 10
All lectures are held in The Frederic Wood Theatre, UBC, and begin at 7:30
Tickets are free of charge, but must be reserved online in advance. Don't delay; the event will sell out.

One of the finest books I ever read is Marilynne Robinson's Gilead (2004). I thought so when I read it years ago, and re-reading it now in anticipation of her Laing Lecture series in February I remember just how good it is. As eager as I am to get to Home (2008) and Lila (2014), I'm not rushing things. This is a novel to be savoured; sometimes I think I should just read the whole thing aloud to myself.

How about this passage:

"It was one day as I listened to baseball that it occurred to me how the moon actually moves, in a spiral, because while it orbits the earth it also follows the orbit of the earth around the sun. This is obvious, but the revelation pleased me. There was a full moon outside my window, icy white in a blue sky, and the Cubs were playing Cincinnati."

The book won the Pulitzer Prize. Home, her next novel, focuses on a secondary character in that book, and was a finalist for the National Book. Lila (2014) revisits the same town and people as the first two novels, and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her first novel, Housekeeping, won the Hemingway Foundation / PEN Award, and was short-listed for the Pulitzer.

Robinson has also published several collections of shorter non-fiction pieces. The most recent, The Givenness of Things, includes the widely praised essay "Fear" that was first published in The New York Review of Books.

In November 2015, Barack Obama interviewed Marilynne Robinson for the New York Review of Books. (Not the other way around. I wonder if this is the first time a writer was interviewed by a sitting President). This substantial conversation can be read online (Part One and Part Two).

christmas campaign | thank you

The 2016 Christmas Campaign is officially over for this year. Our Pacific theatre family would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped us reach our goal of $50,000! Our final donation results are $66,219.73, thanks to a generous matching grant and your gifts! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

christmas campaign | the tally | 132.4% of our goal achieved!!!

UPDATE: WE DID IT!  We've maxed out our matching campaign and hit our fundraising goal in record time! We will be accepting donations until December 31st for our Christmas Campaign, so if you would like to make a donation to help at tax time we would love to help with that!

You can donate online here or by calling 604-731-5483.

It's that time of the year again! Pacific Theatre's annual Christmas Campaign is here. We are seeking donations to assist with the general operations of our company. The goal for this years campaign is $50,000. Donations make great gifts and come with tax receipts!

.42 + 10 + 100 + 100 + 1000 + 200 + 20 + 50 + 50 + 50 + 100 + 500 + 67 + 200 + 60.90 + 500 + 27 + .88 + 800 + 40 + 40 + 50 + 100 + 100 + 60.90 + 30.45 + 3366 (34 Holiday Subscriptions to Dec 5!) + 3960 (40 more Holiday Subscriptions!) + 23.10 + 10,000 + 30 + 50 + 40 + 5 + .60 + 25 + 23.21 + 100 + 250 + 50 + 1000 + 50 + 100 + 50 + 1000 + 792 (8 more Holiday Subscriptions) + 800 + 30 + 50 + 100 + 100 + 60.90 + 150 + 13 + 150 + 193 + 500 + 200 + 28.95 + 67.20 + 20 + 500 + 60 + 25 + 2000 + 25 + 2000 + 1000 + 200 + 100 + 20 + 100 + 25 + 100 + 175 + (5 more Holiday Subscriptions) + 690 + 100 + 50 + 20 + 10 + 30 + 50 + 5 + 100 + 100 + 25 + 250 + 36.70 + 15.70 + 250 + 30.45 + 36.70 + 27.27 + 10 + 15 + 100 + 20 + 100 + 30 + 1000 + 60 + 650 + 1500 + 200 + 1000 + 96.50 + 193 + 500 + 36.70 + 57.70 + 5 + 30 + 5 + 100 + 100 + 10 + 100 + 2000 + 10 + 100 + 200 + 25 + 50 + 100 + 400 + 40 + 500 + 500 + 500 + 150 + 100 + 100 + 120 + 300 + 200 + 100 + 250 + 73.40 + 50 + 250 + 10 + 146.80 + 250 + 50 + 50 + 200 + 100 + (20 more Holiday Subscriptions by December 31) + 57.90 + 96.50 + 96.50 + 96.50 + 300 + $15,000 in matching fund = 66,219.73!

Thank you for helping Pacific Theatre reach (and exceed!) our goal! Every donation will now go towards helping our Year End fundraising campaign!
Pledges are indicated in italics.