PLANK loves HOLY MO!

Holy Mo: Moses in Denial & the Clowning of King David
by Naomi Dolgoy
Plank Magazine, February 18 2009

Lucia Frangione’s Holy Mo once again graces the stage of Pacific Theatre this month. I had the pleasure of witnessing the Holy Mo trinity of Follie (Katharine Venour), Bufoona (Erla-Faye Forsyth) and Guff (Julia Mackey) as they led audiences through the story of Moses in Holy Mo, followed by a short ‘pee break’ (as explained by Follie, and more commonly referred to as intermission), then through the story of King David in Spew Boy.

This revamping of the Holy Book for Holy Mo, transforms stoic Bible figures into comical, nicknamed, multifaceted characters. Biblical Moses becomes ‘Mo’, brother of rapping, dreadlocked Aaron, and husband of Biblical Zipporah, ‘Zip’, who begs him to get off the couch, stop watching TV, and enjoy his retirement. Kind David is ‘Davey’, who starts out as a bagel boy; and the Israelites, ‘Heebies’ are factory workers – a role that allows for audience participation. The Biblical tales are re-imagined with clowning, mime, country bluegrass music, movie montages and pop-culture references from Chariots of Fire to Sylvester Stallone to Macbeth – there is even a scene in ‘slow mo’. The stage setting evokes a circus arena, in which the audience sits on both sides of the venue, and the players engage the viewers with amazing ‘feats’ of circus performance.

The physical design of Holy Mo is elegantly layered – a sheer curtain becomes the Red Sea, the veil of God, and the blood-smeared houses in Goshen (Egypt). The costumes are simple and comical: broom bristles atop a hockey mask denote the giant Goliath, a red beret and a cigarette express the emotional character of Jonathon (King David’s brother in law). The comedy is equally layered: seemingly overt yet undeniably complex. Bathroom jokes and ‘gangsta’ Biblical figures build on the main comical conceit: clowns recanting stories of two Biblically revered characters, depicting their shortcomings as equal to their heroism.

Follie, Bufoona and Guff represent characteristics in all of us, both in their strengths and in their weaknesses. They put on a show acting out Biblical stories that they believe must be told, while analyzing the relationship between the people and their invisible-deity-that-cannot-be-seen-until-you-die, Yamma (God). Throughout the play the clowns pause to challenge and evaluate the actions of Yamma. The clowns approach Godliness with a childlike wonder and amazement, wanting to play God, fearing God, revering God. This relationship between player and creator parallels the relationship between Moses and God, and David and God, in the Bible, wherein the supplicants question their ability and purpose as leaders, and challenge God who selected them for the role.

Underneath the cleverness and good-natured humor, what these three clowns are telling is a story of sacrificing oneself for a greater purpose. Though their stories are from the Biblical era, the clowns mesmerize the audience with timeless tales of struggle, success and self-actualization. Fittingly, time and space cease to matter; Hollywood Movies, modern slang, and Biblical feats fuse together to form Holy Mo, a performance fit for a King—as reluctant as he is heroic—or a Leader as shy as he is monumental.

Cast: Katharine Venour, Erla Faye Forsyth, Julia Mackey. Director: Morris Ertman. Scenic Design: Kevin McAllister. Costume Design: Drew Facey. Lighting Design: Matt Frankish. Musical Direction/Sound Design: Luke Ertman. Stage Manager: Lois Dawson; Holy Mo runs 8pm Wednesday-Saturday, February 6-March 7, with select Saturday Matinees at 2pm, at Pacific Theatre (604.731.5518); tickets $17-$34.

Feb 22: "Praise The Lord With Stringed Instruments"

I officially declare this Sunday... Something to do with strings. You can make something up.

Point being, after you leave the Pacific Rim concert at Pacific Theatre Sunday afternoon, why not grab a nice dinner - some spaghetti, perhaps? or string beans? - then head over to First Christian Reformed for more?


Hi, friends, family, colleagues, etc.

Hooray, part 3 of my arts thesis is this Sunday! It's another worship service, for Epiphany season, which will feature lots of chamber music (late Classical and early Romantic) and silence and prayer... and not many words at all. For introverts like me, it will (hopefully) be a paradise of restful silence before God. Well, I hope it will be the same for extroverts too...

Here are the details:

Who: the musicians will be me, Kathy Kwon, Jonathan Ng, and Colin Wilson. We are a piano trio and string quartet. A whole lot of others will be involved in planning, food prep, decorations, etc. You are also a welcome participant.
What: A worship service, in which we will worship God through instrumental music, silence, and prayer. Afterwards there will be coffee, snacks, and a chance to discuss.
When: This Sunday night, February 22, at 7:30.
Where: First Christian Reformed Church, 2670 Victoria Dr., Vancouver
Why: We need to pray!

This is an open invitation, so feel free to bring friends. I hope to see many of you on Sunday night!

Celia

Feb 22: Music At Pacific - Pacific Rim String Quartet

The Pacific Rim String Quartet continues their second season in residence at Pacific Theatre, playing Mozart's 'Hunt' Quartet, Shostakovich Quartet #7, and Dvorak's chamber masterpiece, the 'American' quartet.

Music At Pacific
Sunday, February 22, 3PM
Pacific Rim String Quartet
Pacific Theatre, W. 12th and Hemlock
tickets: 604-731-5518
www.pacifictheatre.org



Other opportunities to hear PRSQ Artistic Director Brian Mix

Sunday, March 1, 2PM
Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello
Li-Ling Liao, violin soloist, Brian Mix, cello soloist
New Westminster Symphony Orchestra
Massey Theatre, 8th and 8th, New Westminster
Admission by donation

Tuesday, March 10, 8PM
Music on Main's series "A Month of Tuesdays" at The Cellar Restaurant,
West Broadway at Dunbar
J.S. Bach: Suites for solo cello
Brian Mix, cello

Feb 14: VINTAGE VALENTINE at Pacific Theatre

Stones Throw Productions presents
VINTAGE VALENTINE

A fun-filled Musical Theatre Review all about love. Bring your friends or your Valentine and enjoy numbers from Moulin Rouge, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago and many more. Tickets are $11 in advance or pay-what-you-can at the door. Or purchase a ticket to see Holy MO on Feb 14th and stay to see Vintage Valentine for FREE!. For more information please phone our box office at (604)731-5518.

Saturday, February 14, 2009
10:15pm - 11:30pm

Pacific Theatre
1440 W 12th Ave
Vancouver, BC

Feb 11-14: PROOF at TWU

Theatre at TWU presents David Auburn’s Proof, a play that asks the question: how can we know the truth when there is no proof? This Pulitzer Prize winning modern drama explores the instabilities of love, trust, and mathematical certainty.

The story centers on Catherine, the daughter of a brilliant but mentally unstable mathematician. After his death, Catherine discovers a paradigm-shifting proof among his papers, and claims the discovery as her own. Has she inherited her father’s genius, or his insanity?

Running for five performances only, Proof offers a dynamic evening of compelling drama sure to engage both the heard and mind with intrigue, romance, laughter and science.

Feb 11-14, 8pm + Feb 14 matinee, 2pm
tix:website | 513-2121 x3576

Mar 6: Blue Like Jazz // Live, Jason Hildebrand

Based on the book Blue Like Jazz by acclaimed author Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz // Live is an innovative and revolutionary theatrical multimedia production developed and performed by Jason Hildebrand.

It is a personal, raw and humorous reflection on spirituality, God, and community. Blue Like Jazz // Live is an honest and unexpected journey - a scrapbook of one man's life.

The solo performance incorporates the use of film and computer-generated motion graphics.The graphics feature imagery rooted in Miller's book and provide a backdrop for the main action. Also featured an original jazz music soundscape by Juno award winning musician Paul Neufeld.

Jason Hildebrand is a professional actor, award-winning filmmaker and communication coach from Toronto, Canada. He has performed in theatre, film and television, and continues to tour the globe with his acclaimed solo performances. Jason also works with organizations, theatre and film companies and educational institutions in various capacities throughout North America and Europe.

Friday March 6th, 8pm
Tenth Church 11 W 10th Ave
info - carla@tenth.ca / 604 876 2181 ext 209

$10 advance | $15 door | web

Pacific Theatre Apprentice Opportunities

(click on image to enlarge)

Feb 28: Dvorak's Biblical Songs

Dvorak’s Biblical Songs

A vocal recital featuring Angelina Van Dyke and Eric Hominick. Funds raised will be donated to Genesis Vancouver, a long-term recovery and reintegration program for mothers with children seeking a way out of sexual exploitation.

Saturday Feb 28th at 7:30 pm
Grace Vancouver Church 1696 W 7th (at Pine)
Admission by donation – suggested amount $20 – tax receipt issued over $20
604 649-3289
www.genesisvancouver.com

HOLY MO renderings by Costume Designer Drew Facey

Check out these gorgeous renderings by Drew Facey, the fabulous costume designer for HOLY MO!


GUFF - The flunky. Guff was a tag along who became useful to the troupe. She is the technician, the orchestra, the scenery, and any bit part that Follie and Bufoona can't cover to complete the story. Guff primarily plays animals and inanimate objects. She continues to surprise Follie and Bufoona with new bits she has added to the show. She has a problem with an overactive saliva gland, which may be one of the reasons she doesn't speak. Guff wears overalls and mukluks, a cowboy shirt and a bolo tie. She has long black braids. She depends greatly on Bufoona and Follie as family and yet maintains a kind of distance. Her trademark is her guitar, Tulip, which she plays proficiently and harmonizes beautifully with a kazoo. Guff is a proletariat.



FOLLIE - The respected troubadour who runs the show. Tall and square, she wears a tattered tuxedo jacket with red and orange flourish, dark velvet pantaloons and tall gold boots. She is an utterly sincere visionary and finds great joy in the beauty of the stories she tells. She has a commanding rich alto voice, severe black hair, curly eyebrows and plays washtub bass and harmonica. She is a totalitarian.


BUFOONA - The fool. Bufoona is small, round, clownish and squeaky. She has a prized orange and gold ruff around her neck made from old curtains, complete with pompoms. She wears check pants that flair at the calf, brown leggings and sneakers with painted flowers. She loves an audience, sometimes for selfish reasons. Despite Bufoona's short attention span, small rebellions and mischief making, Follie knows she can count on Bufoona's genius to pull through. Bufoona is a banjo playing soprano and anarchist.

Holy Mo: Artistic Director's Notes (Final Draft)

HOLY MO!
Feb 6 - Mar 7
Pacific Theatre
www.pacifictheatre.org | 604 731-5518

Okay, if you promise to keep this just between you and me, I'll tell you something I've hardly told anybody ever before. Promise not to tell Cia? Okay, good.

Back about a hundred years ago, when I asked Lucia what she was working on next, she told me she was going to do a three-woman show for the Fringe festivals that would take the Old Testament story of Moses and tell it with three clowns. One of whom was a mime. I said that sounded great, but I was lying: it sounded really, really stupid. Like one of those "clever, creative" ideas people come up with for their church drama group – one of those "clever, creative" ideas people come up with over and over again. Never learning from each others' mistakes.

And to do their Bible drama in the Fringe? I figured that was the last I'd ever see of my friend Lucia. They'd tear her limb from limb.

When HoMo arrived at the Vancouver Fringe, as a courtesy, with my guard up, already rehearsing the evasive things I could say when I didn't like it in case somebody caught me before I could escape after the show, I slipped in at the last minute, braced myself, and... Marveled. At the work itself, which was outrageous, wise, hilarious, sad, holy, profane. Human, divine. True. And at the audience, who were with the show every breath – and who applauded the Ten Commandments! (Don't feel obliged. I think it was a one-time thing.) They even liked the mime. I even liked the mime!

Instead of evading Lucia after the show, I hunted down Lucia backstage and embraced her. ("Tackled" might be closer to accurate, though it doesn't convey the measure of affection and awe that came into play). We had to have it at Pacific Theatre, had to share it with our audience. Only... It was, like, only fifty minutes long. Could she, I don't know, do it twice? Make up some stuff? Talk really slow?

As usual, she was a step ahead of me. "Oh, I want to do the story of David! I could just add that on! Call it Spew Boy!" At this point, who was going to argue?

So this is the third time we've had the show in our season here at PT – a three-timer, a certified Pacific Theatre Favourite, putting it in the rarefied company of only a handful of shows. Cotton Patch Gospel, Damien... Maybe that's it. Fine company to keep. For a bunch of clowns.

And a mime.

Thanks, Lucia. (Oh, but don't tell her I said that.)

Ron

Feb 1-11: The Emperor Of Atlantis

I've been out of town, so this one snuck up on me. A Soul Foodie, Pat, emailed asking if I knew about the show, which is playing at the Norman Rothstein. I didn't, so she filled me in...

Well, I know what I heard on the CBC. It is an opera, a short one, (1 hour)
that was written in a concentration camp. It was the camp which the Nazis
set up as a model to show the Allies and the rest of the world how
benevolent they were, and how humane their camps were. In it they
incarcerated all the top Jewish and other "non-Aryan" artists, musicians,
poets, writers, intellectuals. The musicians had access to all of their
instruments, a studio, and a Theatre. So, 2 composers composed, in part,
The Emperor of Atlantis. It was a thinly disguised satire of the Regime,
and the project was dismantled, the composers were executed, the musicians
were sent of the work camps, and only 2 young violin players survived, and
the opera survived.

Parts of it were played on the radio, beautiful music, especially beautiful,
perhaps, after hearing the amazing story.

We are not opera buffs, but the story was so captivating, and it is only 1
hour long, so we are going. It is only being performed 4 times, this Sunday
is sold out. Open seating, and the tickets are $40.

Cheers
Pat


THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS
at the Norman Rothstein Theatre

Presented by
the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre & City Opera Vancouver
by Viktor Ullmann & Petr Kien
Norman Rothstein Theatre
(950 West 41st Avenue at Oak)

The Emperor of Atlantis is a unique, compelling and deeply moving chamber opera. Its score survived the Nazis. Its creators did not. Although perhaps the finest piece of performance art from its place and era, productions are rare. It has never been produced before in British Columbia.

The opera speaks both to transformation and recurrence. It speaks from the nadir of the 20th century to the continued violence and despair of the 21st. Ullmann and Kien together with their colleagues at Thereisenstadt, created a masterwork.

Among seven characters, two are principal: Death, and The Emperor. Horrified by the murderousness of the Emperor and his regime, Death goes on strike. People are killed but do not die. The Emperor demands that Death resume his business. Death finally agrees, but on one condition ...

When the Nazis realized what Atlantis was about, they shipped its entire company off to Auschwitz. Only its art remains.

All tickets: $40.00 (s/c included)

Sunday Feb 1st: 2:00pm matinee
Feb 4th, 7th. 9th, 11th : 8:00pm

Order By Phone: 604.684.2787
Call Centre Hours
Monday to Friday 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Holy Mo: Artistic Director's Notes (Draft One)

Okay, I'm just back from a whirlwind trip to California, threw together my program notes for HOLY MO...

HOLY MO
Feb 6 - Mar 7
tickets

Program Notes (Draft One)

Holy Mo is a really good play, which is why I picked it. It's about Moses, which is what "Mo" means in the title. The second half of the play is about David, but "Holy Dave" didn't sound right, so Lucia called it "Holy Mo."

The three actors in the play are really good at acting. You can read about them in their bios. Morris Ertman is a really good director, and even though his bio is usually quite boring, he also writes program notes, so you can read those.

We did this play before, but I hope you won't be bored seeing it again.

That's all I can think of, so I'll fill the rest of my space with something from my favourite website. "Oh, what a boring subject, right? Yeah, I agree, reading about bilge pumps is not too thrilling. But this is a subject which I've been harping on for a long time, apparently without a lot of success based on the continuing and overwhelmingly casual attitude that boat owners have for their bilge pumping systems."

Ron Reed,
Artistic Director



Back to the drawing board...

Jan 30: Pacific Theatre / Regent Library Event

Friday, January 30, 2009

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments just outside the Allison Library.
Selected manuscripts and plays from the collection will be on display in the
Library. The theatre readings begin at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Come celebrate the intersection of theology and theatre with Pacific Theatre
and the John Richard Allison Library at Regent College. Pacific Theatre
Director Ron Reed has gifted his sizable collection of manuscripts and plays
to the Allison Library. He and several other actors will be reading from a
variety of plays from the collection and that have been produced by Pacific
Theatres over the past twenty-five years. Come for an evening of
entertainment and celebration of the arts!

Damon Calderwood bird photography

This just in from Damon Calderwood - the Elephant Man himself!


Hi Folks!

Just in case anyone is in the area and would like to have a peek at my framed prints on exhibit and/or see my latest Powerpoint show, I'm doing the show Tuesday, Jan 13th at 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the New Westminster Public Library (716 6th Avenue, New Westminster).

My framed prints are on display in the Library's Gallery as well for the month of January.

The Powerpoint show is about an hour long (including time for questions), and includes pictures from my book, Flights of Fantasy and from my latest work-in-progress, Moments of Discovery.

I would love to see you there!

Here is a link.

Happy New Year!

Damon

Jan 14, Jan 28, Feb 11: Nelson Boschman Trio at Yaletown Blenz

Nelson - the unofficial leader of our unofficial "PT House Band" for Christmas Presence and such - is back at Blenz. Best of all - no cover charge!

Jan 20: Richard Austin performs Gerard Manley Hopkins

A note from Loren Wilkinson...

Richard Austin, a British actor (quite a bit of TV work) has recently spend much of his time performing (brilliantly) the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. He will be doing this at Regent on Tuesday Jan. 20 at 6:30 pm.

I met Richard at a Hopkins conference at Oxford a few years ago, and have encountered him in Hopkins contexts (Dublin and Regis University in Denver) since. He has recently moved to the Sunshine Coas... You would appreciate very much his interpretation of the poems, which is better than anything else I've heard recorded. (Including Richard Burton).

Jan 29 - Feb 22: Kirsty Provan in BYE BYE BIRDIE

Two seasons ago, Kirsty Provan - yup, daughter of the Regent prof - was a PT apprentice. Played Joseph in REMNANTS (A FABLE). Headed off to Studio 58, now she's playing the female lead in their upcoming production of BYE BYE BIRDIE - a real swell musical, if you want my two bits worth!

Bye Bye Birdie
JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 22, 2009
Studio 58

Fan mania!! What are the teeny boppers of Allentown, Pennsylvania to do, now that their American idol, rock ‘n roller Conrad Birdie has been inducted into the Army? The directing team that brought Guys and Dolls to Studio 58 is back with a hit musical. One Last Kiss, Put on a Happy Face, Kids, and Spanish Rose are just a few of the musical theatre classics from this 1950’s nostalgic romp. Bye Bye Birdie's original cast s tarred Dick Van Dyke and Chita Rivera. This is tops in imagination and good old fashion fun.

This is Kirsty in REMNANTS. Not so you'd know. But I like the picture.

Jade Shaw in SHOCKER'S DELIGHT

If you saw the guest production of THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Pacific Theatre several years back, you'll remember Jade Shaw's exquisite performance as Laura, brother to Ian Farthing as Tom, and opposite Bob Fraser's Jessie-nommed Gentleman Caller. Well, Jade launched her own company, and is onstage soon...

Squidamisu Theatre
Presents
Stewart Lemoine’s
Shocker’s Delight!
January 15 - 24, Wednesday through Saturday
Preview January 14
Time: 8 pm
Saturday matinees at 2pm
The Beaumont Stage, 316 West 5th Ave. Vancouver
Tix 604.603.0695 / squidamisutheatre@gmail.com
Info 604.880.8039

"Stewart Lemoine is an original. There is simply no one, anywhere, who writes like this Edmonton playwright. Shocker's Delight! is simple. Spare. Powerful." Colin Maclean, CBC

Shocker’s Delight! is a love story gone askew. It is the story of lifelong friends Marcus, Julia, and Rory, who meet as students in the mid 1950's. Their study of the eclectic disciplines of ballroom dancing, golf, and 19th century furniture design provides the backdrop for a classic tussle of emotional versus intellectual attraction. A story that begins in a collegiate whirl of boilermakers improvised in rowboats and late night Latin dance assignations, transcends its whimsical beginnings when an unforeseeable calamity give rise to a resolution of ecstatic and unexpected beauty linking the present, the future, and the distant past.

Directed by Matthew Kowalchuk and starring Paul Herbert, Jade Shaw and Richard Stroh. Shocker’s Delight! will be the second production for the burgeoning Squidamisu Theatre.

Stewart Lemoine's plays are highly imaginative and witty comedies. They are contemporary fairy tales for adults, which juxtapose the strange and the familiar, and are often deeply moving.

About the Playwright
Stewart Lemoine is an Edmonton-based playwright, director and producer. Over the course of his career, Lemoine has written over sixty plays including All These Heels (1982), Two Tall Too Thin (1992), Shockers Delight! (1993), Pith! (1997), the Exquisite Hour (2002) and At the Zenith of the Empire (2006).
Lemoine is the winner of four Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards, the New York International Fringe Festival’s Award for Overall Excellence in Playwriting and in 2008, Lemoine was honoured with the Tommy Banks Performing Arts Award.

About Squidamisu Theatre
Squidamisu Theatre (pronounced: squid-a-mi-su), was established in 2008 by actors Jade Shaw and Richard Stroh. Upon the completion of their first undertaking, Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain, the company was officially born. The moniker, Squidamisu, is inspired by a scene in that play, and is a rare and unique late-night delicacy that is comprised of tiramisu ... and squid. With that, the company promises to inject the theatrical equivalent into the Vancouver arts scene.

Squidamisu Theatre. Things are not always as they seem.

May 11-22: Bruce Marchfelder film course, Regent College

Reading Film: A Theological Approach
May 11-22
On a few occasions, I've listened to (and watched) Bruce Marchfelder work through a section of a film with a group of people: the opening section of HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, a large portion of Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS, the initial sequence of CITIZEN KANE. Bruce is an extraordinary teacher, opening up a film with a body of knowledge and a passion for the art form that is exhilarating and engaging. For several years I have looked for the opportunity to take one of Bruce's film courses, but always they have conflicted with something else, and again that's true this year. But if I weren't in production week for YOU STILL CAN'T the first week of this Regent two-week intensive, I'd absolutely be there. So I'm going to recommend that all of you go in my place.

The Ethics Of Filmmaking
July 27-31
Also note the tag-team of Winter and Stackhouse will be doing an intriguing course on The Ethics Of Filmmaking at Regent Summer School this year. Ralph Winter is a first-rank producer, called on to captain many of Hollywood's most expensive and elaborate productions. He's widely known not only for getting the job done, but for the way he treats people in an industry known for its extreme pressure and bottom-line mentality. My personal tastes don't generally run to the sorts of films he's called on to produce, but I'm very drawn to him as a person, and have immense respect for the way he truly brings his Christian faith to bear in the way he goes about his work. I bet the course will be marvelous.

More details on spring session and  summer school at the Regent College website.

January 14: David Goa at TWU