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Granville Island

Jun10

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The Arts Club Presents Avenue Q

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater, Vancouver

[Lucy the Slut]

Irreverently witty and outright uproarious, Avenue Q is the musical story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate who arrives in New York City looking for love, a job, and his purpose in life. The only neighbourhood he can afford is the multicultural Avenue Q, where Sesame Street-esque puppets rub shoulders with humans.

Winner of the Tony Award “Triple Crown” in 2004 (Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score), Avenue Q is part felt, part flesh, and packed with songs that are surprisingly poignant and definitely not the ones you grew up with!

“The music is playful, the lyrics are outrageous, the script is hilarious, and the characters are delightful. Underneath its colourful fur, a big, boisterous heart beats,” says Avenue Q director Peter Jorgensen. “Avenue Q is the perfect musical comedy…unless you are under 14 years of age!”

[Rod]

Full puppet nudity warning: This is not your kids’ puppet show as it sneaks a peek at raucous sexual congress, failed childhood stardom, excessive drinking, moving in and out of a slummy neighbourhood, investing, mix-tapes, cute creatures doing bad things, singing boxes, getting laid off, finding your purpose, getting fired, getting re-hired, loving someone but wanting to kill them, exotic dancing, erotic dancing, exotic erotic dancing, homosexuality, racism, pornography, masturbation, interracial marriage, interspecies relationships (monsters and humans), roommates, coming out of the closet, coming out of your apartment, getting ahead in life, going to college, pan-handling, wishing you were back in college, coming out of your shell, and recycling.

Avenue Q stars Scott Bellis, Jeny Cassady, Shannon Chan-Kent, Kayla Dunbar, Evangelia Kambites, Andrew MacDonald-Smith, and Andy Toth, based on the book by Jeff Whitty. It is both directed and choreographed by Peter Jorgensen.

Avenue Q: The Broadway Musical for Adults
Dates: June 20 to August 3; Mondays and Tuesdays, 7:30 pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8 pm; Wednesday and Saturday, 2 pm matinees
Venue: Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $29 to $54, including tax and fees; via online or by phoning the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644.

All photos by Emily Cooper.
May31

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2013 In Tune Conference

Posted in: Events, Gastown, Granville Island, Musical, Theater, Vancouver

Following the success of 2011’s In Tune Conference, this event will return to Granville Island with a full lineup of events that both explore and celebrate the creation of original Canadian musicals and music theatre. Co-curated by Touchstone’s Artistic Director Katrina Dunn and the Arts Club’s Literary Manager Rachel Ditor, In Tune’s nine action-filled days will combine the discussion and networking of an industry conference with the excitement and innovation of a development event.

Several events open to the public will provide an in-depth glimpse into the newest Canadian musicals in development and the ideas that are moving the form forward.

Here’s an overview of the conference, set to take place from June 23 to July 1 at various venues around the city.

Keynote and Cabaret
Canadian Songbook Cabaret Hosted by Jay Brazeau
Date: Sunday, June 23, 8 to 10 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre Company’s Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Entry by donation

Local musical theatre luminary John Gray will lead the conference charge with a short keynote reflecting on the past, present, and future of original Canadian musicals. Directly following, Jay Brazeau will host an evening of songs from the Canadian songbook. This will be a rare opportunity to hear songs from Canadian musicals, both well-known and hidden gems, sung by some of the local scene’s most dynamic performers.

[Barbara Tomasic, Erin Palm, Damon Jang]

Information Session
Mapping The Country: New Musical Opportunities In Canada
Date: Wednesday, June 26, 1 to 2 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre Company’s Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Free admission

 Mapping the Country will give an overview of some of the great new initiatives and opportunities for the commissioning, development, premiering and disseminating of new musicals in Canada. A groundswell of interest is giving rise to exciting new programs countrywide that will be detailed in a session led by In Tune Co-Curator Katrina Dunn with leading Canadian practitioners.

Research Presentation
The In Tune Papers: New Critical Thinking On The Musical Theatre Genre From Writers And Researchers
Date: Thursday, June 27, 10 am to 11:30 am
Venue: SFU Woodwards Studio T, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Free admission

Four brief presentations will detail some of the newest ideas in musical theatre theory and most innovative methods in current practice from leading scholars and writers. Dynamic and lively, this session promises to push the envelope and stimulate thought.

The Interview (Part 3 of the “In The Works” Masterclass)
Date: Thursday, June 27, 2 to 5 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre’s Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $20 at the door

Peter Jorgensen will lead Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson through a comprehensive interview delving into their career highlights, their creative process, and the business aspects of writing musicals. The interview will be followed by an open Q&A.

Showcase: Live Action Case Studies
Date: Friday, June 28, 1:30 to 2:45 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre’s Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Free admission

 Get a taste of the most current and innovative work in the genre with this showcase featuring short excerpts from 10 new Canadian musicals, including works currently in development or ones that have recently premiered. Along with each excerpt are short descriptions of the unique creation process that led to each work. This event will be held in conjunction with the LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas) Annual Conference.

Feature Presentation: Tom Pinkerton: The Ballad of Butterfly’s Son Book by Hiro Kanagawa
With music by David MacIntyre, Lyrics by Hiro Kanagawa and David MacIntyre 
Date: Friday, June 28, 7 to 8 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver 
Entry by donation

 At the end of Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly, the 3-year-old child of Cio-Cio and B.F. Pinkerton is whisked away to America to be raised by Pinkerton and his American wife, Kate. Set 20 years after these events, Tom Pinkerton finds the child struggling to become a man and searching for the mother he never knew. We travel with the youth, now called Tom, as he revisits the Nagasaki of his birth to find love and self-realization. After a workshop as part of In Tune, the evening will reveal 30 minutes of this stunning new work performed in a staged reading, sung by a cast led by Alessandra Juliani as Tom. Audience feedback to follow.

For more information, visit the Touchstone Theatre website. All photos by Emily Cooper.
May1

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Edible Canada at The Market

Posted in: Craft Beer, Dining, Granville Island, Sustainability, Tea, Vancouver, Whisky, Wine

Edible Canada at The Market commands a prime spot on Granville Island close to the Public Market where over 12 million visitors peruse the food hall on a yearly basis. They started with a small shop in that very food hall (Edible British Columbia), selling many items now found in their current onsite shop. The busy restaurant has a comfortable, casual vibe, with families, businessmen, and groups coming and going.

The restaurant was packed during my recent lunch visit. Sitting by the window offers a glimpse into the daily life of Granville Island. The open kitchen is the first thing you see upon entry, opposite a series of square windows letting in a good amount of natural daylight.

Edible Canada enjoys relationships with many local suppliers, including South Surrey’s Hazelmere Farms, providing the Granville Island restaurant with beautiful sunchokes for their soup. Sea to Sky bacon-salted butter is offered with crusty bread or rolls. Victoria’s Silk Road Teas and Granville Island Tea selections are on the beverage menu, as well as local beer, wine, and spirits.

You can see where this is going: Edible Canada at the Market is a proudly local restaurant and retail space that’s passionate about things sustainable. They are dedicated to sourcing the highest quality products across Canada.
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Apr26

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Reviewed: A Craigslist Cantata

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater Reviews, Vancouver

[Bree Greig, Veda Hille, J. Cameron Barnett, Selina Martin, Barry Mirochnick, Dmitry Chepovetsky]

As you enter the Arts Club’s Revue Stage, you’ll arrive to find a brick wall set, with lamps of every size and shape suspended from the ceiling. The golden hues of the lamps on stage produces an effect similar to that of a nightclub. There’s a drum kit to one side, a piano on the other.

This sets the scene for an 80-minute musical romp through a series of songs and spoken word culled from Craigslist ads. Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata is back by popular demand from its humble 2009 PuSh Festival beginnings. A collaboration of singer/composer Veda Hille and writer/broadcaster Bill Richardson, this piece is an ode to both Vancouverites and everyday objects.

“300 Stuffed Penguins,” “Chilli Eating Buddy,” “Decapitated Dolls,” and “Metal Head Looking for a Metal House” are only a few of the hilarious tunes brought to life by four strong talents: J. Cameron Barnett, Josh Epstein, Selina Martin, Bree Greig, plus musical accompaniments by Barry Mirochnick and Marguerite Witvoet.

They’re all tightly integrated into the musical and all give strong performances. In fact, they look like they’re having a blast up on stage. Josh Epstein is the new player on the team; the only production photos available at the time of this writing include last year’s cast with Dmitry Chepovetsky.

[Bree Greig, Selina Martin, J. Cameron Barnett, Dmitry Chepovetsky]

Think about it: Craigslist exists in 70 countries and has over 20 billion page views with 50 million new ads posted each month. This is prime fodder for song creation! If you’ve not yet seen or heard Veda Hille’s song cycles, this is a perfect opportunity for induction. Her songs are remarkably original, heartfelt, and intimate.

We tried to find a negative aspect of the production, but the only thing we could agree upon was that some of the words are hard to decipher in the songs; several are fast-paced and unfortunately, a few were lost on us. In the end though, we left with smiles on our faces. This is a treat of a show, one that I hope will be back for many more renditions. After all, 50 million new ads per month, right Veda and Bill?

Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata is directed by Amiel Gladstone and continues through May 18 at the Arts Club Theatre’s Revue Stage.

All photos by David Cooper.
Mar22

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The Arts Club: My Turquoise Years

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater, Vancouver

[David Marr, Wendy Noel, Peter Anderson, Bridget Esler, Georgina Beaty, Dawn Petten, Mike Rinaldi]

Based on M.A.C. Farrant’s memoir of her fourteenth summer, My Turquoise Years is a comic coming-of-age story set in 1960. These were the early years of postwar optimism where plastic reigned and the colour turquoise was considered the height of chic.

While growing up in sleepy Cordova Bay outside of Victoria, BC, Marion lived with her Aunt Elsie, who liked to recall tales of Marion’s glamorous, globe-trotting mother, Nancy. Nancy’s world of furs, jewels, cigarette holders, and handsome men seemed miles away from the hamlet of Cordova Bay.

Just as Marion starts to blossom into womanhood, Nancy suddenly announces a visit to Canada, throwing everyone into a tizzy.

[Wendy Noel, Bridget Esler, Peter Anderson]

“Farrant’s book was first brought to our attention by Nicola Cavendish, who, after reading it on CBC’s Between the Covers, thought it would make a lovely play. She was right,” said Rachel Ditor, the play’s director and dramaturg. “Part nostalgic look at daily life in 1960, My Turquoise Years is also a reminder of the social constraints of the nuclear family back then. What makes the play contemporary, though, is its affirmation that family is more than biology; it’s who you choose to share your home with. That life is up for invention.”

Farrant was born in 1947 in Sydney, Australia, and has resided on Vancouver Island since 1953. She is the author of 13 books, comprised mainly of short stories and humorous fiction. Once described as “Canada’s most acerbic and intelligent humourist,” she weaves dry observation and absurdity with a knowing eloquence. An alumna of both the Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria, Farrant is a full-time writer. She is a contributor to Adbusters and Geist, a frequent book reviewer for The Vancouver Sun and The Globe and Mail, and organizer of the Sidney Reading Series.

[Bridget Esler]

Nominated for multiple literary awards, Farrant has received several writing grants at both national and provincial levels. Her work has been anthologized widely, and adapted for radio, television, and now, for the first time, the stage.

The Arts Club Theatre production of My Turquoise Years stars Peter Anderson, Georgina Beaty, Bridget Esler, David Marr, Wendy Noel, Dawn Petten and Mike Rinaldi.

My Turquoise Years: Memoir of a Canadian Girlhood
Dates: April 4 to May 4; Mondays and Tuesdays, 7:30 pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8 pm; Wednesday and Saturday, 2 pm matinees
Venue: Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $29 to $49, including tax and fees; via online or by phoning the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644.
Special Showings: Thursday Theatre Talks, April 18, 6:30 pm; Talk Back Tuesdays, April 23, 7:30 pm

All photos by David Cooper.
Mar7

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How Has My Love Affected You?

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater Reviews, Vancouver

Boxes filled with memories piled high on stage, an electronic keyboard, and a walker—what transpires over the course of Marcus Youssef’s How Has My Love Affected You?, a one-act, 90-minute play is a tender, personal account of family obligations, memories, and personal strife, recalled through words and song.

Veda Hille’s lovingly-composed music is written to correlate with Roleene’s dream journals and countless diaries of life that encapsulates her youth, university years, divorce fallout to seeking solace through living in hotels for months on end. Marcus goes through several of the journals, photos, and documents in the presence of his teenage son Zak (on vocals and keyboard).

Together they role-play, share a few laughs, and take the audience on a whirlwind tour of the life that is Roleene.

Love her or hate her, Marcus has a wealth of relationship tales to share with the audience. According to Marcus, “it’s me attempting to tell—as truthfully as I can—a story that’s based on a bunch of stuff that really happened, to me, and my loved ones. It’s just my point of view, and in many ways the piece is about how you can discover that your point of view is only your point of view.”

The title of the play refers to a piece of writing that Marcus discovered hidden in the back of a cabinet near packs of long-abandoned non-dairy creamer. “How Has My Love Affected You?” becomes the question that Youssef sets out to answer during the course of the play.

To give you an idea as to some of the brutal truth that Marcus discovers on his journey through the diaries, witness May 1, 2000: “I wouldn’t mind forgetting Marcus, his name, everything. And his father George.”

The story is given added dimension by using a smartly crafted DIY banker’s box projector that shows the audience up close and personal photos from his life on a projection screen. He’s even got his parents portrayed as cutout dolls pasted onto wooden sticks for a bit of hilarity in an otherwise intense experience.

Much of the audience was blown away as the house lights came up. This story speaks to many of us dealing with elderly parents, difficult relationships, and ways to cope with the baggage you’re left with.

After the show, I briefly spoke with Marcus about opening up such difficult life experiences to an audience of strangers. He definitely feels a release after each show. He’s been on stage with this story in the past, via a slightly different story and setup, but in the end, it’s all about the connection you make with others who’ve perhaps gone through some of the same emotional drain.

Marcus Youssef is the artistic director of Neworld Theatre in Vancouver, as well as an award-winning actor, writer, teacher and producer. And during this particular show, he plays the most important role of all—that of Roleene Youssef’s son.

“How Has My Love Affected You?” is complex, humourous, intelligently staged and a lovingly told ode to one’s mother. The Arts Club Theatre production continues at Granville Island’s Revue Stage through March 23.

All photos by David Cooper.
Feb20

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Charlemagne Festival at Oyama Sausage

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, History, Vancouver

[Oyama Sausage photo credit: Pete Harris on Flickr]

Oyama Sausage will celebrate a little culinary history of its own this coming weekend by presenting a fabulous assortment of salamis, prosciuttos, sausages, patés, terrines and cheeses, made from recipes inspired by the countries formerly under Charlemagne’s reign. Charlemagne was known as the Father of Europe during his reign and influenced the revival of arts and culture.
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Feb18

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Vancouver Food Talks Volume 6

Posted in: Craft Beer, Events, Granville Island, Inspiration, Sustainability, Vancouver

Last week, Dockside Brewing opened its lovely bar and lounge space to host Vancouver Foodster’s 6th edition of Food Talks Vancouver.

Richard Wolak is the man behind Vancouver Foodster, Food Talks, and Tasting Plates.

A variety of appetizers and decadent desserts were prepared by Dockside’s Executive Chef Simon McNeil and his team for a large group of attendees.

[Fire roasted chili prawns with garlic Ancho jelly, Irish Dubliner & glazed pear lollies with house quince butter, Mini Banh Mi Sliders with hoisin mayo & siracha smear, petite pistachio financiers]

Each guest received two sampler-sized Dockside craft beers and the chance to mingle and nibble before the speaker portion of the evening started.
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Feb8

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How Has My Love Affected You?

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater, Vancouver

[Zak with photo of Roleene Youssef, Marcus Youssef]

Marcus Youssef has a “difficult” relationship with his mother, Roleene. When the playwright discovers a storage locker full of her journals, he begins to delve into her history—and his own. Filled with humour, tension, and affection, How Has My Love Affected You? questions the nature of familial obligation: what do we owe to each other, and what do we owe to ourselves?

Marcus Youssef is the artistic director of Vancouver’s Neworld Theatre. He’s also an award-winning actor and writer as well as a teacher and producer.

In this autobiographical work, Marcus Youssef recounts his fraught but ultimately cathartic relationship with his mother. The story of her declining mental health is told through Youssef’s recollections side by side with excerpts from the journals she kept obsessively. How Has My Love Affected You? features original music performed by Marcus’s son Zak Youssef and composed by Veda Hille (Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata, Peter Panties).

“It’s me attempting to tell—as truthfully as I can—a story that’s based on a bunch of stuff that really happened, to me, and my loved ones,” said Youssef. “It’s just my point of view, and in many ways the piece is about how you can discover that your point of view is only your point of view.”

[Zak and Marcus Youssef with photo of Roleene Youssef]

“Lots of us find our own family dynamics compelling,” said Rachel Ditor, the play’s director. “Marcus’s need to untangle the many threads of his story with Roleene always made sense to me, but I didn’t expect to find myself equally obsessed with their story. Taken together, Roleene’s lifelong need to articulate and live her inner life, Marcus’s deeply conflicted feelings for her, and Zak’s easy presence present a kind of intimate mystery that just draws you in.”

How Has My Love Affected You? is one of the Arts Club Theatre’s Silver Commissions—a program launched by the company in 2006 with the generous support of Stan and Kathy Hamilton that commissions new plays for the company’s stages.

How Has My Love Affected You? is written by Marcus Youssef, and stars Marcus and Zak Youssef.

How Has My Love Affected You?
Dates: February 28 to March 6; Monday & Tuesday, 7:30 pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8 pm; Wednesday & Saturday matinee, 2 pm
Venue: Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island
Tickets: $25 and $35, including taxes and fees; available either online or by phoning 604.687.1644

Photos by Simon Hayter.
Jan23

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Reviewed: Ride the Cyclone

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Musical, Theater Reviews, Vancouver

After having seen Jacob Richmond’s Legoland a handful of years ago, I was excited to see what Victoria-based Atomic Vaudeville had up their sleeve to coincide with the 2013 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.

The 95 minute, one-act Ride the Cyclone was originally produced in Victoria and chosen for Toronto’s 2010 Summerworks Festival before heading on a national tour the following year.

[Rielle Braid, Kelly Hudson]

Ride the Cyclone won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for best touring production along with receiving multiple honours at the Toronto Theatre Critics Awards (including Best New Musical, Best Direction, and Best Supporting Actor in a musical).

Last night’s sold-out opening captured the gem of a theatre company that is Atomic Vaudeville. Through the colourfully designed stage set and lighting wizardry, six high schoolers bring their stories back to life after a freak ride on the Cyclone roller coaster kills them all. Uranium, Saskatchewan may be in the middle of nowhere to these kids, but each one of them has a story to tell, and lovingly does so, while the Amazing Karnack (a mechanized fortune teller) watches from the sideline.

[Elliott Loran]

Particular stand-outs include Kholby Wardell (in the role of Noel Gruber), Rielle Braid (as Ocean Rosenberg), and Elliott Loran (playing Ricky Potts). All six actors (with Kelly Hudson, Jameson Matthew Parker, and Sarah Jane Pelzer rounding out the cast) harmonize brilliantly together.

[Rielle Braid, Sarah Jane Pelzer]

By the time the show’s hit the halfway point, I was enjoying watching the characters, paying less attention to what the final outcome would bring (announced by Karnak at the beginning of the story). The storyline is weak, but the resolve of these kids, particularly the lives they left behind, is what makes this show so entertaining to watch. That, and the four sets of red eyes staring out at the stage (aka the band), adding a sense of macabre to the darkly comedic tone of the play.

Watch for the excellent choreography (courtesy of Treena Stubel), Rebekah Johnson’s creative lighting design, and Hank Pine’s very cool set to round out a fun time. Ride the Cyclone is written by Jacob Richmond, with music and lyrics by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond.

Ride the Cyclone, A Musical Thrill Ride, continues through February 16 at the Granville Island Stage.

All photos by Tim Matheson.