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May1

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

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

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.
Feb18

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

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.
Jan17

Club PuSh: Hawksley Workman

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Inspiration, Music, Vancouver

What a way to kick off PuSh Festival’s Club PuSh last night with Hawksley Workman’s ‘The God That Comes’! This work in progress opened the festive Performance Works Theatre space, transformed into a candlelit night club venue for the run of the 9th annual performing arts festival.

[Festival Executive Director Norman Armour at the 2013 PuSh Festival Opening Gala]

Executive Director Norman Armour kicked things off by reiterating how important the arts are in this city, given the demise of so many vital organizations in the past year, continuing right into 2013 with the Waldorf Hotel fiasco. His near brush with death last year was saved by the very community that he works so closely with: the PuSh Festival, bringing his life into full circle. He’s a very grateful man these days, and smiles more because of it.

Hawksley Workman can best be described as an enigmatic performer that hits every emotion (and nearly every instrument on stage), putting on a powerful and entertaining show. At times I laughed; during one particular song I was nearly brought to tears due to the song’s sheer beauty.

The sold-out crowd packed in for an 80-minute set that saw the six times nominated, twice Juno award-winning songwriter in full form. On that small stage, he was a large presence. I counted the instruments he played during his set (nine) while he changed costumes, personalities, and styles, using the three mannequins on stage as prop holders.

Hawksley started off with a story about a King and God. “The King is a soldier and lives in the city. The god is new in town; he’s camping outside the city.” The storytelling continues throughout the performance, weaving in and out of the song cycle.

The lighting and theatrics are great, especially given the fact that this is a work in progress. Workman has appeared around the world, opening for some of my 80’s heroes: Morrissey, David Bowie, and The Cure. In his 12 year career to date, he’s produced a dozen records (“defying category”, according to his website). I agree. There is no way to describe his songs, other than to experience them. I kept looking for possible inspirations – Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour circa The Wall could fit the bill in some aspects.

As well as musical styles, expect any number and variety of props to show up during the cabaret style show. “Ukelele Boy” is particularly twisted and riotous at times. Quiet songs will gain momentum until Hawksley is howling, then it’s back to a near whisper. Another song starts out by asking, “If your prayer is a dress, do you wear it low cut?”.

I won’t give away the antics nor the details that go into making this show a highly unique one to watch, but if you haven’t seen Hawksley Workman yet, now’s your chance.

He’ll be performing ‘The God That Comes’ for two more nights at Club PuSh. Advance tickets are limited; take your chances at the door.

Hawksley Workman photos by Blake Sitter.
Dec18

The PuSh Festival’s Club PuSh

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

The 9th Annual PuSh International Performing Arts Festival will return to Vancouver from January 15 to February 3, 2013. PuSh is billed as Vancouver’s mid-winter festival presenting acclaimed local, national, and international artists.

Select venues in and around Vancouver will be home to performances with artists from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Scotland, Taiwan and the United States. The festival presents groundbreaking work in the live performing arts with theatre, dance, music, and various forms of multimedia and hybrid performance.

The action also spills into Performance Works, where Club PuSh will be filled with acts in a festive atmosphere. A dynamic venue for cutting-edge performances and socializing, Club PuSh is a great meeting spot to take in less traditional works while hanging out with other festival attendees and festival artists.
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Nov29

Reviewed: Santaland Diaries

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater, Vancouver

[Ryan Beil. Photo credit: David Cooper]

It’s New York City, 1991, heading into a busy holiday season at Macy’s department store. Enter one soap opera-starstruck elf, who for the next hour and change will entertain the red and white-striped stockings out of the audience. Ryan Beil stars in Santaland Diaries, a one-man campy monologue written by David Sedaris. Known for his wicked sense of humour, Sedaris’ essay about his trials and tribulations as an elf first emerged on NPR’s Morning Edition. The piece was a success, leading the author to publish it in both Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice.

In Santaland Diaries, all manner of working conditions are discussed, from elf training right through to the elves that each play a role in a hectic department store Santaland.

It’s a treat to watch Beil’s comic brilliance. And listening to his stories as he dons an elf suit makes it all the more hysterical. This daily account leading up to Christmas Eve will leave you laughing out of your seat. Set and Lighting Designer Ted Roberts does a fabulous job through simple white revolving boxes and other props to bring the play to life without a single Christmas tree ever making it on stage.

Beil has also starred in The Importance of Being Earnest, Billy Bishop Goes to War, and Main Street Theatre’s Endgame. He’s been awarded a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Improv Troupe for The Sunday Service, of which he is a founding member.

This elf’s seen it all and is ready to share it with you. Don’t miss out on Santaland Diaries, playing through December 29 (held over for another week!) at Granville Island’s Revue Stage.

Special added holiday performances:
Monday, December 24: 2 pm and 5 pm
Wednesday, December 26: 2 pm and 8 pm
Thursday, December 27: 8 pm
Friday, December 28: 8 pm
Saturday, December 29: 2 pm and 8 pm

Santaland Diaries is an Arts Club Theatre production directed by John Murphy.

Except where noted, photos courtesy of Tim Matheson.
Nov6

Dinner With Friends: Loretta and Ben

Posted in: Granville Island, Interview, Theater, Vancouver

[Loretta Walsh and Ben Ratner. Photo credit: Brian Markinson]

Dinner with Friends premiered at the 1998 Humana Festival of New American Plays, worked its way to off-Broadway the following year, and later received a 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was also adapted into a TV movie in 2001.

The Dirty Manhattan Equity Co-op and Loretta Walsh are bringing the story to Vancouver. The story is a journey to find balance and truth in marriage and friendships, as well as the unspoken sorrow that can creep up on us as we approach middle age.

I spoke with Loretta Walsh and co-collaborator Ben Ratner (both Vancouver based acting coaches) about Dinner With Friends, asking them a round of questions to get audiences ready for the upcoming run.

What made you decide to stage this play?

Loretta: Winning a Pulitzer was a good start! ’Dinner with Friends‘ is a play that we worked on together when I was a student in class at Haven Studios with Ben as my teacher. I was moved by Donald Margulies’ writing and universal appeal of this play so much that I was inspired to approach Ben, Jennifer Clement, Noel Johansen, and Jenn Maclean-Angus to stage our own production. Audiences can expect to be entertained, but should leave with questions and discussions about their own lives and how they relate to the story and these characters. A perfect blend of entertainment and hopefully the sparking of discussions and thoughts to be mulled over dinner with their own friends.

Were you enticed to watch the 2011 movie (starring Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette) in order to prepare for your roles?

Ben: We both have seen the filmed HBO version. Other people in the cast have not, although they have watched clips from painfully amateurish productions of the play on YouTube. Some actors avoid watching anyone else do their part because they are afraid of being too influenced by another performer’s interpretation. I come from the school of “learn from the best and the worst”. Watch what works and what doesn’t. Learn from their triumphs and misfires. Never flagrantly steal their choices, but borrow from and re-imagine certain aspects of their creations. As far as the film version, although very talented people were involved, I felt the part of Gabe was very oddly cast (Dennis Quaid) and it threw the believability of the whole thing off. However, the film won several Emmys and was praised by critics, so what the hell do I know?

Have either of you had similar experiences to what the actors go through in the play to prepare for your role(s)?

Loretta: I think that for all of the actors there is a deep understanding of this play as at some point we have all been forced to question the choices we have made in our lives, just like our characters do. In terms of the actual experiences that our characters go through, there are varying degrees of similarities, but as actors we are required to bridge the gap between ourselves and our characters. We can do this through relating our characters journey to our own life experiences or by using our imagination (or a combination of both!). The very human themes of this play resonate for us all. At this stage with opening just days away, we are definitely feeling like we are walking in our character’s shoes for the hour and a half we are on stage.

Have you updated any aspects of the 1998 play for today’s audiences?

Yes, Donald Margulies has given permission to change some of the references in the play to update it to 2012. The changes are minimal (mainly to do with technology).

Dinner With Friends will be performed at Studio 1398 on Granville Island from November 8 to 24. Click here for tickets and schedule information.
Nov2

Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris

Posted in: Events, Granville Island, Theater, Vancouver

[Ryan Beil in The Arts Club's Santaland Diaries. Photo by David Cooper]

Before David Sedaris‘ rise to fame, he worked as an elf at Macy’s Santaland. He wrote the short story “Santaland Diaries” based on this experience and published it with other personal essays in the now beloved collection Holidays on Ice. Santaland Diaries is a merrily wicked tale of his tour of duty, from a stint as Vomit Corner Elf, to working his way up the candy cane ladder.

Both outlandish and illuminating, this holiday production is a witty one man show featuring the comic brilliance of Ryan Beil (The Importance of Being Earnest, Billy Bishop Goes to War) in what is sure to be a merry good time at Granville Island’s Revue Stage!

In addition to contributing regularly to The New Yorker, Sedaris is the best-selling author of numerous essays and humourous books, including Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunks. He tours extensively as a speaker across North America and Europe and his works have been translated into 25 languages. 

Santaland Diaries is an Arts Club Theatre production directed by John Murphy.

Santaland Diaries
Dates: November 22 to December 22; Monday & Tuesday, 7:30 pm; Wednesday to Saturday, 8 pm; Wednesday & Saturday, 2 pm
Venue: Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island
Tickets: $25 and $35, including fees; available online or by phoning 604.687.1644