Great news! Canadian comedy icon Bruce McCulloch is returning to Vancouver for the launch of his new book about his rabble-rousing ‘young punk’ days in Cowtown and growing up to be a (big) Kid in the Hall. What’s equally exciting about Brucio coming to town is that it’s led us to join forces with the wonderful folks at The Cultch. That’s right, for the first time EVER in Firehall history, we will be co-presenting a show with The Cultch at the newly re-appointed York Theatre in East Van on October 27.
To celebrate the launch of the new book, McCulloch is appearing for a special one-night-only performance of Young Drunk Punk, which sold out its entire run and attracted wildly enthusiastic standing ovations and rave reviews at the Firehall in January. It seems fitting that two East Van cultural institutions are working together to ensure that as many fans as possible can check out this biting, hilarious and darkly surreal night of comedy in the more roomy York Theatre.
Showcasing his signature wit, Young Drunk Punk chronicles McCulloch’s journey from his wild early days as a ‘young punk’ in 80’s Alberta, to his flannel plaid days in 90’s Toronto, to becoming a ‘pajama-clad dad’ in the Hollywood Hills.
Whether you are a fan of Brucio’s Kids in the Hall wacky brilliance, or have gotten to know him through his recent TV appearances in Arrested Development or Death Comes to Town, this intimate live show is essential viewing for those of us who have been young, drunk and a little punk at some point in our lives.
Young Drunk Punk is on Monday October 27 at the York Theatre. McCulloch will be signing books following the show.
TICKETS are $42 regular or $65 for a book/ticket/beer package – includes a ticket, copy of Let’s Start a Riot (HarperCollins) & a beer. Available from thecultch.com | 604-251-1363. You must be 19 or older to attend this event.
You may know Vancouver actor Emmelia Gordon for her role in Meghan Gardiner’s one woman show Dissolve or from her Fringe Fest show The Progressive Polygamists. But she is soon to become known as the unlikely MP who accidentally won the riding Cormier-Lac Poule, Jisbella Lyth. Just like the character she plays in Michael Healey’s PROUD, Gordon has some strong views on politics. We talk to her about playing politics, women in power and what she really thinks about Stephen Harper.
I met John Hirsch in Winnipeg when he was a student at the University of Manitoba, first as an undergraduate and then as a student for the M.A. in English. Later he involved me in plays he directed, first in a small roll in AN ITALIAN STRAW HAT at Theatre 77, which was evolving from the Winnipeg Little Theatre on the way to becoming the Manitoba Theatre Centre. After that he directed VOLPONE and devised a role for me and another person as two beggars who on stage throughout the play were observers of the decadent world of Ben Johnson’s play. We had no lines. At the end as the lights went down we were digging around in the filth the play suggested. Both experiences, that is watching him direct and explain the meaning of the plays, helped me in teaching French Literature at the University. It was so rewarding to rehearse, see a play take shape, and then watch the performance from the wings, such a different experience from watching a play, suspending disbelief as part of an audience. I also had a small part in OUR TOWN that he directed at Rainbow Stage in Kildonan Park. John and I were friends and I often was invited to Sunday dinner at the Shacks, the family that took him in when he arrived in Canada after World War II, with whom he lived as long as he was in Winnipeg. In 1963 I moved on to the University of Western Ontario and John was in and out of nearby Stratford. I saw him often. On two occasions I remember being at the home of the Director of the Stratford Festival, which he had become, after performances with members of my family The atmosphere was warm, the discussion lively. Once he turned up at our home in London, Ontario with the actress Frances Hyland, and they spent the evening. Once in Stratford in informed me that Air Canada was having a seat sale and told me I should take advantage of it and visit Winnipeg. I could stay in his room at the Shacks’, which I did. I saw for my self the heritage John Hirsch had left and the fruition of the professional Manitoba Theatre Centre. Of course he had left a heritage that went far beyond the Winnipeg we had known.
So when he began working with Seattle Repertory Theatre and they announced him as lead speaker of their Director’s Conference and a bunch of us cobbled together enough cash to head south of the border and listen to him speak and watch as he guided actors through scenes. We sat on the edge of our seats, pens poised to capture the words of wisdom as they fell from his lips. He talked about our role as directors and Artistic Directors. He spoke of having vision and being daring, challenged us to use our work to make people think, to question the status quo and to tell good stories whether through using classical or original scripts. It was obvious he had a love of all kinds of performance, a passion for the power of the word and that he wanted to share this passion, this love for the theatre with all kinds of audiences.
Being a recently graduated theatre student who knew everything, I had big opinions about standing ovations. They were to be saved for only the most auspicious of theatre events. As far as I was concerned, audiences stood far too often for things of trifling theatrical value. Not me. Standing was only for the undeniable best! On the night of September 10, (actually, by then, the morning of September 11), I didn’t stop for even a heartbeat to consider whether to stand. It was as automatic as standing for royalty. And I would have stayed all night to know more about these women, their family, the town, that regiment. I’d have stayed for acts five and six and seven had they existed.