Author: parker

DTES Local Area Planning Program Workshop

Posted: Jun 26 2012

The City of Vancouver has initiated a Local Area Planning Program for the Downtown Eastside.  More information about the planning process can be found here.

They are in the initial stage of the planning process – a step called “Reviewing – Taking Stock.”  This step of the process involves research and outreach to identify the key issues and assets within the Downtown Eastside that should be addressed in the Local Area Plan.

Part of this step in the process involves engaging a broad range of residents, organizations, businesses, property owners, and other people who will have a stake in the outcomes of this plan.  As such, the Local Area Planning Committee and the City of Vancouver are co-hosting a series of stakeholder workshops.

DATE and TIME:   Thursday, June 28, 2012 from 2:30 to 5:00 PM

LOCATION:  W2 Media Café – 2nd Floor Mezzanine Meeting Space

Join the discussion!

BIRTH

Posted: Jun 22 2012

Produced by 75 Cent Productions

Birth

JULY 19-21 & 26 – 28, 8PM

Directed by Rebecca Ryan

BIRTH is a funny, touching and eye opening look at the midwives, doctors and mothers who have shaped the way we give birth today. Based on historical figures and modern day testimonials BIRTH celebrates the shocking and many times hilarious characters who have built the modern birth experience. Written by up and coming playwright Rebecca Ryan, BIRTH is a carefully crafted dramedy that informs while it entertains. It is a playful and thoughtful ride through a history we all share and an experience we all have taken part in.

2012-2013 EARLY BIRD SUBSCRIPTIONS

Posted: Jun 06 2012

If you haven’t bought your Pass for our 2012/2013 Season, now’s the time!

Early bird prices are on until July 31!

Check out what we have coming up for the season here.

As a bonus, pay an extra $20 for tickets to see our summer show, Good Timber: Songs & Stories of the Western Logger!

Look for our Early Bird brochure around town or check out the page here for more information.

Buy your pass online now or call us at 604.689.0926!

 

Healing through Humour: The Progressive Polygamists and This is CANCER

Posted: Jun 06 2012

Presented by Two Wrongs That Write Productions 

June 22, 23, 29 & 30, 8pm at the Firehall Arts Centre

Tickets $20 through Firehall Arts Centre Box Office at 604.689.0926 or online

This is CANCER

This is CANCER by Bruce Horak and Rebecca Northan just completed a sold out run for the second consecutive year at this year’s Edmonton Fringe Festival and a sold out run of its hold over. It also received 5 star reviews across the board for the second consecutive year.


CANCER – a deluded, egotistical ASS – goes on his own journey of denial, anger, bargaining and acceptance when he discovers that the whole world hates him.

CANCER gives the cabaret performance of a lifetime! In this one-man, satirical cabaret Bruce Horak (Two-time Betty Mitchell Award Winner: This is CANCER and Evil Dead: the Musical) brings Cancer to life. A cancer survivor himself, and one of Canada’s only legally blind actors, Bruce brings a fresh and funny perspective to a disease that too many of us will face and that so many of us could use a good laugh at.

Directed by award-winning director/performer Rebecca Northan (Betty Mitchell Award: Blind Date, Canadian Comedy Award: best Sketch Group, Gemini and Dora Ward nominee: CTV’s Alice, I think), This is CANCER will leave you wondering how you could fall in love with such a deadly performer.

“This is Cancer is as genius as it is absurd…Allow this remarkable show to spread all over your body.”
– Edmonton Journal 2010 – 5 stars

“One of the weirdest and most brilliant shows the Fringe has ever seen.”
– Edmonton Sun

_____

The Progressive Polygamists

The Progressive Polygamists by Emmelia Gordon and Pippa Mackie have returned after a 5 star, “Best of the Festival” Fringe tour.

What would it be like if your best friend was your sister-in-law, AND your husband’s wife? Join sister wives, Mercy Eve and Eden Grace, in this satirical comedy about what it is really like to share a husband and live together in a polygamist sect.

“It’s startling what a treasure trove of humour the ladies unearth from the secretive commune, which marries off teenagers to much older men.” -Star Phoenix.

Through song, fast paced skits, jump rope, and confessions the Progressive Polygamists shine a new light on this topical and controversial community.

“This satirical jab at the real-life hyper-relgious polygamist commune of Bountiful, B.C., is about as entertaining as a social statement can be.”
– Saskatoon StarPhoenix

“Each performance, one of comic genius”
– Plank Magazine – 5 stars

“A relevant comic triumph.” 
– Saskatoon StarPhoenix 2011 – 5 stars

 

Thank you for coming to Kudos & Cocktails!

Posted: May 10 2012

Last night’s Kudos & Cocktails was an intimate gathering of folks wishing to pay tribute to five amazing individuals: Sid Chow Tan, Barbara Clayden, Bonnie Allen, Marlie Oden and Chris Randle.

Slides and images accompanied each tribute, the recipients shared a few words and each received a Standing Ovation Award from the Firehall.

Thank you to all our Silent Auction donors, your donations are in good hands and have provided a boost to the Firehall’s Emerging Artists Programs.

Thank you to our terrific performers; the Vancouver Police Department Lion Dance Team opened the night with some traditional lion dancing, and then shook it up with some great moves set to LMFAO!  The Tim Sars Band jazzed up the crowd with a couple original numbers and will be here this weekend for BC Buds performing in the courtyard. Finally, to close out the evening Josh Martin of the 605 Collective treated the crowd to a solo created for composer Tobin Stokes’ El Sol du Sur, which he performed at 2011’s 10x10x10 at the Dance Centre.

Thank you to everyone who attend, and finally, thank you to each of the recipients; your impact here at the Firehall and to the greater community is immeasurable.

The 2012 Standing Ovation Award recipients: (front row) Sid Tan & Bonnie Allen(back row) Barbara Clayden, Marlie Oden & Chris Randle

 

Donna Spencer Honoured with BC Community Achievement Award

Posted: May 05 2012
Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Ida Chong, Donna Spencer and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Steven Point

On April 25th, the Firehall’s fearless leader Donna Spencer was one of thirty-six individuals honoured with a BC Community Achievement Award. The ceremony, held at Government House in Victoria, recognizes people who go above and beyond to make a difference in communities across the province.

It was inspiring to hear the stories of the award recipients; each one has made a huge impact in their communities working to strengthen the people and the cities and towns they live in. It was an inspiring ceremony. Visit the BC Achievement Foundation website for a full list of the recipients.

Donna speaking on behalf of the award recipients

Congratulations Donna and all her fellow recipients, you help make British Columbia the wonderful place it is!

From the Intern Desk

Posted: Apr 23 2012

Greetings, my name is Nicolas Lay and I am an intern for the Firehall Arts Centre.

My experience at the Firehall has been one of the most thrilling ones I’ve had since moving here 3 months ago from a small prairie town in Alberta. I’ve never worked in a performing arts theatre before and now I don’t ever want to stop working in one. I love how the overall atmosphere of the Firehall is about having fun and not taking things too seriously. In my mind the Firehall has been a positive and uplifting experience. I could never stress enough about how grateful I am to have been chosen for this internship. The people are great; whenever I needed help, no matter what I am doing, they always have my back.

The work itself is a pleasure as well, mainly because I’ve never done anything like it before. Working stage production was probably one of the easier jobs I’ve had here because manual, labor-intensive, jobs have always been my forte. Marketing was something that was completely foreign to me, but when I was chosen to help promote the Ubuntu, I tackled the challenge head-on, and discovered that marketing wasn’t all that difficult after all. Front-of-House was another job that I had no prior experience in but when I job-shadowed FOH last week I found it to be fun and rejuvenating, with exception to the prospect of a FOH speech (which fortunately I didn’t have to do that day). The Bar shadow was equally as fun as working FOH had been and is maybe something I’d consider trying outside the Firehall as a potential part-time job. Box Office training (yet another first) was interesting, though I did not enjoy it as much as working FOH or the Bar. Maybe I just found the memorization of all those policies to be the most intimidating part of the job, but come what may, I wouldn’t mind trying it again.

Things are shaping up to be rather busy; with BC Buds coming in a few weeks I’m expecting a larger than usual work load. I’m not too sure what fate has in store for me in the coming weeks, but one thing is certain: I am ready to meet these challenges head on and I hope to do my absolute best in getting the job done.

 

Kudos & Cocktails May 9th

Posted: Apr 18 2012

The Firehall Arts Centre is pleased to announce its annual ‘Kudos & Cocktails’ tribute and fundraiser will take place on Wednesday May 9 at 7pm at the Firehall Arts Centre. The celebratory event fetes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Firehall and the artistic community in Vancouver.

For 30 years, the Firehall Arts Centre has produced and hosted award-winning, cutting edge theatre, dance, and inter-disciplinary works while contributing greatly to the heart of the arts in the Downtown Eastside.

Its ability to carry out this important work is enhanced greatly by a large circle of artist, volunteer, and donor supporters. To acknowledge this group’s incredible commitment, the Firehall honours five individuals and their contributions to the various fields of theatre, dance, sponsorship, and community activism/volunteerism with the Firehall’s Standing Ovation Award at a special ‘Kudos & Cocktails’ event each spring.

“We are a small albeit strong arts community here in British Columbia,” said Donna Spencer, Artistic Producer of the Firehall, “and these five wonderful people have really made a difference to us and to the larger arts and cultural community.”

This year’s honourees include:

Patron Category: Marlie Oden and Bonnie Allen of Bridge Communications
Theatre Category: Barbara Clayden, Costume Designer
Dance Category: Chris Randle, Photographer
Community/Volunteer Category: Sid Tan, social justice, environmental and human rights activist

Kudos and Cocktails will also include performances from local artists as well as a silent auction. Tickets are available by donation, with a suggested donation of $50/$25 for artists/students. Tickets are available through the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926 or firehallartscentre.ca. Proceeds will go to benefit the Firehall Arts Centre’s emerging artists programs.

This year’s Honorees:

Bonnie Allan
Bonnie Allan has been a partner in Bridge Communications for the past eleven years and possesses a broad range of experience and expertise in marketing, sales, communications and public relations in the arts and entertainment.
Not new to the theatre world, Bonnie trained as a classical ballet dancer, resided in New York City and performed in a number of Broadway musicals and toured throughout the United States and Canada.
She has served as a board member on the Board of Directors at Park Royal Mall, a member of the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance and on the board of Vancouver TheatreSports League.

Barbara Clayden
Barbara Clayden has been a theatre artist for over 30 years, designing costumes and sometimes sets for various theatre and dance companies around Vancouver, including the Arts Club Theatre, Blackbird Theatre, Carousel Theatre, the Firehall Arts Centre, Neworld Theatre, Presentation House, Pi Theatre, Rumble, and Theatre Replacement.  She has been nominated for numerous Jessie Awards and won a few along the way. Most recently, her work was seen in the Firehall Arts Centre’s Chelsea Hotel – featuring the songs of Leonard Cohen and the Arts Club Theatre production of Scar Tissue.

Marlie Oden
Marlie is well known for her creative marketing programs, and since founding Bridge Communications in 1995 has had the opportunity to undertake successful communications programs for dozens of organizations and businesses. She is very proud of the work that she has undertaken with many arts organizations – in particular the Firehall Arts Centre.
An active member of the cultural community, Marlie has served on the Boards of The Stanley Theatre Society, BC CH.I.L.D. Foundation, The Arts Club Theatre, The Fringe Festival and the BC Wine Institute. She is currently the president of the board of Vancouver TheatreSports, and a member of the Board Telefilm Canada. In 2007 she received the patron of the Arts award at the Jessies and in 2011 she was the recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award for Board Member of the Year.
Marlie’s proudest achievement is her family who are all active in the cultural communities in which they live.

Chris Randle
In the mid-seventies, Chris began to shoot dance and has photographed and videoed the dance community since then. Acclaimed as one of Canada’s finest dance photographers, his work has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines. Chris is the resident photographer for the Vancouver International Dance Festival, and shoots on a regular basis for the Dancing on the Edge Festival, the Chutzpah! Festival, the Talking Stick Festival and for the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Music and theatre are other areas where Chris ventures into with pleasure.

Sid Chow Tan
Sid Chow Tan is best known for his over two decades of work in community media and redress for the Chinese head tax and exclusion laws. His media work and politics are informed by a life of anti-racism and social justice activism and he has help found and build many organizations in Vancouver and across Canada to fill community and personal needs. Also a traditional and new media producer as well as a community organizer, Sid’s current community service includes: national chairman of the Chinese Canadian National Council; founding co-chairperson of Head Tax Families Society of Canada; a founding director of the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, W2 Social Enterprise Café Society, Community Media Education Society, W2 Community Media Arts Society; and a director of five other not-for-profit societies.

 

Thank you!

Posted: Apr 06 2012

We would like to thank everyone who donated to the Firehall Arts Centre’s $30 for 30 Campaign. Your gifts will help us continue the work we do and support local arts and culture in Vancouver!

And from everyone here at the Firehall, we hope you have a terrific Easter and Passover!