Join us for a staged reading of Larry Wong’s new play, Empress of Asia, based on his original one act play: Siu Yeh – A Midnight Snack.
Can a young woman, born at the dawn of the 20th Century, find happiness with a husband true to the ways of the Qing Dynasty and 20 years her senior? Only after she endures two weeks in the Pig Pen, pays her $500 Head Tax on her arrival in Canada and satisfies his foot fetish.
The development of Empress of Asia has been supported through the Community Historical Recognition Program, Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
In 1992, the Firehall saw a very unique performance that plays in the theatre and in the studio upstairs.
As most of you are aware (if you’ve read the first Firehall Fact, which I know you have), the Firehall Arts Centre used to be a fully-functioning fire station. Which means there were a number of fire poles placed in convenient places all over the building for firemen to get down to the trucks and gear. Four of these poles were located in four corners of what is now our upstairs studio, which was then the room in which the firemen slept.
When the fire station was turned into an arts centre, these poles were removed, which left four holes in the floor. Don’t worry, these were covered up.
Until 1992 when choreographer Cornelius Fischer-Credo’s Savage Parade was presented.
The show was comprised of two parts that happened simultaneously in the theatre and upstairs in the studio, and the performers moved between the spaces by using ladders propped through these old fire pole holes. They would also throw props including glitter, lights and shoes through the holes as well.
During intermission, the audience that viewed the show upstairs would move down into the theatre, and vice versa.
In the theatre, the production was moody and dark, taking the public on a journey to a ghostly underworld, while in the land upstairs, audiences were treated to funny, happy (and hilariously off-key) renditions of 70s pop songs and bright, silly performances.
Savage Parade was performed in June and December of that year.
By 1984, the Firehall was up and running with theatre, dance and festivals galore!
A few interesting highlights:
That year the 2nd Annual Vancouver Beer Festival was held here, with proceeds going to Axis Mime Theatre and the Firehall. There were beer tastings from local, international and cottage breweries, as well as delicious food and performances.
On the opening night of EDAM Dance’s mixed bill featuring four choreographies, Peter Bingham and Jennifer Mascall were performing a movement improvisation when suddenly, Bingham’s pants ripped! Needless to say, it added a new level to their improvisation.
The Courtyard Cafe opened! With indoor and outdoor seating, patrons could purchase espresso drinks, light lunches and tasty treats.
Expose 84, a musical protest took to the stage. It was “a musical parable for our province”, looking at the issues surrounding the “restraint” budget put forth by Premier Bill Bennett and his Social Credit government in 1983, which made deep cuts to social services and made changes to labour laws.
Ah, 1984. You sound like a good year.
If you’d like to donate to our $30 for 30 Campaign through our website, click here! Or, donate through Canada Helps this month, and Capital One Canada will add an extra $10 on top of your donation if you take their quick, 5 question survey!
The lobby in the Firehall is a great place to relax, have a drink and chat with people before and after a show. It’s also a great place to view art by local Vancouver artists!
The lobby space has frequently had exhibits grace its walls, and last year Ilze Bebris, one of our dedicated Board Members, came on as the gallery curator.
Ilze has done an amazing job of creating a welcoming space and has invited some very gifted artists to exhibit with us. She is an extremely talented curator that chooses exhibits that work well in the space as well as fit the Firehall’s personality. Thank you Ilze!
Currently, we have printmaker Susan Gransby in the space, with beautiful mixed media prints. Her series speaks to the architectural transformations of Vancouver and Hong Kong, and when I got the chance to take a close look at her work, it blew me away.
I’m a fool for mixed media and collage work, and the detail and mediums used make for a fantastic show. She uses hand-made paper, photography and rubber stamps among other techniques to create her work.
Below is a print from the exhibit entitled Heaven/Hell?
Susan’s work is on now until April 28th. My favourites from the exhibit are her images of the Port of Vancouver, one of my most beloved locations in the city.
If you’re a local artist and are interested in exhibiting in the Firehall Gallery, we are currently accepting submissions for the 2012-13 Season.
click play below. it will set the mood for this post.
Ah, nothing touts the beginning of Spring better than Beethoven’s 6th Symphony and announcing BC Buds!
BC Buds is the Firehall’s Spring Arts Fair, and this will mark its 8th year.
This multi-disciplinary showcase features new and experimental work from established and emerging BC artists and takes place over a weekend in May. This year, it will be May 11 to 13.
The Fair is marvelously unconventional in that artists present their work all over the Firehall – yes, in the theatre and studio but also in the basement, lobby, stairways, hallways, courtyard and even the bathrooms!
This has created some memorable and unique work, and we’re hoping the 2012 Fair will continue that tradition – with a twist.
This year, there have been a few changes to the application. We’re honing in a little and looking for projects that promote sustainability and environmental and ecological health. Our hope is to find a few artists and pieces the Firehall can lend support to in upcoming seasons to help them grow from itty bitty baby buds into fully-blooming works.
If you are an artist interested in BC Buds, read the information and application below. If you are interested in seeing what’s new and interesting in the arts and culture scene in Vancouver, come check out BC Buds the weekend of May 11 through 13. You won’t be disappointed.
Did you know the Firehall runs a Youth Training Program? Yep, since 2010.
The program began as a pilot project in the creative sector through Bladerunners, an organization working to provide basic employment training and skills for at-risk youth to enter the workforce.
Since its inception, the Training Program at the Firehall has had three intakes and a total of 13 interns have passed through. A number have gone on to complete their GEDs, attend post-secondary institutions, and one, our very own Alex Danard, became our Box Office and Volunteer Coordinator!
Last week saw the fourth group start, and we’re very excited to introduce you!
This is Justina, Victoria, Tia and Nicholas. And Mitch.
Say hi you guys!
This lovely group will be with us until July, learning the ropes of what it takes to work in an arts organization. They’ll get training in Front of House, Bartending, Box Office, Marketing and Outreach and Production.
Artist’s rendering. Not really what Mitch looks like
When you see them, say hi, they’re pretty cool. Look for future entries from them on the blog when they regale you with tales of their experiences at the Firehall!
Thirty years ago, when the Firehall first opened, the resident theatre company was Axis Mime Theatre, now known simply as Axis Theatre.
Masks from Axis Theatre's Beginnings, one of two pieces Axis presented Opening Night February 25, 1982
Axis is a physical theatre company whose mandate it was to present work that educated and fostered appreciation for the performing arts to young audiences across BC. Since then, they have continued this work in conjunction with exploring more mature subjects in their work.
At that time, Axis Mime Theatre was unique in North America for its development of the mime play format. They utilized mask, mime illusion, pantomime blanche and acrobatics in their works.
When not performing and being generally awesome, Axis also taught mime classes in the building.
Axis Theatre will be touring to BC schools in the Fall of 2012.
Joan Rivers. Kenny Rogers. David Gest. Dolly Parton. The Firehall Arts Centre.
What is the common thread?
Facelifts!
Turning a functioning fire station into a centre for the arts meant there were some cosmetic changes that needed to be made to the building.
One of those changes was in what is now our lobby and gallery space. This is a picture of what you currently see when you enter through our lobby doors. Pay attention to the brickwork in the space and you’ll notice what was done.
Walk up the stairs and into the lobby. Say hi to the bartender. Buy a drink. Tell them I sent you on a treasure hunt to find remnants of the old fire station. They’ll mutter about one of us being “weird”. Turn around, look at the exhibit on display. Let your eyes shift down toward the floor below the counter.
Do you see that arch under there? That is an old doorway. To create the dressing room and bathrooms below, they had to create a raised mezzanine-style space, and the lobby we now know was born.
Keep looking around and you’ll see other arches and the outlines of an old window.
The Firehall has made a few changes to the centre to create a space that is welcoming and is able to present the best work possible, while maintaining the aesthetic and feel of the building. We hope we’ve created a space you enjoy as much as we do.
Tell us about your favourite, funniest, weirdest memory of the Firehall Arts Centre in the comments below, on our Facebook or Twitter for a chance to win a Flex 4 Pack for the 2012-13 Season!
If you’ve ever gone into the courtyard behind the Firehall, you’ve seen how peaceful a space it is in the centre of the city. The hustle and bustle is left behind as you sit, relax on the deck and look up at the beautiful cherry tree blooming in January.
Yes, that’s right, I said January.
The Firehall has one, if not if, the earliest blooming cherry tree in the city; this year, it was budding in December!
In Japanese culture, cherry blossom trees have a number of meanings, but most beautifully, they are the symbol of the bitter-sweetness that is being aware of the impermanence of life.
Next time you come down to the Firehall, make your way to the courtyard and sit below the tree. Enjoy a cup of coffee or wine from the bar and zen out in our little oasis.
And remember to join us May 11 to 13 for the 8th Annual BC Buds Spring Arts Fair as well, there’s sure to be a performance below her beautiful bows.
The Firehall Arts Centre has been a mainstay in the DTES and Vancouver arts scene for 30 years, but we can’t do it without you! Donate to the Firehall for our $30 for 30 Campaign through Canada Helps or through our website!
Seeing as the Firehall is an older building, there are a lot of stories that have been told and retold about happenings here.
Not actually the bear in question. Merely an interpretation of what he may have looked like
One of my favourites is about the Bear.
Back when Vancouver was still mostly wilderness, and the city was still growing, the fireman at the #1 Firehall took in an abandoned bear cub.
They kept it in the courtyard, with the horses and dogs, and it quickly became a member of the station.
One fine, sunny day, a gent went down to the Army & Navy and purchased a shotgun. He was quite pleased with himself, and headed back home.
On his way there, he had to pass by the #1 Firehall.
What happened next was shocking.
As the the man passed the courtyard, he saw a bear mauling one of the firemen. He loaded up his new shotgun, took aim, and
BLAM!
Shot the vicious bear.
What the man believes he saw
He ran over to check on the fireman, and found him weeping over the deceased bear. As it happens, the fireman wasn’t being attacked. He was wrestling with the fire station’s mascot.
The firemen, unsure of what to do with their beloved wild pet, took it down into the broiler room and incinerated the body.
Legend has it, that the spirit of the bear remains in the Firehall, protecting the inhabitants.
There you have it folks! So next time you come to the Firehall, be aware of the furry spirit creature that resides in the building.
Did you know the Firehall runs a Youth Training Program? Yep, since 2010.
