Category: History

Cliff Cardinal’s Huff has been touring across Canada and creating quite a stir with the critics as it makes its way across the country. This raw, powerful story about the injustices Indigenous youth face is on at the Firehall Arts Centre this week as part of PuSh Festival. Tickets are sold out for two performances, so make sure you don’t miss the show the Globe & Mail picked as one of 6 shows to see in the Winter Theatre Circuit.

PRAISE FOR HUFF
“poignantly humorous… this is a dark and disturbing tale” – **** 4 Stars from The Calgary Sun

“Huff took my breath away.”– J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe & Mail

“Huff is a heartbreaker” – **** 4 Stars from Torontoist

“mind-blowing theatre… creates an impression that will never fully leave you.” – Stephen Cooke, Chronicle Herald

Huff runs Feb 2 – 6 at the Firehall, with a Pay-What-You-Can matinee on Wed Feb 3, 1pm. Click here for more info.

Opening tonight, Trish Cooper’s play Social Studies presents a distinctly Canadian play inspired by her own life.  Cooper and Director/Artistic Producer Donna Spencer talked with ubyssey’s Julia Wong to discuss the play and its timely nature.

A Canadian refugee’s experience of comedy and tragedy in Social Studies
By Julia Wong for ubyssey.ca

During the second Sudanese Civil War, an estimated 2 million people were killed. Over 20,000 young boys were separated from their families. The “Lost Boys of Sudan” walked more than a thousand miles in harrowing conditions to escape the violence and seek refuge.

This narrative forms the basis of playwright and actress Trish Cooper’s play, Social Studies. The script was inspired by Cooper’s own experience when her mother adopted a Sudanese “Lost Boy.” The play follows a family in Winnipeg who adopt a Sudanese refugee as they navigate their cultural differences.

“The story is about a family adjusting to someone from a different country to live in their home, someone who has just learned English,” said Donna Spencer, director of Social Studies and UBC theatre alumna. “It’s a comedy, but it’s also a tragedy of what this young man has gone through [and] the conflicts that come up when we don’t understand each other.”

The play explores what it means to be a Canadian refugee and the challenges that come with it.

Despite the serious issues that are tackled, the play remains lighthearted and dynamic. The decision to use comedy in the play was a natural one as Cooper’s own family used laughter as a coping mechanism.

“When looking at someone’s life that has been so tragic, that has been affected by war and loss of family, it is important to find releases,” she said.

Cooper pokes fun of confusing English expressions in her dialogue and explores the tensions that arise from a clash of different cultural ideologies. However, the play is centered closely on a family and how they learn to grow and accept one another.

“It’s a very pertinent play right now as we look at Canada bringing in Syrian refugees … and how we can approach differences in a positive way and build stronger relationships.”

Social Studies takes place around the Christmas season — a time that prompts reflection and the celebration of family no matter how unique and dysfunctional.

“Canada has a role to play in assisting refugee settlements and we have a lot to offer,” said Cooper.

Read the article here

We asked Daniel Léveillé some questions about his piece Solitudes Solo which is coming to the Firehall next week, October 28th-31st. Don’t miss your chance to see these fantastic pieces where Léveillé subjects the dancers to the test of the solo and to impossible choreographic scores. 4 days only!

Where did you get the inspiration for this show?
Inside myself.

How does Solitudes Solo fit into the development of your work over the years?
It represents the opening of a new cycle of creation.

How is the work relevant in today’s society ?
Nor sure it is.  It’s more timeless.

How has it been working with this group of collaborators?
Has always been and was also this time a huge privilege.  Forty years of experiencing these deep and peculiar relationships with my dancers, I’m a very lucky man.

We are! Up next at the Firehall Arts Centre is Daniel Léveillé’s work, Solitudes Solo.

The Artistic Intention?

Because of its resistance to rational harmony, the body tends to fall toward the ground and the project of many of today’s choreographers is to pursue a movement realizing a sort of elated dionysism, positioned as a revolt against the symmetry associated with the classical quest for perfection in form. Daniel Léveillé explores a different avenue, that of form.

Léveillé has for a long time committed himself to an effort of going beyond time and, in these solos, the forms he proposes attain immateriality. Purity or starkness are here less important than the research – taken to its very limits – on how “the simple” can give access to the immaterial. The dancers are certainly alone, in the movement of their existence, but they are mostly pointed toward an expression made possible by this solitude.

Solitudes Solo runs at the Firehall October 28th-31st, all performances are at 8pm.

The Firehall Arts Centre can’t wait for shameless hussy’s production of Love Bomb to open our Season!

To break the ice, we asked Director Reneé Iaci a couple of questions.

What excites you most about this production?

The music. Steve Charles did an amazing job of composing and Meghan Gardiner‘s lyrics are poetic and, at times, painful. I love how the story unfolds like a mystery and clues come out in the songs.

Tell us about working with this cast and creative team.

Amazing! First off, I get to work with one of my best friends, Deb Pickman. And we have found a truly talented hussy in Sara Vickruck. We’ve got the best people possible working on this, some I’ve played with before and some new to me. I feel so supported by everyone connected. I thoroughly enjoy coming to work. I’ll have an idea and my team makes it better – way better! It’s so collaborative.

Why are the themes in this play relevant to audiences today?

This play tackles an issue that most Vancouverites don’t have a clue about. (Sorry about the secrecy, but this issue gets revealed as the play unfolds. To know exactly what prevalent themes Love Bomb addresses, you’ll need to see it for yourself!) This show is relevant because they (the themes) are happening right here, right now to OUR children!

What’s next for you?

We’re booking our 7th tour of Dissolve which will head out at the end of January to mid February. I’m still filling dates. I am also working to bring Love Bomb to 5 inner city schools in March along with WAVAW and the Vancouver City Poice.  And we are percolating a new idea with Meghan Gardiner, seeds are just being planted. But right away I will head back to my restaurant, Neverland Tea Salon, release our seasonal teas and prepare for the fall/winter madness.
Thanks for Reneé for answering our questions!

Love Bomb starts previewing this Saturday, September 26th. It opens on September 30th and runs until October 10th.

All of us at the Firehall Arts Centre are excited to yet again be a Bring-Your-Own-Venue for the Vancouver Fringe Festival!

This year we will be the venue for 7 Fringe performances (6 of which are local companies). With a variety of dark comedies, circus, musicals, and sensory treats: the Fringe goer will be sure to find something entertaining at our theatre.

The Firehall’s lobby and licensed bar will be open 45 minutes before the shows and in between shows. Come down early and enjoy our gallery space.
As a BYOB, we do not sell any of the tickets for the Fringe shows. For tickets to any Fringe performance, please go to The Fringe Website.

Here are the shows we’ll have for the Fringe:
Camel Camel
Glitter Gizzard
An original, macabre comedy: David Lynch meets Abbott and Costello. The sublimely grotesque vaudeville duo, The Camel Sisters, invite you into their delightfully bizarre “act” which begins to turn in on them when a nefarious death-worm appears and they struggle to escape.
www.camelcamelshow.com

James & Jamesy in the Dark
James & Jamesy
British comedians and 10-time Best of Fest winners, James & Jamesy (2 for Tea / High Tea) emerge from darkness and delight themselves into existence. A story of discovery and imagination, In the Dark is a feat of theatrical ingenuity, exquisitely crafted by masters of physical theatre.
www.jamesandjamesy.com

Oh the Humanity, and Other Good Intentions
Staircase Theatre
A masterfully witty script, Oh, The Humanity, and Other Good Intentions examines the nature of human misery through a filter of jet black comedy. It is sure to hit you where it hurts—right in the humanity. Jessie Award nominated Staircase Theatre is pleased to present this remount, directed by Brian Cochrane and featuring Maryanne Renzetti and Brad Duffy.
www.staircasetheatre.com

Pipef@%!
The Uninvited Guests
Pipef @ % ! is a multimedia theater project that mixes elements of devised theatre and topics of recent environmental issues in British Columbia. It explores the dynamics of cohabitation between working class and upper class populations in the city. It is also a sensory experience engaging audiences from all angles of space and thematics.

The New Conformity
Cause & Effect Circus
Three of the west coast’s favourite jugglers team up to create an award-winning show that blends theatrical circus with social commentary. This brings to light a universal struggle of the modern age: the comfort of conformity versus the freedom of individuality, all told through tightly choreographed prop manipulation, martial arts, and physical theatre.
www.causeeffectcircus.com

The O.C.: The Musical
Two Lobster Productions
The O.C.: The Musical is an unauthorized parody of the hit teen drama FOX series. It follows the life of Ryan Atwood, a troubled 16-year-old bad boy who is abandoned by his parents but is given a second chance by his attorney, Sandy Cohen. Ryan bonds quickly with Sandy’s nerdy son, Seth, and they quickly get caught in a storm of musical teen drama.
www.theocmusical.com

TITUS: The Light and Delightful Musical Comedy of Titus Andronicus
Awkward Stage Productions
Shakespeare’s grizzliest play renewed into the giddiest musical, exploring why violence is so darn entertaining. Appalled? Offended? But you know you want to see it. So tap and sing along to TITUS—more than a parody, more than an adaptation—it’s a bloody grand time. World premiere inspired by Monty Python, Conan, ‘90s rock, Parker & Stone, and classic slapstick.
www.awkwardstageproductions.com

It wouldn’t be summer without Canada’s longest running dance festival descending on the Firehall with an explosion of contemporary dance performances from July 2-11. This year Dancing on the Edge has put together a handy guide to help you get the most out of the outdoor site works at the festival such as Dusk Dances and Fortier Danse-Creations’ 15X AT NIGHT.

Introducing the Dance Passport, your guide to a dance adventure that takes you through to streets, parks & hidden places of Vancouver! Best of all, it’s free and if you explore enough dance frontiers, you’ll earn a free ticket! See any of the six free/by donation, site-specific shows at the festival & collect stamps along the way.

Dusk Dances – July 9 – 11, 7pm (Portside Park)
15X AT NIGHT by Paul-André Fortier – June 27 – July 11, 10pm (Granville Island)
Steppin’ by Jeanette Kotowich – July 2 + 4, 8:30pm (Firehall Arts Centre Courtyard)
Body Talk by Wen Wei Community Dancers – July 2 + 3, 8:30pm (Firehall Arts Centre Courtyard)
M. Session by OURO Collective – July 10 + 11, 8.15pm (Firehall Arts Centre Courtyard)

Wreck Beach Butoh by Kokoro Dance – July 4, 1:30pm + July 5, 2:10pm (Foot of Trail #4)

SEE SHOWS & Get three stamps from each location and you’ll earn a free ticket! You can grab a Dance Passport and register at any venue to start collecting stamps.

Conditions: You must register with a festival volunteer at the first venue you visit. Passports with three stamps can ONLY be redeemed for a free ticket IN PERSON at the Firehall Arts Centre Box Office (280 East Cordova) and tickets are subject to availability. There is a limited of one passport per person, not transferable.

See DANCINGONTHEEDGE.ORG for more details.

For our cross-nation partnership with Native Earth Performing Arts, we’re bringing Toronto and Vancouver audiences Drew Hayden Taylor’s God and The Indian. The play has just finished a successful run in Toronto and is headed to the Firehall for a run this week (May 20 – 30, 2015).

After directing the world premiere of God and The Indian in Vancouver in 2013, Renae Morriseau (Cree) returns to bring audiences this national tour of this timely production.

Originally from Manitoba, Renae is based now in Vancouver where she works to cultivate social justice, inclusiveness and community-building through her work in theatre. It’s these motivations that inspire Renae to help tell this heartbreaking story about Canada’s residential schools.

“It’s a story that needs to be told,” says Morriseau. “In our traditional ways the audience is then witnesses to share the story about this dark history about Canadian policy and legislation.

Morriseau hopes audiences from all backgrounds will come to see the production. “I think it’s important for all Canadians to see – Native or non-Native. People need to understand the impact that residential schools have had on my people – “my” meaning all the different Nations across Turtle Island which is now called Canada,” Morriseau explains. “We’re talking seven generations of my people that have been impacted. With residential school survivors today, these stories help support the survivors to acknowledge the pain and loss of family and community.”

Morriseau is not the only member of the original Vancouver production working on the new production; both designers (Lauchlin Johnston, Alex Denard) also returned to revisit the play.

However, this is anything but a remount, as Morriseau has had an opportunity to explore the work with a completely new cast, whom she describes as “talented, intuitive, adaptable and creative.” The production stars Toronto-based Thomas Hauff as Assistant Bishop George King, and Vancouver-based Lisa C. Ravensbergen (Ojibwe/Swampy Cree) as Johnny.

God and the Indian runs May 20 – 30 at the Firehall Arts Centre. There is a post-show talkback on Thursday May 28 following the 8pm show.

This post originally appeared on Native Earth Performing Arts’ blog.