Firehall Arts Centre – Firehall Arts Centre

God and the Indian: Thomas Hauff

Posted: Apr 28 2015

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, in Toronto’s Aki Studio May 2 – 17, 2015. Following the Toronto premiere, the production returns to the Firehall where it runs May 20 – 30, 2015.

In Taylor’s two-hander, directed by Renae Morriseau, Toronto-based actor Thomas Hauff takes on the role of Assistant Bishop George King. King is caught off-guard by the sudden arrival of Johnny (played by Lisa C. Ravensbergen), a Cree woman who follows him after recognizing King from her childhood in a residential school.

He’s confronted by someone who believes something about himself that he’s doesn’t believe to be true…

Thomas Hauff has worked professionally as an actor for most of his life, appearing on stages across Canada and in film, television and commercials. He previously performed in Weesageechak Begins to Dance workshops for Yvette Nolan’s Annie Mae’s Movement and Stretching Hide by Dale Lakevold.

In preparing for his role in God and The Indian, Hauff found himself excited by the doubt presented in the script. “[Assistant Bishop King] is a man who is caught in a difficult situation. He’s confronted by someone who believes something about himself that he’s doesn’t believe to be true and he has to convince her otherwise.”

Though the last of the residential schools closed in 1996, Taylor’s God and The Indian brings attention to the issues still affecting Indigenous people in Canada today. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada indicates there are still an estimated 80,000 former students who are living and dealing with the impact of a childhood spent in an institution that sought to eliminate Indigenous culture.

“Anything that starts the conversation about this situation and the effects on people of the residential schools is great.”

The rehearsal process has been illuminating for Hauff. “It’s been exciting and challenging to explore with everyone. Lisa and Renae both bring a perspective that I don’t have,” he says. “It’s really interesting to sit back and listen to them discuss their ideas of the show. I’m learning from the experience.”

And that is exactly what Hauff hopes audiences will get from the show. “I hope they ask questions. Anything that starts the conversation about this situation and the effects on people of the residential schools is great.”

Audiences looking to have a discussion about the issues addressed in the play are invited to stay after the Thursday May 21 + 28, 8pm performances for artist talkbacks. God and The Indian runs in Toronto May 2 – 17, and moves to Vancouver May 20 – 30, 2015. Click here for more information on the run at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto and read their blog (where this post originally appeared).

Pssst… Secrets from the show

Posted: Jan 28 2015

PostSecret: The Show has inspired many audience members to share their secrets. We’ve already gone through 2,000 blank postcards in the Firehall lobby which people have used to share their inner-most thoughts, fears and confessions. Here’s just a few so far.

PostSecret: The Show is on til February 7. If you want to see more audiences secrets from the Vancouver run, check out our Flickr page. You can also see messages left by audience members in our photobooth here.

Meet Meghan Gardiner aka Penelope Pennywise

Posted: Nov 03 2014

Meghan Gardiner is both a performer and a talented playwright. Her one woman show Dissolve continues to tour after eleven years (currently starring Emmelia Gordon), and right now she is writing new plays for both the Solo Collective and Shameless Hussy Productions. In 2012 she won the Sydney Risk Award for emerging playwright at the Jessie Awards. She makes her Firehall debut as Penelope Pennywise, the bathroom gatekeeper.

What is Urinetown?

Urinetown is our punishment for being greedy… But we don’t realize it until it’s too late.

Meghan Gardiner in Urinetown: The Musical. Behind her: Chris Lam, Rosie Simon, Anton Lipovetsky. Image David Cooper.

Tell us about your character

Pennywise has seen better days… She is an employee of Urine Good Company but due to some questionable behaviour, was given the lowest job on the totem pole: the gatekeeper of public amenity number nine. I think Penny is a romantic at heart and had moments of optimism in her life, but times got hard and cash got tight. So now the toilet is definitely half empty…

What is your secret superpower?

Writing blog entries in my sleep. I continually wake up amazed.

When I’m rich and famous I’ll….

Buy empty warehouses, barns etc and turn them into state of the art theatres. Then I’ll charge companies one dollar to rent them for their productions. I’ll also donate as many millions as I can to women’s shelters and organizations that combat cruelty to animals.

What is your favourite expression for going to the toilet?

First let me say that I don’t use this expression, my husband does. And I don’t know if it’s my favourite because it’s kind of… well… gross, but I hear it a lot. And so without further adieu “Drop the kids off at the pool”. Oh and I also hear “see a man about a horse” a lot, and between you and I and the interweb, I don’t really get it.

Capitalism, socialism, totalitarianism, activism, realism, postmodernism. Choose an –ism and tell us why. Well I really want to say VEGANISM, but then I don’t want to get into a debate or sound preachy, so I won’t use VEGANISM, I’ll find something other than VEGANISM to say. Hmm… thinking…

What is the biggest environmental challenge we as Canadians face? I think perhaps acknowledging the fact that we have huge environmental challenges to overcome….

You can find Meghan on twitter @Meghan_Gardiner and on stage at the Firehall from November 1 – 29 in Urinetown: The Musical. Click here for more info and details on tickets.

Meet Anton Lipovetsky, the hero of Urinetown

Posted: Oct 27 2014

Anton Lipovetsky is a busy fellow – when he’s not saving the good people of Urinetown from the corrupt Urine Good Corporation, he’s composing music for shows like the award-winning Broken Sex Doll (winner Jessie Award for Outstanding Composition) and donning Shakespearean garb for Bard on the Beach (Colin Thomas from the Georgia Straight called him ‘bloody well on fire’ in his role in Cymbeline this year) . Firehall audiences may recognise him from My Funny Valentine, Zee Zee Theatre’s show in our 2013/2014 season. We took a moment to talk to him about Urinetown and well, peeing.

Anton Lipovetsky, who plays the hero Bobby Strong in Urinetown

What is Urinetown?

A funny musical!

Tell us about your character

He’s a young man with his head in the clouds who hears in his heart the yearning of universal freedom. He takes action and inspires the oppressed poor to revolt! Then… He kinda makes it up as he goes along. A naive James Dean meets eager man-boy Jean Val Jean meets sometimes-gospel-belting-Evangelist.

What is your secret superpower?

Screwing up clearly written recipes… The secret is out.. We’re ordering in when you come over for dinner.

When I’m rich and famous I’ll….

I’ll give wads of money to strangers and tip 300 percent at brunch. Then I’ll produce little theatrical ventures but spend hundreds of 1000s on publicity so there’s always a line around the street for a little play in a black box theatre. And once in a while I’ll buy a whole night’s worth of seats so I can sit alone in the audience and eat caramel corn.

What is your favourite expression for going to the toilet?

I like when people from the UK say “have a wee.”

“Oy! I’m gonna have a wee”

Capitalism, socialism, totalitarianism, activism, realism, postmodernism. Choose an –ism and tell us why.

I really ding-dong Absurdism because potted plant.

What is the biggest environmental challenge we as Canadians face?

I’m not qualified to answer this! Ask the experts!

You can find Anton on twitter @antonlipovetsky and on stage at the Firehall from November 1 – 29 in Urinetown: The Musical. Click here for more info and details on half price previews Nov 1 – 4.

Hirsch’s Gift To Future Generations of Directors

Posted: Feb 17 2014

This month at the Firehall, we have the privilege of presenting HIRSCH, a show about Canadian theatre legend John Hirsch (1930 – 1989). This one-man play starring Toronto’s Alon Nashman and directed by Paul Thompson is truly an ode to Canadian theatre and Hungarian refugee Hirsch’s prolific theatrical achievements. In the lead up to the show (runs Feb 25 – Mar 1), we celebrate his legacy, talking to a series of Canadian theatre makers about how they have stood on the shoulders of this theatre giant. Katrina Dunn who is Artistic Director, Touchstone Theatre kicks the first post.

Hirsch’s Gift To Future Generations of Directors

I never met John Hirsch or saw any of his plays. I’m also convinced that the Canadian theatre community does a pretty poor job of chronicling, learning and respecting our own history, even though it is fabulous and full of amazing stories and individuals. So I first found out about John Hirsch when I was a much younger director, though the Canada Council’s John Hirsch Prize. On his death in 1989, John Hirsch left a bequest to the Canada Council for the Arts to assist and encourage Canadian directors. The John Hirsch Prize is a tribute to the extraordinary contribution Mr. Hirsch made to theatre in Canada, most notably as founder of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, head of television drama for the CBC and artistic director of the Stratford Festival. The Prize was created in 1995 to recognize new and developing theatre directors who have demonstrated great potential for future excellence and exciting artistic vision. Two $6,000 prizes are awarded every two years, one for each of the Anglophone and Francophone theatre communities. You can find out more about it here.

The Ontario Arts Council also has a similar program – The John Hirsch Director’s Award.

In 2012 Toronto director Christopher Morris won the Canada Council John Hirsch Prize. Those that saw Touchstone Theatre’s co-presentation of Night at the PuSh Festival will know Morris’ work and his daring investigation of uncharted communities and issues. Finding out about Hirsch through the legacy of this Prize has forever connected his name with the cause of young directors in Canada, and with the many brilliant artists who have been recognized and encouraged by the award.

Katrina Dunn, Touchstone Theatre

Alon Nashman next to the statue of John Hirsch in front of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, image: Winnipeg Free Press

Creator of Hirsch, Alon Nashman, agrees with Katrina that many young directors who are awarded the John Hirsch Prize are unaware of his legacy. He recently told the Winnipeg Free Press: “Unfortunately, in Canada there is an amnesia,” says Nashman, “We don’t acknowledge our heroes. Many people who are up for his award don’t know who he is and what he did.” (read full article here).

Hopefully this play will help change that! Get a sneak peek of Hirsch with Touchstone Theatre’s short preview video below. Hirsch is on at the Firehall Arts Centre Feb 25 – Mar 1. Tickets are $15-30 and can be purchased online or by phone (604-689-0926).

HIRSCH PREVIEW VIDEO

Contemplation on Land-Research | Donna Spencer

Posted: Apr 26 2013

If you are a consumer of world news, you will be familiar with how much we hear about the conflict within Israel between the Palestinians and the Jewish people over the rights to land and to a lesser degree about the conflicts within different factions within these communities around beliefs and the changing world. But seldom do we hear about the impact of this conflict or tension on the inner lives of the individuals who live in this starkly beautiful country. Nor do we consider how it impacts their connection to land, their connections to each other and their isolation within themselves serving to feed eventually into the big picture conflict. After watching audiences at the Firehall respond to Israeli choreographer, Arkadi Zaides’ Land-Research and seeing how moved they were by his integration of the individual experiences of his dancers; by the sound score created by their voices in front of a landscape created by the powerful photography of Yuval Tebol and the video design of Daniel Landau, it reminded me the arts plays such an important role in helping us understand each other. How do we know what is going on within each other if not through our individual physical or creative actions? And how do we connect with each other if not through those same actions whether it be through conversations, playing sports, dancing, singing or simply telling a story? Mr. Zaides has created a powerful work that resonates visually and emotionally with audiences and the stillness within the work asks them to consider the next breath, the next possibility. This work opens the window for viewers from outside Israel to gain a better understanding – a more meaningful connection with the individuals who live there. The work has only two more performances in Vancouver, April 26 & 27, before the company returns to Israel and for those of you who ponder the challenges of achieving a more peaceful world Land-Research asks you to consider the sociology of those impacted by political and religious tensions and divisions.