Theatre at UBC
Student & Alumni Events
Theatre at UBC is proud of its students - past and present. The Students and Alumni Pages of the Theatre at UBC website celebrate the work of our current Students as well as that of our illustrious Alumni. On this page, beginning with the most recent event date, you will find productions and other events which feature, or are of interest to, our Alumni and Current Students.
Are you a grad of any of our Theatre programs with an upcoming production? Please tell us about it! Contact Deb Pickman publicity.theatre@ubc.ca.
To submit your upcoming events to this online listing, please click here.
February, 2010
Congrats to Theatre/Creative Writing MFA student Rebekah Lopata. Rebekah's play WHAT IF I DON’T will be produced in February, 2010 in a theatre festival in New York's East Village: officially off-off-Broadway.
January 14-23, 2010
From the theatre company that brought you last year’s sold-out hit GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, Main Street Theatre Equity Coop proudly presents David Mamet’s AMERICAN BUFFALO.
Little Mountain Studio, 26th and Main, Vancouver. Run: January 14-23, 8PM. Preview on Wednesday, January 13th.
Directed by Theatre at UBC faculty Stephen Malloy, AMERICAN BUFFALO stars Theatre at UBC Alumnus Ryan Beil, Josh Drebit and Daryl King.
For tickets call (604) 922-2313.
Pay-what-you-can (suggested $12).
November 29 & 30, 2009
Theatre at UBC presents for two nights only:
Shirley Valentine ~ Unplugged!
starring Nicola Cavendish
Two Special Benefit Performances for Theatre Student Scholarships
Frederic Wood Theatre, November 29 & 30, 7:30 pm, with Talk Backs nightly
UBC Theatre alumna Nicola Cavendish is generously gifting her performances to the Theatre Program with proceeds from the two shows to go towards UBC Theatre student scholarships including the newly created Bill Millerd Endowment. Don’t miss Nicola as she reprises one of her most famous roles as Shirley Valentine. This unique and intimate stage presentation is “unplugged” showcasing Ms. Cavendish’s magnificent talent without set and costumes.
Nicola Cavendish is one of Canada’s most distinguished and beloved actresses. She first played the role of Shirley Valentine at the Vancouver Playhouse in 1989 and has since performed it more than 600 times across Canada, winning both the Jessie Richardson Award (Vancouver) and Dora Mavor Moore Award (Toronto) for best actress in the role. Maclean's Magazine called her Shirley “brilliant.”
The Toronto Star gave her revival 4 stars out of 4 in 2009 and said, “Nicola Cavendish deserves every bit of the thunderous, totally spontaneous standing ovation the audience greeted her with on opening night. This is acting of a rare beauty and you miss it at your own peril.”
Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine is a one‐woman play about a neglected Liverpool housewife who makes a break from her mediocre existence with a life‐changing trip to a Greek island. First performed in 1986, the play won Best Actress awards in London and on Broadway for English actress Pauline Collins, who also starred in the popular 1989 film.
She's (Nicola Cavendish) not just Shirley Valentine; SHE'S A UNIVERSE." ‐ Globe and Mail
Nicola Cavendish is simply magnificent, A SURE‐FIRE SMASH HIT." ‐ CBC Radio
SHIRLEY VALENTINE, Written by Willy Russell, Starring Nicola Cavendish
Frederic Wood Theatre, November 29 & 30, 7:30 pm, with Talk Backs nightly
Two Special Performances to Benefit Theatre Student Scholarships
6354 Crescent Rd., UBC Point Grey Campus | Tickets: Reg. $50 Student $15| Box Office: 604.822.2678 or
theatre@interchange.ubc.ca |
More at http://www.theatre.ubc.ca
Media Contact: Deb Pickman Ph: 604.319.7656 E: pickman@interchange.ubc.ca
Theatre at UBC alumna and actor Nicola Cavendish discloses the true message behind outrageously funny Shirley Valentine. TorontoStage.com Interviews Nicola Cavendish about her role in Shirley Valentine.
November 27-January 2, 2010
THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
Adapted by Jeff Pitcher
Carousel Theatre for Young People
Waterfront Theatre
Nov. 27-Jan. 2
604-685-6217 or www.carouseltheatre.ca
At the Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright Street on Granville Island) For Ages 4+ From the playwright who wrote Carousel Theatre's hit production Peter Pan, we are proud to present a rollicking comedy for the whole family. The classic legend of Robin Hood comes to the Waterfront Theatre this Christmas. Hidden deep within Sherwood Forest, he steals from the rich, gives to the poor, and leads his band of Merry Men in an action-packed adventure against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and his greedy quest for power. Join Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and Little John as they fight to protect King Richard's throne!
Director Theatre at UBC MFA Directing Alumnus STEPHEN DROVER is the Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Pound of Flesh Theatre Company and is fresh off directing the acclaimed staged reading of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (with Pacific Theatre and Pound of Flesh). Stephen is the recipient of the 2007 Ray Michael Award for Outstanding Body of Work by an Emerging Director, and also won a Jessie Award for Skydive (Large Theatre- Direction, RealWheels).
Artistic and Managing Director Carole Higgins has been a long-time fan of Stephen’s work after seeing his innovative production The Bond several seasons ago. Stephen has worked with playwright Jeff Pitcher on numerous projects at Theatre Newfoundland-Labrador, where Jeff is Artistic Director. “Robin Hood is the perfect adventure in which to reunite these comrades!”
Stephen is excited about the project, saying "Robin Hood is a true action hero. He reminds us who the good guys are, sticks up for his friends, shoots arrows, swings a sword, busts out of prisons. And, most importantly, he believes in himself. But the best part is that he has lots of fun doing it!"
The talented cast includes Theatre at UBC BFA Alumnus RYAN BEIL (Guy of Gisborne), IAN BUTCHER (Knight), GENEVIEVE FLEMING (Maid Marian), LAWRENCE HAEGERT (Robin Hood), LAURA JAYE (Justine), JOSUE LABOUCANE (Sheriff of Nottingham), JULIE McISAAC (Will Scarlett), SEAN OLIVER (Alan of Dale), Theatre at UBC BFA Alumnus JOSHUA REYNOLDS (Little John) and ALLAN ZINYK (Friar Tuck).
A feast for the eyes, Carousel Theatre’s production will feature the work of an award-winning creative team: Director STEPHEN DROVER, Set Designer AL FRISK, Costume Designer BARBARA CLAYDEN, Lighting Designer JEFF HARRISON, Sound Designer and Composer NOAH DREW. Fight Direction by JOSHUA REYNOLDS and Props by HEIDI WILKINSON. Stage Management by MARCELLA HELMER, with Apprentice Stage Manager SEAN MALMAS.
- Public Performances Nov 27, 2009– Jan 2, 2010
- School Matinees Nov 25– Dec 18, 2009
- Preview Nov 27 at 7:00 PM; Nov 28 at 2:00 PM
- Opening Night November 28 at 7:00 PM
- Dress Up Matinee Dec 12 @ 2:00 PM ** Come Dressed as Your Favourite Character from Robin Hood**
For performance schedule and prices please contact Carousel Theatre Box Office @ (604) 685-6217 or purchase online at www.carouseltheatre.ca.
November 22-December 1, 2009
Zee Zee Theatre, in association with Screaming Weenie Productions, is pleased to present its sophomore production: Nelly Boy. A brand-new piece written by MFA Theatre at UBC and Creative Writing Alumnus Dave Deveau, Nelly Boy explores the grey world of gender and identity through the eyes of a troubled teen. PAL Theatre,
Oct. 22-Nov 1.
$21.50/$25.50
604-684-2787 or www.ticketstonight.ca
www.zeezeetheatre.ca
Nelly Boy: A New Work About Gender Identity
Zee Zee Theatre, in association with Screaming Weenie Productions, is pleased to present its sophomore production: Nelly Boy. A brand-new piece written by Vancouver playwright Dave Deveau, Nelly Boy explores the grey world of gender and identity through the eyes of a troubled teen.
An unknown man (Allan Zinyk) sits in a nondescript room trying to discover how Nelly (Amitai Marmorstein) came to be running naked along the side of a six-lane highway. Nelly’s world slowly unfolds. Following Nelly’s epic journey through suburbia, we discover the inner workings of a brilliant teenage mind trying to grapple with the greater picture. Caught in the middle of opposing gender ideals, Nelly is forced to confront hatred and his/her own perceptions of the world in order to survive
“I'm fascinated by this North American notion that only two sexes exist,” says playwright Dave Deveau. “That we need to identify one way or the other. What is it to be male or female? Why are we not allowed to choose how the world perceives us? Nelly is the manifestation of that choice, and (s)he grapples with these issues in a really in-your-face way.”
“Like so many of us,” adds director Cameron Mackenzie, “Nelly is an outsider. As we watch Nelly's story and world unfold, we can't help but see an element of the rebel teen in all of us who just wanted to carve out a place in the world that wasn't dictated by social constructs. That is the power of this play.”
Named after Mackenzie's Godmother, Zee Zee Theatre has a focused desire to explore the small stories in people's lives and the intimate moments through which limitless humanity and depth of character can be revealed. Their inaugural production of Bryden MacDonald’s Whale Riding Weather last year garnered much attention and critical praise.
Nelly Boy previews Thursday, October 22, and has its world premiere Friday, October 23 at 8 pm. It then runs nightly (except Mondays) through October 31. There will be 2 pm matinees on October 25, 31 and November 1. All performances take place at the PAL Theatre, 581 Cardero St. Tickets are $21.50/25.50, and are available through Tickets Tonight: 604.684.2787 or http://ticketstonight.ca/ticketstonight/event.details.php?id=2648.
November 10, 2009
The Art of Female Impersonation in Cantonese Opera
The Department of Theatre and Film is excited to present a lecture and demonstration on the art of female impersonation in Cantonese opera by Mr. Wilfred AW-YEONG Peng Mun, a Singapore-based specialist in female roles: Tuesday, November 10, 12-1 pm in the Dorothy Somerset Studio Theatre.
Mr. Aw-Yeong is one of the few nandan (male specialists in female roles) still performing in Cantonese opera in the world. A student of Cantonese opera’s most famous actress, Hong Xiannü, he has performed in the qingyi role (virtuous and chaste woman) for over two decades. Mr. Aw-Yeong will discuss his style of performing female characters and demonstrate dance movements, including special skills that disappeared from the Chinese stage after 1949.
October 29, 2009
The UBC Department of Theatre and Film presents award-winning actor/playwright and Adjunct Professor of Theatre Linda Griffiths in her acclaimed one-woman show The Last Dog of War, Thursday, Oct. 29, 12 noon to 1:15 in the Dorothy Somerset Studio Theatre. Admission is Free. Linda Griffiths is the author/performer of Maggie & Pierre and Alien Creature, as well as the author of Age of Arousal, The Darling Family, The Duchess a.k.a. Wallis Simpson, and other plays.
The Last Dog of War is a one-woman Battle of Britain.
War was part of my childhood," Lindaexplains. "My brother’s line is, 'we thought the Second World War was still going on.'”
The play tells the story of a trip she makes with her father to the U.K., to the last reunion of his RAF comrades, the 49th Squadron, Bomber Command. It’s the story of a long ago war and a present war: between the Allies and Nazis –between a father and daughter.
I realized I didn’t know his war stories. I wanted to grab the old bastard by the neck and say: 'Give me my heritage.'”
It’s the last reunion, the last chance for the Old Bastard to reveal his scars. It’s a fierce and wondrous trip as father and daughter travel through many obstacles towards guns blazing in the night – from urban North America to the empty airfields of the Lancaster bombers.
They flew in nice snub-nosed planes. Not nasty pointy-nosed planes like they use in Iraq or Afganistan. It was a good war. Right?”
October 29-November 1, 2009
THE GREATER VANCOUVER PROFESSIONAL THEATRE ALLIANCE
Presents
THEATRE MATTERS
The 10th Annual Making a Scene Conference for Theatre Professionals
A small grassroots initiative that began in an upstairs office of the Firehall Arts Centre over 10 years ago is celebrating a milestone 10th birthday! A remarkable achievement - given the very, very pressing times that the world is in. The Vancouver theatre community is using this occasion to not only celebrate, but also to rally together and brainstorm solutions for the future. This year, we would like to cast this net even wider and extend the invitation even further - to all theatre lovers and audience members. Theatre is a collaborative art form that simply does not exist with out the audience. Please join us! The theme for the conference this year is THEATRE MATTERS… not only the matters surrounding theatre…but, more importantly, theatre DOES matter!!! To all of us.
Headlining the Making A Scene Conference this year are 2 keynote speakers - George Thorn (Co-Director of Arts Action Research, Portland, OR) and Carey Perloff (Artistic Director of American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, CA). Plus there are top of the line workshop leaders who include the aforementioned individuals as well as John Wright, Susan Hogan and Rohan D’Silva (teaching Bollywood dance, because as we all know it’s the hottest dance in town!). The always entertaining Janet Wright - most widely known for her role on Corner Gas, and one of our country’s most prolific and experienced performers - will be engaging in a frank and open conversation with Canadian theatre aficionado Jerry Wasserman. We are proud to host a very special session on audio description for theatre for the visually impaired, led by Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture. Plus there are a number of panelists and session leaders (Max Reimer, Howard Jang, Heather Redfern, Margot Kane, Wayne Specht, Kim Collier, Donna Spencer to name a few), who are icons in the Metro Vancouver theatre community and beyond. There is even a panel discussion made up entirely of audience members – giving our audience the chance to have their voices heard! And, to help us celebrate Halloween – there’s a murder mystery to be solved over the course of the conference, and the return of the ever popular DA KLUB (the hottest social place in town!!!), complete with trick-or-treating!
This is a most important, informative and inspiring weekend for ALL lovers of theatre, and simply should not be missed.
DATES: October 29 – November 1, 2009
LOCATION: On and around Granville Island
FURTHER INFORMATION & CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
- 604 608 6799 / gvpta.ca/conference.shtml
- REGISTER ONLINE: gvpta.ca/conference.shtml
October 27, 2009
A Life In The Theatre, an evening with Stephen Sondheim
Broadway Composer/Lyricist Stephen Sondheim comes to town Tuesday, October 27th at the Vogue Theatre 7:30PM. This is his last speaking engagement before retiring next year at the age of 80. The evening will be moderated by our very own Jerry Wasserman. www.ticketstonight.ca
October 26, 2009
On Monday, October 26, Neil Cadger, Associate Professor from the Department of Creative Studies at UBCO and Theatre at UBC MFA Directing Alumnus, will be presenting a talk entitled: DIY theatre - using your body and mind to make new live art.
He will talk about the program at UBCO and his interest in devised interdisciplinary performance. Connections will be made with activist interventions (flash mob), performance art, site-specific performance, mask and the use of digital media in performance.
Monday October 26, 12 - 1pm Dorothy Somerset Studio.
October 25 & 28, 2009
A PROPHETIC MASTERPIECE
UNLESS THE EYE CATCH FIRE, by Canadian literary giant, P.K.Page
will be presented at the International Writers’ Festival on Sunday, October 25 at 1:30 pm and at The Cultch on Wednesday, October 28 at 8pm.
This theatrical tour-de-force features Canada’s eminent actor, Theatre at UBC Alumna Joy Coghill and award – winning clarinetist François Houle. The performance has been directed by Douglas College’s musicologist and composer David Duke, designed by award- winning projection designer, Tim Matheson with lighting by Marsha Sibthorpe.
Joy Coghill, who has performed the piece at the British Empire Games in Victoria 1994, The National Arts Centre and Trent University in 2002, has said, “One of the most thrilling things that has ever happened to me professionally was to be able to lift P.K.Page’s words off the paper and share them with a theatre audience. It took courage for my admiration was great and the material was huge… dense…awe-inspiring. UNLESS THE EYE CATCH FIRE is a rich, sophisticated and moving apocryphal piece. I proposed that it should be performed as a duet with a musical instrument.”
This masterpiece is a startling poetic drama for our times that confronts the ultimate human nightmare of ecological disaster and reveals a powerful spiritual journey. Although written in 1972, it resonates in 2009 more than ever before. The subject is now a global challenge of the highest priority. Al Gore and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson would be on their feet!
Proceeds to ICE, the Institute for Cross-Cultural Exchange (www.iceeducation.org), which supplies books for disadvantaged children in Canada and Afghanistan.
Sunday, October 25, 1:30 pm at Festival House, Granville Island
For tickets, contact: Vancouver International Writers’ Festival
Wednesday, October 28, 8pm, The Cultch, Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver
Tickets $30 by phone: 604-251-1363
In person: 1895 Venables Street
October 25, 2009
A HARD HEART, by Howard Barker
Presentation House Theatre joins worldwide tribute
Sunday, Oct.25th at 8pm – FREE!
Director Bill Devine has assembled an exciting group of actors for A HARD HEART including Theatre at UBC alumnus Daniel Deorksen, Linda Quibell, Tallulah Winkelman, Ian Morton, Howard Siegel and Kayla Deorksen. Barker's protagonists are often conflicted, and their motivations appear enigmatic. In A Hard Heart, Riddler, described by the playwright as "A Woman of Originality" is called upon to use her considerable brilliance in fortifications and tactics to save her besieged city. Though each choice she makes seems to render the city more vulnerable to attack, that outcome seems to exhilarate rather than upset her. "My mind was engine-like in its perfection" she exults in the midst of destruction. Barker's heroes are drawn into the heart of the paradoxical, fascinated by contradiction.
This production is part of a worldwide tribute to Howard Barker:
During October 2009 actors in four continents and eighteen countries join together to perform the work of British playwright Howard Barker. As the earth turns, performances will cascade across the globe to celebrate the 21st birthday of his theatre company, the Wrestling School. They begin in the summer of Perth, Western Australia and end in the winter of Burnaby, Western Canada.
On this one day journey, Barker's plays and poetry will be spoken in seven languages by more than two hundred performers. 21 for 21 is a remarkable event of staged readings, full performances and devised works that rejoice in Barker's playwriting, directing, poetry and painting. The festival is surprisingly diverse. It includes the long-established Royal Shakespeare Company who will be in Newcastle, England and the international Avatar Repertory Theatre who will be performing in the online world of Second Life.
Sunday, Oct.25th at 8pm
Presentation House Theatre, 333 Chesterfield Ave, North Vancouver
For information call 604 990-3474
FREE Admission
Please check www.21421.co.uk for more information about Howard Barker and the playreading of A HARD HEART at Presentation House Theatre
October 24 & 25, 2009
Shakti Dance Society, in partnership with the Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, is pleased to present our newest production
LIGHT: Celebrating Diwali Through Indian Dance, Music & Stories
featuring Anusha Fernando (Bharata Natyam Dancer) and Theatre at UBC Adjunct Professor Colleen Lanki (Storyteller) with Musicians David Tsabar, Neelamjit Dhillon, Stefan Cihelka, and Kalpana Prasad
Saturday, October 24th at 8:00 pm - and - Sunday, October 25th at 2:00 pm
Moberly Arts & Cultural Centre, 7646 Prince Albert Street, Vancouver
$15 Adults / $10 Children
Tickets available at Banyen Books www.banyen.com
October 20-31, 2009
LE PÉRIMÈTRE
by Frédéric Blanchette, trans. by Christopher Campbell.
Théâtre la Seizième,
Studio 16, 1545 W. 7th Ave..
Oct. 20-31. Tickets:
$21-$24.
604-736-2616.
www.seizieme.ca
With Le Périmètre (Restraint), Théâtre la Seizième presents its French production with English surtitles! In this sharp comedy of modern manners, David and Catherine are negotiating the aftermath of their separation. In this intimate but intense play on relationships where the world is coming apart, the past, which, is never brought up, weighs heavily on the present. Caught up in this new relationship, Catherine and David struggle to define who they are to each other and to their son.
10 performances at the Studio 16 (1545, West 7th).
Directed by Theatre at UBC MFA Directing Alumnus Craig Holzschuh. With Lyne Barnabé, Theatre at UBC BFA Acting Alumnus Fabrice Grover and Gilles Poulin-Denis. Lighting design: Jeremy Baxter. Set and costume design: Drew Facey. Sound design: Danielle Hébert. Surtitles: Theatre at UBC BFA Design/Tech Alumna Emma Luna Davis. Video: Jamie Nesbitt. Stage manager: BFA Design/Tech Alumn Noa Anatot.
Show also presented on tour in Saskatoon (Nov 12 & 13) and Edmonton (Nov 19-22).
Théâtre la Seizième has commissioned Rendez-vous, a 10 minute theatrical performance or Courte formeto be presented before each performance of Le Périmètre. The Vancouver artists have been given a free hand to create a short performance with Le Périmètre as the only starting point for their piece.
Written by Kathleen Oliver. Directed by Anita Rochon.
Le Périmètre and Rendez-vous
October 20 to 31, 2009(dark on Sunday, October 25 & Monday, October 26)
Studio 16 (1545, West 7th, Vancouver)- 8 pm
Tickets: $21 -$24 (Groups+10 : $18 – Show and Dinner : 46$)
Box Office: 604 736 2616 - Info: 604 736 2616
info@seizieme.ca
www.seizieme.ca
October 19, 2009
BFA Acting alumna Susan Bertoia, our sometime Adjunct in Theatre, and creator and co-director with MFA Directing Alumnus Gerald Vanderwoude of the amazing Il Futuristi in the Frederic Wood in 2008, is back with a lecture-demonstration, Vivaaaa il Futurismo!, celebrating the centennial of the birth of the Italian Futurist movement. With Beverley Bardal, Stefano Giulianetti, and Joe Procyk.
Monday, Oct. 19, 12:00 noon, in the Dorothy Somerset Studio. Admission FREE.
More: bellaluna.ca/futuristi/index.html
October 15-17, 2009
Mi Casa Presents
INCLEMENT
WEATHER
At the Dorothy Somerset
Studio, 6361 University Blvd.,
UBC Campus
October 15-17 – 7:30pm
Noon Matinee October 15
$10 / $5 Students
A man waits for a train that never stops. He speaks a foreign language. The weather gets bad. Struggling to communicate, he picks up snippets of language and sentence fragments in a show that is built each night from words collected from the audience. Inclement Weather is a one-man show created by Mi Casa Co- Artistic Directors Nicolas Di Gaetano and Emily Pearlman and directed by UBC MFA directing candidate Catriona Leger.
Inspired by classic clowns like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, the bleakly comic ambiance of Samuel Beckett and family immigration stories - Di Gaetano and Pearlman are both first generation Canadians – Inclement Weather blends experience in physically devised work rooted in cabaret and circus with contemporary approaches to interdisciplinary collaboration to create a show described as “a one-man show that is at once poignant, funny and lifeaffirming” by Patrick Langston of the Ottawa Citizen.
With comic skills honed by a year spent in France under the tutelage of master theatre teacher Philippe Gaulier (responsible for training accomplished comedic theatre artists including Sasha Baron Cohen, and Roberto Benigni), a Masters of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary studies from Simon Fraser University and an MFA in Directing from UBC, this team excels in performance creation - between them they have devised over 15 original productions.
Inclement Weather had its inaugural run at the 2009 Ottawa Fringe Festival where it played to sold-out houses and was named one of the “Top 5 Critics Picks” by the Ottawa Citizen.
Further Information:
October 10-31, 2009
The Miracle Worker
Oct 10-Oct 31
By William Gibson
Directed by Meg Roe
As parents we love our children unconditionally. But what do you do when an illness has left your daughter blind, deaf and consequently mute? Helen, showered with pity all her young life, has become uncontrollable so Annie Sullivan is hired as governess and teacher to try and tame her.
For two long weeks Annie locks herself away with Helen teaching the little girl discipline and language through the use of her fingers. And then, one day, one glorious day, a breakthrough.
Cast:
Starring:
- Anna Cummer as Annie Sullivan
With:
- Jennifer Clement as Kate Keller
- Hamza Adam as Percy/Doctor
- Ryan Beil (Theatre at UBC BFA Acting Alumnus) as James Keller
- Marci T. House as Viney
- Bridget O’Sullivan as Aunt Ev
And:
- Tom Butler as Captain Keller
Introducing:
- Margot Berner and Emma Grabinsky as Helen Keller
Production:
- Set Designer: Allan Stichbury
- Costume Designer: Sheila White (Theatre at UBC MFA Design Alumna)
- Lighting Designer: John Webber
- Sound Designer: Alessandro Juliani
- Assistant Set Designer: Nathan Brown
- Assistant Director: Courtenay Dobbie (Theatre at UBC MFA Directing candidate)
- Fight Director: David Bloom
- Stage Manger: Rick Rinder
- Assistant Stage Manager: Kevin Olson
- Apprentice Stage Manager: Andrea Heald
MUST SEE #1: Classic Drama
Helen Keller's life is arguably the most powerful story of the twentieth century.
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TO ALL 5 MUST-SEE SHOWS or call 604 873 3311
Add sixth play: Delusion: A New Solo Opera by Laurie Anderson
"a wonderful portrayal of a timeless piece." Jacqueline Malcolm, Splash Magazines
October 7-17, 2009
Stephen Adly Guirgis' THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT. A couple thousand years after his infamous kiss, the paperwork has finally been filed and Judas will get his trial. In a courtroom halfway between Heaven and Hell, in a place called Hope, the witnesses are called—from Mother Teresa to a foul-mouthed Saint Monica—to decide eternal questions of forgiveness, mercy, and eternal damnation. An extended staged reading with an all-star cast featuring UBC alumni Dawn Petten, Camyar Chai, Anthony F. Ingram, and Marcus Youssef with Stephanie Belding, Alexa Devine, Lesley Ewen, Bob Frazer, Michael Kopsa, Kevin McNulty, Ron Reed and Denis Simpson. Directed by Theatre at UBC alumus Stephen Drover. Co-produced with Pound of Flesh Theatre. Pacific Theatre. Runs Oct. 7-17th Tickets $17-30 (GST incl.) – to reserve call 604.731.5518, buy online at or at box office. More www.pacifictheatre.org
October 5, 2009
Stand Up for Mental Health: A Free Comedy Show at UBC on October 5
FREE tickets, UBC students, staff and faculty!
David Granirer, counsellor, stand-up comic, and author of The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead to Happiness and Success, created and leads Stand Up For Mental Health (SMH). David teaches stand up comedy to people with mental illness as a way of building their confidence and fighting public stigma, prejudice, and discrimination.
SMH looks at the lighter side of taking medications, seeing counsellors, getting diagnosed, and surviving the mental health system.
Staff, faculty and students are invited to attend one of the shows on Monday October 5th and be prepared to laugh! Show 1 will be 12-1pm at Frederic Wood Theatre, and Show 2 will be 8-9:30pm at the Totem P
FREE tickets, staff and faculty can register by October 2nd at http://hse.ubc.ca/healthpromotion/healthyubc.html. Students can register for free tickets at www.students.ubc.ca/workshops/health.cfm
If you want to learn more about Stand Up for Mental Health, visit www.standupformentalhealth.com
Co-sponsored by Health, Safety and Environment (Health Promotion Programs) and the Vice-President, Students portfolio.
October 2, 3, 7, 2009
Excited
[EXCIT] (Feature)
Canadian Images
(Canada, 2009, 85 mins, 35mm)
Directed By: Bruce Sweeney
EXEC PROD: Joan Sweeney
PROD: Film Production at UBC Alumnus Bruce Sweeney, Catherine Middleton
SCR: Film Production at UBC Alumnus Bruce Sweeney
CAM: David Pelletier
ED: Adjunct Professor of UBC Film Production Rafi Spivak
MUS: James Jandrisch
Cast: Theatre at UBC Alumnus Cam Cronin, Theatre at UBC Alumna Laara Sadiq, Paul Skrudland, Gabrielle Rose, Agam Darshi, Kevin McNulty
Vancouver International Film Festival
Screening Schedule:
- Fri, Oct 2nd 6:45pm
Visa Screening Room
@ Empire Granville Th7
$11.00 - Sat, Oct 3rd 1:30pm
Visa Screening Room
@ Empire Granville Th7
$9.00 - Wed, Oct 7th 6:40pm
Empire Granville 7 Th 3
$11.00
Buy tickets online or by phone 604.685.8297
This film is in competition for the Canwest Award for Best Canadian Feature Film
Bruce Sweeney, VIFF 1998 winner for Best New Western Canadian Director for Dirty, is back with a sharp take on the handicaps of sex and golf in his dry comedy/drama set in soggy Vancouver. Golf-course owner and operator Kevin (Cam Cronin), the embodiment of a golf clap, has found himself in the middle of an eight-year dating drought. He is reminded of that fact by his overbearing Mom (Gabrielle Rose) who constantly harasses Kevin and his brother, Randy (Paul Skrudland), about producing grandchildren. After a failed attempt to hit on a woman, Kevin asks Randy to see if his girlfriend Vera (Agam Darshi) will set him up with a friend. Enter Hiam (Laara Sadiq): an attractive woman whom he immediately takes an interest in. He shies away, however, because of a sexual problem- let's just say he tees off a little too quickly.
Sweeney crafts a challenging exploration of intimacy and the behavioural sandtraps that it is so easy to get stuck in. For example, Randy is a recovering cocaine addict who has started to drift from Vera and she's not sure if she can put up with him backsliding. Sweeney deserves credit for deftly translating the volume of golf announcers into a protracted cinematic style that lets the characters emerge slowly over the entire course of the film.
September 30-October 1, 2009
Rebekah Lopata's (current MFA student in Theatre and Creative Writing) new short play Sweethearts, will be produced as part of the Play by Play festival in upstate New York (Stageworks Hudson) from September 30-October 1.
An additional run will be also be produced at Procters Theater in Schnectady, NY produced also by Stageworks.
Visit the Play by Play festival website>>
September 25-27, 2009
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. Fighting Chance Production. His dog just died, his best friend is a pot head, his ex girlfriend is in juvie and he’s questioning his sexuality — just another day on the block. If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, and the rest of the gang, this is the show for you. Featuring 5 Theatre at UBC students: David Kaye (actor) Christine Quintana (actor) Laura McLean (director) Emma Middleton (stage manager) Hersie-Nina Ini (stage manager). Fri. Sept. 25 at 10pm, Sat. Sept. 26 at 4:45pm, Sun. Sept. 27 at 2:30pm.
September 22-October 3, 2009
shameless hussy productions and Theatre at UBC present Frozen by Bryony Lavery. Directed by Theatre at UBC Alumna Renée Iaci, starring Daune Campbell, Alumni Anthony F. Ingram & Deb Pickman with Andrew Lynch and Stage Management by Lois Dawson. The company includes Theatre at UBC Alumni Lauchlin Johnston (Set), Don Griffiths (Lighting) & Jay Havens (Costumes) with Stephen Bulat (Original Music) Maggie Chok ~ Ion Design & Branding (Video Design), Travis Nelson (Tattoo Art), Angela Haggman (Poster), Pink Monkey Studios (Photography) & BFA Design Candidate Maria Fumano (Properties). Dorothy Somerset Studio Theatre. Sept. 22-Oct. 3.
More >>
September 17, 2009
And now for something completely different....
THE MOA MASHUP A FREE event for all ages at the Museum of Anthropology
Thursday 17 September 5-8 pm
Mix it up at the MOA Mashup, featuring internationally known performance artists jamie griffiths and Martha Carter and her dance troupe, mmHoP, with DJ Jacob Cino of Third Eye Tribe.
Experience spontaneous outbreaks of music, dance, interactive video and light projections, plus a live drawing performance by emerging visual artist Numangatini Mackenzie, aka The Noble Savage. Cash bar!
jamie griffiths is a Vancouver-based visual and new media artist whose works explore issues of sexuality, religion, spirituality, and war (www.primaldivine.com). She is currently lead researcher on a project titled Digital Video Illuminations with UBC Professor of Theatre & Film, Robert Gardiner.
Martha Carter is a director-choreographer-creator of dance, media, and music works. Her fearless, fast-paced, multi-media performance art is legendary for bringing the club world together with the artistry and professionalism of the theatre (www.martamartahop.com).
Multi-talented performer and composer DJ Jacob Cino/Third Eye Tribe is a pioneer of the reggae and electronic music scene on the West Coast (www.thirdeyetribe.bc.ca).
Jamie Griffiths, Adjunct Professor of Theatre, has a video and lighting installation at the Museum of Anthropology will also be taking part in this event. Jamie has created interactive video projections in the Bill Reid Rotunda, 3D video with Rob Scharein (PhD alumnus, Math UBC), and LED lighting of the Reid sculpture that responds to sound. This is part of MOA's contribution to student week.
There is a cash bar and music in the Great Hall, as well as a troupe of 'pop-up' dancers travelling around the museum to activate the space. Their intention is to attract more students and younger people to the museum and to encourage students to think of it being an active space on campus. It's also an opportunity to spend three hours at the museum for free. You can find the event listed on Facebook under "MOA Mashup."
Sponsored by SSHRC and Robert Gardiner. Presented as part of UBC CultureFest 2009. Media sponsor The Beat 94.5 FM.
September 2009 - March 2010
KING ARTHUR’S KITCHEN featuring Theatre at UBC alumni Astrid Varnes (BFA acting 2005) and Jeff Kaiser (BFA Acting 2009 is heading out on a B.C. school and community theatre tour in early September 2009. Performance and tour dates also include a performance at Centennial Theatre on October 18 at 2:00pm and performances at Fringe Theatre Adventures, Edmonton and Vertigo Theatre, Calgary in February & March 2010. To book please contact tours@axistheatre.com or phone 604 669 0631.
KING ARTHUR’S KITCHEN by Leslie Mildiner is all about heroism, great feats of daring, damsels in distress and good food. King Arthur is celebrating his birthday with his Knight’s of the Round Table. The great king’s hard working cook, the kitchen maid and the new- on- the- job scullion (cook’s assistant) are beside themselves with excitement and nerves preparing the banquet and especially the cake. Amidst all the hustle bustle of Camelot’s basement kitchen (and considerable ineptness by the young scullion Roderick), the cook regales his bedraggled staff with stories of how Arthur became king. Using kitchen utensils to represent important objects and symbols from young Arthur’s legendary feats the trio is magically transported into the stories and the adventures begins.
Designer Yvan Morissette has designed a multi-functioning set and composer Bob Buckley has written an original score for the play. Wayne Specht, Axis Theatre Company’s Artistic Director directed this world premiere of KING ARTHUR’S KITCHEN.
September 8, 2009
SPEED DATING Your Arts Major!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Department of Theatre and Film
“A lot can happen in 5 minutes!” Imagine your perfect... Major?! Enjoy complimentary light snacks & beverages while having an opportunity to meet & greet the movers and shakers from the Department of Theatre & Film – Faculty, Staff and Students. In just one fun session of 5 minute chats, you’ll have 5 great 'dates' or more - before you decide that your interest in Theatre and Film signifies more than just a crush. Ask pesky questions and set up appointments for longer sessions if you like. Each participant has the opportunity to win tickets for our productions throughout the year.
Yes, Speed Dating – we "imagine" it’s the fastest and most fun way to decide your Arts Major!
- What: UBC Imagine Day ~ Speed Dating Your Arts Major!
- Where: On the stage of the Frederic Wood Theatre
- When: Tuesday September 8, 2009 Time: 11:00 am to 1:30 pm
- How to Participate: Avoid disappointment, contact 604.822.2678 to pre-register - or just show up.
- Price: FREE!
How it works: Come to our reception and fill out a name tag . Go to the first of several stations for your one on one chat with our faculty, resident artists and senior year students to discuss your interests in the area of Theatre & Film and ask questions. At the end of each interval, our stage manager plays a sound cue to signal the participants to move on to the next ‘date’. If you’d like to arrange for a longer advising session with anyone you’ve met just collect contact information with reception on the way out, join us for a light snack - and don’t forget to enter our contest to win theatre passes!
