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It's Happening Here!

click here to view video

UBC V-Day presents their 2010 benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues & A Memory, A Monologues, A Rant and A Pray, Frederic Wood Theatre, Feb 9-15.

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Robert Lepage in Conversation with Jerry Wasserman,Thursday, February 11, 2-3 pm, Frederic Wood Theatre, Admission Free (Please reserve your seat at 604.822.2678).

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Audition for the 2010 BFA Acting Program! March, 2010.

Proudly Supporting our Alumni & Faculty

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Current student Rebekah Lopata's play What if I Don't will be produced in February in New York's East Village.

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Is Avatar's social impact virtual, too? Film & Theatre Adjunct Prof & Composer Patrick Pennefather comments on the visual & sound effects of Avatar on society.

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Faculty News: Rachel Talaly, Ernest Mathijs, Kirsty Johnston, Chris Gallagher...

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Alumnus Zain Meghji is the host of How to Look Good Naked Canada.

Please join us in welcoming our newest faculty members Bill Dow, Linda Griffiths, Siyuan Liu, Andrea Rabinovitch, and Reid Gilbert to Theatre at UBC.

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Alumnus Torrance Coombs has just finished shooting his recurring role in The Tudors. He has also landed a recurring role in CBC's Heartland.

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Congratulations to Alumnus Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling, for having their show The Overcoat named one of the Top Ten Shows of the Decade by Now Magazine in Toronto!

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Compass Points Student & Emerging Artist Symposium: looking for dynamic students and emerging artists looking to share their ideas.

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Creativity Counts! Arts funding in British Columbia has been dramatically slashed this year. Information and direct action ideas are all available at creativitycounts.ca

 

Support Us

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Gifts to Theatre at UBC ensure that today's Theatre students have access to the resources that give them the best education possible.

 

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.

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February 11, 2010

Robert Lepage (Blue Dragon) Photo: Eric Labbe event imageRobert Lepage in Conversation

Thursday, February 11, 2-3 pm
Frederic Wood Theatre, UBC
Map: http://bit.ly/94dLm6
Admission *FREE:
(*)Please reserve your seat at 604.822.2678

Robert Lepage is one of the world’s true theatrical geniuses and a very articulate commentator on his own creative processes. Come hear Lepage talk about The Blue Dragon, the play he is currently performing in Vancouver at the new SFU Woodward’s Theatre as part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Playwright, actor, director, designer, filmmaker and artistic director of his Quebec‐based company Ex Machina, Lepage has been acclaimed around the world for his brilliant theatrical creations—The Dragon’s Trilogy, Polygraph, Needles and Opium, The Seven Streams of the River Ota, Elsinore, The Geometry of Miracles, Zulu Time, The Dark Side of the Moon, The Anderson Project, Lipsynch and more—and for his groundbreaking direction of plays (A Midsummer Night’s Dream at London’s National Theatre), opera (Wagner’s Ring Cycle at New York’s Met), and Cirque du Soleil (Ka in Las Vegas).

>>More about Robert Lepage and Ex Machina here: http://lacaserne.net

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see Robert Lepage up close and talk to him about his work.

Robert Lepage in Conversation will be moderated by Jerry Wasserman, Head of the UBC Department of Theatre and Film.

 

February 9-15, 2010

click here to view videoUBC V-Day is proud to present their 2010 benefit productions of
The Vagina Monologues & A Memory, A Monologues, A Rant and A Prayer
Frederic Wood Theatre, UBC
Feb 9 - 15, 2010
Shows 7:30 pm nightly & Matinee Sat. Feb 13 @ 2 pm

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer:

Author, playwright and performer Eve Ensler (Author/creator of the Vagina Monologues) hosts a collection of new, personal and often powerful essays by celebrities, literati and feminist luminaries. Ensler looks to these figures jolt readers out of passivity and into the thick of the issue. These monologues are inspired, funny, angry, heartfelt, tragic, and beautiful. But above all, together they create a true and profound portrait of this issue’s effect on every one of us.

Featuring writings by Mark Matousek • Susan Miller • Kathy Najimy • Howard Zinn • Christine House • Nicholas D. Kristof • Eve Ensler • Alice Walker

The Vagina Monologues:

The award-winning play is based on V-Day Founder/playwright Eve Ensler's interviews with more than 200 women. With humor and grace the piece celebrates women’s sexuality and strength.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: all shows start at 7:30pm unless otherwise indicated

Tues Feb 9 Vagina Monologues | Wed Feb 10 MMRP | Thurs Feb 11 Vagina Monologues | Fri Feb 12th MMRP | Sat Feb 13th MMRP @ 2pm | Vagina Monologues @ 7:30pm

TICKET SALES: Tickets are $15 each (either show) or $25 for both productions (the Vagina Monologues & MMRP). They sell out fast, so get yours asap!!

IN PERSON: Buy tickets outside the SUB Tue Jan 26 - Fri 29 & Mon Feb 1 - 5 and Mon Feb 8 HOURS: 10am - 4pm.

You can also get VDay merchandise, or some delicious chocolate vaginas!

Or BOOK ONLINE: Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/97492

Note: Service fee for online purchase applies. 2 show deal is also not available online.

Will Call tickets must be picked up 15 minutes before the show or your seats will be forfeited.

Other Special Events!

* Clothing drive at all performances for "My Sister's Closet" so bring in any pieces you may have for donations.

* Collecting used, but working cell phones for WISH to distribute to downtown East Side sex trade workers: working cell phones without a service plan are still able to dial 911.*

All proceeds from both productions go towards our Beneficiaries: WISH/Map Van (http://www.wish-vancouver.net/index.cfm), SASC ( http://www2.ams.ubc.ca/index.php/services/category/sexual_assault_support_centre), Vancouver Lower Mainland Multicultural Family Support Services Society (http://www.vlmfss.ca/)

and V-Day International (http://www.vday.org/myriam_merlet3.html)

Join our Face Book Group: http://bit.ly/aV6g5c
This is UBC V-Day's 10th Anniversary!

 

February, 2010

event imageCongrats 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 14-26, 2010

event imageNow Held Over to January 26!

Please note: The run of American Buffalo is now SOLD OUT. However, Main Street Theatre has just added 3 extra shows – Sunday (24th), Monday (25th) & Tuesday (26th). All proceeds from the Tuesday show will go towards relief in Haiti.

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 14-26, 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.

This production offers the clearest interpretation I've ever seen of American Buffalo, illuminating a minor gem of modern American theatre until it sparkles — albeit darkly. Don't miss it.
Peter Birnie
Sun Theatre Critic

For tickets call (604) 992-2313.
Pay-what-you-can (suggested $12)

>> American Buffalo Facebook Event

 

 

January 22, 2010

event imageUBC Help Hear Haiti Showcase:
A coordinated UBC event for Haiti Relief

Come out and show your support and solidarity for the terrible situation in Haiti.

This is a coordinated event put on by students, staff and faculty of the University of British Columbia.

UBC Help Hear Haiti Showcase: A Fundraiser to Support Haiti Relief Efforts

Date: Friday, January 22nd – 2 to 4pm
Location: Frederic Wood Theatre, 6354 Crescent Blvd., UBC

Triple H, a coalition of student groups from across campus, together with staff and faculty from the University of British Columbia invite you to a discussion about the history, the current situation and the future of the country of Haiti and its people. Professor Stephen J. Toope will close the event and offer his remarks on the effort in Haiti.

Speakers Include:

  • Allen Sens – Senior Instructor in the Department of Political Science and Chair of the International Relations Program
  • Jon Beasley-Murray – Assistant Professor in the Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies and teacher of Latin American Studies.
  • Alejandra Bronfman – Associate Professor, Department of History
  • Representatives from Haiti Solidarity for BC
  • Senior Staff from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
  • Professor Stephen J. Toope will close the event and offer his remarks on the effort in Haiti.

Minimum Donation - $5 with 100% of all proceeds going to MSF (Doctors without Borders) and their efforts in Haiti.

Please contact Jola Lekich at the Global Lounge and Resource Centre for more information

–Jolanta.lekich@ubc.ca
604-822-4904/604-827-4771

 

January 14-25, 2010

event imageHeld Over Now to January 27!

Please note: The run of American Buffalo is now sold out!! Main Street Theatre has added 3 extra shows – Sunday (25th), Monday (26th) & Tuesday (27th). All proceeds from the Tuesday show will go towards relief in Haiti.

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.

This production offers the clearest interpretation I've ever seen of American Buffalo, illuminating a minor gem of modern American theatre until it sparkles — albeit darkly. Don't miss it.
Peter Birnie
Sun Theatre Critic

For tickets call (604) 992-2313.
Pay-what-you-can (suggested $12)

>> American Buffalo Facebook Event

 

 

January 21, 2010

event imageFREE Theatre!
Dissolve

Dissolve is a one-woman play written and performed by Vancouver artist, Theatre at UBC Alumna Meghan Gardiner. It takes on the prevalent phenomenon of drug-aided rape.

Her anger translates into energy and spot-on satire… Gardiner's timing is sharp, her characters funny and recognizable, and (Dissolve is) overall a rewarding show." Vancouver Sun

More http://www.meghangardiner.com/dissolve/

Thursday, January 21, 2010

7pm with Q&A to follow with Meghan Gardiner, creator and performer
Dorothy Somerset Studio, 6361 University Boulevard, UBC
Cost: $5.00 deposit, to be returned at performance

Tickets: SASC, Access & Diversity and Main Booth in the SUB during Arts Week
January is Sexual Assault Awareness Month at UBC. For a list of all events see http://www.students.ubc.ca/access/

 

January 18-February 22, 2010

event imageActors! The Classical Gym

January 18 – Feb 22, 2010: Theatre at UBC Alumni founded company Blackbird Theatre and Melissa Haller are pleased to announce a new workshop called The Classical Gym.

This workshop provides an affordable space for actors to work on classical texts in a supportive environment. Brush up on an audition monologue, or sink your teeth into a scene or character you’ve always loved!

Bring in a monologue or scene of your choice. If you’d like to bring in a scene, you will need to find your own scene partner(s). The class will feature a different facilitator every week who is a respected member of the Canadian theatre community.

Attend one class, attend them all – or audit the class on a drop-in basis. For those who want to get up and work, please sign up at least two weeks before the class you want to attend. Spaces will fill up quickly, so sign up soon!

Facilitators will include: Duncan Fraser, Gwynyth Walsh, Lee Taylor, Simon Webb, UBC Professor Emeritus John Wright, and more!

Price: $15 per class, $12 for Equity & GVPTA members.
Where: St. James Community Square, 3214 10th Avenue West, Vancouver, BC
When: Monday nights 7pm – 9pm, January 18 – Feb 22, 2010.
To sign up, or for more information, please email classicalgym@yahoo.ca.

 

January 14-April 1, 2010

event imageLearn Japanese Classical Dance!

Adjunct Professor Colleen Lanki’s TomoeArts is offering a series of Japanese classical dance classes starting January 14!

DATES: January 14 - April 1, 2010
TIMES: Thursdays at 7:00-8:00
LOCATION: Scotiabank Dance Centre - Marcuse Studio 7th Floor
COST: $180.00 plus GST for the entire session (12 classes).
There will also be a $35 cost for the purchase of a dance fan.

The beginner course aims to introduce some of the forms, aesthetics and context of nihon buyoh. It is open to dancers, actors and anyone interested in Japanese dance or culture. No previous dance experience is necessary.

Beginner classes involve learning one or two short dances as an introduction to female form (onnagata) and male form (otokogata). There will also be some video-viewing of dance performances and an overview of the background of kabuki dance and nihon buyoh. Classes are taught in English with some Japanese. Hope you can join us!

Participants are required to wear tabi (Japanese split-toed socks) or white socks and, if possible, a yukata (cotton kimono).

More: http://www.tomoearts.org/Classes/TomoeClasses.htm

 

January 10, 2010

event imageA Celebration of Life the life of the Incomparable Goldie Semple

Please join us on Sunday, January 10th as we celebrate the life of one of Canada's theatrical luminaries. Goldie's life as an artist, friend, mother and wife was one that inspired admiration from anyone who knew her. No one could fail to be impressed by her extraordinary achievements on the many stages where she appeared It is hard to think of anyone in our theatre community who was so loved and respected by so many. We lost Goldie to Breast Cancer on Dec. 9th 2009 and she is mourned coast to coast.

Date: Sunday Jan. 10th
Time: Doors open at 5
Memorial 5:30
Refreshments in lobby to follow
Place: Richmond Gateway Theatre
6500 Gilbert Rd
Richmond BC

Any inquiries please contact Annabel Kershaw - a1kershaw@telus.net

 

January 8, 2010

event imageMAIN STREET THEATRE'S JUNK PARTY, Friday, Jan. 8, 8:30 PM, Little Mountain Studio - Main @ 26th,

Bring your junk and let's party! A Party/Fundraiser for Main Street Theatre's upcoming production of American Buffalo.

Amerian Buffalo directed by Theatre at UBC faculty Stephen Malloy, stars Theatre at UBC Alumnus Ryan Beil, Josh Drebit and Daryl King.

Cheap beer, no cover, live music, but we do need JUNK for our set, i.e. electronics, books, any old thing you can spare. It's last minute but we'd love to have you all come out and party!

>>Junk Party Facebook Event

 

January 8, 2010

event imageHoarse Raven Theatre presents
TWO HEADS TALKING
A Lady of Letters & Her Big Chance
Two comedies by Alan Bennett Directed by Theatre at UBC Alumnus Michael Fera
Performed by Theatre at UBC Alumna Tanja Dixon-Warren

A Fundraiser for the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA)

The GVPTA president, Theatre at UBC Alumna Tanja Dixon-Warren is taking to the stage to raise funds for the theatre community of Vancouver. On Friday, Jan. 8, she reprises the delightful and witty Two Heads Talking for a one-time only performance. All proceeds will be donated to the GVPTA – specifically to help with the celebration of World Theatre Day 2010 and all advocacy initiatives surrounding this event. The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA) was incorporated in 1983 with a mission to "promote a thriving theatre community" and mandates to advocate and support the practice of live theatre.

From Britain's premiere playwright and originally written for the BBC, the Talking Heads series is a collection of comic monologues reflecting Alan Bennett's marvelously observant view of the British way of life. Two of these classics are presented here.

A Lady of Letters follows Irene Ruddock - passionate letter writer and concerned citizen - as she avidly campaigns to single handedly to clean up the moral decay of Great Britain.

Her Big Chance features Leslie, an ever optimistic aspiring actress, somewhat past her prime, but who truly embraces the adage "There are no small parts, only small actors!”

Both are touching, real and very very funny.

Under the direction of Theatre at UBC Alumnus Michael Fera (Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Tartuffe, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and PDA Event Coordinator) award winning actress Tanja Dixon-Warren (Angels in America, Broken, Molly Sweeney, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The L Word, Supernatural) brings two of her very favorite roles to the stage. - In aid of the GVPTA!

Tickets are $20. Credit cards accepted in advance. Cash only at the door. To reserve in advance - please call the GVPTA office at 604 608 6799 or email info@gvpta.ca with a subject line of 2 heads.

Friday Jan. 8, 8pm

PTC Studio, Festival House – 3rd Floor

1398 Cartwright Street
Granville Island (next to the Waterfront Theatre and directly in front of Cat’s Social House)

See you there!!! Thanks for supporting local theatre!!!
Tanja Dixon-Warren

 

December 28-January 16, 2009

event imageWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
By Edward Albee
Blackbird Theatre Company
Dec. 28-Jan. 16
Vancouver East Cultural Centre

The cast features luminary performers Gabrielle Rose, Kevin McNulty, Meg Roe & Craig Erickson, with direction by Theatre at UBC Professor Emeritus John Wright.

Production and Creative Team include: Theatre at UBC Alumna (BFA Production) Breanne Jackson (Stage Manager), Theatre at UBC current student (BFA Production) Tim Bellefleur (Assistant Stage Manager), Marti Wright (Set Design), Maureen Hiscox (Costume Design), John Webber (Light Design), Theatre at UBC Alumnus (BFA Production) James Chen (Sound Design), Jim Preston (Technical Director/Production Manager), Todd Thomson (Assistant Director)

To spend an evening with George and Martha is to be on the battlefield of an alarmingly ferocious, caustically funny marital war.  It's a fight to the death.  You don't even think about doing this play unless you have a truly superb cast — and we have."
JOHN WRIGHT, DIRECTOR

Albee recently revised the play and the new version has been presented to rave reviews in New York and London. Blackbird Theatre and the outstanding cast of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf are extremely excited to present the new version of this powerfully thrilling drama to theatregoers in Vancouver.

*Warning: not suitable for children under the age of 14 years.

 

December 7, 2009

event imageLinda Griffiths invites everyone to her Theatre 439A end-of-term project:

About Love - a collective creation written and performed by the students of 439A.

For the past three months, the students have been plumbing the depths and superficialities of love. They've delved into their own experiences, their parents' experiences, their friends' ... they've been to toga parties, bars and beaches. They've explored the question, 'Who do you love, and why?" Love and loss, the first kiss, sex and love...

Now they share this point in the process with you. No cues, no lights - just love.

When: Monday, Dec. 7

Where: Dorothy Somerset Studio, 8:00 pm

 

December 6, 2009

event imageSunday, December 6 will feature this years incarnation of the annual SECRETS project, featuring the Beginning Year BFA actors. The performance is free and will start at 7:30 in the Dorothy Somerset Studio.

 

 

 

 

December 4, 2009

event imageCommedia dell'Arte Scenes

On Friday, December 4, please join the Intermediate year BFA acting class at 3 pm in Room 128 of the Binning Studios for 4 commedia dell'arte scenes.  The whole event will last under an hour.  There is a language, content, lifestyle and lazzi warning!

 

 

December 4, 2009

event imageThe Intermediate BFA Dance Display will take place on Thursday, December 3 from 3:45-4:15 in Room 128 of the Binning Studios.

The acting students will perform their modern/jazz piece and other patterns learned in their movement class which focused on ballet and jazz this term.

 

 

December 3-24, 2009

event imageCivil Elegies
Soulpepper Theatre Company
December 3-24

Canada 1972 / 2009

Soulpepper Theatre presents the 1972 Governor General’s Award-winning work of poet Dennis Lee is brought to life by Soulpepper Academy graduates Mike Ross and Theatre at UBC MFA Design (1999) Alumnus Lorenzo Savoini, dramatized and set to music in a way that speaks to the heart of what Canada was, is and could be.

>>More details at Soulpepper

 

December 3-5, 2009

event imageTheatre at UBC presents Caryl Churchill's
Far Away

Directed by MFA candidate
Brian Cochrane
December 3 to 5, 7:30 pm

Widely acknowledged as one of the finest playwrights of the last half century, Caryl Churchill's work has always been revered for its inventiveness, its variety, and its political relevance.

BFA Acting candidates Kimberly Bennet, Russell Zishiri and Maria-Luisa Alvarez are featured. The designs of BFA Design and Production candidates Sally Song I Lang (Set and Lighting), Jui Kang (costumes) and Emily Griffiths (Stage Manager) are sure to enhance the production.

Dorothy Somerset Studio
6361 University Blvd. UBC Campus
December 3 to 5, 7:30 pm
Ticket price: $5 (Available at the Door)

Facebook Event: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186921889690&index=1
Map: http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index_detail.php?locat1=320

 

November 29 & 30, 2009

event imageTheatre 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

event image 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.

>>Watch video clip

 

 

November 27-January 2, 2010

event imageTHE 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 26-January 2, 2010

event imageIT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
by Philip Grecian, adapted from Frank Capra
Arts Club Theatre Company
Granville Island Stage
Nov. 26-Jan. 2
$25/$50
604-687-1644 or www.artsclub.com

“Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

George Bailey (Bob Frazer) performs countless good deeds for friends and townsfolk in Bedford Falls, yet all that seems to count for naught when he faces financial adversity. At George’s most woeful moment, his guardian angel, Clarence Oddbody (Bernard Cuffling), swoops in to remind him that faith, hope, and family make life truly wonderful.

Returning for a third year by popular demand, It’s a Wonderful Life’s magical story and charming warmth remain, but new faces have joined the cast to bring this holiday heart-warmer to life. Bob Frazer, one of the most in-demand actors in our city, joins the cast as the everyman George Bailey and Kirsten Robek is his loving wife Mary. Alec Willows appears as George’s nemesis Henry Potter. The Arts Club also welcomes five new rising stars—the children of It’s a Wonderful Life. Playing Young Harry, George, Mary, and Violet are Nikita Flynn, 9; Rhys Jenkins, 11; Kennedy Montano, 9; and Madelin Prekaski, 11. And sharing the part of Zuzu are the Braun sisters: Ashley, 4, and Audrey, 10.

Starring Bob Frazer, Bernard Cuffling, Kirsten Robek, Alec Willows, with Eileen Barrett, Ashley Braun, Audrey Braun, Theatre at UBC BFA Acting 2004 Alumna Sasa Brown, Nikita Flynn, Rhys Jenkins, Kyle Jespersen, Eric Keenleyside, Brian Linds, Hrothgar Mathews, Kennedy Montano, Madelin Prekaski, Beatrice Zeilinger. Director Dean Paul Gibson. Design Team: Ted Roberts (set), Marsha Sibthorpe (lights), Theatre at UBC BFA Design Alumna Rebekka Sorensen (costumes), Jamie Nesbitt (projections), Neil Weisensel (sound). Stage Manager Pamela Jakobs. Assistant Stage Manager Sarah Pearson.

Monday at 8 pm, Tuesday at 7:30 pm, Wednesday–Saturday at 8 pm, and Wednesday & Saturday at 2 pm.

Tickets are $25 and $50, inclusive of all tax and fees. Call the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644 or visit artsclub.com.

 

November 26-December 24, 2009

event imageMiklós László's Parfumerie
November 26-December 24
Soulpeper Theatre Company
Toronto

Hungary 1937 / Canada 2009

Directed by Theatre at UBC Alumnus Morris Panych.

One of the world’s most beloved stories, this play has inspired three movies (The Shop Around the Corner, The Good Old Summertime, and You’ve Got Mail) and one musical (She Loves Me). Two clerks in a Budapest perfume shop can’t stand each other, but unknowingly exchange love letters at night as anonymous penpals in this romantic comedy that will warm up your winter.

>>More details at Soulpepper

 

November 23, 2009

event imageThe Wrecking Ball happens tonight!

Wrecking Ball to Tackle Draconian Cuts to the Arts: Canada’s Leading Theatre Artists Take On the BC government from Coast to Coast.

Vancouver’s theatre community joins actors, directors and designers from across the country in creative and satirical protest to the BC government’s mind-boggling and short-sighted plan to slash 90% of cultural funding, which will make it the only jurisdiction in Canada not to invest in culture.

In 2008, during the federal election, Wrecking Ball events across Canada helped turn the tide of public opinion against the Harper government’s planned culture cuts, and prevented a Harper majority. This time, events across Canada throughout the month of November will highlight the devastating arts cuts announced by the BC government in their September budget update! .

Vancouver’s Wrecking Ball features some of Canada’s most nationally and internationally recognized actors and directors, including multiple award-winning actor/playwrights Daniel MacIvor (House, Twitch City) and Linda Griffiths (Maggie and Pierre), Leacock-winning writer Mark Leiren Young, and Alcan Award winner Carmen Aguirre. Original member of the Nylons and BC Walk of Fame member Denis Simpson will host.

Margaret Atwood asks, “What is it that power-hungry politicians want from BC artists? Control over the story through the annihilation of the former story-tellers? Is this the agenda behind the decapitation of arts funding in British Columbia, while mega-millions are poured into the Olympics? The BC arts community will retaliate, of course. Over the past 50 years they've put BC on the map.”

“It won’t just be a protest,” adds Wrecking Ball Spokesperson Adrienne Wong. “It’ll be a night to laugh and celebrate what we know – that British Columbians care about culture.”

“And it’s not just arts and culture,” Wong adds. “Cuts to Gaming investments in many sectors indicate to us that this government is looking for ways to subsidize its corporate welfare, low-tax environment on the backs of civil society organizations that provide essential services to British Columbians. It seems that they don’t think much of activities like culture and sport and places where people come together for reasons other than profit. They call it a frill. We call it democracy.”

http://www.stopbcartscuts.ca/thewreckingball.html

Monday Nov. 23, 8 pm
Vogue Theatre, Vancouver. By Donation.

 

November 22-December 1, 2009

event imageZee 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 21-December 27, 2009

event imageThe Vancouver Playhouse presents Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, by Jeffrey Lane, music & lyrics by David Yazbek, Playhouse Theatre Compan. The cast features Theatre at UBC BFA Acting Katie Murphy. Nov. 21-Dec. 27

“I don’t even like to
HAVE SEX AND EAT BACON
for six hours.” ACT 1; SCENE 8

The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company will celebrate the holiday season with the smash hit Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Written by Jeffrey Lane with music and lyrics by David Yazbek, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is based on the hit film of the same name. The Playhouse production is directed and co-choreographed by Max Reimer who gave us the Jessie Award-winning The Drowsy Chaperone last year. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is on stage at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre (at Hamilton & Dunsmuir) from November 21-December 27, 2009 – Opening Night is Thursday, November 26. Tickets can be reserved by calling the Playhouse Box Office at 604 873 3311, on line at vancouverplayhouse.com or in person at 127 East 2nd Avenue.

THE STORY:

Prepare to have your heart stolen in this hilariously clever take on the ultimate con. Meet Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson. Lawrence is a suave gentleman who cons rich ladies out of their money. Freddy is a small time thief who cons women into giving him money by telling made up stories about his grandmother’s failing health. After meeting on a train they soon find out that the small French town they live in isn't big enough for the both of them. They agree that the first man to successfully steal $50,000 from the young heiress Christine Colgate will get to stay, while the other must leave. A humorous battle of wits ensues in a frantic game of one-upmanship that takes us on a roller-coaster ride of hilarity. It’s so funny it’s criminal!

THE CAST:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels stars Josh Epstein as Freddy Benson, Andrew Wheeler as Lawrence Jameson and Canadian Idol finalist, Elena Juatco as Christine Colgate.

The cast also features Danny Balkwill, Ensemble, u/s Freddy | Tyson Coady, Ensemble | Brennan Cuff, Ensemble, u/s Andre | | Kazumi Evans, Ensemble | Gabrielle Jones, Muriel | Kiara Leigh, Jolene, Ensemble, u/s Muriel | David Marr, Andre, u/s Lawrence | Katie Murphy (Theatre at UBC BFA Acting, 2002 Alumna), Lenore, Ensemble, u/s Christine | Jaclyn Rae, Sophia, Ensemble | Colin Sheen, Ensemble | Debbie Timuss, Renee, Ensemble, u/s Jolene.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES:

There will be a pre-show chat on DEC. 5 beginning at 1pm. Pre-show chats at the Playhouse enhance the experience of seeing live theatre. The guest speaker will be Max Reimer, Artistic Managing Director of the Playhouse Theatre Company and Director/Co-Choreographer of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Dates of Note:

  • NOV. 21, 23, 24, 25
    Preview Performances at 8pm
  • NOV. 26
    Opening Night at 8pm
  • NOV. 28
    Pay-What-You-Can Matinee at 2pm
  • NOV. 30, DEC. 8
    Talkback Performances at 8pm (Post-performance Q&A with the cast)
  • DEC. 2, 9, 10
    Tea Matinees at 2pm (Complimentary tea, coffee & biscuits at 1pm)
  • DEC. 5
    Salon Saturday at 2pm (Pre-performance talk at 1pm)
  • DEC. 27
    Closing Night at 8pm

Single Ticket Prices (including service charges):

Preview performances: $38 (all seats)
Adults: $46 - $69
Seniors: $43 - $66
25 and under: $35 (with proof of ID)
Rush Seats: $30 (in person at the theatre; subject to availability)

 

November 10, 2009

event imageThe 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

event imageThe 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

event imageTHE 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:

 

October 27, 2009

event imageA 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

>>Click here to read Wasserman’s guest Blog post about the interview!

 

October 26, 2009

event imageOn 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

event imageA 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

event imageA 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

event imageShakti 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

event imageLE 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

event imageBFA 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

event imageMi 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

event imageThe 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

event imageStephen 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

event imageStand 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

event imageExcited
[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.

>>More details

 

September 30-October 1, 2009

event imageRebekah 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

event imageDog 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.

Tickets and more>>

 

September 22-October 3, 2009

event imageshameless 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.
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September 17, 2009

event imageAnd 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

event imageKING 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

event imageSPEED 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!

 

September 1, 2009

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On the Move!

At the end of August, Film Production faculty and staff vacated Brock Hall Annex, and faculty from our Acting/Directing programs in Theatre moved out of Auditorium Annex. All are now in our new digs.

Formerly known as the Arts One Building (it housed the Arts One program, now located in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre), the vintage structure built in 1924/25, has been renovated and spruced up, and will henceforth be known as the Theatre-Film Production Building. The TFP will house faculty offices, film equipment, editing suites, and classes.

Located at 6358 University Boulevard, the TFP is directly across the street from the Dorothy Somerset and B.C. Binning Studios where most of our acting and directing classes are held. We are thrilled to start the new school year in this fabulous new space.

Click here to view maps and directions to the new Theatre-Film Production Building.

Photo: UBC Digital Archives
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Photo: UBC Digital Archives
events image
Photo: UBC Digital Archives
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Photo: UBC Digital Archives  

 

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