BC theatre
Ready, set, Fringe! The Vancouver International Fringe Festival survives a wild funding ride
Ready. Set. Sit. Oh, and you may want to bring a cushion. The 2010 Vancouver International Fringe Festival kicks off this afternoon and, for 11 days, fans will flock to Granville Island and its environs to plant their bums, briefly. Fringe shows never last for much more than an hour and venues vary wildly, so [...]
Torn between cinema and theatre, The Stanley is both star and starred in as part of a creative, collaborative plot
The “reel” history of the Stanley Theatre and what lurks behind? That’s the tease on the poster for the Arts Club/Electric Company collaboration Tear the Curtain! An innovative mix of cinema and theatre, the show’s venue is as integral to the storytelling as the plot itself. “When the commission came, we wanted to make a [...]
The Vancouver Fringe Festival 2010
The Vancouver Fringe Festival takes over Granville Island (and selected locations beyond) from September 9th to the 19th. This year’s Fringe has plenty of variety and is one of the best bangs for your buck for live theatre in Vancouver. With over 600 performances of its 82 works over an 11 day run, the Fringe [...]
Nanaimo: Arts groups struggle despite boost
It’s good news that the provincial government reinstated $7 million of arts and culture funding, but it won’t help one Nanaimo theatre company, said its artistic director. The money will help bigger, more established arts organizations in B.C. with operating costs but will not assist Western Edge Theatre, which is a smaller, younger organization that [...]
See Seven suspends season amid cuts to Vancouver theatre groups
See Seven Performing Arts Society is taking a political stand against provincial government cuts that have disrupted Vancouver’s independent theatre scene. Established in 1997, See Seven has been dedicated to promoting independent, professional theatre in the city, in part through annual package-ticket sales. But board member and cofounder Diane Brown said several See Seven participants [...]
Victoria: Kaleidoscope Theatre taking new shape, Management changes lend fresh vision to theatre company
A whole new face is on the bill for Kaleidoscope Theatre. With its new general manager Anthony Edgington in place, a swap of artistic directors after December and the whole operation moving into new digs nearby, the company’s horizon is changing. “I have clear visions for our future based on the company’s history and where [...]
Nanaimo: Play raises money for theatre
Western Edge Theatre, which is unable to stage a season this year because of provincial government gaming cuts, is hoping to raise money by staging a play. Local actors Lorna McLellan, Mort Paul and Vincent Wells are donating their time to perform at the Gabriola Theatre Festival in Light Sensitive. “I think we may be [...]
Kelowna: Centre staff take over booking pro plays
It’s a new name but the same game for those booking tickets to professional plays this year. While Sunshine Theatre is in the process of being dismantled, the Rotary Arts Centre would like everyone to know the shows will still go on. All the plays which formally ran under the Sunshine banner will now be [...]
Nanaimo: Director uses YouTube to send message
A Nanaimo theatre company’s artistic director has taken to the Internet to pressure the B.C. government to increase funding to the arts. Frank Moher, artistic director for Western Edge Theatre, uploaded the first in a series of video letters to Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon on YouTube. “Sometimes one needs a novel way to get a [...]
Spalumcheen: A long experiment that carries on, The Caravan Farm Theatre has operated in one form or another since 1970
Broadway this ain’t: At Caravan Farm Theatre, there are dogs wandering everywhere (even on-stage every now and then during a show) and lots of children: a purple Exersaucer takes up a corner of the production office. The sound of horses whinnying can drown out a moment of rehearsal or conversation. And one must watch where [...]
Vancouver: Stone-age fun in storytelling, Neanderthal Arts Festival presents fresh and original fare
In a cemetery outside 17th Century London, two trolls meet by the discarded corpse of a hanged judge. If that doesn’t get your attention, nothing will. That’s what the organizers of Vancouver’s newest summer theatre happening, the Neanderthal Arts Festival, are banking on. While naming a festival after the thickest-skulled of our human ancestors might [...]
Vancouver: Theatre Under the Stars Introduces New TD Sponsored Initiative Making Theatre More Accessible
Marking the first time in the organization’s history, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) announced that it has signed a major sponsor for its upcoming 2010 season. TD Bank Financial Group will provide $50,000 in funding to this season’s productions and will also enable the organization to offer student discount pricing. The agreement with TD will [...]
Mixed bag of Jessies awarded to frogs, toads and Woolfs
It didn’t happen in the large-theatre or small-theatre categories, but there was indeed a sweep on Monday at the 28th annual Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. Carousel Theatre’s recent presentation of A Year With Frog & Toad hopped on stage at the Commodore Ballroom to receive all four Jessies in the category of theatre for young [...]
Vancouver: Touchstone Theatre’s Katrina Dunn feted for being female-friendly
Touchstone Theatre director Katrina Dunn has received an award for supporting and promoting the work of Canadian female playwrights–in other words, the playwrights who made up her entire season. On June 11, at a showing of Herr Beckmann’s People at the PTC Studio (a coproduction between Touchstone and the Playwrights Theatre Centre), she received the [...]
Vancouver: Green Thumb Theatre expects loss of provincial gaming-grant funding
Anticipating a loss of provincial gaming-grant funding, a Vancouver theatre company is prepared to scale back plans to perform for young audiences in rural B.C. Ivan Habel, general manager of Green Thumb Theatre, said the nonprofit group has previously received $36,500 in annual grant funding to support its provincewide tours. But Habel said he has [...]
