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What’s On East Van: September 29, 2017

29 Sep

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Lots happening in East Van this next week.  Our weekly feature What’s On East Van sets out cool events for the upcoming week. Beyond the week, we invite you to check out our Event Listing which is updated daily and features events for the month and beyond.

Africa With The Masters – Wise Hall – September 30, 2017

You are invited to learn African dance styles and/or drumming traditions this Saturday at the Wise Hall. The event is a part of Culture Days happening throughout the Lower Mainland and is a free event, but pre-registration is required. To learn more or to register, visit Culture Days.

Drive-In Movies – River District – September 30, 2017

River District in SE Vancouver is again hosting Drive-In movies this Saturday. The double feature kicks off with Despicable Me 3 and is followed by War For The Planet of Apes.  Cost is $20 per carload for 1 movie and $30 for a car load for both movies. Gates open at 6:30 pm.

Goblin Market – York Theatre – October 3 – 14, 2017

Two sisters from New Zealand perform a trapeze circus act along with music and spoken word to the poem The Goblin market. The performance delves into sisterhood, sexuality and much more. The performances take place at the York Theatre. Tickets are available at The Cultch from $22.

Mandy Rushton Sings With Sean Allen – Cottage Bistro – October 4, 2017

Love Broadway musicals?  You may wish to stop in and check out singing sensation Mandy Rushton who will be performing with pianist Sean Allen on Wednesday, October 4th at the Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street. They will be performing songs from musicals, The Great American Songbook and a bit of pop to mix things up.  Cost is $15 per person. Show gets under way at 8:00 pm.

Workshop “Fall Pies” – The Uncommon Café – October 4, 2017

If you are looking to learn to make some delish fall pies, The Uncommon Café is hosting a delish workshop Wednesday, October 4th. In this class Valentine of Tartine & Maple Cuisine will teach you how to make your pie dough from scratch. After which, you will learn how to make a pecan pie and an easy Pear Tart with puff pastry.  You will also make your very own Apple Pie with lattice top. Cost of class is $59. You can register at Eventbrite.

Entertainment, Comedy + Live Theatre

On now at the Firehall Arts Centre is Feasting For Famine which features one man’s journey through the extremes of body building and health fitness.  Looking for plain fun, The Dirty Betty Show is happening at Café Deux Soleils Friday, September 29th.  Looking to check out some neat movies? The 36th Annual Vancouver Film Festival is on now until October 13th. The Rio Theatre is one of the venues hosting and has a great line up of films this weekend. To see more of what’s on, check our Events Listing.

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Contemporary Circus The Goblin Market Takes Stage At The York Theatre October 3-14, 2017

27 Sep

 

Goblin-Market-3-736x1024For the first time in Vancouver two sisters from New Zealand will be performing the re-telling of Christina Rossetti’s poem, The Goblin Market at the York Theatre.  The show is a contemporary circus performed to the story line that follows two sisters, one of whom gets sick after eating bad goblin fruit and is healed because of her sister’s bravery.  The production celebrates sexuality and sisterhood, through double trapeze, mask, projection, acrobatics, spoken word and music. Tickets for this performance start at $22 and are available from The Cultch. Note: The production includes nudity and sexual scenes, therefore, is being presented as an adults only production.

What people are saying about The Goblin Market:

“SPECTACULAR, MAGNIFICENT AND BREATHTAKING are a few of the words that describe contemporary circus show The Goblin Market”
Sara Meij, Nelson Mail

 “… THE MOST REMARKABLE PRODUCTION I HAVE SEEN in the last decade. THRILLING, MOVING, INSPIRING, MESMERIZING (and sometimes even humourous) – it reminded me of why I work in the performing arts in the first place”
Howard Mendelsohn, Centaur Theatre Company

 “…A full house, standing ovation and the most common word on everyone’s lips: SPECTACULAR!”
Janet Whittington, Theatreview

“Superbly choreographed acrobatics featuring the finely muscled bodies and disciplined athleticism of highly trained performers.”
New Zealand Herald

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Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival September 30, 2017

26 Sep

RenfrewRavineMoonFestivalThe 15th annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival is scheduled for September 30th, 2017. If you haven’t attended this event, you are missing out. This is a great family event celebrating the environment around us with displays of colour, light and music.  This year’s theme is migrations.  Organizers, being the Still Moon Arts Society, would like those attending the event to reflect on the global movements that occur every day. It could be fish swimming across vast oceans, birds flying across Canada or that person travelling to meet friends or a loved on.  With the issues facing the world today, movement is playing a more significant role.

You are invited to come experience the installations created for this year’s event and discover your own stories in the theme of migration.  The festivities begin in the afternoon with the Harvest Fair which kicks off at 4:00 pm and goes till 6:45 pm at Slocan Park.  This event is a pre-cursor to the parade that happens at dusk.  The Harvest Fair features games, crafts, friendly competitions, musicians, community booths and more.  If you are interested in making a last minute lantern or purchasing one from a local artist before the parade, you can do so at the Harvest Fair. 

At approximately 6:45 pm, as the moon rises and the sun sets, musicians and dancers will lead a twilight lantern parade from Slocan Park through the Renfrew Ravine to Renfrew Park.  Along the way, the procession will pass the river-stone labyrinth with candles laid throughout.  Many of those in the procession are carrying lanterns and as you walk along you will see many homes on the route getting into the act with displays of light and colour on their properties that abut the Renfrew Ravine.  Once at Renfrew Park, this is where some exquisite lanterns are on full display and candles set up throughout the ravine. It is quite a spectacle to see.  The event finishes at 8:30 pm in Renfrew Park with choreographed dance performances, stilting and fire spinning along with swing and jazz music. The grand finale includes fireworks.  This is a free all ages family friendly event.

 

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Feasting On Famine At The Firehall Arts Centre September 27-30, 2017

25 Sep

FeastingOnFamineYou are invited on one man’s journey through the extremes of body building and health fitness. Feasting on Famine explores the symmetry between the human body and excess of capitalism in a world where one man consumed the daily caloric intake of a family of five.  Shay Kuebler takes you from the beginning stages of training at local gyms and fitness centers to an obsession with what foods and supplements help the body function at peak performance.   His journey has made him question “the ethics and morality of health and fitness as a business (a very big business) and, furthermore, examine how the industry is misrepresenting and framing – staging – our expectations of what health and fitness should look like.”  We all want a healthy body, but the definition of what is healthy is defined different by individuals, health professionals and big business trying to sell you health in a bottle. So who do you believe?    Experience one man’s journey trying to figure it all out. Feasting on Famine hits the stage at the Firehall Arts Centre this Wednesday, September 27th and runs till September 30th. Tickets are available online from Firehall Arts Centre.

Contributing writer Tiva Quinn’s review of Feasting On Famine:

No matter how long you live, you will never have another chance to see a dance performance that addresses both erections and constipation.

Feasting on Famine isn’t really about precisely those things, though, it’s about the obsessive quest for a certain type of masculine ideal, and solo performer Shay Kuebler certainly knows what he’s dancing about with this topic. It’s written in every line of his body, and that’s a lot more lines than you’re probably used to seeing, as the guy is ripped. Beyond that, it’s about the general themes of obsession, dominance, perfection and self-control.

Kuebler dances in a variety of styles, the one that made the strongest impression for me involved moves that resemble break-dancing, but with all of the fluidity replaced by a frenetic repetition that turned it into a form of pushing muscles to their limit. He also interacts with props and video segments, often in ways that got a good chuckle from the audience.

This is not meant to be a comfortable performance, and it isn’t, but if you like your dance as challenging as an intense workout, you’ll like it a lot.

What else people are saying about Feasting On Famine:

(Keubler’s) style is indeed mesmerizing and explosive –
Vancouver Weekly

 

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Walk For Reconciliation To Strathcona Park September 24, 2017

20 Sep

WeAreAllOneThe first-ever Reconciliation Expo will be held Sunday, September 24th.  The event begins at 10:00 am with a 2 km walk that starts at 650 Cambie Street and travels to Strathcona Park.  After the walk, there are a host of activities lined up for the day at the Expo that continues till 3:00 pm. The event will include community booths with information about reconciliation, cultural activities as well as presentations by community groups.  Along side the events, there will be an area dedicated to local artisans. This is a great opportunity to experience local Indigenous art and culture.  There will also be an area for children to play educational games and a space for Indigenous craft making. If you get hungry while there, a variety of Vancouver based food-trucks serving ethnically-diverse foods will be on hand.

The day also features musicians, dance groups and a host of activities and exhibits some of which we’ve set out below. To see a full rundown of events, we invite you to visit reconciliationcanada.ca: 

Exhibit: Site Unseen (Gitga’at and West Vancouver Youth – Mural of Merging Voices) 

A unique and innovative project supports links between different groups of coastal youth. To deepen the understanding of their unique cultures and lands, students from the District of West Vancouver and the Gitga’at Nation in Hartley Bay worked together to create a large art installation that explores reconciliation among youth.

Exhibit: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 

An exhibit from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation that explores working together for a strong future and better understanding of reconciliation.

Exhibit: Carey Newman’s Witness Blanket (Full-Size Replica)

Inspired by a woven blanket, the Witness Blanket is a large-scale art installation, made out of hundreds of items reclaimed from Residential Schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures including Friendship Centres, band offices, treatment centres and universities, from across Canada. The Witness Blanket stands as a national monument to recognise the atrocities of the Indian Residential School era, honour the children, and symbolise ongoing reconciliation.

Weavers Corner

Facilitated by the Earthand Gleaners Society and a diverse group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous weavers, this will be a tactile, interactive space to learn more about the craft of weaving from multiple cultural perspectives. The space will be hands-on, inviting participants to engage with plants native to this territory and learn more about the social history of weaving.

Kairos Blanket Exercise

The KAIROS Blanket Exercise is an interactive learning experience that teaches the Indigenous rights history we’re rarely taught. Developed in response to the 1996 Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, which recommended education on Canadian-Indigenous history as one of the key steps to reconciliation, the Blanket Exercise covers over 500 years of history.

On-site Mural Painting

The Vancouver Mural Festival will host an interactive mural site where with spray paint where participants can add their message of hope or reconciliation. There will also be several commissioned artists creating pieces during the Expo that aim to capture the energy and experience of the Walk for Reconciliation.

Commitment Gallery

Using the pre-existing infrastructure of the tennis court in Strathcona Park, Reconciliation Canada will facilitate the creation of a temporary Commitment Gallery. This will serve as an opportunity for participants to make a personal pledge towards reconciliation following their participation in the Walk. Commitment Cards will be exhibited on the fence to visually display and celebrate actions.

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Comedian Debra DiGiovanni At The York Theatre September 23, 2017

19 Sep

DebraDiGiovanniCanadian comedian Debra DiGiovanni is Canada’s favourite female comedian. Lucky for us she’s coming to East Van on Saturday, September 23rd. She will be performing her edgy playful comedy at the York Theatre.   If you aren’t familiar with her humour, you can easily find a YouTube video with her performance.  She was a finalist in NBC’s Last Comic Standing and her first stand up DVD “Single Awkward Female” is now on Netflix.  She is currently on comedy network’s revival of Match Game on which she is a panelist and you can often hear Debra on CBC radio’s Debaters’ program.  Tickets for the show are $25 and available through The Cultch.  This is one show we won’t be missing.

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Story Story Lie At The Rio Theatre September 21, 2017

18 Sep

storyStoryLieInLightsCan you spot a liar? How about putting it to the test and checking out Story Story Lie? This is an interactive show with one simple premise: Vancouver’s best intimate share. The stories are often hilarious as well as embarrassing and just a little to strange to be true. What’s the catch? Well someone’s lying of course. The audience gets to take part in the interrogation to reveal who the liar is. And the first audience member to guess who the liar is, wins the grand prize, as well as the respect, admiration of the crowd and bragging rights. The Westender calls this show “One of the most inventive events on the Vancouver arts calendar” Story Story Lie now moves to a bigger space at The Rio Theatre for its first show in this venue on Thursday, September 21st.  They have a great line up for their first show at the Rio including Leo and Gemini Award winner Erica Sigurdson, TJ Dawe and comedian Patrick Maliha. Tickets are available in advance online at Rio Theatre for $10 online or $12 at the door.

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Vancouver Fringe Festival September 7-17, 2017 – East Van Picks

6 Sep

VFF

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is an annual event that kicks off September 7th and runs till September 17th at various venues in the Lower Mainland.  East Van is hosting quite a few of the productions this year namely The Cultch, Firehall Arts Centre, Havana Theatre and Ocean and Crow Yoga. This year over 700 performances will be featured by over 90 artists over the 11 day festival.  Ticket prices are $14 for each show with a $3 processing fee after payment of your Annual Fringe Theatre Society Membership of $5.00.  We invite you to check out some of the amazing local talent and have set out a few of the productions that caught our eye happening in East Van.  

OBIT At The Cultch Historic Theatre

OBIT is a dark comedy written by first time playwrights, Cathy Collins and Simon Roberts, takes you on a morbid look through the obituary notices. In three wryly funny, character rich scenes, Collis and Roberts peel back the public face of the tributes to soccer coach and divorcing dad Derek, suburban Mom Shirley and pillar-of-society businessman Richard now battling Alzheimer’s, to reveal their real lives and their sometimes buried pasts. OBIT opens Saturday, September 9th at 7:35 pm. You can also catch it September 12th at 7:45 pm, September 14th at 5:00 pm, September 16th at Noon and September 17th at 8:30 pm.  Tickets available at Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Cry Baby At The Firehall Arts Centre

Cry Baby The Musical is Romeo and Juliet meets The Outsiders with everyone’s tongues planted firmly in cheek. The show features  1950s Baltimore, the conservative squares face off against the leather-clad delinquents in a rockabilly musical based on John Waters’ cult film. The show is filled with such great songs, we hear you will want to dance your heart out. Cry Baby The Musical features a cast of 16 emerging new artists who will kick off their run on September 7th at 6:45 pm.   You can also catch the show on September 9th at 9:30 pm,  September 10th at 1:45 pm, September 11th at 6:00 pm (1/2 price show), September 13th at 6:00 pm, September 16th at 3:15 pm and September 17th at 2:00 and 7:15 pm.   To get your tickets, visit Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Bombay Black At The Vancity Culture Lab

2017 Jessie Award and multiple Fringe Award recipient Rohit Chokhani delves into a blind man’s world as he reimagines Anosh Irani’s Bombay Black. Bombay Black is a searing play set in the bitter reality of present-day India. The iron-willed Padma takes money from men who watch her daughter, Apsara perform an erotic dance. When a mysterious blind man named Kamal arrives for an appointment, his secret threatens to change each of their lives forever.  The show features a culturally diverse cast which takes the audience members on a journey into a blind man’s world. Note, the audience is  initially blind-folded as they come into the theatre. Bombay Black kicks off on Thursday, September 7th at 8:50 pm. You can also catch it September 9th at 6:45 pm, September 10th at 1:55 pm, September 11th at 7:00 pm, September 13th at 8:50 pm and September 16th at 7:05 pm. To get your tickets, visit Vancouver Fringe Festival.

Photo Credit: Zahida Rahemtulla

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Drive-In Movies Back At River District

4 Sep

DriveInMovieDrive-In Movies are back at River District on the Fraser River in SE Vancouver. Wesgroup Properties and Fresh Air Cinema are hosting double feature films starting Saturday, September 9th and running weekly until  September 30th. The cost is $20 per carload for one movie, $30 for two movies. The Drive-In is located at 3650 E. Kent Avenue South which is located 1/2 a block south of Marine Way at Boundary Road.  Gates open at 6:30 pm and the movie gets under way at dusk (approx. 7:45 pm).  River District will provide you with the FM station for audio, so you need a working FM station to partake. This event is first come first serve, so best to arrive early to claim your spot. We’ve set out the schedule below as we know it today.  Note, these are subject to change. Therefore, please visit River District to confirm what’s playing:

September 16, 2017

Wonder Woman – 7:30 pm
Transformers: The Last Knight – 10:00 pm

September 23, 2017

Spider-Man: Homecoming – 7:15 pm
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – 9:45 pm  

September 30, 2017

Despicable Me 3 – 7:15 pm
War for the Planet of the Apes – 9:20 pm

October 7, 2017

CARS 3 – 7:00 pm
Baby Driver – 9:15 pm  

RiverDistrictMovieMap

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Tiva Quinn Reviews The Coast Is Queer

31 Aug
BackgroundThe Vancouver Queer Film Festival happened this month and I had the opportunity to taken in one of the shows. I’ve been to The Coast is Queer a couple of times over the years, and thought this was the strongest grouping of local queer short films ever – a thought I heard echoed by some of the other people leaving the theatre.

As usual, there was a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and a mix of films focused on lesbian, gay, or trans main characters. It seemed to me this year had more of a unified tone, though, in that nearly every story was upbeat, even the short documentary about gay suicide rates and the fictional piece with a harrowing locker room harassment scene ended on positive notes.

My personal favorites were the opening and closing pieces.

Caw, the first film, is actually the only dark piece in the series, but it features excellent acting and production values that make the darkness work. Two high school girls are drawn to one another – they’re both misfits used to being mocked by the popular crowd, but one of them is different from the other girls in more than just her cynical attitude.

The closing film, Violet and June, is the queer version of a classic boy-meets-girl story. In this case it’s “girl falls for her best friend, best friend is dating an especially obnoxious boy, best friend comes to her senses and they live happily ever after.” Predictable and maybe even a bit cliche? Sure. But the tale is handled in a light-hearted way and a fun visual style that got lots of laughs from the crowd.

Two other pieces were especially memorable for me. Carla and Hayfa, a short doc that picks up 10 years after a difficult coming-out for a young lesbian with immigrant parents. At this point, Carla and her mother are happy to talk about how much they’ve grown to understand, respect and love one another over the years. Limina is a fictional tale centred around a ridiculously cute trans girl whose mission in life is finding secret ways to cheer up some of the depressed adults in her neighborhood. Almost everyone in Alexandra’s world accepts or admires her as she is – even the Priest who feels a need to grumble seems more than slightly charmed by her.

It might be difficult to catch these particular short films in another showing – but it’s definitely worth going over to Vancouver Queer Film Festival for the names of some very talented local directors to keep an eye one.

By Contributing Writer Tiva Quinn

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