You are invited to check out what we expect will be a very entertaining black comedy about female friendship. Ben Bilodeau Productions brings Bachelorette to Havana Theatre October 11th to 22nd. This production written by Leslye Headland features a group of high school friends, Regan, Gena, Becky and Katie, who are now 10 years out of high school. Becky is getting married and the night before her wedding, the friends convene in a luxurious bridal suite. The evening starts off light and fun, but soon escalates into a night of debauchery that turns destructive. The show touches on what can happen to those that grew up in the age of excess. Bachelorette kicks off on October 11th at Havana Theatre. Tickets are available from Brown Paper Tickets for $25 per person. For those wishing to take advantage of early bird pricing, you can save $3 by purchasing your ticket before October 5th.
Bachelorette At Havana Theatre October 11-22,2016
26 Sep
The Twelfth Night Comes To The York Theatre For Diwali Fest October 11-22, 2016
21 Sep
The Cultch in partnership with Diwali Fest brings you The Twelfth Night. The Company Theatre which is one of Mumbai’s most innovative theatre groups has created a very fun show. Think Bollywood meets Shakespeare. The show is a musical adaption of the Twelfth Night. The production features Olivia who is being woo’d by two, one is the lovesick Lord Orsino the other the pompous Malvolio. The show features a series of bittersweet events and has been a runaway success around the world. You are invited to check out this unique production at The York Theatre from October 11th to 22nd. Tickets for the show begin at $25 and are available from The Cultch.
Share this:
Special East Van Event At The Cultch September 24th Music Video Launch-Rodney DeCroo
20 Sep
You are invited to a unique evening this Saturday at The Cultch. Rodney DeCroo will be screening the music video for his song “Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town”. Before we tell you about this Saturday, a little back story first. Earlier this year, East Vancouver folk singer-songwriter Rodney DeCroo and the Templeton Secondary School After School Film Program teamed up to raise $10,000 from a Kickstarter campaign. The aim was raise funds to make a music video to DeCroo’s song “Stupid Boy in an Ugly Town“. The campaign was a success and raised a total of $11,437 with the support of 155 backers. Templeton High School’s drama teacher, Jim Crescenzo, had approached DeCroo to do something with the students at Templeton. DeCroo was curious to see how a group of students from East Van would interpret the song through the lens of their own experiences. Rodney went into this wanting to teach and reinforce how art creation is transformative and a powerful vehicle for self-expression. It turned out, the students taught DeCroo a few things. DeCroo stated that he “was deeply impressed by how much they (the students) respected and trusted each other. They showed me that art is about connection, relationships, trust, intuition, authenticity, engagement and that it isn’t something that they need us to teach them. It’s always in us which isn’t to say it’s always easily in reach. But they’re artists. They may or may not have benefited from my being there, but I was reminded watching them to trust my instincts.”
As with many art endeavours, this music video is a collaborative effort with Flick Harrison as filmmaker, Rebecca Blissett doing the photography and acting as videographer, DeCroo’s label Tonic Records, The Cultch for providing their space. We invite you to take the opportunity to check out this unique all ages event. Doors open at 7:00 pm, curtain will be at 8:30 pm. Admission is free, but you need to reserve your ticket(s) at www.rodneydecroo.com. After screening of the music video, there will be a talk back portion with the creators of the video followed by a concert from Rodney DeCroo and The Wise Blood.
Share this:
Smash Hit Motherload Returns To The Cultch October 4-15, 2016
15 Sep
The smash hit Motherload returns to The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, from October 4th to 15th. This show is an intimate account of parenting in the modern age. Four prominent Canadian theatre artists share their personal stories of motherhood. They will be drawing on personal experiences such as playground conversations, coffee shop confessions and the issue of isolation that many moms feel while some get into ‘competitive mommying’. By sharing their real life stories of parenthood, they hope to’ lighten the collective load’. Motherload kicks off October 4th with a preview show, opening night is October 5th and the show runs until October 15th. For those wishing to check out a matinee show, there will be two performances at 2:00 pm on October 9th and 15th. Tickets are available online at The Cultch starting from $20. What people are saying about the show:
“Reminds you that you are not alone. I can’t recommend it enough; go with your
partner for a date night or bring your best friends for a girl’s night out or most
importantly – take your mother!”
Urban Baby and Toddler Magazine
“Motherload will charm, delight and touch you”
Vancouver Presents
Share this:
Vancouver Fringe Presents The Berlin Waltz At The Cultch September 8–18, 2016
7 Sep
So if you haven’t guessed it already, we are big fans of the Vancouver Fringe Festival and all the great talent that gets showcased during this event. We’ve come across another interesting show that has won Best Creative Concept nominee by the Calgary Theatric Critics’ Awards. The show is the Berlin Waltz which is part of the Vancouver Fringe line up at The Cultch. In this production, you are invited on a journey with Devon More as she shares her tales from a 100 mile pilgrimage through the former border zone of the infamous wall. You will hear her recount stories told over many glasses of beer and schnapps. Her story will touch on the ripple effects of the Cold War. In this one-woman show, Devon More, will entertain you with humour, satire, paranoia, propaganda and song. Tickets for this show are available through Vancouver Fringe.com for $14 plus the $5 membership.
Here are some of the things people are saying about the Berlin Waltz:
“More’s Berlin Waltz stands as a love letter to a city, an intimate encounter between biography and history, and also, a call for action.”
joyfulmagpies.com
“Devon brings the history of the Cold War to life. … you’ll exit the performance to ruminate on the show’s poignant message about achieving the impossible through the power of people and art.”
Vue Weekly Edmonton 2016
Share this:
Vancouver Fringe Festival Brings Festa! To The Portuguese Club of Vancouver September 8-18, 2016
6 Sep
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is happening in and around Vancouver September 8th to 18th. There is one show with a very decidedly East Van twist to it, that is Festa! which takes place at the Portuguese Club of Vancouver at 1144 Commercial Drive. This show speaks to us on many levels and we think it will to many others who grew up in East Vancouver. Having parents that immigrated from Europe, our neighbourhood was about as multi-cultural as you could get. It was and still is one of things I loved most about growing up in East Van. It felt like you were celebrating different cultures every day but didn’t really know it at the time. It’s only in looking back you can fully appreciate it. This is what makes Festa! so unique. It was created and will be performed by two Portuguese ladies, Maria J. Cruz and Sandra Medeiros. Maria and Sandra grew up in East Van and met at Charles Tupper Secondary School. They both have fond memories of growing up in East Van. Maria we learnt used to troll the alleyways with her grandfather with a scythe to collect grass for their bunnies whereas Sandra remembers growing up surrounded by hippies and people of various cultures. We hear Sandra even participated in the Miss PCOV Pageant as a teen. We learnt these ladies felt there was a bit of stigma living in East Van, but that it made them tough, scrappy and resourceful. We think this applies to many of us that grew up in East Van. We asked them what they loved most about growing up in a Portuguese family. “The food was always amazing! We have the ability to laugh and joke around, even when you don’t have much. Knowing that your family is fiercely protective and will always have your back. Portuguese families are tight knit and loving, even while driving you crazy!” Now getting back to the food, like many cultures, this is a big part of theirs and experiencing the food is an option while you watch Festa! As this show will be taking place at the Portuguese Club of Vancouver, the Club is offering a special Festa! Menu for $25 which includes:
Calde Verde o Salada Mixta –
Portuguese Kale Soup or a House Salad
Bacalhau a Casa o Feijoada Vegetariano –
Traditional Cod with Fries or Veggie Bean Stew
Pastel de nata o Arroz Doce –
Portuguese egg tart or rice pudding
We are inclined to go for the egg tarts alone. There are not many places left in Vancouver to find them. Tickets for the show are available in advance for $14 through the Vancouver Fringe Festival and $5 for the membership, the Festa meal is of course separate and available once you arrive at The Club. This is one show we plan to see. Hope to see you there!
Share this:
Cathy Jones Brings ‘Stranger To Hard Work’ To The Firehall Arts Centre September 28 – October 8
5 Sep
If you are looking for a laugh and a fun night out, we suggest you grab your tickets to Stranger to Hard Work. The Firehall Arts Centre is kicking off its 34th season with the comedic talent of Cathy Jones. Cathy is the winner of the Gemini Award and co-creator of This Hour Has 22 Minutes and is the toast of Newfoundland. Stranger To Hard Work is a one-woman show in which Cathy shares her life experiences and unique perspective on a variety of topics including money, food, sex, aging, annoying people in your life and our favourite competitive Facebook posts. The show mixes stand up comedy with sketch comedy and will then turn around and delve into the often hilarious struggle called life! Stranger To Hard Work premieres on Wednesday, September 28th and runs till October 8th at the Firehall Arts Centre. Tickets are available online from $25. For those wishing to see the show during the day, there are a number of matinees lined up. For what people are saying about this show, we invite you to check out the write up in the Georgia Straight for starters. It will give you a great run down and having attended opening night, the show is hilarious! You will laugh your ass off and honestly, we can’t wait for the book she refers to in her show. Highly recommend this show.
Share this:
Such A Heart As Yours At The Havana Theatre Sept. 28 – Oct. 1
30 Aug
If you love Shakespeare, this is the summer for you. There are lots of fun adaptions in Vancouver this summer. We’ve learnt of another coming this September called Such A Heart As Yours. The Chambers Theatrical Society brings you a tale as old as time. It goes a little something like this … “Paige is in love with Logan, Logan is in love with Paige, Holly is in love with Travis, Travis is in love with… wait, who is Travis in love with again? And what happened with Holly and Travis the night before they left? Cause they haven’t made eye contact since. So they’re all on a camping trip to the real life Forest of Arden for totally different reasons: for love, for inspiration, for that sweet English weed, but their first night isn’t the educational experience Holly had hoped it would be. As night falls, everything changes. They start to wonder: is Midsummer just a play or is there a secret about this forest just miles away from Shakespeare’s boyhood home? Plus, Logan is acting really strange – is it magic… or something else? What will daylight bring?” The show runs from September 28th to October 1st at the Havana Theatre on the Drive. Tickets are available online for $25 each or $22 each for groups of 5 or more. Fair warning or enticement, take it as you will, the show does contain coarse language, sexual content, magic, break ups, hook ups and general tomfoolery. Which personally we think sounds like a lot of fun.
Share this:
Foto Friday – Vancouver Mural Fest – Amazing Street Art
26 Aug
Did you catch Vancouver’s Inaugural Mural Fest on Saturday, August 20th? We caught some of it and were excited by the energy, artistry and collaboration that went into this amazing event. If you missed the festival, you have ample time to take a walk and/or cycle anytime and take in the newest murals created on the East side of the city. Many of the murals are located in and around the Mount Pleasant area, but there are a few spread out a bit further like the walls of MakerLabs. We actually had the pleasure of meeting one of the artists, Ben Tour, just prior to the inaugural event whose mural is now located at 49th Parallel Coffee on Main Street. We enjoyed a fun evening hosted by Ford Canada celebrating the Vancouver Mural Fest with a scavenger hunt and an opportunity to drive the new Ford Fusion 2017. The icing on the cake for that evening was the opportunity to create our own graffiti street art under the guidance of Ben Tour, but we won’t be showcasing ours. We’ll leave that to the true artists. Speaking of which, we have included some photos of some of the new murals that went up during the Vancouver Mural Fest. There are some 40 odd murals so these photos are only a small representation of what was created, but we have to say the polar bear in a bottle is our personal favourite. We understand this was created by an international artist, but the message within the bottle speaks volumes. We look forward to checking out more of the murals and encourage you to take a walk and/or cycle to see what’s been created. There are, of course, lots of stops along the way to refresh, be it beer, coffee or ice cream along the way. We are looking forward to seeing what next year brings and give high marks to all those that helped make this event happen in Vancouver.
Share this:
Vancouver Fringe Festival Presents Give It Up At The Cultch September 8-18, 2016
24 Aug
The Vancouver Fringe Festival happens September 8th to September 18th at various venues around the City. Another upcoming show we have our eye on is the premiere of comedian Morgan Brayton’s one-person show ‘Give It Up’. Morgan has been working away for 30 years in film, television, theatre and comedy. She is now questioning her life and more specifically if this is it? She wants to know what happened to her big break? Did she miss it? Why hasn’t SNL called yet? In her one-woman show, Morgan weaves decades of performing experiences and anecdotes along with career highs and lows. She has quit the industry several times, only to return (three times now and counting). She has turned her life’s work into a one-hour comedy show which is a mix of true stories peppered with portrayals of outlandish characters met along her career path. Morgan Brayton is also a Canadian Comedy Award nominee and Vancouver Fringe Fest Critic’s Choice Award winner. You are invited to check out her one-woman show which is taking place at The Cultch on September 8th at7:15 pm, September 10th at 8:45 pm, September 14th (5:00 pm for a half price show), Thursday September 15th at 10:30 pm, Friday, September 16th at 6:45 pm and Sunday, September 18th at Noon. Tickets are $14 plus a $5 Vancouver Fringe Festival Membership and are available online at VancouverFringe.com.
ILiveInEastVan.com 