An innvovative new production opened at the Firehall Arts Centre on January 20th called PostSecret: The Show. This production brings to life one of the most popular blogs in the world PostSecret.com. In November 2004, US artist, Frank Warren, created a viral movement when he printed 3,000 self-addressed postcards and handed them out to people on the streets and asked them to mail their secrets to his home in Washington, DC. The secrets were to be anonymous and the secret could be regret, fear, betrayal, desire, a confession or childhood humiliation. Postsecret.com is now one of the most visited advertisement-free blogs in the world with over 700 million visitors from all over the world. Vancouver’s TJ Dawe along with other Vancouver collaborators Kahlil Ashanti and Justin Sudds bring to life this innovative project that pushes the boundaries of crowd-sourced storytelling, combining intimate live performance with secrets from around the globe. Part of the aim of the production is to show you are not alone. When you hear some of the secrets revealed, guaranteed you will find ones that resonate with you. For me, it was the postcard that read “Don’t Take Away My Sunshine is the saddest song in the world”. When my dog was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer that took him a few years too early, I sang that song to him all the time. He seemed to love it and showered me with wet dog kisses, but it always pulls at my heart strings. Some of the secrets took on a serious tone, such as suicide, but the positive we came away with is how PostSecrets.com saved so many lives literally and figuratively with words as well as actions. PostSecret: The Show is full of raw human emotion in all its honesty, for better or for worse. Guaranteed you will see yourself in the secrets revealed to the world. Some will make you laugh out loud, some with pull at your heart strings, some will truly make you think, but by the end, the show does in it’s own unique way make you see ‘we are all in this together’. Each and every one of us has the ability to reach out and make a connection to someone and make a difference in someone’s life. Everyone will take away a little something different from this show which has been criticized by a few for being much like a TED Talk. This is a fair comment, but we felt that’s what made for a unique and engaging show. We encourage you to see the human in humanity. PostSecret The Show runs till February 7th at the Firehall Arts Centre. Tickets are available online at Firehall Arts Centre.
Review of PostSecret: The Show Now On At The Firehall Arts Centre
24 Jan
Canadian Premiere of PostSecret: The Show At The Firehall Arts Centre January 20th
19 JanThere is an innovative new production coming to the Firehall Arts Centre on January 20th called PostSecret: The Show. It brings to life one of the most popular blogs in the world PostSecret.com. US artist, Frank Warren, created a viral movement when he printed 3,000 self-addressed postcards and handed them out to people on the streets and asked them to send in their secrets. Postsecret.com is one of the most visited advertisement-free blogs in the world with nearly 700 million visitors. There have been six PostSecret books one of which made it to the New York Times bestseller list. In 2011, 300 of the postcard images became an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art In New York.
On January 20th, Vancouver’s TJ Dawe along with other Vancouver collaborators Kahlil Ashanti and Justin Sudds will create a live immersive experience based on unheard PostSecret stories in collaboration with Frank Warren. This innovative project pushes the boundaries of crowd-sourced storytelling, combining intimate live performance with secrets from around the globe. You can expect a “visual, auditory and emotional journey through the beauty and complication of our deepest fears, ambitions, and confessions.” PostSecret: The Show showcases original music along with recorded voices, projected images and video in the hopes of reminding audiences that no matter what you may be facing in your life, you are not alone.
A preview show takes place January 20th with opening night taking place on January 21st. PostSecret The Show runs till February 7th. Tickets available online at Firehall Arts Centre.
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Review Of Kayak On Now At The Firehall Arts Centre Until January 17th
10 Jan
A new riveting and thought provoking play Kayak produced by Alley Theatre opened at the Firehall Arts Centre on January 8th. The play is written by Jordan Hall who is being hailed as one of Canada’s new emerging artists and recently awarded the Samuel French Award for playwriting for Kayak. After seeing the show, we can see why. The play brings you three very different perspectives on socially relevant issues. First there is Annie Iverson a bleach blonde mother who loves her BMW and is played by Susan Hogan. Annie is on a mission to save her son Peter played by Sebastian Kroon from his radical environmentalist girlfriend, Julie Daniels, played by Marisa Smith. The play weaves together a number of different themes including our personal values, ethical and environmental choices we make daily. Do you drive to work each day in your SUV? Julie would call it your own “personal environmental disaster” and would much prefer you take transit or cycle to reduce your carbon footprint. Whereas Annie is quite happy with her BMW and its kick ass GPS system thank you very much. Peter lies somewhere in the middle trying to find his own footing in the world. He struggles with the traditional establishment values he was raised with and Julie’s ‘save the world’ minimalist views. Should he finish his business degree at Sauder Business School or work on his ethical existence as this may garner Julie’s love.
Annie tries valiantly to thwart her son’s relationship as she tries to impart her own values on her son thinking that what made her happy will make her son happy. Peter, of course, carves out his own future much to his mother’s dismay. If you don’t know the story of Noah’s Ark, you certainly will after this performance. Water is one of the many themes as are natural disasters due to climate change. Even Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth gets a nod in this performance. Establishment vs. environmental, profit vs. sustainability, where do you see yourself as a global citizen? As Julie put so succinctly “meaning well accounts for shit!” Go see Kayak, it will make you think. For us, a sign of a great performance. Kayak the play runs until January 17th at the Firehall Arts Centre.
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KAYAK Opening Night January 8th At The Firehall Arts Centre
4 JanFirehall Arts Centre and Alley Theatre bring you an environmental disaster at sea Kayak. Alley Theatre is an independent Vancouver theatre company who have built a reputation for socially relevant theatre productions. Kayak is a witty and intelligent play about love and idealism and just may change the way you think about climate change. The play is written by one of Canada’s emerging young playwrights, Jordan Hall, of Alley Theatre. The play weaves together the perspectives of three very different characters, a bleach blonde BMW driving Annie who is on a mission to save her son, Peter, from his radical environmentalist girlfriend, Julie. Annie ends up throwing herself into a path of events larger than she could have imagined. Kayak kicks off on January 7th with a preview show at 8:00 pm and a pay what you can matinee at 1:00 pm. Opening night is January 8th at 8:00 pm with the show running until January 17th. Tickets are available online from $16 – $32. What people are saying about Kayak: “Smart, funny, political: if this play were a guy, I’d date him.” – Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight “Kayak really got me where I live. . . . This is a terrific, even terrifying, play that delivers some surprises.” – Vancouver Courier
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Chelsea Hotel: Songs of Leonard Cohen At The Firehall Arts Centre December 13th to January 3rd
8 Dec
You are invited to check out New York’s infamous hotel, The Chelsea Hotel, which makes a special return to the Firehall Arts Centre December 13th to January 3rd. Leonard Cohen’s powerful and inspirational music is the heartbeat of Chelsea Hotel, as six performers play seventeen different instruments in a rollicking tribute to the remarkable writer. Through Cohen’s transcendent songs and the honesty of his lyrics, you will be transfixed by this eclectic cabaret of loves won and lost. Opening night for Chelsea Hotel is December 17th and the show runs till January 3rd with half price previews on December 13th, 14th and 16th. You can also check out the show for Pay What You Can matinee at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, December 17th. Or you can ring in the New Year with the Chelsea Hotel. The Firehall Arts Centre will be throwing a bohemian New Year’s bash which includes champagne, hors d’oeuvres, a DJ and, of course, lots of Leonard Cohen songs. Tickets are available for $75 which includes entry to the Chelsea Hotel show, nibbles and a glass of champagne at midnight.
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things near + far At The Firehall Arts Centre December 3 – 6
23 Nov
The Firehall Arts Centre presents an intergenerational dance piece featuring two of Canada’s most famous choreographers who are premiering things near + far from December 3rd to 6th. Two choreographers from opposite ends of Canada, veteran Ottawa dance icon Tedd Robinson and young contemporary Vancouver trailblazer Josh Martin create two new works for the eclectic trio of Anne Cooper, Ziyian Kwan and Ron Stewart. This bold and unusual meeting of generations, ideas and interdisciplinary innovation is completed with original music by electroaccoustic Quebec composer Charles Quevillon and Vancouver’s Stefan Smulovitz. The work is about both the accumulation and dissipation of what has come before, exploring the past works and bodies these artists have each inhabited in their expansive careers thus far – some together, some apart – triggering a shared state of recall in one another and infusing the movement of this eclectic dance. These memories are woven together to build a poignant intersection of people and histories, forming the here and now, before again moving outward. Things near + far runs December 3rd – 6th with a talkback show on December 4th. Tickets are available online from $22 – $32.
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Urinetown: The Musical Comes To Firehall Arts Centre until November 29th
4 Nov
The Firehall Arts Centre takes on environmental disaster, water shortages and big corporations with the absurd and outrageous Broadway hit Urinetown: The Musical. Opening night kicks off Wednesday, November 5th with a new production of this Tony award winning musical. It is the biggest show the theatre has staged. It will feature 16 of Vancouver’s most talented performers, 5 musicians and we hear laugh out loud humour. The show first appeared as a New York Fringe production in 2001 before moving to Off-Broadway and went on to become a Broadway hit.
Urinetown: The Musical is set in a future in which drastic water shortages and a large corporation with a monopoly on all toilets force citizens have to pay for the privilege to pee. The show will feature an amazing cast including Proud star, Andrew Wheeler, David Adams who is a Jessie Award veteran, playwright and performer Meghan Gardiner of Dissolve, Tracey Power, creator of Chelsea Hotel and Anton Lipovetsky a Bard on the Beach actor and Broken Sex Doll composer to name but a few of the performers. Tickets for Urinetown: The Musical are available from $21 to $42 and can be purchased online at Firehall Arts Centre. For those on a budget there will be a Pay What You Can Show on Wednesday, November 5th at 1:00 p.m.
What people are are saying about Urinetown:
Everybody’s going to want to see this show. Go with the flow.” – Georgia Straight
‘a tiny, perfect taste of Broadway” – Vancouver Sun
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My Rabbi Coming To The Firehall Arts Centre October 7th – 18th
3 Oct
After a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Vancouver’s Kayvon Kelly and Saskatoon’s Joel Bernbaum bring their original play My Rabbi to the Firehall Arts Centre starting October 7th. The story takes you on the spiritual journey of two boy hood friends, one Jewish and the other Muslim, and delves into the lines between faith and friendship with heartfelt comedic drama. The story is inspired by their real-life friendship and gives a uniquely personal and Canadian perspective on complex issues around the clash of Judaism and Islam. Co-creator Kayvon Kelly says the play is about “… the connection between two boyhood friends, but at its heart it is about Canadian identity and how that relates to the battle between old world politics and religious boundaries.” The play begins Tuesday, October 7th at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova Street. To purchase tickets visit Firehall Arts Centre. Note for those on a budget, the show on Wednesday, October 15th at 1:00 pm is Pay What You Can.
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Dancing On The Edge Festival Firehall Arts Centre July 3 – 12
26 Jun
The Firehall Arts Centre presents the 2014 Dancing on the Edge Festival July 3rd – July 12th. The festival presents innovative art in unexpected places with six site-specific, by donation performances around Vancouver during the 10-day contemporary dance festival. Whether it’s following performers and musicians around the waterfront Portside Park at dusk, getting entangled in a giant interactive dance machine, Japanese Butoh at Wreck Beach, a moveable feast in the Firehall Arts Centre Courtyard or dance in the outdoor SFU Woodward’s Atrium, the festival is challenging audiences to think outside the black box.
“It’s about taking dance off the stage and showing it can happen anywhere. I believe it adds a level of excitement to experience live performance in a non-traditional setting where wouldn’t expect it and for the artists, it allows them to test how a piece works in a different environment,” says Festival Director Donna Spencer.
New to Dancing on the Edge this year is a ‘Dance Passport’, which allows you to participate in a live performance ‘scavenger hunt’ to the five site-specific shows downtown and collect stamps along the way. Once you have three stamps, you are eligible for a free ticket to a show at the festival.
SITE SPECIFIC PERFORMANCES BY DONATION
DUSK DANCES: July 4 – 6, 7pm | Portside Park
A magical evening with live music featuring a Japanese Butoh-inspired work by Denise Fujiwara, the hilarious synchronized mini pool swimming champs, an ode to the West Coast rain forest and a fusion of contemporary dance and traditional Cree dance from Compaigni V’ni Dansi.
DANCE MACHINE: July 8 – 12 | The Hopbopshop (Maclean & Powell)
Come out and play! Explore the giant interactive dance machine created by Lee Su-Feh, Justine Chambers & Jesse Garlick. FREE, drop-in.
CRUMBLING: July 11, 8:15pm | Firehall Arts Centre Courtyard
A Butoh piece choreographed by Vancouver’s Barbara Bourget (Kokoro Dance) for Mathew Romantini.
FEAST: July 12, 8:15pm | Firehall Arts Centre Courtyard
A visceral, dream-like moveable feast of performance by Katie Devries starring 10 of Vancouver’s finest dancers.
VERITAS. TRUTH: July 9 – 11, 12.15pm + 1pm | SFU Woodward’s Atrium
Developed with Modus Operandi dancers, this piece looks at the human desire to seek out unity & order.
WRECK BEACH BUTOH: July 12, 11:45am | Wreck Beach #4 Trailhead
What better place for Butoh then on the beach?! A clothing option performance for audiences.
For more information about the festival and the artists, visit Dancing On The Edge.
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EAT.DRINK.PLAY. At The Firehall Arts Centre June 19th
9 Jun
The Firehall Arts Centre invites you to its annual fundraiser EAT.DRINK.PLAY. being held on Thursday, June 19th from 7 – 10 pm at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova Street. You can expect an unforgettable evening that celebrates locally produced food, drink and performance. The event will showcase a selection of food from Gastown and Railtown’s burgeoning food scene graciously provided by Lily Mae’s, Peckinpah, Cadeaux Bakery, The Irish Heather, Salt Tasting Room, Bitter, Hogan’s Alley Cafe, Deacon’s Corner, Mahoney & Sons, Elephant and Castle, and Scent of a Sandwich. Tastings of micro brewery Parallel 49’s seasonal offerings will be available, plus vodka and crème de cassis from Odd Society Spirits.
The celebration of all things local will continue with a feature ‘taster flight’ of live theatre, dance and music performed around the Firehall building including an acoustic performance by rising theatre star and three-time Jessie Award nominee Kayvon Kelly (Chelsea Hotel) and a performance by Proud star Emmelia Gordon. Throughout the evening, you will also have the opportunity to bid on a fantastic range of items in a silent auction generously donated by local businesses, including Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, TELUS World of Science, PuSH International Performing Arts Festival, Vancouver Fringe Festival, SPUD Urban Delivery and Modo Car Co-Op. All proceeds go toward helping the Firehall bring us fantastic cutting-edge theatre and dance to Vancouver. Tickets are available for $31 which includes food, drink tastings and a drink on arrival. Note, artists tickets are $16. For ticket information or purchase, call T: 604.689.0926 or visit Firehall Arts Centre. Come out and support his amazing venue!
ILiveInEastVan.com 