If you are looking for a fun, creative summer camp for your kids, you may wish to mark your calendar for registration day which is Monday, March 20th. Theatre Replacement is offering a great 5 day summer camp for kids aged 5-10 years of age called PantoLand Academy. The camp is based on the East Van Panto and can accommodate up to 70 children. They will learn the whacky and fun world of panto which includes learning to sing, dance, dress up and create. The camps will be led by a team of accredited teachers and members of the East Van Panto’s creative team. At the end of the camp, the children will get to perform onstage at The Cultch for their friends and families. Two camps are being offered, one being July 31st to August 4th, 2017 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 pm (Monday – Friday) and the second camp runs from August 8th to August 12th, 2017 (Tuesday – Saturday). Cost is $275 per child plus tax. The camps will be held at The Cultch at Venables & Victoria Drive. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. on March 20th, 2017 and can be done online at East Van Panto/PantoLand. Note, registration is first-come, first served and we heard last year’s camp sold out in a matter of minutes. Although they are offering 2 camps this year, we expect these spots will fill quickly. For those interested, you may wish to mark you calendar so you don’t miss it. If you have questions about the program, you can contact Theatre Replacement’s Associate Producer, June Fukumura at june@theatrereplacement.org.
PantoLand Academy Comes To The Cultch – Summer Camp In 2017 For Kids
8 Mar
Portraits In Motion At The Cultch February 24-26, 2017
25 Jan
A very unique show, Portraits In Motion, is back by popular demand. If you love photography, this is the show to see. Volker Gerling is a photographer and animator that uses flipbook to show you intimacy in motion. His work consists of rapidly taken photos of people which he projects onto a screen to create a moving image while recounting stories behind the images. His aim is to show you a glimpse of the human persona. It can be an awkward embrace, the end or beginning of a smile, something sad or you may see a recognition of something that’s happened in your own life. Volker Gerling has walked over 3,500 miles of Germany, showing his “thumb cinema” to people and gathering new portraits for it. Portraits in Motion has toured internationally. Portraits In Motion is on now at The Cultch with a post-show talkback this evening. Show runs for 65 minutes, no intermission. Tickets are available online from The Cultch.
What people are saying about Portraits in Motion.
“In Volker Gerling’s tiny flipbooks, great things emerge from small candid portraits of strangers that offer fascinating glimpses into the human soul” –
Broadway Baby
“Uniquely heart-warming” – The Times
Photo Credit: Franz Ritschel
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Mouthpiece At The Cultch January 31 – February 5, 2017
16 Jan
An interesting show that has our attention is coming to The Cultch January 31st. It’s called Mouthpiece. The show features what goes through a woman’s mind during the course of one day. Here you will see the push and pull, the past and present, the progress and regression along with all the inner conflict that exists within a woman’s head. Interwoven within the show is a cappella harmony, text and movement. Mouthpiece is a ‘harrowing, humourous and heart-wrenching journey into the female psyche’. The show hails from Toronto where it had a sold-out run. It comes to The Cultch on a national tour and is presented with the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. The show opens January 31st at 8:00 pm and runs till February 5, 2017. If you are interested in an Artist Talkback evening, that will be held February 1st. Tickets are available online at The Cultch.
Photo Credit: Joel Clifton
What people are saying about Mouthpiece:
“It’s an engrossing and virtuosic performance, layered with meaning…”
Toronto Star
“Mouthpiece holds you transfixed until the very end”
Scene Changes
★★★★ (out of four)
The Globe and Mail
“…a sophisticated, nuanced, complex portrait of the woman’s voice. It offers an incisive, humorous, thoughtful, afflictive telling of a narrative that is undeniably true, yet criminally underrepresented”
Espace Musique
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The Fighting Season At The Cultch January 10-21, 2017
30 Dec
Vancouver based theatre company Bleeding Heart Theatre is bringing The Fighting Season to the Culture Lab at The Cultch January 10- 21, 2017. This show is written by Vancouver playwright Sean Harris Oliver. His inspiration for this play came from his father who was deployed in Afghanistan as a field medic. The story is told through his father’s eyes and that of a recovery room nurse. This show played to sold out audiences at the 2015 Vancouver Fringe Festival and was awarded the Georgia Straight’s Critics Choice Award. The show previews January 10th with opening night kicking off on January 11th and running to January 21st. A couple of matinees are offered January 15th and 21st. Tickets are $20 and available online from The Cultch.
Photo Credit: Emily Cooper
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CREEPS Comes To The Cultch November 30 – December 10, 2016
21 Nov
The play CREEPS premiered in 1971. At that time, it was David E. Freeman’s first play for which he won the Chalmers Award for Outstanding Play Award, the New York Drama Award for Outstanding New Playright in 1973 and one of the six Edinburgh “Fringe” Festival Awards in 1979. This is a unique and sometimes dark comedy that features a mix of abilities and as it is set in the 1970s the language from that time will raise some interesting questions. Three cast members have disabilities and the other 4 cast members are from the professional theatre community. The play features men that work in a workshop doing rather mundane work. They become tired of the way they are treated and end up barricading themselves in a washroom. You are invited to join the cast for an evening of savage wit and uncompromising truth-telling. The play previews November 30th with Opening Night taking place on December 1st. The show runs to December 10th and its run happens to fall on International Day of Disability on December 3rd on which day a 2 for 1 special ticket price is being offered followed by a post-show reception. Tickets start from $18 and are available online from The Cultch.
Photo Credit: Tim Matheson
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All Hell Is Breaking Loose At The Cultch November 8-12
7 Nov
Now that we have your attention, we think more than the title of this show will get your attention. All Hell is Breaking Loose features four male dancers who plan to deconstruct the typical North American stereotypes of men. That being, the t-shirt wearing, beer swilling baseball crazed with the occasional violent outburst. Then add to that the confusion of some men and oh, the mood swings not just reserved for women. The show choreographed by Frederick Gravel explores masculinity through dance and music. The show kicks off Tuesday, November 8th at the Historic Theatre in The Cultch and runs to November 12th. Tickets start at $20 and are available online via The Cultch. Please note, this show does contain male nudity.
What people are saying about All Hell Breaking Loose:
“An explosive exploration of masculinity that is half dance, one quarter performance art, and one quarter rock show”
The Ottawa Citizen
“A show that exacerbates the beauty of the complaint as the cry, howl desperate and beautiful from the injured animal.”
Paris Art (Paris, France)
Photo Credit: Dave St. Pierre
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The Elephant Wrestler Comes To The Cultch November 1 – 5
26 Oct
The Cultch and Diwali Fest present the Canadian premiere of the award-winning Elephant Wrestler at the Historic Theatre at The Cultch. The show has been earning rave reviews in New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the U.S. Indian Ink Theatre Company will be displaying their theatrical muscle in a tale bristling with mischief, mayhem, and the maddening magic of India. The story is inspired by a traditional Indian fairy tale in which The Elephant Wrestler follows a poor ‘chai-wallah’ (tea-seller) as he attempts to solve the interwoven mysteries of true love, tragedy and joy. Kutisar is a dubious spiritual guide that is also a buck-toothed chameleon, channeling seventeen characters and leaping to multiple locations. You can expect a romantic thriller which will dispense a unique brand of mystical wisdom add in some absurdity. Expect to laugh, cry and be entertained as we hear the live soundtrack provided by his mute sidekick, Dave, is pretty amazing. The show runs from November 1st to November 5th. Tickets are available online from The Cultch and start from $20.
What people are saying about The Elephant Wrestler:
“Rajan’s performance is a mesmerizing blend of showmanship and
charisma…impressive is the show’s bittersweet humour…
special mention must go to David Ward’s musical accompaniment” –
New Zealand Herald
“Flawless…cleverly constructed, full of melodramatic
twists and humourous asides”
Sydney Morning Herald
“Sheer brilliance…a joy to behold”
Dominion Post
“Nothing short of genius”
Time Out Singapore
Photo Credit: Robert Catto
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The Pianist: A Concert Catastrophe At The York Theatre October 25 – November 6
20 Oct
One hears the term ‘pianist’ and you may think classical music, some tinkling of the ivories, well this is no ordinary piano performance. The Pianist is a mix of clowning mixed with contemporary circus along with catastrophic comedy. Add to that this all takes place in, around and under or maybe on a grand piano. The Pianist we hear glides through an impeccable high society performance which is being touted as utter ‘perfection’ This show is an all ages performance with tickets available for children (aged 18 years and under) for $20. Family packs are also available family packs available for $120 (for 2 adults and 2 children). The show opens Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00 pm and runs till November 6 with several matinees on October 29, 30 and November 6. Tickets are available from The Cultch.
Here’s what people are saying about The Pianist:
“It would be no exaggeration to declare Thomas Monckton nothing short
of a genius… Imaginative, inventive, and immaculately performed,
this is clowning at its best.”
Broadway Baby
“Sensational, brilliant, absolutely amazing”
Taranaki Daily News
“Something special… his ability to hold our attention and make us laugh
is a master class in clowning.”
The Scotsman
“Amazing performance. Physical comedy at its best.”
ILiveInEastVan.com
Photo Credit: Heli Sorjonen
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Empire Of The Son Returns To The Cultch November 1-13, 2016
3 Oct
If you missed the sold out premiere of Empire Of The Son last fall, you are in luck. This wildly successful performance, which included an extended run, is returning to The Cultch in the VanCity Culture Lab from Tuesday, November 1st to Sunday, November 13th. Empire Of The Son is written and performed by Tetsuro Shigematsu who is the former host of CBC’s The Round. Tetsuro brings us the story of his personal relationship with his father who is dying. They are separated by a generation but connected by blood. Tetsuro’s father speaks several different languages and possesses different values but what has kept them apart for so many years is their similarities. This is a story of two generations of broadcasters who have a lifetime of radio silence between them. With time running out, Tetsuro attempts to reach out to his dying father but is constrained by outmoded yet persistent cultural traditions about it means to “be a man”.
Empire of the Son uses a series of audio interviews, a camera, miniatures and projector to conjure up worlds from the ashes of Hiroshima to the glass towers of Vancouver and beyond. This is a unique theatrical experience that is intimately connected to real life in real time. It is a funny and poignant story of one immigrant family, their intergenerational conflicts in this one man show that blurs the lines between artistic disciplines and continents. There are a number of matinees for this run including November 5, 6, 9, 12 and 13 at 2:00 pm and you can enjoy a post-show Q&A on November 3, 8 and 10. Tickets are $55 each and available online at The Cultch. If you wish to catch this performance this time around, we encourage you to grab your tickets.
Here’s what people are saying about Empire Of The Son:
“Exquisite. I’m telling all of the people I love most to see this show…I can’t say enough good things about Empire of the Son” – Colin Thomas, The Georgia Straight
“Filled with hilarity and heartbreak” – The Ubyssey
“Grief stripped raw in all its beauty” – Vancouver Sun
“Tetsuro Shigematsu’s Empire of the Son is a stunner” – Westender
“Empire of the Son is jewel-like in its sparkle and perfection” – JoLedingham.ca
“Empire of the Son is gorgeous” – Vancouver Presents!
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Rodney DeCroo Releases New Music Video Created With Templeton Students
28 Sep
East Vancouver folk singer-songwriter Rodney DeCroo launched his music video created with Templeton High School students this past weekend. In case you missed the free showing of DeCroo’s new video this past Saturday at The Cultch, it’s now available for viewing on You Tube. We invite you to check out this unique creative collaboration. For a bit of background on the creation of the video, check out our write up on September 20th. If you want to see DeCroo play live and missed the recent show that accompanied the music video launch, you get another chance. Rodney DeCroo and The Dead South will be playing The Biltmore Cabaret on December 3rd. Tickets are available from Tickefly.com.
ILiveInEastVan.com 