Tag Archives: The Cultch

Special East Van Event At The Cultch September 24th Music Video Launch-Rodney DeCroo

20 Sep

stupidboyinanuglytownYou 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.

Smash Hit Motherload Returns To The Cultch October 4-15, 2016

15 Sep

motherloadThe 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

Vancouver Fringe Presents The Berlin Waltz At The Cultch September 8–18, 2016

7 Sep

berlinwaltzSo 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

8th Annual Free Community Square Dance At The Cultch September 23rd

31 Aug

SquareDanceTheCultch.jpgYou are invited to the 8th Annual Free Community Square Dance being held at The Cultch on Friday, September 23rd.  This is a family friendly dance featuring caller Paul Silveria, who also goes by the name of Professor Banjo. There will be live music by The New Short Mountain Deadbeats who will entertain you with old-time string band music. The square dancing is aimed for a beginner friendly environment. For those that need a lesson or a refresher, Paul will be teaching all the moves on the spot. So no previous experience is required, just come on down. This event is an all ages event and is open to everyone.  Although free, an RSVP is requested.  The fun kicks off at 7:00 pm and goes till 10:00 pm. Bring your dancing shoes.

Vancouver Fringe Festival Presents Give It Up At The Cultch September 8-18, 2016

24 Aug

Give It Up Wide (1)

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.

Exhibit Opening Every Day in Every Way At The Cultch Gallery August 4th

3 Aug

Deborah-Leigh-225x300The Gallery at The Cultch invites you to an opening reception this Thursday, August 4th. It is a group exhibition from Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture which features artists living with disabilities.  We are thrilled to see some great artists in this mix including one we’ve featured here at ILiveInEastVan.com, that being L.J. Throstle.  Other artists include Deborah Leigh, whose work is pictured to the left, Dawn Margaret Enman, Take5 and Trish Smith.  All the artists will be on hand for this reception which kicks off at 6:00 pm and runs till 8:00 pm. This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend.  If you miss the opening reception, the exhibit will run until August 27th. 

Image by Deborah Leigh

Accordion Noir Festival September 9 & 10, 2016

27 Jul

AccordionNoir2016A couple of great events lined up for this September at two local venues as part of the 9th Annual Accordion Noir Festival. First up is Love Potion Cabaret on September 9th at the York Theatre.   This is being billed as “an intoxicating elixir of world class artists”.  This is an eccentric multi-lingual cabaret featuring music, visuals and text based on a poem by Edgar Allen Poe.  You can expect a  mix of accordion, vocals, beatboxing, looping and flute add to that some acrobatics, clowning with tex-mex flavoured squeezebox.  Local composer Nathan Shubert premiers a new work for accordion and sheng with Tim Chan.  This event kicks off 8:30 pm on September 9th. Tickets are available in advance for $18 until August 24th. After that, they will be $22 and are available from The Cultch.

Next up is the Move the Mess Around Dance Party being held on September 10th at the Wise Hall.   We hear this is going to be a dance party mixer of epic proportions. Pinata Protest brings shredding lead accordion to a mix of old school punk rock and traditional Latin border music.  On hand will be local squeezebox superstar Jack Garton with his roots roller-coaster band the Demon Squadron as they celebrate the release of their new album “Move the Mess Around”.   You can expect square dance,  accordion, clowning and acrobatics. You are invited to come down and limber up and get cheeky.  Tickets are available in advance for $18 until August 24th. After that they will be $22 and again are available online from The Cultch.

The Fakespeare Festival At The York Theatre August 3-28

29 Jun

Fakespeare 

Shakespeare fans take note.  Awkward Stage Production is bringing The Fakespeare Festival “Like Shakespeare, Only Better” to The York Theatre from August 3rd to August 28th. They will be bringing you two shows that will alternate each night.  First up is TITUS, The Light and Delightful Musical Comedy of Titus Andronicus which was the Pick of the Fringe last year.  The writers of this production, Andrew Wade and Jenny Andersen, are expanding this Fringe hit to a two act musical.   We hear the Vancouver Sun gave this show 5 stars, so we think this just might be something to see.  TITUS kicks off on August 6th. The festival begins on August 3rd with Shakespeare parodies Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet starting things off. Tickets for the shows are available online through The Cultch and prices range from $20 to $35 with $5 on the preview nights which for TITUS is August 5th and for Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet is August 3rd.

Take A Bow At The Cultch May 6 & 7 Celebrating Life & Music of David Bowie

4 May

TakeABowIt has truly been a year for losing music legends, so we were pleased to see this event coming to The Cultch this weekend. Avant Dance Co. presents Take A Bow which celebrates the life and music of David Bowie.  David Robert Jones known by most as David Bowie was an English, singer, songwriter and record producer and like Prince, he danced to his own beat. David Bowie was a true innovator and had a career spanning five decades before he passed on January 10th of this year.   This weekend, the Avant Dance Co. will explore the different faces of Bowie’s music through a variety of dance styles which will include ballet, hip hop and contemporary.  This presentation is for two nights only Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th at 8:00 pm at The Cultch. Adult tickets are $25, student/senior $20 and children 12 and under $15. Tickets are available online or by calling the box office.

Dirty Old Woman At The Cultch April 12-24

7 Apr

DirtyOldWomanAn older woman dating a younger man wasn’t quite as common as it’s now becoming, but women are still getting quite a bit of heat for doing something men have been doing for years.  So we are very interested to see how an upcoming show at The Cultch tackles this issue.  Dirty Old Woman which begins at The Cultch on April 12th had a sold out run at the Vancouver Fringe.  It features Nina, a 50-something-year old divorcee, who decides to venture back into the world of dating.  She meets Gerry, a young man 20 years her junior, and woola the sparks fly in more ways than one. What happens next include judgments, double standards and we hear a lot of laughs as Nina tries to navigate the murky seas of dating a younger man.   The show runs April 12 to 24 at The Cultch. Tickets are available online from $20. Post talkback shows are April 17th and 19th and we expect this conversation could be just as interesting as the show itself.

“Dirty Old Woman is a wickedly fearless must-see” 
The Georgia Straight