The Firehall Arts Centre is one of many venues for this year’s Vancouver Fringe Festival running from September 10th to the 20th. Another great production happening during the festival is Oh the Humanity (and other good intentions) brought to you by Staircase Theatre. Oh the Humanity is a witty show that examines the nature of human misery through a filter of jet black comedy. It is a series of 5 short plays about people trying to cope with the basic trial of being human among other humans and honestly, when haven’t we all struggled with that every now and again. In this show, two actors craft four characters each, including a coach who calls a press conference to explain why his team has lost every game in the season, a video dating service promoting two people that have nothing better to recommend than the fact that they are not visibly bleeding, a pair of photographers attempting to re-shoot a graphic war time photo without the original source material, a couple attempting to attend a funeral, or possibly a christening, no, a funeral, with poor results, an airline representative explaining to the families of crash victims what happened to the best of her abilities – despite the fact she lucked, or rather unlucked, her way into the job. Oh the Humanity runs at the Firehall Arts Centre from September 11th to 16th. Tickets for the show are available at Vancouver Fringe Festival.
Oh The Humanity Runs At The Firehall Arts Centre September 11 – 16
11 Sep
Mrs. Singh & Me Kicks Off At The Cultch September 11th
9 Sep
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is back and runs from September 10th to 20th at various venues around the Lower Mainland. The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, is one of the venues in which performances will be held. One show that caught our eye is Mrs. Singh & Me which runs from September 11-13, 15, 18 and the 20th which is being presented by the South Asian Arts Society. What’s with this story and why is it unique? Well imagine if Romeo had kidnapped Juliet’s mother. What do you think would have happened next? In this dark comedy by playwright Munish Sharma explores that idea. In Mrs. Singh & Me, love is truly is in the air, but Mrs. Kuldeep Singh is having none of it. Her instincts could be right or she could be missing out on the best son-in-law she could ever ask for namely Raj, whose methods are as extreme as his heart is sure. Mrs. Singh & Me confronts cultural traditions and tackles generational differences along with a generous helping of chai and cookies. Tickets are available online at Vancouver Fringe or in person from September 8-20 at the Fringe Box Office located at 1398 Cartwright Street on Granville Island.
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Stationary: A Recession-Era Musical At The Cultch April 21 – May 2
14 Apr
The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, invites you to see Stationary: A Recession-Era Musical which begins on April 21st. This is an indie-rock musical created by Delinquent Theatre about six young employees of a floundering advertising agency. Under the fluorescent lights of real life, where obligations loom and social niceties loom large, they learn quickly where big dreams meet reality. You can expect to be entertained with some rap, authentic indie rock and the cast will tackle post-recession existence with ukulele in hand. Playwright, actor and Artistic Producer, Christine Quintana says “Stationary isn’t just a think-piece about hopeless millennials, it asks the question – what happens now?” Very good question, we are looking forward to seeing the answer. Stationary: A Recession-Era Musical previews on April 21st with opening night on April 22nd. The show continues its run until May 2nd. Tickets are available online at The Cultch or by telephone 604.251.1363 starting from $19.
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The Duchess At The Cultch April 7 – 18
6 Apr
Well before there was reality television or even television for that matter, there were real life characters that created drama in their wake such as The Duchess also known as Wallis Simpson. She was the notorious convention-smashing American divorcee for whom Edward VIII gave up the throne for after their scandalous affair. Six months after being abdicated from the thrown, Edward VIII married the Duchess. Although the monarch has never been short on drama, The Duchess was unlike any other before her or since. The play The Duchess also known as Wallis Simpson is by the late Linda Griffiths. It is an epic as well as true tale with the play being a long time in the making. The play features 10 local actors and takes you through the tumultuous adult life of The Duchess. Along the way you will meet some historical figures that crossed her path including Noel Coward, King George V, Hitler and Queen Mary. The Duchess kicks off at The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, on April 7th with a preview, opening night takes place on April 8th and the show continues its run until April 18th. Tickets are available online at The Cultch from $19.
Photo Credit: Tim Matheson of Diane Brown.
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Proud Returns To Firehall Arts Centre April 7 – 25
18 Mar
Proud makes a return to the Firehall Arts Centre on April 7th. If you missed it last year, you missed one wickedly entertaining show. Proud is a play written by Michael Healey about the Right Honourable Stephen Harper. The Prime Minister is played by Andrew Wheeler who provides an amazing performance of the man himself. It really is quite something to see. But the rest of the cast shines as well including his Chief of Staff and his new sassy MP Jisbella Lyth played by Emmelia Gordon. You will be drawn in from the very first line. The show is hilarious, sexy and witty. No matter what your politics, there is something to entertain everyone here. Proud starts at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East Cordova Street, on April 7th and runs till April 25th. Tickets start at $22.
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Obaaberima At The Cultch March 24 – April 4
9 Mar
The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, invites you to see Obaaberima which begins on March 24th. The play chronicles the tale of a young African-Canadian’s journey across continents, genders, races and sexualities. Obaaberima is a derogatory term meaning girly boy. The play will explore an important and often unheard perspective on the queer experience in Canada, that being first-generation queer immigrants. This is expected to be a powerhouse performance that blends theatre, spoken word, music and dance. Ghanaian-Canadian Tawiah M’carthy will give voice to people caught between their homeland and their new home. Obaaberima begins on March 24th and runs till April 4th . Tickets are available online at The Cultch starting from $19.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Mimnagh
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PROOF At Havana Theatre February 18 – 28
16 Feb
Flickering Light Productions presents PROOF at the Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Drive, from February 18th to February 28th. PROOF is the story of a young woman named Catherine. She is the daughter of Robert, a brilliant mathematician who misplaces both his brilliance and his sanity in his later years. Catherine, who is a budding mathematician herself, lives in her father’s shadow. Catherine gives up her schooling and her most creatively productive years in order to take care of her father. After her father’s death, a former student of her father’s comes to examine his papers, hoping to find valuable material in his notebooks. Catherine instantly distrusts his motives. Her sister Claire, questioning Catherine’s mental health, wants to move her from Chicago to New York.
This play by David Auburn is a compelling human drama. He reveals how fragile our hold on reality is while at the same time reminding us that finding trust and love is even more difficult than discovering truth. PROOF begins Wednesday, February 18th at Havana Theatre and runs until February 28th. Tickets are available in advance from Eventbrite from $19. Please note this play contains strong language and is not recommended for children.
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Motherload At The Cultch February 3rd to 21st
14 Jan
The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, invites you to check out Motherload starting February 3rd. This 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 February 3rd at 8:00 pm with a preview show, opening night is February 4th and the show runs until February 21st. For the moms or dads wishing to see the show with ‘Babes in Arms’, there will be matinee performances on February 8th and 14th at 2:00 pm where you can bring children 2 and under. Tickets are available online at The Cultch starting from $19.
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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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