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WORLD THEATRE MONTH World Theatre Day is March 27 this year. The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Association has declared March World Theatre Month in our town, and many companies have responded by staging special events and offering discounted ticket prices and free performances all month. For a full list go to gvpta.ca/world-theatre-day, where you can also read Dame Judi Dench’s World Theatre Day message. The BC Liberals have responded to World Theatre Month and the great success of the Cultural Olympiad by cutting arts funding again in the latest provincial budget. Arts funding in BC—already lowest per capita of any province in Canada (the same government legislates the lowest minimum wage in Canada)—has been cut from $63 million in 2008/09 to $46 million in 2010/11. That last figure includes a mysterious $10 million “supplementary funding” which may go who knows where. And pretty soon our theatres will be hit with the sneaky HST. What an appalling bunch of hypocrites we have governing us. It’s Social Credit 2010. This is a busy week as the Paralympics begin, a host of new events tied to the Cultural Olympiad—and quite a few that are not. Among the highlights: Theatre Replacement premieres its Alcan Award winning project, The Greatest Cities in the World, at the Cultch; Kevin Kerr’s new script for Realwheels, Spine, premieres at SFU Woodwards; HIVE 3, the 3rd incarnation of the remarkable collaborative festival that has changed the face of Vancouver theatre, opens at the Great Northern Way campus; Lucia Frangione’s new play, Paradise Garden, premieres at the Stanley; Judith Thompson’s Body and Soul makes its west coast debut at the Firehall; and Dennis Foon’s timely new play Rick: The Rick Hansen Story is at the Granville Island Stage. The KickStart Festival opens with Jan Derbyshire’s Funny in the Head at UBC’s Telus Studio, and the Chutzpah! Festival continues with new shows Odysseus Chaoticus and Underneath the Lintel, both at the Jewish Community Centre’s Norman Rothstein Theatre. TheatreSports has a new show, In-the-Raw, at the Waterfront. And there’s a feast of dance. Kokoro Dance and Mascall Dance are at the Roundhouse as part of the Vancouver International Dance Festival and Quebec’s Marie Chouinard company performs The Golden Mean at the Playhouse. Continuing this week: The Drowning Girls, another stylish show from Edmonton, at Richmond’s Gateway; the Arts Club’s Saltwater Moon on tour at the Surrey Arts Centre; A Nice Family Gathering at the Metro; 90-year-old wunderkind Antony Holland in Tuesdays with Morrie at North Van’s Presentation House; 2 Heads Talking at Jericho Arts Centre; Chutzpah! Festival’s Donald and Lenoreand Gallim Dance and Sidra Bell Dance at the Jewish Community Centre; and more Playhouse previews of Norm Foster’s The Love List. Anthony Ingram has some issues with Robert Lepage’s aesthetic in general and The Blue Dragon in particular, and he wonders if, with the same budget, we couldn’t do better. Read Anthony’s letter on our Letters page. Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture presents the Kickstart Festival during the Paralympics, beginning with She Laughed! She Cried! at UBC's Telus Theatre, Mar. 12. Fado singer Sara Marreiros and her band are followed by Funny in the Head, Jan Derbyshire’s one-woman show about a bipolar comedianʼs fight to stay funny. With the Cultural Olympiad and Vancouver International Dance Festival, Kickstart presents Configurations at the Roundhouse. On Mar. 20, see Bill Shannon, the “CrutchMaster,” perform Spatial Theory, influenced by house and hip hop dance, silent film and skateboard culture, plus Geometry of the Circle, a duet for dancer and quadriplegic musician choreographed by Peggy Baker and performed by Alison Denham and Mark Brose. Tickets $25-$35. The Mar. 21 Gala offers the same show plus Peggy Baker dancing her solo work earthling, plus a reception and silent auction for $75. Go to www.kickstart-arts.ca for tickets and further info. In the House Festival is holding a Spring Dance – Dance Extravaganza fundraiser of fabulous dancing plus silent auction. Mar. 20, 7 pm, at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Ave. Tickets $20 at www.inthehousefestival.com or $25 at the door. The Arts Club Theatre Company announces a series of wine-oriented fundraisers. The California Winemakers Dinner at Seasons in the Park (Queen Elizabeth Park) on Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 pm will feature Robert Mondavi wines paired with a four-course dinner. Tickets $165, including tax receipt, reception, dinner, and wines. The California Wine Fair Tasting will be held at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, April 7 at 7 pm, with more than 400 wines from over 100 California wineries. Sample wines and bid on silent auction items, including many of the wines featured at the tasting. Tickets $60; $50 per person for groups of six or more. Wine 101 at the Buschlen Mowatt Gallery (1445 W. Georgia St.) on Thursday, April 15 at 7 pm is an interactive, “no experience necessary” tasting event, designed to enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of wine while a celebrity wine expert answers your questions. Tickets are $40. Tickets and information at 604.687.1644 or www.artsclub.com. CALLBOARD Have you ever wanted to work on a great Shakespearean role in a safe, professional environment, away from the pressures of production? The Shakespeare Centre presents The Great Role Laboratory. Hamlet, Othello, Cleopatra, Rosalind...pick your role and join instructor Donald Adams for four sessions of in-depth exploration. Experienced actors only—subject to instructor’s approval. 12 students max. Mondays, Mar. 8, 15, 22, 29, 7-10 pm at Firehall Arts Centre, Cordova and Gore. Cost: $200. Non-refundable deposit of $100 due upon acceptance into class. Contact Donald at 604-727-6091 or iamisaid2001@yahoo.com. The Firehall Arts Centre is soliciting performances for this year’s BC BUDS festival. Held over the May 21st long weekend, it will showcase theatre, dance, music and interdisciplinary artists at the Firehall and around the neighbourhood. All performances are free and will take place in the theatre and unconventional settings like offices, stairwells and basements. Work from all performing arts disciplines will be considered. Pieces from 5 to 30 minutes are ideal. The Festival will consider work staged in non-traditional settings as well as staged readings of full length plays. Some programming will be suitable for families. Applicants must be BC residents actively pursuing a professional career in their artistic discipline. Individuals, companies, and collectives may apply. Deadline for proposals: Monday, Mar. 15, 5pm. For more information or an application form, contact the Firehall at 604-689-0691. Perry Ehrlich’s GOTTA SING! GOTTA DANCE! Musical Theatre Summer Program marks its 16th year this summer at the Jewish Community Centre with an impressive professional faculty. Sessions are July 6-29 and Aug. 3-26. Cost: $550 (members); $650 (non-members). Scholarships are available for students with financial need. Deadline for registration: April 1. Contact Perry at 604-232-7209 or ehrlich@kzellaw.com. www.theimpresario.ca Carousel Theatre is now accepting rentals for the large and small rehearsal studios in their building on Granville Island for the 2010/2011 Season. Renters have access to washrooms, a small kitchenette, some storage, folding tables and chairs as well as some office services. A Yamaha piano and a rolling bar with fridge are also available for rent. Contact Chelsea Haberlin at 604.669.3410 or chelsea@carouseltheatre.ca. The Beaumont Studios at 316 W. 5th Av. has rehearsal space available in three-hour slots, Sunday through Wednesday. Cost is $225/month per slot. terra@thebeaumontstudios.com.
Listen up, Gordon Campbell (and Stephen Harper): THE ARTS ARE NOT SOMEHOW APART
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