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9TH ANNUAL CHUTZPAH! FESTIVAL (Theatre) Chutzpah!’s 2009 theatre line-up promises to “This year we are extremely proud to present an outstanding fusion of theatre with other genres to create exceptionally emotive experiences” says Chutzpah! Artistic and Managing Director Mary-Louise Albert. “Audiences can get their toes tapping to the rhyming epic The Devil and Billy Markham; enjoy a story told as much through beautiful movement in The Invisible Life of Joseph Finch; recall how precious freedom is through Pitch Blonde; and reflect on families lost, found and fondly remembered in East of Berlin and The Sputniks.”
Presented by Chutzpah!,Touchstone Theatre, Firehall Arts Centre and Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad “Beautifully written…a hugely compelling production.” – CBC, Here and Now “…those looking for real theatre, the kind that stretches your heart and your brain, will be well-rewarded…Bravo, in fact to everyone connected with East of Berlin” - Toronto Star Both gripping and surprisingly funny, Hannah Moscovitch’s East of Berlin is a stirring meditation on the psychological legacy of the Holocaust by one of Canada’s most respected and innovative theatre companies. Rudi grew up in Paraguay, blissfully unaware of his father’s horrific actions during WWII. After discovering the devastating truth, he travels to Berlin in an attempt to start a new life and make up for the wrongs done before him. East of Berlin is the second play by playwright Hannah Moscovitch whose first work The Russian Play established her as a theatrical innovator and someone to watch. Hannah is a 2001 graduate of the National Theatre School’s acting program, and in that same year she founded Absit Omen Theatre with her classmate, Michael Rubenfeld. Hannah began focusing on playwriting in 2002, when her play Cigarettes and Tricia Truman was staged as part of the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s FourPlay Series. Hannah’s other plays include Essay, which premiered at SummerWorks Festival in 2005, where it won the Contra Guys Award for Best New Play. The Russian Play also premiered that year at SummerWorks, where it was awarded the Jury Prize for Best New Production. East of Berlin, written while Hannah was part of the Tarragon Playwrights Unit, premiered at that theatre in the fall of 2007. A native of Ottawa, Hannah now lives in Toronto, where she is playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre. She has been commissioned to create new works for the stage with a number of Canada’s most exciting established and experimental theatre companies, including Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg, Volcano Theatre in Toronto, and 2b Theatre Company in Halifax. Hannah is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. When: February 18th to 28th at 8.00pm Where: Firehall Arts Centre & various 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm matinees
Presented by Chutzpah! and Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad “In many ways, the evening is a remarkable accomplishment….Jonathon Young delivers a bravura solo performance” - Georgia Straight “Bennathan's language is poetic, lyrical and lush with images… [and] while not a trained dancer, Young simply dances this story to life.” -Vancouver Courier The Invisible Life of Joseph Finch tells the story of a man sitting at an airport café writing his life story in a letter to the daughter he has searched for since the liberation of Auschwitz. Having discovered her at last in Toronto, at the age of 83, he has decided to immigrate to Canada to join her. The letter, he says, is “the book of my life that finally I will be able to close.” A remarkable tour de force of a bittersweet remembrance of a love that triumphs and thrives against all odds. This piece – the first play by celebrated choreographer Bennathan – received kudos when it was premiered in the 2007 Chutzpah! Festival and returns by popular demand in 2009. Serge Bennathan is the former artistic director of Toronto’s Dancemakers from 1990 to 2006. The French-born choreographer trained in Paris in classical and modern dance before working professionally with Roland Petit’s Ballet de Marseille. Prior to his arrival in Canada in 1985, he directed his own company in Cannes for four years. The incomparable actor Jonathon Young once again stars in this production. This three-time Jessie Richardson Award-winning actor, writer, designer and Artistic Director of Electric Company Theatre is sought-after locally and across Canada. When: Saturday, February 21 at 8.00pm Where: Norman Rothstein Theatre, JCCGV
“êêêêê” – Winnipeg Free Press A retelling of the Faust legend set in the country music capital, Nashville. Not your typical play, it is an epic, six part poem, expertly told in rhyme by actor Matthew Kowalchuk and backed by Daniel Deorksen to Andy Northrup’s brilliant musical score. The epic poem begins, “the Devil walked into Linebaugh’s on a rainy Nashville night…” and we are transported into Silverstein’s world. Under the careful direction of Kevin Sutley, the story weaves its way effortlessly from one plateau to the next. As the action unfolds, you will take a trip from hell to heaven and back again… see the folks on Music Row…hear the rhymes and tunes they’re singin’...watch Billy and the Devil as they square off for lost souls…meet Scuzzy Sleezo, the world’s greatest hustlers agent…witness a pool match with God, and a wedding in hell where everyone is invited! A truly unique and multi-faceted artist, Shel Silverstein (1932-1999) was a renowned poet, playwright, illustrator, screenwriter, and songwriter. Best known for his immensely popular children’s books including The Giving Tree, Falling Up, and A Light in the Attic, Silverstein has delighted tens of millions of readers around the world. When: Sunday, February 22 at 3.00pm Where: Wosk Cabaret, JCCGV
 THE SPUTNIKSWritten by Elison Zasko in collaboration with Jonno Katz Directed by Jonno Katz Starring Elison Zasko Original music by Raylene Campbell “... Zasko is a charmer, and her show is generous.” — Georgia Straight The Sputniks, a Jewish family of Soviet intelligentsia, escape the Iron Curtain leaving behind endless Russian lineups, homemade pickles and ‘Mat’ searching for a place to call home. Little Katya is our guide, taking us through her parents' marriage, their pasts, their views and their tragedies, constructing a tale of tremendous life and wispy fragility. Born and raised in Moscow, Elison received her theatrical training at the Moscow Gaidar Theatre where as well as training and performing she produced her own unique work. At the age of 17, Elison’s passion for early rock’n’roll music flew her over the Atlantic to the West Coast of Canada where she threw herself into the Vancouver theatre and swing dance scene while also earning a BA in Sociology and Social Anthropology. In 2003 she moved to Montreal and has been busy working in contact improv and theatre and hitting the Fringe circuit with her hit shows “This Playland is In Your Head” and “The Sputniks”. Jonno Katz was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. He has an eclectic, untraditional and elaborate movement background and teaches contact improvisation as well as physically devised theatre. Since leaving school he has been making theatre/comedy and self-producing at numerous festivals throughout the world. His three solo shows, Uber Alice – the elaborate adventures of a New Zealand manicurist, CACTUS – the seduction… & Jolly Roger, have all been toured across Canada selling out houses and winning awards. He is known for his anarchic physicality and absurd, surreal story-telling. When: Thursday, February 26 at 6:30pm Where: Wosk Cabaret, JCCGV
Judy Holliday, Oscar winner for 1950's Born Yesterday, was a 170-IQ genius who specialized in playing dumb blondes - an act that held her in good stead when she was hauled before Senator McCarthy's inquisitors in 1952 on suspicion of having communist sympathies. That part of her too-short life is the subject of this evocative award-winning play starring Victoria's Laura Harris. Affecting a high-pitched, nasal voice, Harris effectively channels Holliday in a poignant performance. The excellent sound design, featuring archival voices, adds to the period mood. Directed by Judith McDowell, this thoughtful blonde shows us the courage of a supposed "dizzy dame" who outwitted senatorial thugs while refusing to rat on her friends. Winner of Victoria Fringe Festival 2007 Critic’s Choice Award for ‘Best Fringe Production.’ Laura Harris had never heard of Holliday before writing the show. It was the noted American critic and director Charles Marowitz who tipped her off. While guest-teaching at UVic, Marowitz remarked that Harris - herself a blond - had a Judy Holliday quality. While Holliday played the bimbo so well "it was scary," Harris was intrigued that the actress - a strong, intelligent woman - was able to use the pose to her advantage. "I just wanted to pay homage to her, really," she says. When: Sunday, February 22 at 5.00pm Where: Wosk Cabaret, JCCGV
Visit the Festival’s website at www.chutzpahfestival.com for complete information. Tickets can be purchased by phone (604.257.5145), online at www.chutzpahfestival.com or www.ticketstonight.ca, or in person at the JCCGV (950 West 41st Ave). Tickets for East of Berlin at the Firehall Arts Centre are also available at the Firehall Box Office: 604.689.0926. |
EAST OF BERLIN
A remount of …THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF JOSEPH FINCH 
THE DEVIL AND BILLY MARKHAM
PITCH BLOND
