| The RED Letter, Apr 2007 |
Table of Contents
1. Words from Lisa Pijuan-NomuraOkay, and so, I must admit something to you my wonderful RED letter readers... I am tired. And excited. And slightly hyperactive. When I mentioned to a friend that I was presenting over 100 artists in 4 days, he laughed and asked if I was insane. Or on drugs. I replied that perhaps it was both! (mom, it’s a joke, I am not on drugs! Heehee.) But seriously, in one week the 2nd RED Festival will grace the Lula stages with some of the most brilliant, gifted, and talented artists this city has to offer. But of course I happen to be a bit biased. So, come and check it out and decide for yourself. I am going to interview myself about the festival as if I am being interviewed by someone else.. remember... i am tired! Honestly, I just thought that it would be a good way to give people a feel of the festival from the point of Lisa the Curator not Lisa the goofy woman who likes to write long missives about life and art! Be wonderful well and enjoy your month! Best, Lisa Pijuan-Nomura 2. Feature Festival: The RED Festival
Sunday April 15 CRIMSON 7:00 - 8:00 SOLO RED 8:15 - 8:45 SHE WORE RED 9:00 - 10:00 RUBY 10:00 - 11:00 Monday April 16 EL MUNDO ROUGE 7:00 - 8:00 SOLO RED 8:15 - 8:45 PUPPET CABERNET 9:00 - 10:00 VERMILLION 10:00 - 11:00 Tuesday April 17 RED HOT JAZZ 7:00 - 8:00 SOLO RED 8:15 - 8:45 ROSE 9:00 - 10:00 SWEET SANGRIA ORCHESTRA 10:00 - 11:00 Wednesday April 18 REALLY RED 7:00 - 8:00 SOLO RED 8:15 - 8:45 ULTRA RED 9:00 - 10:00 40 TINY PERFORMANCES UNDER THE RED LIGHT – 10 pm Nightly 2X2X2 SOUND BAR RED FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE 3. Looking for a few more Tiny Performers!As the closing program of the Festival I am curating my final edition of 40 Tiny Performances! This event originally conceived by Darren O’Donnell has been tones of fun to curate, but I am retiring for a while to make space for a few other cool ideas that I would like to try out! BUT, having said that, I still need about 10 more performers for this final showing on Wednesday April 18 at 10 p.m. at Lula Lounge ! What does this entail? You create a one minute piece where you dance, sing, jive, rant, scream or do whatever it is that you want to do! You just have one minute to do it! You would show up at 9:30 at Lula Lounge or earlier in the evening to take in some great art! What do you get? Well, the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting a great arts event, a chance to meet some cool artists, and free entrance to the last night of the festival, all for performing a one minute piece! If you are available and interested please do contact me as soon as possible at lisa@girlcancreate. 4. Call for VolunteersWe are looking for a handful of fun, dependable folks who would like to help out during the RED Festival. If you are available on April 15 to April 18 in the evenings we are looking for people to help out with front of house, the sound bar, merchandise table and the RED Marketplace. In return for some of your help, we will offer you one complimentary night at the festival! If you are interested please email Lisa at lisa@girlcancreate.com 5. An Interview with Curator Lisa Pijuan-Nomura
Tell us a bit about the history of RED Festival What are some of the highlights of the 2 nd Festival? I have a few things however that make me very excited. I am all about challenging artists. Often when people come to me and say that they would like to perform at RED, I ask them what they might like to do, and if I know there work, and if I feel comfortable, I challenge them artistically by asking them to do something that I know might be a bit different than what they might be used to. The festival's biggest challenge was to ask some of my favourite musicians to come together for one night and become a band. I put together singer songwriters who are often solo performers next to some great musicians and vocalists from very different genres. All of these artists were pretty excited about the whole idea and on Tuesday April 17 we will present the Sweet Sangria Orchestra! Another highlight is the new SoloRED program which features four longer solo pieces by theatre artists. We will be welcoming David Van Belle from Calgary, along with Ginette Mohr, Rachelle Elie and Chris Gibbs performing new and existing work! And of course Puppet Cabernet.. how exciting is that! As I said, I could go on forever talking about what I think are the highlights. Any words of wisdom to people wanting to create their own events? 6. An Interview with RED Artists: cube3, Mimo, and David Van BelleI choose three artists with from different programs to give you, the audience a cross section of some of the offerings at the festival. Mimo will be part of the sonic bar and will doing a 2x2x2 installation on Sunday during the night. cube3 will be part of the Really RED program on Wednesday and David Van Belle will be performing his piece Beard as part of the Solo RED series on Sunday night. – Lisa PN
Mimo: Mimo is about sound. Our live performances combine stripped down compositions and skeletal arrangements to create wide-open soundscapes for improvisation. This improvisation can take many forms: solos, the laying down of a spontaneous groove, or an act of inspiration whereby sounds, rhythms and phrases are captured in real-time, then deconstructed, manipulated and re-organized. cube3 : cube3’s latest choreographies have been physical with a lot of character work. Once we know what we want to explore, we choreograph together sections of our dances and add layers after layers to enrich the pieces or simply to give each other challenges that seem, at first, puzzling! We enjoy bringing theatre into our dances, and the piece we are performing at the RED Festival shows this well. David Van Belle : Although I began my career twelve years ago as part of an ensemble theatre doing more or less repertory theatre, since my arrival in Calgary my work has been almost exclusively performance creation work, mostly due to my six year association with One Yellow Rabbit. In general I've kept myself busy as an actor, playwright, and director, a necessary flexibility for performance creation work. Beard is a work that came unexpectedly. In 2005 I commissioned three artists (including myself) to create twenty minute pieces, each of which would have as its point of inspiration the word 'beard'. We produced all three as an evening of experimental theatre at Calgary's low-tech birds and stone performance space. For me, Beard is an exercise in deliberate relaxation. I can't say that I've ever worked with less anxiety in creating a piece, accepting what came. Most of the original text came in an odd writing binge between 12am and 2am one night. It was more or less staged (if you can call it staged) in about two or three runs, by following my own impulses rather than contracting a director. The only real challenge was in memorization, which is a difficult business for me. I am always curious as to what inspires artists. What inspires you? Books, movies, music, other artists? Please do share! Mimo: MiMo is profoundly influenced by music from non-Western cultures. Beyond that, artists who dare to be different are always inspirational.
David: Other artists, certainly. Most notably my former colleagues at One Yellow Rabbit, who constantly challenge me by example to be a more honest and rigorous artist. I am often inspired by watching work by artists outside of my field, particularly dancers and musicians. I have a great deal of respect for other performing artists. What advice would you have to artists who are just starting out? Actually what advice would you have for those seeking more creativity in their lives? Any suggestions where they can begin. Mimo : Mimo strongly suggests opening up one’s ears to all that is around you. Listen to that which you don’t understand; listen to the new and to the old. All these influences will one day return to you in a different form. cube3: We are just starting out, but we find that our passion is what drives us. We want to dance and perform so we seek out those opportunities and make it happen for ourselves by applying to wonderful festivals like the RED Festival!
Upcoming shows that we should check out? Mimo : Check out the MiMo website for upcoming shows: www.mimomusic.com cube3: The three of us will be dancing at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre’s spring concert Spring Rising May 3-5 and 9-12 in pieces by Mitch Kirsch and Paul-Andre Fortier. cube3 will also be performing at the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival on June 1 st 2007, David : Those who have a yen to come to Calgary can see my new play, a superhero dance/drama called Dragonfly, Episode IV: Identity, which I co-wrote with Anita Miotti and Ken Cameron. It's being directed by Ron Jenkins and goes up at the Big Secret Theatre in May. This summer I have a commission from the Alberta Playwrights Network to write a play about the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, tentatively titled Everything Is Terribly Nice Here. If you must stay in Toronto, I'll be back with One Yellow Rabbit in September with a new play, thus far called Sylvia Plath Must Not Die, which will be produced through Soulpepper Theatre at the Young Centre. 7. Feature Theatre: Will The Real JT Please stand up?
Cabaret Company's newest play Will the Real J.T. LeRoy Please Stand Up? opens at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre April 12th and runs Thursday to Sunday until April 22nd. Written and directed by Sky Gilbert, the show is inspired by the real life J.T. LeRoy literary hoax that duped literary critics and sparked debates on the issues of the nature of gender, truth and art. Sky Gilbert's fictional play is a wildly comic and deeply serious meditation on several important issues such as the definition of male and female. Is writing for another gender appropriation? Which is more important fact or fiction? And what after all is truth? Gilbert's play does not offer answers to these complicated issues but instead presents a thoughtful yet provocative argument about the nature of gender and art. Will the Real J.T. LeRoy Please Stand Up? stars Ryan Kelly as the Real J.T. LeRoy and Suzanne Bennett as the writer whom he confronts. Amber Ebert plays the teenager who poses as J.T. LeRoy and Ellen Ray-Hennessy, in a special cameo appearance, will portray Tatum O'Neil. Sets and lights are by Steve Lucas and costumes by Sheree Tams. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street Tickets are available through the Buddies Box Office 416.975.8555 in advance or at the door. Visit www.buddiesinbadtimestheatre.com for more information 8. Read this Book! With Book Lady Sarah Selecky
As it turns out, Hannah does go to England in search of a husband. But she has issues. Her intentions are good. It seems as though what she really wants is to grow up – looking for marriage is a misdirected goal, to be sure, but then, that’s why this is a good story. When she meets Daniel, you believe in their love. It’s fast. They shouldn’t decide to marry after ten days. But they’re giddy, it’s as though they’re on drugs, their love makes them high. The novel begins with their marriage, and follows it as it dissolves. They try to make it work. Poutney involves you in every emotional decision. It is difficult not to be deeply affected by their relationship, even as you see Hannah making damaging choices, even as you watch Daniel hurting Hannah by protecting himself. There is so much love, here, and still you realize that it will never work.
The novel is, however, driven by internal forces (not plot). It’s a story about love and self-worth, friendship and guilt, youth and age, fear and self-loathing. The story is told by Allison, who befriends older, weirdly-dressed, wry Veronica at a temp job in Manhattan in the 80s. Allison is in-between modeling contracts, Veronica says that she catches a whiff of Paris on her, and the two become oddly-matched friends for years. Later, we see how well they harmonized emotionally. They love and resent each other because they act as mirrors for each other: both sabotage their happiness in different ways, afraid to accept the love they deserve, ultimately hurting themselves in the process. But Allison tries to change it. By reaching out to Veronica, she tries to love what she fears might be unlovable. 9. Classes, Workshops and ConferencesWorkshop Series: Terrible Noises for Beautiful People: Cobra Edition Terrible Noises for Beautiful People is a series of vocal sound improvisation classes and events geared primarily for non-musicians (though musicians are welcome). My central interest in these classes is in getting people together to interact in ways that are unfamiliar, pleasurable, and interesting. The next event is the Cobra Edition: It will be a series of weekly workshops based around John Zorn’s complicated and beautiful game composition Cobra. You don’t have to know about music, or be able to sing. But an ability to enjoy unfamiliar sounds is definitely a plus. An ability to enjoy other people might also be okay. The series will spend some time on fundamentals of improvisation (how to worry less, how to give and take control, how to be surprised, how to make interesting decisions in groups, how to enjoy being put off-balance, etc...), and some time on the specifics of Zorn’s piece. About Misha Glouberman Links Getting in touch (For those of you who might be good at puzzles, you might notice that Sarah Selecky is also the BookLady that offers her book advice for the RED Letter. Sarah is an amazing person and an incredible writer. I would highly recommend anything that she does as she is a gifted talent and teacher. Just my two cents... heehee – Lisa PN) Introducing the Story Where do stories come from? How do we get our ideas? More importantly, what do we do with the bits in our notebooks, once we have written them down? This workshop teaches beginning writers to use freewriting, clustering, and other writing prompt tools to generate rich, complex, satisfying stories. It introduces the elements of fiction - character, plot, dialogue, setting, theme - and provides the structure that is necessary for a sprouting story to take root and flourish. A variety of exercises stimulate and train the writing mind. The goal is to encourage a personal writing practice that students will continue after the workshop is finished. The environment is non-intimidating and supportive, perfect for writers who would like to jumpstart their practice, explore technique, and create a useful foundation for their fiction writing. This course is open to all writers, even those who have not written fiction before. Wednesday or Thursday nights, 6:30 – 9:30 Register by contacting Sarah Selecky: selecky@gmail.com Sarah Selecky has been facilitating non-competitive, inspiring workshops for writers since 2001. She has studied writing with Natalie Goldberg and is currently completing her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. Her writing has been published in The Sun, Geist Magazine, Prairie Fire, The New Quarterly, and The Journey Prize Anthology. RUSTICLE GYM – Spring Fling After a successful fall session we are pleased to offer gyms in Yoga, Text and Improv, Movement and a very special gym called The Rusticle Rehearsal – a session in building work from scratch. WHAT IS IT? The Rusticle Gym is a place to workout, to stretch tired, under-used muscles or find muscles you never knew you had. It is for people looking to sweat physically, emotionally and creatively. It is for people of all shapes, sizes and ages. It is where one comes to explore their creative landscape. Instead of elliptical machines and free weights, participants workout in physical image based workshops or on monologue/scene study. It is about exploration of the creative known and unknown discovered through the elements that Theatre Rusticle uses when we create our shows. WHO IS IF FOR? The Gym is for EVERYONE – actors, dancers, musicians, seniors, young people (over 16) and non-artists. Because the approach to the sessions is holistic, participants from all walks of life and technical level can engage in the gym, work out, and get down and dirty in creative discovery. WHAT ARE THE SESSIONS? Between May 5th and 19th, we are offering 4 Gyms led by Theatre Rusticle artists Viv Moore, Hume Baugh, Siobhan Power and Allyson McMackon. The sessions are varied and include elements of the techniques Theatre Rusticle uses in creating our work. GYMS ARE A DEAL! REVISED FEES...PLEASE NOTE!!!! * 2 Hour Gyms are $15 All Gyms take place at the Tarragon Theatre Studios 30 Bridgman Avenue (east of Bathurst just north of Dupont). Please check out www.theatrerusticle.org for more information. 10. Calls for Entries
2007 Toronto Festival of Clowns Application TorontoClown.com is proud to present the 2nd Annual Toronto Festival of Clowns. From June 21st to 24th, 2007, some of the World's best Clown and Physical performers will take over 6 Noble Street, the beautiful and newly renovated Pia Bauman School of Creative Movement. After the incredible success of last summer's inaugural Festival, combined with the extensive press coverage and audience interest, we are excited about this year's festival in the heart of Toronto's progressive Queen West district! Call for performers: Prospective production companies must submit: A short proposal to the Festival along with a cheque for the non-refundable $25 CDN administration fee and a separate cheque for the $200 CDN production fee. All cheques payable to Canada Clown. For full application requirements please email festival@torontoclown.com. We must receive your application before 5pm on April 16th, 2007. On or before April 22nd you will be contacted regarding the status of your application and should your show be accepted, you will be notified at this time of your performance dates and times. For information on application requirements please email: festival@torontoclown.com Invitation to Participate in Collecting Loss: Weaving Threads of Memory Collecting Loss: Weaving Threads of Memory (www.collectingloss.com) is a community-based art project, which begins with: Collecting clothing that belonged to people who have died and Collecting the story this clothing evokes from those who loved them. Donated clothing and stories will become part of a public art exhibit that will share, within a community setting, the often private experiences of losing someone we love. We are in the gathering phase of Collecting Loss and need the donations of clothing and story from as many bereaved people as possible by June 30, 2007. Please be assured that all clothing and story will be received with love, respect and the recognition that you have entrusted us with something very precious. For more information and details on how to participate, please visit www.collectingloss.com, email info@collectingloss.com or call 416-846-3909 (Karen) or 416-305-6440 (Esther). Collecting Loss grows out of our personal experiences of loss and we wish to create a living, breathing public art memorial that honours those who have died and the living who loved them. With heartfelt gratitude, Karen Haffey & Esther Kalaba Call to All Artists: Squiggfest 2007 Squiggfest is a celebration of all arts and cultures that takes place every Thursday in August. Each evening Reilly's Bar, in the beating neon heart of downtown Toronto, is converted into a performance space and home for a menagerie of some of the best of Toronto grassroots artists. Squiggfest welcomes Theatre, Dancers, Bands, DJ's, Comedians, Spoken Word, Singer-songwriters, Rappers, Filmmakers and Visual Artists from all backgrounds and specialties. Some of Squiggfest's stellar acts have included Toronto phenoms Fritz and the Phantoms, comedian Darrin Rows, sketch troupe Todd's Lunch, playwright Kevin Manley and Matt Heiti, and musician Peter Katz as well as over 50 other artists. Squiggfest will take place every Thursday during the month of August 2007. Successful applicants receive a venue for their work, a technician on the night of, advertising and publicity, a festival pass for all of the nights, space at a front of house table for display/merchandise, 2 spots on guest list and a round of drinks. For information please see www.torontounderground.ca NOW Box Design Challenge NOW's first-ever Box Design Challenge launches this week. We're asking artists to submit designs using a NOW box as their canvas. 10 finalist designs will be chosen and the finished boxes will be on display at a variety of locations throughout the summer. One grand prize winner will receive $1000! http://www.nowtoronto.com/challenge/ 11. Special Offers for RED Letter readers!AIMToronto would like to present a special offer for members of the RED list: $10 tickets for the upcoming Interface with Montreal Guitarist Rainer Wiens (regular price $15). Rainer Wiens performs over 3 nights with some of the finest improvisors in the local creative music scene. Performances are on April 12 and 13, April 14, 9pm at the NOW Lounge (189 Church St). + a free workshop with Rainer on April 14, 6pm at the NOW Lounge. Just mention receiving this email at the door to receive the discounted price for you and your guests. Full performance details at www.AIMToronto.org 12. Top10 with Percussionist Gurpreet Chana
Gurpreet has been learning and performing Tabla for the past 26 years. He has been taught in the Punjab Gharana (style) of Tabla from his Ustad Ji, Professor Parshotam Singh. He started by playing at the Gurudawara (Sikh worship temple) with kirtan (hymns) and continues to do so, but over the last 14 years he has added a unique flavour to his music by mesmerizing crowds with Tabla Fusion. Growing up in Canada, Gurpreet had the fortunate opportunity of being introduced to various types of music. Coming from a South Asian background he also had a strong pull towards music from the Indian subcontinent. The music he creates and performs is an expression of the cultural diversity he experienced growing up in a multicultural society. This musical experience is expressed by taking the unique, rhythmic, and melodic patterns of the tabla and immersing them with various genres of music. Gurpreet's passion for percussion has lead him to experiment with other world beats leaving there no surprise to also see him playing the djembe, hang, congas, dhol, zarb, doumbek, daf, or practically anything he can get his hands on! 13. Harbourfront Happenings
April 14 A special sneak peek at the new opera from creative team D.D. Jackson (composer ) and George Elliott Clarke (librettist ), this staged recital gives audiences a rare glimpse into the process of opera in its early stages, before its ultimate premiere. This thrilling new musical work is a meditation on the multicultural Trudeau, the man who declared himself a citoyen du monde, who broke bread with Mao Zedong, who shouted "Viva, Castro!", and lived out the multicultural dream he loved in the hotbed that was Montreal. Directed by Graham Cozzubbo FREE EVENT!
April 17 to April 21 A child of China's Cultural Revolution, choreographer Wen Wei Wang brings a provocative, contemporary perspective to reflect on the ancient practice of binding women's feet in pursuit of status and an impossible erotic ideal. Weaving traditional Chinese influences with modern practice, Wang delivers an intense and stylish exploration of beauty, power, and gender. Unbound transcends its multiple cultural origins to unravel the universal themes of sexuality, emotion and human relationships. $30 to $27
April 26 - April 29
Bridge of One Hair reaches back through time and around the world as it conveys the story of a neighbourhood and its inhabitants. The performance features many community members of all ages alongside diverse actors and musicians, including VIVA! Youth Singers, the Jubilate Singers, Somali singer Faduma Nkruma and others. In addition to the performance, the presentation includes an interactive tea-room. $25 For more information or to buy tickets for these events please see www.harbourfrontcentre.com for details or call 416-973-4000 14. Websites I likeJust One More Book - www.justonemorebook.com - For those of you who don’t know, I collect children’s books. I am actually a children’s book specialist. I worked in kids books for 14 years. Yes, it’s true and I have a lot of kids books! And I really miss working in the world of kids books and this website features podcasts about two Canadians who discuss kid’s books. I listened to them talking to Daniel Pinkwater and I was sold. This is awesome! If you have any interest, check it out and you will be happy that you did! Angry Alien Productions - www.angryalien.com - This company creates these hilarious and odd parodies of popular films. The main characters are bunnies. Yes, think about Borat and Spiderman as rabbits. Hilarious! If you are looking for a break from work and need a ridiculous distraction, look no further! On My Desk - http://on-my-desk.blogspot.com - I love checking out other artist spaces. Not sure why, but I just do. This is a cool site that has photos of artist spaces. 15. Upcoming Performances of InterestApril 1 to April 15 April 12 to April 14 April 13 April 13 to 22 (various dates) April 17 April 20 to April 22 April 21 April 21 and April 22 April 24 April 26 April 26 to April 28 April 29 16. What Is It? Contest
The first three people to respond correctly to this contest win a Festival Pass to The 2nd RED Festival, good for all four nights, April 15-18th at Lula Lounge! Good Luck! 17. Last ThoughtNever doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. |
Tell us about your work in general as an artist and what we can expect from your performance at the RED Festival.
cube3: The three of us are inspired by many different things so put together the list is long! First, meeting other artists from various fields is always inspiring to us, making connections with them, and supporting their art. As for our latest choreographies, we have looked into our surroundings from people on the bus with their idiosyncrasies, the little and simple pleasures of life like coffee and chocolate to outer space and dada. Indeed the list is long!
David : Young theatre artists should make their own work. The prevailing model (thankfully waning) of telling emerging actors to prepare their audition pieces and then endure round after round of auditions is inhuman. With the number of theatre school graduates increasing every year this process becomes more and more akin to playing the lottery, except it's your creative life that is at stake. Make your own work. Call your own shots. No, it doesn't pay much at first, but neither does not being cast. As for those seeking more creativity? A great place to begin is to get out of your house and see other people's work, in any artistic field.
The Best Way You Know How
Veronica
Jumblies Theatre is the catalyst for this phenomenal three year project with multiple communities in Central Etobicoke. An original musical score by renowned composer Alice Ping Yee Ho weaves together a performance that draws on Somali, Celtic, Afro-Caribbean and First Nations stories; locally-generated imagery and text; rituals of tea-drinking; and poems by Hawa Jibril and Duke Redbird.