| The RED Letter, Sep 2007 |
|
Table of Contents
1. Words from Lisa Pijuan-Nomura
I spent much of my summer taking inventory of all that is important and refilling my creative well. I found myself traveling to the Catskills to do a brilliant physical theatre training which is perhaps one of the best I have taken! (check out www.nacl.org for more info) I also went to St. Louis, Missiouri to attend the National Storytelling Conference. There were some amazing tellers and people and I was glad to meet some new friends. It was an exciting 5 days of stories and talks about the future of storytelling. Fuelled up with new ideas and thoughts, I look forward to sharing some ideas in the next few months. And then of course, I went camping with my most wonderful Dave and it was spectacular! Lake Superior is strong, and graceful and impressive and lovely. Upon arriving home, I was happy to hear that I had been chosen to be a part of the BASH! Program at Canstage. This new initiative brings together art makers for lively conversations in the spirit of the salon of the great Gertrude Stein. The artists involved are diverse and this year will prove to be a good one as I transition from Lisa, the lady who puts together that RED cabaret, to Lisa, the lady who creates her shows, tells stories, and still puts together a RED show once in a while! And so, I look forward to a new year of learning and creating and sharing. It’s like school again. I have my new pens and papers, and I look forward to meeting my new teachers and learning every day. I look forward to reconnecting with you all. Drop by to say hello and have a look at girlcancreate.blogspot.com to see what crafty goodness I have been doing in my spare time. Be well and continue to create magic! Best,
P.S. Last minute news... check it out friends... yep, it’s true. She Said Saffron Spanish-language version – Saturday, September 15th at 10PM ET on OMNI.1 English Language Version: Saturday, September 22nd at 9PM ET on OMNI.1 September 11, 2007 – Toronto, ON – Rogers OMNI Television is proud to present the world television premiere of She Said Saffron, as part of the OMNI Television Documentary Specials Series AND the OMNI-TV Signature Series. One of a series of three solo dramas produced for television — in non-official languages and in English — by Solo Flight International, She Said Saffron is a dance theatre piece by Lisa Pijuan-Nomura, a remarkably versatile performer/dancer/writer who weaves movement and words together with humour in a tell-all tale of growing up Spanish in Brampton, Ontario. “We are thrilled and delighted with OMNI’s support of this new venture into televised solo dramas,” says Rita Deverell, Producer/Director of Solo Flight International and of all three productions. “All stories deal with heritage and individuals making important ethical decisions; these are passionate, brilliant performances by writer/actors who themselves lived the experiences portrayed – autobiographical dramas that are truly Canadian.” Through storytelling and dance, She Said Saffron reveals the intimacies and intricacies of family, food and first kisses from the conflicted perspective of a young woman who finds herself between old world Spain and her birthplace of Canada.
2. An Interview with Mimo(Samuel Morgenstein and Matt Miller and their duo MiMo have quickly become one of our favourite artists in the city. Continually pushing the limits and creating captivating compositions along with hilarious visuals, be sure to keep on eye on these guys! Hope to see some of the RED Letter readers at the Gladstone on the 18th.!)
You were trained as a classical percussionist, what started you into experimental music? As someone, who doesn't know much about this world, could you share some of your favourite musicians? CD's? Our current favorite CD’s: Twerk - Living Vicariously Through Burnt Bread ; Punkt - Crime Scenes ; Nils Petter Molvaer – Streamer ; David Sylvian & Nine Horses - Snow Borne Sorrow ; Oumou Sangare (Malian Diva) – Worotan ; Fennesz & Ryuchi Sakamoto - Cendre Top Five Favourite things? Where do you see MiMo in the next 10 years? In your performance you use masks, and costumes and such. What influences these elements? Weirdest Gig with MiMo? The MiMo Gladstone shows (September 18th and October 2nd) are both concerts and events. We consider every performance an interactive workshop for MiMo to experiment and fine tune concepts and ideas in front of a live audience. Concurrently, we aim to present an entertaining mix of experimental Electronica, transcriptions of forgotten artists (i.e. Ernie Kovacs), and improvisation between live performers utilizing both traditional and found instruments. The Gladstone Hotel is located at 1214 Queen Street West at the corner of Gladstone Avenue and Queen Street just east of Dufferin Street. http://www.gladstonehotel.com/information.html
3. Nuit Blanche – Bird’s Eye View and more…(This event proved to be one of the most exciting events in Toronto last year. It transformed our “cold” city to a city of art, generosity and surprises. This year, I am so excited to see so many dance events involved throughout the night. I am pleased to be performing solo dance pieces at the Casa Loma Stables with Kaeja d’Dance at their BIRD’S EYE VIEW event! Come and check it out, along with some other great events that I will list below!)
Conceived by Karen Kaeja, and co-directed with Diana Groenendijk, BIRD’S EYE VIEW has been invited to take over the Casa Loma Stables for Nuit Blanche. In a two-part dance movement installation, audience members will witness performances by more than twenty-five of Toronto’s finest dancers who will illuminate the stable’s carriage room and stalls all night long. Dancers include Piotr Biernat, Sylvie Bouchard, Tanya Crowder, Louis Laberge-Cote, Meagan O’Shea, Susan Lee, Eryn Dace Trudell, Robin McPhail, Diana Groenendijk, Karen Kaeja, Lisa Pijuan-Nomura, Allen Kaeja, Molly Johnson, Mariana Medellin, Evadne Kelly, Lina M. Jimenez, Emily Tench, Marie-France Forcier, Amy Hampton, William Yong, Cara Spooner, Tina Fushell, Kiri Figueirdo, Julia Wyncoll, Lorraine Aston, among others. Every half hour, 6 solo dancers in elaborate costumes will simultaneously transform the stalls into a riveting work of spontaneous living art. A meditative moving installation in the carriage room will continue through the evening, that incorporates audience participation through easy entry and exit. BIRD’S EYE VIEW invites you to witness or participate as an instrument in the creation of contemporary art, inspiring a sense of connection and integration. People who prefer to watch will find it calming, arresting and beautiful. An original score will be composed for BIRD’S EYE VIEW by Edgardo Moreno. (Local dancemaker and lovely lady Ame Henderson will be bringing together 50 artists in the Market. Sure to be a great big party!) open field study (all together now) The company works in shifts like sailors, submitting happily to the rhythm of the shipwhich, because it must sail day and night, is always half awake and half dreaming. A durational, site-specific choreographic project featuring 50 performers linked sonically using low-watt radio transmission. Directed by Ame Henderson in collaboration with sound artists Eric Craven and Anna Friz. Location: (And of course, one of my all time favourite people in the world will be at the Distillery with some brilliant dancers. Be sure to check out these great artists! A note from Viv!) Ghostly Apparitions is based on the historic Gooderham Worts area, which some people are using as an inspiration for their dance. I have scheduled 16 dance events all around the distillery. They will be in alleys and in buildings and galleries. There will be programmes to be read when you get there and as well as dance there will be a treasure map which includes all the visual art work and many other things that are happening throughout the evening. Featuring Emily Cheung, Gary de Matas, Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre, Chimera Project, Niki Wozniak/Desiraeda Dance, rad, Marlee Cargill Dance, Leanne Dixon, The Brutes, Thrill the World, Larchaud Dance Project, octamerous, Railway Gang, Viv Moore, AS-S Dance, Brandy Leary, Tracey Norman and more! For more info on nuit blance check out www.scotiabanknuitblance.ca
4. Feature Theatre – April 14, 1912
Theatre Rusticle presents Featuring: Patrick Conner, Matthew Romantini & Lucy Rupert September 21st, 22nd & 25th-29th 8 pm Studio Theatre, York Quay Centre * 235 Queens Quay West 95 years ago...a great ship went down... Set on an iceberg somewhere in our collective memories APRIL 14, 1912 weaves together three viewpoints of one of the greatest tragedies in the 20th century combining eye witness textual accounts and our own inimitable physical style. On the night the RMS Titanic went down, Marconi officers Harold Bride and Jack Phillips worked throughout the night sending everything from personal messages and ice warnings to distress calls via the wireless radio. The men worked as the water rose up to their ankles. Once they abandoned ship, Bride spent the night underneath and then on top of an upside down lifeboat. He was rescued, severely frostbitten, and played an instrumental role in the inquiries of the accident. Jack Phillips succumbed to exposure on the very same raft. The Titanic sank off the coast of Halifax with a loss of life of 1500 people. Tonight, three spirits, Bride, Phillips and the Ship herself, collide once again to tell their tales. Inextricably bound, they celebrate the grandeur and dreams of the Gilded Age, their lives and losses. Their stories remind us that the quest to advance technology cannot be at the expense of human life or with disregard for Nature. APRIL 14, 1912 removes the shackles of history and explores one of the greatest tragedies of our age as a poetic memory ~ expressionistic, physically aggressive and emotionally resonant. APRIL 14, 1912 celebrates and honours memory and asks us not to forget our folly, our courage or our belief. See the show and receive a voucher for 20% off the Titanic Artifact Exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre For more info on Theatre Rusticle see www.theatrerusticle.org
5. Feature Festival – Groundswell Theatre FestivalThe Groundswell Festival is a nationally recognized forum for the creation and development of theatre by women. The festival boasts impressive alumnae including Morwyn Brebner, Alex Bulmer, Marjorie Chan, Claudia Dey, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Celia McBride, Monique Mojica, Sonja Mills, Djanet Sears and Jean Yoon. Sunday, September 9 at 4pm - Busting Out! A collective creation from our free summer program for girls (12-16), crafted from their own writing and under the guidance of professional female artists. Program Director is Anna Chatterton. Monday, Sept. 10 at 8pm -The Unfortunate Misadventure of Masha Galinski By Erin Shields. Inspired by the feminist fairy tales of Angela Carter, Masha journeys to an erotically-tinged storyland where danger and absurdity go hand in hand. Tuesday, September 11 at 8pm - Desert Story By Dennison Smith. In the Navaho Desert on her 15th birthday, a girl reviews her life. Wednesday, September 12 at 8pm - Light Swooping Through By Stacey Engels. Inspired by the life, art, and writings of Emily Carr, this is a journey into the wonderland of the creative process Thursday, September 13 at 8pm - a nanking winter By Marjorie Chan. The brave pen of a young writer transports us to one of the most horrible massacres in the 20th century. Friday, September 14 at 8pm - Oil Man By Sonja Mills. The Jones family has an illustrious hundred year history with the Empire Oil Company but the end of an era is upon us,,, Friday, September 14 at 8pm - The Corpse Bride By Niki Landau. Based on a famous Yiddish folk tale this movement piece is about the survival of love. Saturday, September 15 at 8pm - Write From The Hip A fresh slate of short plays from our youth playwriting program – playwrights include Steph Berntson, Jayne Collins, Audrey Dwyer, Julia Lederer, Arti Mehta and Rebecca Singh. After five-months of weekly mentoring and workshops, The Hip culminates in these staged readings with professional directors, actors and participants of our Emerging Actors program. Program Director is Lisa Codrington. All readings take place at Tapestry – Nightwood New Work Theatre For more info see www.nightwoodtheatre.net 6. Queen West Art Crawl
Partnering with the Parkdale Liberty Economic Development Corporation, the Parkdale Village BIA, the Gladstone Hotel, CAMH Workman Arts, West Queen West BIA, and 401 Richmond, the Crawl presents the best in art and culture in the most interesting of venues. Join us for the Queen West Art Crawl Launch Party happening at The Gladstone Hotel on Friday, September 14, 7pm until closing. Here's a snapshot of what you can expect to experience during the weekend.. TRINITY BELLWOODS PARK Outdoor Art Show and Sale – Saturday 15 and Sunday 16, 11 am – 6pm Art That Binds – Saturday 15 – Sunday 16, 11am – 5 pm PARKDALE VILLAGE PLAY/GROUNDS – Friday 14, 6 p.m. – Sunday 16, 8 p.m. http://www.torontoartscape.on.ca/qwac/ 7. Creativity Classes with GirlCanCreate “As a workshop leader, Lisa brings a sense of excitement and passion few can match. Her enthusiasm rubs off on the participants, now co-creators, in a world of movement and creativity carefully explored and unleashed in a safe, fun-filled experience. Lisa is both a masterful facilitator and a catalyst for stepping into the unknown. With such warmth and humour, she truly creates a joyous atmosphere in her classes and workshops.”
She Can Create: Creativity Classes for Women Join us for an experiential woman's creative group that meets once a week to play and create using a variety of different inspirations. Focusing on self-expression and the desire to bring more art to our lives we will use Collage, Storytelling, Movement, Doll making, Beadwork and Journaling to jumpstart our creativity and help create unique pieces of art and find ways how to continue creating after the classes are finished. Lisa will also talk about the overcoming creative blocks, taking steps to complete projects and letting the world know about your work. A sure fire inspiring workshop, register early to avoid disappointment as there is a limited amount of participants. She Can Create Where: Somewhere There Studios Price: If registered before October 1st: $130 To register please email Lisa at lisa@girlcancreate.com or call 416-516-4925 Plus special deal for RED Letter readers, register and mention RED Letter and you will receive a complimentary creativity coaching session with Lisa Pijuan-Nomura. About Lisa: For many years Lisa has helped other artists when times were tough. It seemed to be a natural extensions of her work as an artist and curator. Lisa has studied with many great creative minds including author and creativity expert Eric Maisel, Art Therapist Jacqueline Gautier, dancer Lisa Nelson, singer Ysaye Barnwell, musician Babatunde Olatunji, storyteller Judith Black and many others! With over 15 years of working as a performance artist, writer and educator, Lisa is especially passionate about bring art, humour and creativity to lives of women, youth and children.
8. Support the RED LetterDo you love the RED Letter? Would you like to contribute to the continuation and growth of this great resource of art and creativity in Toronto. We are currently looking for donations to help with the production of the RED Letter. Written and created by Lisa Pijuan-Nomura with photography by Dave Pijuan-Nomura with special reviews from the brilliant Sarah Selecky, we are looking to expand the letter to include more great reviews and articles from guest writers. The RED Letter will be distribute on the 10th of the month with more of what you love, reviews, photos, interviews and in October audio clips as well! Although an act of love, creating the letter takes a lot of time and research! And so, dig into your pockets and show your support! Even a few dollars helps us out! Please mail cheques to GirlCanCreate at 88 Hallam St., Toronto, ON, M6H 1W8 Please include Name, Email Address, Mailing Address and Phone Number. Paypal payments also accepted. Please contact lisa@girlcancreate.com for more information. Any donations over $15 will receive
9. Read this Book! With Book Lady Sarah Selecky
These stories are thrilling, weird and mysterious. Judy Budnitz writes sharply and emotionally, but her characters and settings aren't from this world. Or, perhaps it's Budnitz who is the visitor, and she's just writing us as she sees us. Because "Nice Big American Baby" could very well be a reflection on our world as an alien observes it and tries to make sense of it. Fascinating, entertaining, and a little bit disturbing. Many of the stories read like fables. "Motherland" is the story of an island of women at the end of the world. A war has (we think) destroyed the rest of the earth, and all of the men who were fighting in it. But before the war, soldiers visited these women on their island, and they either fell in love with them, or they raped and pillaged the settlement. We can't be sure. Either way, the men are gone now, and the women were impregnated. What happens when the children are born, and what they know of their "fathers", well… read the story to find out. In "Preparedness", the president builds a complex system of bomb shelters and underground tunnels for the people of his country - preparation in case of national emergency. He decides to run a nationwide test for the emergency preparedness system, to make sure that everyone will be safe. When the alarms sound, all of the citizens believe that the end has finally come. But they don't do what the president has told them to do. He's down in the tunnel with his family and his dogs, blinking at the surveillance screens that show a vast system of empty tunnels. Where is everybody? What are they doing up there? Budnitz writes prophetically and sweetly about what might happen to all of us when the alarms go off. "Nadia" is the story of a mail-order bride, married to kind, unassuming Joel - and what happens to her when Joel's disapproving friends and ex-girlfriends get a hold of her; "The Kindest Cut" is about a wartime surgeon who becomes obsessed with amputation; "Elephant and Boy" follows a philanthropic English woman in India who tries to "help" a boy who is in love with his elephant after his elephant is killed by poachers. Every story is its own complete world, causing your head to spin in a new direction. I wouldn't say these stories are easy to read – they're too sad and too smart for "easy" – but I am very glad to have found Budnitz, because she reminds me to look carefully at things I understand to be normal. Nothing is normal, if you're really paying attention.
10. Vida Beads and Nomura Photography Art Sale and Garage Sale
Vida Beads and Nomura Photography host an afternoon sale of one of a kind beaded pieces, jewelry by Vida Beads and photographic prints of David Pijuan-Nomura. After moving out of our studio at the Distillery, many people have asked us where to purchase Dave’s work and my beads. As an end of the summer celebration we will host an outdoor art show and sale in our backyard! Dave will feature his matted 8x10 , 5x7 and 4x6 prints as well as larger framed work and cards. All work will be reduced by 10%. We will also have a Garage Sale Table which features vintage fabrics, hundreds of books, and lots of other goodies. And just to make it lovely, we will also have some complimentary lemonade and cookies to enjoy! Join us on Saturday September 22, 2007 from 11. a.m. to 6 p.m. For information please call 416-516-4925
11. Calls for EntriesCROSSCURRENTS 2008 DEADLINE OCT 31, 2007, 5:00 PM Celebrating seven years of diversity, Factory Theatre’s CrossCurrents Festival is seeking new original stage plays by writers of colour from across the nation. The only festival of its kind in Toronto, CrossCurrents celebrates the diversity of today's artists and their unique stories. CrossCurrents is the best place to get a sneak preview of what’s coming to Canadian stages in the future. From Hiro Kanagawa’s Tiger of Malaya to Vadney Hayne’s Blacks Don’t Bowl, from Andrew Moodie’s The Real McCoy to last season’s production of Singkil by Catherine Hernandez, CrossCurrents brings you the most current, cutting edge theatre from some of Canada’s finest writers. It is the intersection of established and emerging artists, of tradition and experimentation that makes CrossCurrents such an exciting festival. This year CrossCurrents will run from May 2 to May 11, 2008 in the Factory Studio Theatre. Returning after last year’s successful record-breaking festival, is producer Nina Lee Aquino, Artistic Director of fu-GEN Asian-Canadian Theatre Company and Dora-nominated director of last year’s world premier production of Singkil by Catherine Hernandez. CrossCurrents is a play development festival open to both emerging and established artists, presenting work at varying stages of development. Selected works will receive dramaturgical support, professional workshops and a staged reading presentation. Out-of-town (beyond Toronto) playwrights will receive travel expenses and per diem. One act plays, works-in-progress and proposals are welcome, though full-length pieces are preferred. The festival is open to CANADIANS (citizens and immigrants) only. There is no prescribed theme, and playwrights are encouraged to submit all styles of work, including innovative pieces that involve multidisciplinary collaborations or test out new theatrical boundaries. Submission Details: Please include the following: Send to: CrossCurrents Festival 2008 Deadline for submission: October 31, 2007, 5:00 PM For more information on The Factory Theatre or CrossCurrents, please visit www.factorytheatre.ca or e-mail Nina Lee Aquino at nina@factorytheatre.ca Buddies in Bad Times Theatre announces February 20 – March 2, 2008 Festival Director Erika Hennebury DEADLINE: 5PM, SEPT 14, 2007 Buddies’ announces the welcome return of the Rhubarb Festival after a one-year hiatus. For almost 30 years The Rhubarb Festival has offered Toronto artists a critic-free environment to experiment with new theatrical explorations. Rhubarb encourages established artists to take new risks and emerging artists to explore the medium of performance creation in a safe, encouraging space. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is currently accepting submissions of new, original contemporary theatre for our 30th Rhubarb Festival until Sept 14, 2007. Rhubarb is a partially curated, but primarily submission-driven festival. Submissions are reviewed by a selection committee composed of Erika Hennebury, Festival Director, David Oiye, Artistic Director, Jim LeFrancois, Producer and Associate Artists Ed Roy and Moynan King. Criteria for this year’s festival are strongly in the realm of experimental, devised, innovative contemporary performance. Although script-based submissions will be accepted, Buddies strongly encourages submissions which are more experimental in nature. Rhubarb seeks submissions from contemporary theatre, conceptual dance, performance art, new media, installation art and welcomes new hybrids of live performance as well as cross-disciplinary experiments and collaborations. THE 2008 RHUBARB FESTIVAL STAGES The 2008 Rhubarb Festival seeks proposals for the following stages: The Cabaret: performances up to 25 minutes in length, for the proscenium Cabaret stage 2008 Rhubarb Festival Applications and Submission Guidelines are available on our website: www.buddiesinbadtimestheatre.com For further information please contact
Alameda Theatre Company is Canada's premiere professional Latin Canadian theatre company, providing opportunities for Latin Canadian theatre artists and playwrights and building audiences for their work. We envision that Latin American arts and artists will be embraced by a broad Canadian community that is aware of, understands and respects the Latin-American Canadian experience. El Barrio is Alameda Theatre Company's online database/network of Latin American-Canadian theatre artists. A virtual neighbourhood if you will, where producers, directors, playwrights, or anyone interested in theatre from around the world will be able to access and learn about what Latin theatre artists are doing across Canada. It is a growing online resource directory of Latin theatre professionals with biographies, curriculum vitae, headshots & contact details. El Barrio is about making the Latin Canadian community stronger by creating and promoting a network of Playwrights, Directors, Actors, Designers, Technical Production, Arts Administrators, Musicians, Dancers. The database is slowly growing, but we need more theatre talent of Latin American descent on the network! If you, or someone you know, are interested in being part of Canada's first online database for Latin Canadian actors, directors, playwrights, musicians and administrators in the theatre- SEND US A BIO AND HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURE!!! We want you in our database! Marilo Nunez Series 8:08 Choreographic Performance Workshop Series 8:08 is looking for professional and emerging Canadian dance artists who are working on a new dance, or experimenting with new movement ideas. We provide participating choreographers with a performance venue, stage manager, technicians, general publicity, and a fee to help cover the costs of performing, videotape of the performance, written comments from the audience members and informal discussions after each show. NEW INITATIVES Series 8:08 is excited to introduce our new Resident Outside Eye (ROE) for all our CPW choreographers. This is an opportunity for you/choreographer to receive a more in-depth written response from an established dance artist on your works-in-progress. Our ROEs for the 2007/08 year are Susan Cash, Marie-Jose Chartier and Heidi Strauss. For more detailed information on our new initiative for you and our ROEs, please go to our web site. The choreographers are guaranteed $100 each. Any box office revenue over the amounts paid to the choreographers will be split between the choreographers. Season Dates for 2007/2008 All performances are at Metro-Central YMCA Auditorium - 20 $8.00 Contact us for more information and an application form! Website: http://www.series80 8.ca
12. Websites of InterestBoing Boing – www.boingboing.net – A Directory of Wonderful Things, this blog is great in that it links people with a vast list of stories from the absolutely absurd to the wonderfully mindblowing. Enjoy this quirky site. The Envelope Collective – www.envelopecollective.com – This site welcomes art mail from all over the world and has a gallery of some stunning photos. If you are like me, get together some friends have fun creating a letter of art, and send it away to these guys! Learning to Love You More – www.learningtoloveyoumore.com – Artist Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher posted 65 different assignments online and welcomed the general public to respond. Check out the assignments and some of the responses. Truly Inspiring!
13. Upcoming Performances of InterestSeptember 12 to September 16 September 13 September 15 September 15 September 20 to October 7 September 20 to October 13 September 21 to October 21 September 23
14. Photography by Dave Pijuan-Nomura
Check out Dave's new Etsy site at nomuraphoto.etsy.com
15. Last ThoughtLook at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky actually begins at the earth. |
It’s been a long and lovely summer and it’s time to get warm for the wonderful fall colours and sweater weather!
Please do join us for BIRD'S EYE VIEW at Nuit Blanche, where 25 outstanding contemporary dance performers light up the stables of Casa Loma on September 29th, 2007 from 7:03pm to sunrise 7:14am. There are buses that go from the Stable's site to other sites all night long! and the whole evening is FREE!
Organized by Artscape, the Queen West Art Crawl is one of the largest multi-disciplinary, community-based festivals that Toronto has to offer. Now in its fifth year, the Queen West Art Crawl celebrates the buzz, character, edge, authenticity and soul of historic Queen Street West with an annual weekend-long festival happening September 14 - 16, 2007.
