Are you a high school student interested in learning more about theatre? If so, consider Verb Theatre’s Apprenticeship Program for our upcoming production of The Shape of a Girl by Joan MacLeod.
Deadline: March 8, 2010
Click here to download an information package and application form.
The Shape of a Girl Application
By Col
This May we’re teaming up with the PBC Art Collective and The Mustard Seed Street Shelter to create The Evolving Play Project (show title to come).
I’ll join the PBCers (Aviva, Matt, and Hannah) for a six week residency at The Mustard Seed shelter where we’ll be working with the Mustard Seed Drama group, a collection of about six residents of the shelter. We’re going to be exploring collective creation with the group, focused mainly on interpreting a classical text; deconstructing and re-examining it to create parallels between this beautiful, elevated text and contemporary life on Calgary’s streets and inside its shelters. We’re still in the process of choosing which script will act as our launching off pad, stay tuned for that news. (and actually we’re quite open to recommendations, feel free to comment below.)
Here’s one of the things I’m most excited about… Nearing the end of the residency in May we’ll be performing our work at both The Mustard Seed and at the EPCOR Centre’s MOTEL. I think this is so potentially awesome. For one, the performances at The Seed are open to everyone, folks who live there and the general Calgary public. It’s a chance for anyone who cares to to come see this creation in the environment that it was created in. I can’t imagine how that added context will affect the audiences (and by the audience I mean hopefully yours) experience, but I bet it’ll add a level of excitement and immediacy to the work. And then we’ll move up to The MOTEL for a few pay-what-you-can shows. We all know that every day homeless people come into The EPCOR Centre and are almost immediately kicked out (whether or not that’s a right thing to have happen is a discussion for another post) but with a PWYC show it gives homeless Calgarians an opportunity to come in, sit down, and enjoy the show as a fully legitimate audience member. It’s pay-what-you-can and if you can’t pay a dime but your there because you want to see and experience some theatre, well then to me you’ve fulfilled your contract as an audience member just by showing up.
I’m thrilled about this project and Verb’s first collaboration with the PBC collective and The Mustard Seed. (I say first for I hope there are many more to come) As the pre-residency work continues and then we get down and dirty in the creation hall I’ll blog about the process. I can’t wait to get started, the emotional weight that comes out of this work can be levelling and it’s going to be a great time.
I’ll keep you posted, anyone wants to know more just let me know.
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Pollock’s stage plays, over 20 in number, are produced throughout Canada and abroad. She writes for radio and television, has directorial credits at numerous theatres across the country, and has led playwriting and theatre workshops within and outside Canada. Her awards include, among others, a Canada Australia Literary Award for her body of work, a Nellie Award for National Radio Drama, a Golden Sheaf Television Award, and a Japan Foundation Award. She is the recipient of two Governor General’s Literary Awards for Drama (1981 Blood Relations; 1985 Doc), was short-listed for the same award in 1986 (Whiskey Six Cadenza), and is a three time winner of the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Drama Award, most recently in 2008 for Kabloona Talk.
During her 45+ years in professional theatre Pollock has held numerous positions with various companies and organizations, including, among others, service as Head of the Playwrights Colony at The Banff Centre of Fine Arts; the Associate Artistic Director of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Stratford Festival Theatre, and Theatre Calgary. She was the Playwright in Residence at the National Arts Centre; Alberta Theatre Projects; Theatre Calgary; and at Theatre Junction; Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary, Theatre New Brunswick, and of Calgary’s inner city storefront theatre, The Garry.
Since 2006 she has served as Dramaturge and artistic consultant with the Atlantic Ballet Company of Canada. Time spent in Kosovo in 2008 resulted in Pollock and Jeton Neziraj, artistic director of the Kosovo National Theatre, initiating a project of collaboration, creation and exchange for theatre artists and productions. The project continues to develop in 2010 with Neziraj’s recent visit to Calgary.
1. What’s on your mind these days (in 10 syllables or less)?
Working with Jeton Neziraj from Kosovo.
2. You are the President of Downstage’s Board of Directors. You’ve also acted, directed, and written for the company. How do you see Downstage’s role in the community?
I see the company’s role as one offering a unique challenge, choice, and opportunity for audiences and artists by:
- its mandate to produce “new and established Canadian plays and performances that explore socially or politically-charged themes” in an entertaining and engaging manner stimulating discussion beyond particulars of production and performance;
- its support of small artist-generated creations through co-sponsorship via the Motel, and Birds and Stone venues;
- its integration of Dog and the Machine, an annual ensemble creation, into every season playbill.
3. How would you describe the Calgary theatre scene?
Rather insular, but accompanied by vigor and vitality in a quantity and range of production, in many cases underwritten by the city’s younger and emerging artists. Where human and financial resources exist, I too often see text and character sacrificed or devalued by technology and production effects that impress audiences with the spectacle, at the expense of a play’s substance.
4. Do you recognize something essentially “Canadian” in your writing?
I can’t define what’s essentially Canadian, so I don’t recognize it in my writing. Without knowing what it is I nevertheless hope there is nothing in my writing that could be recognized as such. I know too much Canadian history. The country’s motto of “Peace, Order, and Good Government” has covered a multitude of sins. Of course a life has context but I think of it as humanistic and experiential, not nationalistic. I hope that for an audience my plays, regardless of my place of birth or the setting of any particular play, transcend national borders. Of course that’s just my hope, I don’t say it’s my achievement.
5. When in your career were you disappointed? Elated?
I’m elated every month when I’m able to feed my dogs, my cats, myself, and pay my mortgage. Disappointed? I think of “disappointed” as a rather small, accepting reaction. I’m always interested in the “why” of things so in a situation, production, relationship, whatever, that might be disappointing, curiosity supplants disappointment as in “how come that happened?” and “why?” I don’t get disappointed when things don’t turn out the way I thought they would or should. I find it an opportunity to discover, learn something, move forward. Sounds kind of hokey but it’s true. Maybe it’s a form of denial. Maybe I’m emotionally stunted in this regard. “Disappointed” is not an action verb. I like action verbs.
6. Tragedy struck last year when your house burned in a terrible fire, and yet you still performed that very evening in Downstage’s production of Habitat. What brought you to the theatre that evening?
First, the play, the actors, and the audience. I was responsible to them and they expected me to be there. Second, it was a pleasure to step into another character’s shoes for several hours and simply forget. My thinking was when Blackout signals Fini, I’ll deal with the no-house/home then.
7. How can we attract new audience members to the theatre?
If that were an easy question I guess we’d be doing it. First problem is the supply of theatre outstrips the demand, even of those who are “old” audience members. Maybe the question is too generic. What can be done depends on the resources and mandate of the specific theatre company and the demographics of the potential new audience members one hopes to entice. I also believe that answering the why of your particular theatre company, without resorting to motherhood statements, tells you something of who you’d like that new audience to be or who they might be. “New audience members” may mean more of the same people that make up your old audience, or poaching audience from the Opera. Or it can mean attracting people who do not attend theatre in numbers proportionate to their number in our population, or never attend theatre for socio-economic or cultural reasons. I’m interested in the latter kind of new audience members. In any case one begins from the premise that the new audience member is probably going to be a one timer. In other words you’re looking for a new audience member for a specific production for a specific reason. That new audience member may turn into an on-going patron, but first you have to get him or her there for the first time. That takes legwork and personal contact with organizations and communities for whom a particular production may hold a particular interest. Social networking sites are insufficient. Price, programming, presentation and venue can be seen as barriers by the potential new audience member. I’d like to see
- small productions taken to where people are within the city, as opposed to making people come to where the traditional theatre venues are – given the diversity of our population, a greater diversity in who we see on stage
- given the wealth of translated plays from around the world, at least occasional production of a European, African, or Asian playwright
- greater sensitivity and openness to the contribution, talent, and commitment of individuals whose background or interest in theatre creation does not reflect the more formal theatre training and BFA’s, MFA’s, of most engaged in theatre today.
I won’t go on except to say I wish the public visibility of theatre artists was not so often viewed as one of self-interest, and that more members of the public saw that we shared their societal, political, and international concerns, and were as diverse in our opinions as they are. I believe even that would attract new audience members. Stephen Hair’s “Toonies for Turkeys” is a fine thing.
8. What are three plays we should all read?
God knows. I say we should all read as many plays (including from an international and historical canon) as we can lay our hands on, always remembering that play scripts are blueprints for performance and live in performance. Reading plays is better than nothing, but seeing plays is best of all.
9. What’s a great Calgary theatre memory?
The production of “The Overcoat” in 2007; John Murrell’s ”Farther West” TC 1982 directed by Robin Phillips.
10. What’s your dream gig?
It changes from day to day, time to time. Today it would be the opportunity to direct John Arden’s “Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance” with adequate time and a multi-racial cast.
by Jamie
ATTN ALUMNI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DEPT. OF DRAMA
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You may have heard that the University of Calgary recently had a major surgery. You see, it had a really bad heart. This heart was pumping all sorts of filth into the student body in the past couple of years, but I tend to think think it was just a little defective from the start. Small, maybe with some sort of hairy, fungal infection. So this heart had to go, and thank god, it left on its own accord in the fall of ‘09. It’s been replaced with a temporary heart (like the one Captain Picard had), but they’re going to have a transplant brought in very soon. It’s all very exciting. It’s an opportunity for change, to clean up some of the crap spewed across the body by the old heart.
The problem is, the old heart did some major damage to the brain while it was there. In particular, it wasn’t pumping much oxygen into the right side of the brain, the creative side. No, it preferred to pump oxygen and nutrients to the left side, the side for things like logic and…math. And oil. And money. In fact, some parts of the right side are now completely dead, destroyed. Brain cells just wiped away. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but lately, I get the sense that it’s hanging on for dear life.
Oh! It’s worse than I thought. I just used “dramatic” as a negative synonym for “reactionary.” Looks like I was infected while I was there.
So what’s the solution? How can we cure the right side of the UofC’s brain? Here is my three step plan:
1) It needs some new blood. Or…maybe it needs stem cells. Choose your metaphor. Either way, it needs new growth both in the infrastructure and in procedure. There are some amazing brain cells that have been wanting to leave for years, but can’t because they know they won’t be replaced. We need to let them retire knowing it won’t result in the end of the program.
So: new brain cells. The problem is that:
2) There’s no oxygen to support new growth. No sense in bringing in new brain cells or growing tissues if you can’t pay for them.
Oxygen.
I feel like I’m mixing metaphors. Oxygen = money, right? …Let’s continue.
3) The corpus callosum – the tissue that connects the right side of the brain to the left side and brings all of the body’s activities together – is completely degraded. At this point, the left side barely knows the right side exists. No wonder. Craigie Hall is a dump. This tissue needs to be rebuilt, but it also needs to connect more proactively with its left brain sister.
Man, I wish I hadn’t tied myself into this heart/brain thing. It’s exhausting to keep up. Time for a picture:
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Woah! Look at the size of that cat!
Ah, much better. The point is, the arts faculties need permission (and the funds) to hire fresh faces to revitalize the programs, and to allow the older profs to retire as many of them so want to.
“Why bother?” some people might be asking. Mount Royal was just granted University status, why not leave that artsy stuff to them? Why not give the UofC a right brain lobotomy?
Here’s why not:
1) Arts are important. Duh.
2) The UofC needs the arts in the same way human beings need both sides of their brain. There can be no ideological growth without both sides. Where would business be without creative advertising? Where would music be without math? Both voices need to be present in any place that claims to be a centre for higher thought.
3) The UofC’s drama department is unique and important. Unlike the conservatory-style programs, of which there are several in the province, the UofC drama department focusses on diversity of education. Yes, there is a conservatory-style component, but there is so much more. Students are not only encouraged to create their own work, but expected to as part of their artistic training. They’re expected to think outside the black box theatre and find new methods for creation and performance. Some cool projects that have happened in the department over the past few years: Eric Rose works with the entire senior acting class in a semester-long creation project; Denise Clark leads a movement piece based on the music of RadioHead; David Owen directs a DaDa performance of The Adventures of Mr. Antipyrine, Fire Extinguisher; playwright Meg Braem receives her Alberta premiere of Potentilla, and goes on to write the award-winning, Blood; John Turner leads a group of students in a bouffon clown exhibtion; Patrick Finn directs the world premiere of The Humorous Magistrate, a lost script from the 1600s; Ayla Stephen and Christopher Duthie give us This is Our Solar System; sexy Phaedre; all-female Hamlet; the western premiere of Hello…Hello; Brecht’s Baal… and that is all since 2006. There more, but I won’t go on.
I’m not saying the UofC doesn’t have its problems, it does. I would even argue that the Drama Dept. seasons are sometimes a bit too experimental. But we need artists who are trained in this tradition of creation and experimentation and…weird stuff… to diversify the kind of work we see on Calgary’s professional stages in the future. Some amazing artists have come from the UofC, and not just “creators” but actors and directors and writers as well. Don’t believe me? Take a look around the community and you’ll find that many of our most respected and important artists are UofC alum.
In fact, I’m going to make a list so I can send it to the big guys at the UofC, to show them how important the department really is. ATTN: UofC Alum. If you are a graduate from the department of drama, and are still working in the industry, please send me an email or leave a comment below with your name, your graduating year, the program (BFA, MFA), and your current position. Here’s an example:
Meg Braem, plawright, MFA ‘09. Winner of the 2009 Alberta Playwrighting Competition for Blood: A Scientific Romance.
Stephen Massicotte, playwright, BFA…etc.
I just hope the Fine Arts Faculty doesn’t die from complications in the meantime…
by Jamie
I was at Costco yesterday buying a tub of 150 lollipops when something caught my eye. It was right next to the carboard certificates for $50 worth of iTunes purchases:
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Maybe that’s too small. Still, cellphone cameras have gotten decent over the past couple of years, hey?
Okay, there we go. I had no idea Jubilations was doing this, and apparently they’ve been doing it for a while, but I’ve gotta say, that’s pretty cool. I know some people might scoff at the idea of buying theatre tickets at the same place you buy a carrot cake that could feed all of Africa, but I think this is a fabulous idea. In a rush? Looking for a quick anniversary gift? Don’t want to give a gift certificate to The Keg or…Home Depot…or Safeway? Well that’s okay, because we can sell you an entire night out!
The best part is that this brings the idea of a night at the theatre all the way to the suburbs. I wonder if Theatre Calgary has anything like this, or if they could pull off the same thing…Maybe ATP and Vertigo as well… I suspect you’d have to be a pretty big company to make it work, but I’d love to see more of this. Maybe somebody should set up a theatre ticket kiosk in Chinook mall at Christmas!
Anybody want a lollipop? I have 146 left. I think they’re actually “Dinopops.”
Made with the real flavour of dinosaurs.
Alberta Foundation for the Arts Newswire – February 10, 2010.
Message from the Minister of Alberta Culture and Community Spirit
The Government of Alberta has presented its budget for 2010-11. I know you are all familiar with the current economic situation, including the Government of Alberta’s commitment to getting our provincial budget back in the black by 2012.
Let me assure you that the Government of Alberta remains committed to the goals of our cultural policy, The Spirit of Alberta, and its four keystones of Access, Capacity, Excellence and fostering Cultural Industries. The implementation ofThe Spirit of Alberta is the first strategic priority of Culture and Community Spirit’s 2010-13 Business Plan.
We are equally committed to the role of the arts, culture, community partners and non-profit and voluntary organizations in building a strong and vibrant Alberta. Working in partnership with the non-profit/voluntary sector to strengthen capacity and support collaborative community initiatives is highlighted in my mandate letter from Premier Stelmach.
The total budgeted program expense for Culture and Community Spirit in 2010-11 will be a considerable amount – $283.7 million. This amount includes:
Our 2010-11 budget makes a net reduction of $5 million, or 1.8 per cent, from the 2009-10 forecast, but allow me to explain further.
Ministry program expenses will actually decrease by $35 million; at the same time, a $30 million one-time grantincrease will fund four Alberta capital projects. The funds for these projects are being provided through the capital fund and not through the department operating budget. These projects also include some “flow-through” funding from the federal government.
The 2010-11 budget and our 2010-13 Business Plan were put together with the goal of providing the most funding possible to those groups that provide services and supports to the most vulnerable in our society, as well as to increase the competitiveness of our cultural industries.
All areas of my department will share in these budget reductions. Within the department, we have brought in operational efficiencies and re-examined core roles, which has helped us to make up part of the shortfall. These changes have also helped focus our budgeting on supporting critically important non-profit, voluntary and cultural sector services.
In my recent meetings with members of these sectors, we discussed ways of enhancing our relationship and having organizations work together to meet short-term challenges. I look forward to continuing these discussions and finding new and innovative ways to build sustainable cultural and non-profit sector organizations.
My department has also looked for new efficiencies in our grant programs. By streamlining applications and moving to a quarterly grant schedule, we are striving to keep the impact of budget reductions as small as possible.
While the 2010-11 budget has to face current economic realities, we will not lose the momentum that we have created in helping develop, foster and showcase our culture and community spirit.
We must take this opportunity, during these challenging times, to review what is important, encourage innovation and make it sustainable. I look forward to working with all of you over the coming year.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Blackett
Minister of Culture and Community Spirit
MLA, Calgary-North West
By Col
The 2010 APN 24 Hour Playwrighting Competition is nigh!
In a nutshell, APN corrals a couple dozen Albertan playwrights, gives them an office full of computers and junk food, keeps a couple dramaturges on hand to help writers get through that 3:00 am wall, and presto; 24 hours later everyone has a first draft of a brand spanking new play.
This is one of my favorite events all year, it was actually the very first theatre thing I did when I moved to Calgary. It was a great night, I met a lot of friends there I’m still close with, had some hilarious 4 am conversations with Eugene Stickland about speech impediments, and wrote a terrible play that involved two men stranded on an island with a make shift blow up doll made of fruit named Banana Anna.
Writers out there, really consider taking part this year. At its best, APN builds camaraderie between playwrights. It’s a lonely job. If you’re lucky you have a nice office to write in, if you’re me you have a basement; either way you have to be alone to write. But for 24 hours not only are you not alone but, even better, you get to watch other people write. You get to see them frustrated when the plot points just won’t come and you get to see that bit of adrenalin surge when characters finally start talking to each other. It’s a great glimpse of all that goes into getting that first draft out there, all condensed into less than a day; charged by sleep deprivation and caffeine.
If you need more info contact Trevor Rueger (acting Executive Director of APN and forthcoming Verbatim Series interviewee) at trevor@albertaplaywrights.com or check out http://www.albertaplaywrights.com/
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Karen is a Calgary based professional actor, improviser and educator. She has appeared on many Alberta stages including most recently, Urban Curvz Theatre, Lunchbox Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects and Ground Zero Theatre. Karen has been a coordinator/instructor with Quest Theatre’s Artist in Residency program for the past 14 years. She co-produces and stars in Calgary’s only live, improvised soap opera, Dirty Laundry. Karen is the proud recipient of the first ever Duval Lang Award for Excellence in Theatre for Young Audiences. She lives with husband Kevin, son Griffin and many photos of her obsession, Neil Diamond.
1. What’s on your mind these days (in 10 syllables or less)?
Kids, workshops, rehearsals, kleenex
2. Dirty Laundry is in its tenth season. How has the show evolved over the last decade?
Well, we’ve finally found the perfect home! Lunchbox Theatre. All along I’ve known it would be better in a theatre than a bar. So as far as evolving…there’s less beer. We have Aaron Coates as our new director, some core members have come and gone, but the improv gets tighter with every year.
3. How would you describe the Calgary theatre scene?
Overflowing, in a good way. Friendly, supportive, squished into too few places.
4. What role do elementary school theatre residencies play in the Calgary theatre community?
Kids get uber excited when someone like Phil Fulton, Rylan Wilke or Cheryl Hutton walks into their gym because they’ve seen them in a Quest show, or Christmas Carol, or some other production. Kids find out that we actually do act for a living and they make a point of coming out to see us. They sign up for Quest’s Theatre school, Nova Lea Thorne’s Theatreworks and start training. Then if we are lucky, they show up on stage! And when it comes to the Shakespeare residencies, the difference between an introduction to Shakespeare with Quest and with a hesitant grade 10 teacher is astronomical.
5. When in your career were you disappointed?
( It’s probably a good thing that I can’t think of an answer to this). The end of the run of “FLOP” for Quest Theatre. The end of the run of a lot of shows actually. Either the show is just so amazing to do or the cast is so great to hang around with that you don’t want them to end.
6. What advice would you give to emerging theatre artists starting out in Calgary.
Go see everything. You can’t decide what you like/dislike/want-to-be-part-of/need-to learn-more-about if you aren’t going to see theatre. You learn from seeing everything, whether you like it or hate it.
7. How can we attract new audience members to the theatre?
Gak, this is tough. I think we theatre lovers need to be taking friends who don’t usually go to see theatre with us when we go. My neighbors actually go see things when I pop off an email saying “I’ve just seen this and you would love it” or “there is a pay-what-you-can show, so come see it and you haven’t taken a huge risk with your money if you don’t care for that play”. I also think Y-stage and Quest are going to be the driving force behind raising new theatre goers.
8. What are three plays we should all read?
Oh I don’t know! I used to hate reading plays until I figured out that If I read plays by playwrights I already liked I was usually happy. Most of the plays I remember the most, and I think make a huge impact are non-verbal. (So… good luck reading those). Glenda Stirling’s “FLOP!”, A one-man show called (and by a fellow named) “Snowflake” and Green Thumb Theatre’s “Cranked”. (This one’s not non-verbal but you need to be in the room to experience it.)
Ones that stick with me that I’ve read are not necessarily other people’s cup of tea. I’d say we should all read ‘Santaland Diaries’ by David Sedaris or “Wedgie” by Jason Patrick Rothery, but that’s just because I like them. I can’t guarantee everyone would adore them.
9. What’s a great Calgary theatre memory?
Really? Just one? 1) My son asking to go see everything at Vertigo, and to go BACK to see Midsummer Night’s Dream a few years ago in the Park. 2) Starting Dirty Laundry with Elinor Holt, 3)Winning the Duval Lang Theatre for Young Audiences Award in August because I want to be him when I grow up.
10. What’s your dream gig?
Sesame Street. Hands down, it’s the job I want the most.
