Two more sleeps until (*deep breath*) “Canada’s National Festival of Contemporary Canadian Theatre in English” opens, Vancouver! Can I get a woo-hoo! And the timing couldn’t be better, you’ve all seen Iron Man by now, Indiana Jones is an embarrassment to its once-proud heritage and the only other thing in the multiplex you’re considering is Sex and the City…its the perfect time to spend a bit of your hard-earned on some solid theatre.
Now, if you’re reading this, chances are you’re working in the theatre yourself, and are therefore flat busted. Not to worry, Mag North has you covered…some of the performances and events in the next couple of weeks were good enough to offer up some opportunities to take them in on a tight budget.
Here’s your guide to the Magnetic North Pay-What-You-Can performances, sprinkled throughout the festival. (All PWYCs are available at the door only):
[boxhead], by Darren O’Donnell – Thursday, June 5 @ 9pm, Waterfront Theatre – With Talkback!
A young geneticist wakes up to discover a box secured to his head; he finds all his thoughts come from God, all his words come from the devil and his desire for love is a habit acquired from the movies. Sound familiar? Don’t be so hard on yourself. From the addled consciousness that brought you Diplomatic Immunities and Haircuts by Children, comes [boxhead] – a bedtime story for your brain.
Warning: Nudity…and boxes
blood.claat, by d’bi.young.anitafrika – Monday, June 9 @ 2pm – Firehall Arts Centre
d’bi.young fuses theatre and dub poetry in this one ‘womban’ story of blood. Mudgu comes of age, struggles with her first menstruation, chafes against her grandmother, endures her overly-religious aunt, nurtures a crush on her strutting neighbour and morphs into Yemoja, an African goddess who creates the world with her blood. But it is her mother – who lives in Canada, a world away from Mudgu – who teaches her the importance of the monthly blood claat (or blood cloth), with its ancient healing connections.
Warning: Some Nudity
Where the Blood Mixes, by Kevin Loring – Saturday, June 14 @ 2pm – the Roundhouse
Irreverently funny and brutally honest, Where the Blood Mixes is a story about loss and redemption in the heart of the Fraser Canyon. Caught in a shadowy pool of pain and guilt, Floyd is a man who has lost everyone he holds most dear. Now after more than two decades, his daughter Christine returns home to confront her father. Set during the salmon run, Where the Blood Mixes takes us to the bottom of the river, to the heart of a People.
Warning: Strong language and mature subject matter
The Celebrity Speaker Series – At Performance Works – All times are 5-6pm unless otherwise noted.
Gordon Pinsent – actor/director/producer/writer – Friday, June 6
Sandra Oh – actor – Saturday, June 7
Mieko Ouchi – actor/playwright/musician – Sunday, June 8
Sharon Pollock – playwright – Thursday, June 12 *12-1pm*
Tantoo Cardinal – actor/artist – Friday, June 13
Anosh Irani – novelist/playwright – Saturday, June 14
All the Tea With the Artists and Lunchtime Encounters are also PWYC.
Many thanks to these artists for their generosity and to Emma for the heads up.
Simon Ogden 