Browsing “Cheap Series”

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

Had your fill of outdoor movies this week? How about an indoor movie? Tonight Pacific Cinematheque is celebrating its 40th birthday with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest with $1 admission!

Just to repeat for emphasis, that’s $1 admission to see a sweet old Alfred Hitchcock movie that includes a scene where people climb Abraham Lincoln’s nose. (I know, right???) The usual membership fees at Pacific Cinematheque are also waved, just for tonight.

As a person who works in the arts I will tell you that any nonprofit arts organization lasting for 40 years is a pretty amazing feat. It’s a fickle world, so this is definitely something to celebrate.

I got the chance for a quick Q&A with Amber Orchard, the managing director of Pacific Cinematheque.

Why did Pacific Cinematheque begin?

Incorporated in 1972, Pacific Cinematheque has been apart of the Vancouver landscape for forty years. Formed out of Intermedia and Vancouver Film-Coops to assist independent filmmakers and the distribution of their films, the Pacific Cinematheque first operated out of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The society’s main activities were weekly screenings with a focus on local filmmakers and to establish an archive of West Coast film production.

Why do you think Pacific Cinematheque has lasted so long?

We are a well managed, fiscally prudent, sustainable cultural organization that has prospered due to wide community support, extensive grass-roots engagement, and the highest standards of artistic excellence and relevance.

Any big plans for the future?

We are in the early stages of conducting a feasibility study of our building with a plan to expand our current home at 1131 Howe Street.

What’s the reasoning for picking North by Northwest as the film?

No real tie-in. Its a great film and timing wise worked for our event.

For those who might have never been to Pacific Cinematheque before and might be intimidated by the art film crowd, what should they expect?

An essential cinema experience! An intimate theatre, a quality presentation and the best popcorn in the city.

How early do you recommend people arrive to secure a seat?

Doors open at 6:30pm but I suspect people will be lined up before that.

Anything else you want people to know?

Seating is limited. Tickets are $1 and only cash will be accepted at the door.

In case you were wondering, the $1 price of admission was taken directly from Pacific Cinematheque’s original entrance fee. Don’t you love it when companies revert to their original pricing to celebrate anniversaries? (Oooh, that just gave me an idea for another post!)

North by Northwest
7pm on Thursday, Aug 2
Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe St)
$1 admission
Cash only, limited seating

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

A short anecdote to get us started here today: a few years back I went to Montreal for 5 weeks in the summer. While there, I was amazed at the number for free concerts and festivals overrunning that incredibly cool city. At the time, I remember thinking “man, why doesn’t Vancouver do stuff like this???”

Turns out, it does! This summer there have already been loads of free entertainment events and now here’s another one: SHOREfest at the Honda Celebration of Lights. We’ve got two beaches, loads of bands, and even more people watching.

Spirit of the West performing in last year’s SHOREfest. Photo by Shayna Kerrie Photography.

The schedule:

The Rogue Stage (on Sunset Beach)

Saturday July 28
Rogue Stage Sunset Beach
2:00 – 2:45 Oliver Swain
3:00 – 3:45 Headwater
4:00 – 4:45 Harry Manx
5:00 – 6:00 Barney Bentall
6:00 – 6:30 V3
6:45 – 7:15 SEACHS
7:30 – 8:15 Jim Byrnes and Steve Dawson
10:00 Vietnam Fireworks Show

Wednesday August 1
Rogue Stage Sunset Beach
4:00 – 4:45 The Breakmen
5:00 – 6:00 Dustin Bentall and Kendel Carson
6:00 – 6:30 Ache Brasil
6:45 – 7:15 Grupo America
7:30 – 8:15 The Be Good Tanyas
10:00 Brazil Fireworks Show

Saturday August 4
Rogue Stage Sunset Beach
2:00 – 2:45 Bocephus King
3:00 – 3:45 Partick Brealey
4:00 – 4:45 Viper Central
5:00 – 5:45 Cousin Harley
6:00 – 6:30 Famee Furlane Balletto
6:45 – 7:15 Joel Plaskett
7:30 – 8:15 Great Lake Swimmers
8:30 – 9:30 Patrizia Colletta
10:00 Italy Fireworks Competion

The Shore 104 Stage (at English Bay)

Saturday July 28
Shore 104 Stage English Bay
7:30 – 8:15 Zaac Pick
8:30 – 9:30 Bahamas
10:00 Vietnam Fireworks Show

Wednesday August 1
Shore 104 Stage English Bay
7:30 – 8:15 Jets Overhead
8:30 – 9:30 Trews
10:00 Brasil Fireworks Show

Saturday August 4
Shore 104 Stage English Bay
7:30 – 8:15 Hannah Georgas
8:30 – 9:30 Said The Whale
10:00 Italy Fireworks Show

Dan Mangan in last year’s SHOREfest. Photo by Shayna Kerrie Photography.

I caught up with Ronnie Stanton, Operations Manager at Shore 104FM to get more info on the concerts.

Whose idea was SHOREfest in the first place?
This is our 4th SHOREfest. When the station was originally built, the desire was to create a radio station truly created for music lovers – accordingly the promotions we do are always music focussed. A free music festival is right up our alley!

How do you choose the bands who will play?
Firstly we look for fit. We want the artists to be eclectic yet have some familiarity – they need to be relevant, cool and interesting. Plus, we want diversity in sound. We also aim to showcase seasoned performers and up and coming Canadian acts.

Why make it free? Why not charge cover for these awesome bands?
SHOREfest is attached to the biggest free nights of the year in Vancouver with the Honda Celebration of Light. It had to be free!

Are you anticipating the huge crowds the fireworks are known for? Will people need to arrive early to stake out a spot?
Yes – we imagine there will be a lot of people there. Our acts start on stage mid afternoon so come early and enjoy the free music. Then when the fireworks are on make sure you listen to Shore 104 for the musical soundtrack for the visual spectacular!

Anything else you want people to know about SHOREfest?
We recommend using public transport as parking might be a challenge later in the day. Come and enjoy.

Yep, a pretty big crowd, alright. Photo by Shayna Kerrie Photography.

This post is doing double duty, because I also have to tell you about Carousel Theatre’s summer Shakespeare show The Tempest that you can also see for FREE! Yes, this is teen performers, but Carousel is known for putting together some rocking productions with its teen performance troupe.

The show runs Monday to Saturday from July 27th to August 11th at 7:30pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Saturdays (Jul 28, Aug 4 + 11) and Monday, August 6th (BC Day). Advance reservations can be made for $5/seat.

For more information please call (604) 685-6217 or visit our website at www.carouseltheatre.ca

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

It’s Outdoor Movie season! Actually, it has been for a little while, but I won’t let that impede my excitement in writing about it now. For the newcomers to Vancouver, or those who don’t pay much attention to what’s going on, free outdoor movies have become something of a tradition here in this fine city. Might have something to do with the fact that during the summer this is quite literally one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and we’ve got to soak up every minute of outdoor time we can before it starts raining again.

There are a few different hosts for the outdoor movies this year: Fresh Air Cinema does the Stanley Park Series, The City of Vancouver hosts screenings in some parks around town, and Nat Bailey Stadium even has some showings!

Photo provided by Fresh Air Cinemas

Stanley Park

July 24, 2012: The Lion King
July 31, 2012: Grease
August 7, 2012: The Blues Brothers
August 14, 2012: Monty Python and the Holy Grail
August 21, 2012: Labrinth
August 28, 2012: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Nat Bailey

JULY 27 – THE INCREDIBLES
AUG 10 – FIELD OF DREAMS
AUG 31 – ALADDIN
(movies start at 7:00, doors at 6:30)

City of Vancouver

AUG 11: Back to the Future
Trout Lake Park – starts approx. 8:40pm

AUG 19: Dirty Dancing
David Lam Park – starts approx. 8pm

PS: Fresh Air Cinema is also running a contest right now to get a free back yard movie screening at your lovely home! Now, if you actually live in Vancouver chances are you don’t have a back yard all to yourself, but hopefully you know someone who does who would be more than happy to play host, because think of the fun!

PPS: Just an FYI, there’s a bunch of cheap theatre happening in town this weekend! Some of it I’ve already mentioned, but reminders are nice. Closing Saturday is Armed by Xua Xua Productions. Sunday is the pay-what-you-can day at The Neanderthal Festival, and also a pay-what-you-can performance of Proud, a play about Stephen Harper that was censored out, so naturally everyone’s producing staged readings now in protest.

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

We all love a good games night, right? Sometimes there’s no better way to pass an afternoon than with a few friends and a new game. Buying a new game can be kind of expensive though, and you can only dig out that old deck of Apples for Apples so many times before you need a change of scenery.

Enter Drexoll Games. According to all my gamer-nerd friends, this is the place to go to buy a new game. Better than that, however, this is the place you go to play games for FREE! The back of the store is overflowing with games, new and old, that are free for the using. Just take your pick, sit down, and play for as long as you like.

Just a portion of the free games available for play at Drexoll.

The selection of free games available is definitely unfamiliar – you’ll likely find yourself trying something new – but you likely won’t be disappointed, and you may even find a new favourite.

My friends and I went out last week, we brought our own game (Zombie Dice!) and then picked a game at random from the wall. We wound up with a game called Factory Fun, and let me tell you, fun it was!

Drexoll Games is located on 4th Ave at McDonald – check it out next time you’re in Kits and play some games!

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

Turns out there are two entry-by-donation art parties this weekend! Tonight is The Confessional 2.0, and tomorrow night is Zig-a-Zigallery: A Spice Girls Art show. Yes. Spice Girls art. I don’t know about you, but I am more than intrigued – I am tickled.

Turns out this is the third in a series of pop culture art shows, Bill You Murray Me? and Steven Seagallery. Anyone is invited to submit art inspired by the pop culture icon of choice, and then a party is born full of accessible, fun art.

A quick Q&A with creator Christina Chant.

What’s the idea behind the pop culture art shows? Why did you start them?
The pop culture shows first started as a fun idea for Burning Man last year. My best friend and I were planning a camp and wanted to give back to the community and do something fun and interactive. A close friend of ours had always joked about doing a Steven Seagallery – so we asked for his permission to go forth and create and he gave us the go ahead. A few art parties at my house later and we had a collection of Steven Seagal based art. When I came back from Burning Man I had all of this art left over and hilarious memories and thought, how can I get this in Vancouver? After getting some help and consulting with an acquaintance of mine – we put together a ramshackle show at the Toast Collective and it was great!

Following that response, I realized that it was a great way to get people together who don’t typically create or participate in art. Plus, pop culture is something everyone can connect on – even if it’s irony, humour, love or nostalgia, it’s a common thread and usually, everyone has a story about it. Which is also why we haven’t restricted the mediums; people can express themselves in the way they see fit.

Has anything new or unexpected come up while doing these shows?
So many things! At the Bill you Murray Me? Show we had over 600 people attend which was insane. It was an incredibly positive experience and we had over 150 pieces of art from a variety of mediums/skill sets. I also really appreciate that a lot of contribution were a first for some artists and I was humbled to hear that people felt less intimidated to participate in the show. I also got to see a large private collection of Spice Girls memorabilia and that was pretty cool!

Are you artists yourselves?
I often joke that we have a “No talent necessary policy” so that I can put my own crayon drawings in the show. Ola Volobuyeva, who is a wonderful illustrator, is my right hand lady and she is wickedly talented. She has made the posters for the show and you can check out her work here: http://olavola.com/. I work as an Outreach Nurse in the DTES for Aboriginals with HIV and also, work in clinics in the DTES. It is my first love and is the reason I am so good with organized chaos.

Anything exciting coming up for the Spice Girls show?
SO many things! We have live instrumental remixes of Spice Girls songs by Mark Woodyard, a surprise performance by the Spice Boys (the men in the posters), 90s beats from DJ Chants Roommate and around 70 pieces of art to share with everyone. So far our submissions range from hand sewn pieces, Insane Clown Posse and Dune inspired drawings, a massive oil painting, some 3D art and spoken word. And that is just the tip of the iceberg…Some of the art will be for sale as well and 100% of the proceeds go to the artists.

What should someone expect to experience when they come?
A really fun, positive environment. Lots of people dressed up as the Spice Girls! We got a lot of kudos last time for throwing a great party, even from the bar staff.

Anything else you want people to know?
We keep things tongue and cheek. Plus, we’ve been trying to get a hold of the Spice Girls.. so maybe, just maybe, they’ll show up…

Zig-a-Zigallery: A Spice Girls Art Show
Saturday, July 7th from 7pm-2am
FALL tattoo and art gallery (644 Seymour St)
Entrance by donation
Costumes encouraged

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled “cheap” and the other labeled “awesome”, the middle point where they cross over could be labeled “Vancouver on the Cheap”. In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome. Got a cheap-living tip you’d like to share? Send it in!

Lo and behold, yet another fun and cheap event in Vancouver! Next week on Friday, Xua Xua Productions is hosting a party called The Confessional 2.0. Billed as “a dance party with absolution”, The Confessional is a little different from your average party. Sure, it’s got the bar and awesome DJ’s (hello, Gal Pals of FRIENDS Thursdays at the Electric Owl), but it’s also got a confessional booth. The idea is that you hop off the dance floor and into the confessional booth, write down your confession, and then watch as it’s turned into art by being integrated into projections designed by Chloe Horowitz. There will also be artists on hand to give you confession-inspired body art, if you’d like.

Adding to the cool factor, it’s being held, of all places, in a chocolate shop. CocoaNymph is already well-known for its delicious location on W 10th in Point Grey, but they’ve opened a new location recently in Mount Pleasant and that’s where the party will be going down.

What’s cheap about it? Cover is a recommended donation of $5 and drinks are $4. Can’t get better than that.

Some Q&A fun with Confessional co-creator Dani Bryant:

Where did the idea for The Confessional come from?
A few years ago we produced a play called Bash in which each character confesses their deepest, darkest secret. Before the secrets were revealed they appeared to be the most upstanding citizens, those people that others aspire to be. But, in revealing their secrets, you realized that there is a potential monster in all of us. It got us thinking about how you don’t ever really know your neighbours; you tend to only know what they decide to share.

Why bring it back?
The simple answer? We had tons of people ask us to bring it back. I guess people have a lot of confessing to do.

There is something cathartic about confessing; it allows you to let go of those things that you are too afraid to share with the world for fear of being judged. By projecting the anonymous confessions on the wall, an element of excitement is added to the mix. Your friends are going to see the confessions – will they recognize it was your confession? Will others have similar secrets to your own? Will someone confess their love for you?

A lot can happen when you give people a public forum to anonymously share their secrets.

What will people have to do at The Confessional?
If they choose, they can go into the confession booth and anonymously write down their confessions. This choice tends to become more popular as the night wears on and the alcohol flows.

Why should someone come?
Penance through partying. Who can say no to that?

Anything else you want to make known about it?
DJ duo the Gal Pals from The Electric Owl’s Friends Thursdays will be spinning some great tues and we will have artists on hand for those people who want to wear their sins on their skin.

The Confessional 2.0
Friday, July 6th form 8pm ’til late
CocoaNymph (4 W 7th Ave at Ontario)
Cover: $5 recommended donation