 |
Laurence Olivier once said that "in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, great theatre is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture". |
Well here it is, the inaugural post...the start of a weekly feature I have been itching to see on VIA since I started haunting these pages last year. I'm from Vancouver, and I've worked in Theatre for much of my adult life; What am I into? Finding the common denominator. What makes us different, but what unites us? I think the search for that answer is what drives me, and what ignites me when I see what we're creating locally.
Whether you are a theatre admirer, or suffer from the occasional crush, this week's options have a little something for every taste. Some of the highlights this week include Arts Club's summer musical Hairspray at the Stanley, Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl at Studio 16 until June 3rd, and 10 Speed: 10-minute sets from the best in Vancouver Improv tonight at the China Cloud.
This week I had the particular pleasure getting a first viewing of Theatre Conspiracy's latest offering, the English premiere of Heiner Müeller's Macbeth: Nach Shakespeare. Theatre Conspiracy has long been focussed on combining international writing with the vision of local artists, and creating local work with a keen global awareness. Their latest piece (a co-production with GasHeart Theatre) is a de- then re-constructed telling of one of Shakespeare's most famous plays featuring some of Vancouver's best actors. As an East German Soviet-era dramatist, Müller re-imagined the story in a way that can be described both as wicked, confrontational, and ultra-violent. This production captured the play's heart, or lack thereof, and combined the striking text with a stark multi-media visual narrative (the prop list includes 12 litres of blood and a flaccid penis amongst other things). I left the theatre with a lot to talk about, and more than a little red on my shirt. Macbeth:Nach Shakespeare runs 'til May 29th at Performance Works on Granville Island.
‘Macbeth: nach Shakespeare’ (Macbeth: after Shakespeare). Photo: Chris Randle.
This week some of us were fortunate to get a sneak peak at the new Mainstage tent in Vanier park for Bard on the Beach. With a 100% sell-out record, the new tent will allow for 220 more audience members a show (Over 700 total capacity including a new reserved seating section). Beyond how this will positively affect the company, those of us in the audience will have new amenities including comfortable seats with arm-rests, way better sightlines, and much improved accoustics. The new tent has managed to retain the intimate feel over past years, and of course the exposed back wall which lends theatre goers to some of the most scenic backdrops in the world nightly.
In a couple of weeks I will be featuring an in-depth conversation with Bard on the Beach's Artistic Director Christopher Gaze, but in the meantime here is a candid video of what's in store on site (thanks David Cooper):
Next week we'll feature the weekly theatre happenings as well as an interview with acclaimed local director Anita Rochon. 'Til then!
