Christine Fellows Writes Songs About Strong Women: Mermaids, Runaways and Nuns of Franco-Manitoba

Published with permission. By Amanda Ash originally published in Exclaim!

Christine Fellows performs at The Cultch for one night only, March 8, 2011

 

Take a black-and-white photograph and bring it to life - that's what Winnipeg, Manitoba's Christine Fellows did with her fifth and most innovative release, Femmes de chez nous. The 13-track record and accompanying DVD, Reliquary/Reliquaire, were written during, and inspired by, Fellows' six-month residency at Le Musée de Saint-Boniface. Femmes de chez nous, which translates to "our gals," celebrates Franco-Manitoban history, delving into the lives of nuns, a mermaid, a troubled runaway and a small-town stenographer crowned beauty queen. Some characters are real, some imagined, but all are connected through their experiences. Fellows memorializes her characters, telling their stories of strength and fortitude via brilliant theatrical instrumentals. The lyrics of "Dragonfly" unsettle the soul, while the title track announces Fellows' sympathy; she holds these women close to her, as if they've been placed in a locket and worn around her neck. On "Reversed Arrow," Fellows sings: "We trip and cringe and cry/We hold our hands up to the light/We speak in languages and gestures just like yours." Her loving voice rises above the background gang vocals and serenading violin, bringing together two languages and listeners through songs of decidedly different natures yet universally similar sentiments. Read more >>  

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Les Productions Figlio wins the Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award: Dance 2012   

Choreographer Serge Bennathan of Les Productions Figlio

Western Canada's Les Productions Figlio is the winner of the thirteenth annual Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award, a $60,000 production fund that is one of the largest awards of its kind in Canada. The company's new work, Elles, will have its premiere at The Cultch in March 2012.

 

ABOUT ELLES

Elles is the expression of choreographer Serge Bennathan's desire to be confronted once again by feminine strength, passion and depth. This work is a research into the visceral, raw physicality of a large number of women dancers coming from across Canada, bringing with them different approaches and languages of dance. The encountering of each other and the interweaving of these different cultures of dance creates an initial culture shock. Elles follows Serge Bennathan's creative path, uncompromised, intense and vulnerable, forming a unique physical poetry.

 

ABOUT LES PRODUCTIONS FIGLIO

Les Productions Figlio is a production house dedicated to the artistic work of Serge Bennathan. Using a unique physical language, Serge Bennathan creates works that are deeply personal and poetic, speak profoundly to audiences, and demand courage from the artists. These multi-layered, often epic works explore a wide spectrum of art-forms, from theatre, dance, to opera and multi-media.

 

ABOUT THE RIO TINTO ALCAN PERFORMING ARTS AWARD

The Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award is a $60,000 production fund open to performing arts companies residing in British Columbia. The award is funded by Rio Tinto Alcan and administered by The Cultch. The competition rotates annually among the disciplines of Dance, Theatre and Music/Opera. An independent panel of artistic professionals adjudicates the award.

 

Previous winners include The Holy Body Tattoo (Circa), Electric Company Theatre (Dona Flor and her Two Husbands), Modern Baroque Opera (120 Songs for the Marquis de Sade), battery opera (Cyclops), Boca del Lupo (The Suicide), Hard Rubber Orchestra (Enter-Exit), Kidd Pivot (Lost Action), neworldtheatre (Adrift on the Nile), Vancouver New Music (Marginalia: Re-visioning Roy Kiyooka), Wen Wei Dance (Cock-Pit), Theatre Replacement (The Greatest Cities in the World), and Turning Point Ensemble (Firebird 2011).

 

This March, Ronnie Burkett is back at The Cultch!  

Not many can say they chose their destiny at

ABOUT PENNY PLAIN Penny Plain is blind, but she hears plenty about the state of things, so she decides to sit and wait for the world to end. When her companion dog Geoffrey leaves to live as a man, Penny's end-of-days vigil is interrupted by survivalists, a serial killer, a cross-dressing banker, talking dogs and mysterious strangers seeking sanctuary as Mother Earth cleans house and reclaims her ground.

seven years old. But for puppet master Ronnie Burkett, that's exactly what happened. Flipping through an encyclopedia as a boy, it landed open to the entry for 'puppet' and from then on, he was hooked.

He worked hard at his craft, accepting an internship at an international conference of puppeteers when he was just fourteen years old. By the time he was nineteen, he was living in New York City, working under famous American puppeteer, Bill Baird.

But, it's the works he's produced with his own company, the Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes that has really brought him to where he is today. Created in 1986, the company has performed for adult audiences across the globe, earning Burkett international praise in everything from superb acting abilities and brilliant scripts to incredible talent as a craftsman. Audiences are often surprised when they learn that not only does Burkett perform with the puppets, he also builds them as well.

On March 14th, celebrate with The Cultch as Ronnie Burkett brings his world-class talents to Vancouver in an exclusive, intimate reading of his latest work Penny Plain. In this performance, Burkett leaves the puppets at home but shares the script to his most recent production, a bizarre world of serial killers, cross dressing bankers and talking dogs. You definitely won't want to miss this!

Join us for one night only on March 14th at 8pm for A Cultch Benefit with Ronnie Burkett. Tickets are $25 and are available online at tickets.thecultch.com, by phone at 604.251.1363 or in person at 1895 Venables Street.

 

 

Darwin the Dinosaur: A Magical Show by Broadway Stars 

Darwin (right) is led by his red heart to investigate a flower.

Ian Carney and Corbin Popp of Corbian Visual Arts and Dance, the creators of Darwin the Dinosaur, are two guys who really know their stuff. Between the two of them, they boast a colourful performance resume and wide range of accumulated skills. With all their talents, it's no wonder that Darwin the Dinosaur has been as successful as it is.

Both Ian and Corbin grew up in the United States and danced their way through school. While Ian was an English Literature student at Tulane University, Corbin studied Biochemistry at The University of Nebraska. Upon graduation, they both accepted positions with professional performance companies, which eventually led them to the Broadway stages of New York.

It was here, on the set of Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel's Movin' Out, that Ian and Corbin met and became good friends. After discovering their mutual love for art and technology, and a fancy little product called EL Wire (an electroluminescent glowing wire powered by batteries), the idea for a glow-in-the-dark puppet show was born.

Now, with the international touring Ian and Corbin have done, the magic of Darwin the Dinosaur has been seen around the world. Don't miss your chance to see this amazing performance for yourself!

Darwin the Dinosaur is playing from March 11th to 13th in the Historic Theatre at The Cultch. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at tickets.thecultch.com, by phone at 604.251.1363 or in person at 1895 Venables Street (at Victoria Drive).

A special thanks to West Coast Reduction Ltd. for sponsoring The Cultch's Family-Time Series.

The Virtual Stage: A look at a modern company embracing a work from the past

 

A maquette of the 1984 set, to premiere at The Cultch on March 24th.

The Virtual Stage is coming to The Cultch with a brand new adaptation of George Orwell's legendary novel 1984. But who are the people at The Virtual Stage and what exactly are they all about?

Founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Andy Thompson, The Virtual Stage is one of the few theatre companies out there dedicated to incorporating new technologies into their performances. This means that not only do they boast superb acting abilities, but they also play around with things like computer animation, cinematic projection, digital sound and 3D modeling. By bringing these elements into their shows, Virtual Stage productions have transcended the boundaries of traditional theatre to create a whole new experience for their audiences.

The idea of creating a new art form in the theatre was really the brainwave of Andy Thompson. He wondered why there was such a disdain for incorporating technology into a live theatre environment and why the visuals of theatre, film and television couldn't come together to create something new. The answer to that question became The Virtual Stage.

But their performances aren't necessarily about technology. They just use it as a means to enhance the experience of their audience members, to tell stories in new and exciting ways. With their subject matter, they're interested in creating performances that educate audiences in matters of social significance. That's why the upcoming adaptation of George Orwell's 1984 is the perfect piece to add to their repertoire.

Don't miss out on seeing this iconic novel brought to life. With all those technological tricks up their sleeves, this tale of rebellion is sure to impress!

1984 runs from March 24 to April 3 at The Cultch. Tickets start at $15 and are available online at tickets.thecultch.com, or at The Cultch box office by phone 604.251.1363 or in person at 1895 Venables Street.

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The Ways We Love Paris: Le Macaron  

 

Come celebrate with The Cultch on April 4th at Paris, in love. It's an evening of French food, music and memories of mid-Twentieth century Paris to support The Cultch's season and the annual IGNITE! Youth Arts Festival. To get you in the Parisian frame of mind, we wanted to share our favourite things about this romantic city. Here's Cultch intern Kelsey Wood's thoughts on an iconic French treat:

 

It seems that everywhere I look I see these fabulous pastel desserts. No, they're not new, but they're new to me.

 

French macarons (not to be confused by the all-to-common coconut macaroons) are small, round, almond cookies, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, sandwiched with flavoured fillings.  The posh pâtisserie Ladurée in Paris wraps these confections in a stylish embossed box with a ribbon on top. Laduree's multi-coloured macarons come in scrumptious flavours, ranging from the traditional raspberry and vanilla to the decadent orange blossom and salted butter caramel (yum!).

 

But while pâtisserie Ladurée is one of the few iconic macaron makers, it seems everyone nowadays has a hand in these desserts; even Martha Stewart has a recipe online.  I've seen them in blog posts, advertisements, and in Paris guide books.  The world seems to be crazy for these cookies that are equally beautiful as they are delicious.

At least they seem delicious, but I wouldn't really know.

 

You see, to this day, I have not actually ever had a macaron.  I have never had the opportunity to bite into one of these mouth-watering creations, and as we continue to prepare for Paris, in love on April 4th, with each passing day my craving for an actual macaron grows. Continue reading "The Ways We Love Paris: Le Macaron" 

 

 

Come Visit us at The Cultch's Cafe & Wine Bar

The Café & Wine Bar at The Cultch is now open and offering an extraordinary selection of wines, specialty beers, espresso beverages, as well as teas, light gourmet meals, and desserts. Come check out this fabulous new space. and don't forget that for ultimate convenience, food and drinks can be pre-ordered for intermissions during shows to make sure that your items are ready and waiting for you when you come out of the theatre. Click here for more information and hours of operation.   

 

 

Basic Training is back at The Cultch April 14 - 16, 2011