Once again, Gail Lotenberg has succeeded in building bridges between dance and the public. Gail wondered what would happen when six dancers and six ecologists explored the concerns and passions of behavioral ecology through the medium of dance?  The result of her explorations is a new show called Somatic Scientific .  It’s a highly innovative double-bill performance that premieres at 8pm on May 2 & 3 at the Kay Meek Centre in West Vancouver. (The show does end in time to catch the last ferry back.)
         

          First up is a piece entitled Reef or Madness by BUTOH-a-GO-GO, which depicts ecosystem complexity through the Japanese dance art of Butoh. Two exquisite dancers, who have performed their own creations as far away as the Moscow Ballet’s Festival of Contemporary Dance with their own creations, delve into realms microscopic and cosmic in Reefer Madness, to lead the audience into a rich, imagistic world.
   

          Symbiotic, Gail’s piece is second on the program.  It features dancers and scientists performing side by side as they seek to pool their resources, discover their humanity and promote change for coral reefs.  Gail’s boundless curiosity and a refined intellect help her to make a strong impact through dance that leaves you thinking about the material long after the curtain has closed. These are some of the attributes that led to recent national attention for her Breakfast Dances—a show that Maragold Productions presented on the rock only one month ago.
           

          Somatic Scientific is a major, new creative project bringing together two fantastic dance companies and a group of world-renowned scientists to explore the meeting place between “the two solitudes” of arts and science. In commenting on the project, the scientists explain that they rediscovered through this collaboration that like the professional dancers they are artists of a sort. They learned that well-conceived research is a thing of beauty, and elegantly performed studies open the heart to the splendors of nature that surround and inspire them. They’ve shared with the dancers the pain, the emotion and the tears evoked by what we are doing to our planet. The show proves how Scientists can be as inspiring as dancers when they recognize and celebrate their passion to preserve, conserve, and protect the environment.

          An educated public is needed to convince governments to take the actions necessary to protect this beautiful world in which we live. The world’s coral reefs, like all her ecosystems, are under grave threat from pollution, climate change and over-harvesting of resources. Through this collaboration, and the public performance of the resulting works, Gail hopes to bring this to the attention of a new audience. As one of the ecologists state, “We have learned that scientists only limit ourselves. There is no boundary between art and science, only self-imposed barriers that separate numbers and emotions. They need not be two solitudes. Feel the beat, move the body, celebrate the glory as our two worlds entwine.”

          For tickets call the Kay Meek centre box office at 604-913-3634 or order online through MaraGolds’ www.bowenboxoffice.com For more information about LINK Dance go to their web site at www.linkdance.ca

From 1929 until 1979 Evergreen Hall was the primary meeting place on Bowen.  It was originally the dance hall for the Union Steamships and it’s tradition as a gathering place for dances, plays, Bowfests and craft fairs continued for many decades. Martin Clarke remembers the year that Theatre On The Isle produced A Midsummer’s Night Dream there, and 131 people sat and enjoyed it.  That was 40% of the Islands population back then!  “It was built as a clubhouse and even after the Union Steamships sold it, it was provided to the community for public assembly of all sorts.” Said Liz Fincham who until recently owned the Hall. 

 

“Historically, Evergreen Hall used to be the centre of Island life” said Dan Parker, who owns The Lodge at The Old Dorm, next door.   Sadly, that won’t be the case next weekend. Despite my best efforts to bring Evergreen Hall back to its roots, the MaraGold Theatre production of Michel Tremblay’s Les Belles Soeurs will not be performed at Evergreen Hall, but at Cates Hill Chapel opening tonight (Friday, April 11th) at 8pm and running tomorrow and Sunday nights as well as at 2:00 on Sunday.  Please note the matinee time change! (Thank you so much Cates Chapel folks for all your speedy help!)

Unfortunately, Chris Buchanan, our by-law officer, had a complaint from a council member about the production.  Lisa Barrett, another council member and actress in the production said “If we don’t have a Community Arts Centre, we, as councilors, need to do all we can to support culture in our community.”  “That’s the reason why people like you (Mara) give up”, said long time Bowen

Island resident Ali Berry. Well, I’m not giving up yet, but this has been a discouraging process.

 

When Chris receives a complaint he must follow up with an investigation. He discovered that the Hall isn’t zoned in a way that can allow the performances to occur without the renter (me) filling papers and paying fees, or the new owner, the wonderful Maureen Armstrong, paying high fees and putting up signs all at her expense.  You would think that it would have been grand-fathered to have proper zoning a long time ago but when Liz Fincham tried to have it re-designated, it lost by one vote at council. Chris was very generous in allowing Les Belles Soeurs to continue anyway as long as I placed 2 parking attendants directing traffic and one parking cars at the Library.  However, once the ball got rolling on all the crossing of T-s and dotting of I-s, the attendance allowances kept dropping, and finally, with the audience capped at 45, the production would have lost a ton of money and the Hall would have felt half-full, which doesn’t make for a good theatre experience.

Anyway, I wanted to help Maureen reconnect Evergreen Hall to the Arts community but I was too overcome with the bureaucracy of modern regulations. If she decides to invite other events in, it may require extra paperwork and renovations.  These increased costs would have to be incorporated into the rental fees, thus pricing the hall out if reach for most of the Arts community. Evergreen Hall could have been a rare venue on Bowen-one without content restrictions or script approval processes.  Most of Bowens current rentable venues are member-driven and have guidelines in place that comply with their members’ wishes and beliefs.  Although that is perfectly understandable, it does restrict the script choices that I can make.  Oh well, it all comes down to that tired old refrain…”We need a theatre.”    

The ensemble from Les Belles Soeurs shown from back to front: Roberta Hardie, Lisa Barrett, Laurel Bailey, Cathy Gagner, Colleen O’Neil, Tina Neilsen, Judith Maclaren, Rosie Montgomery, Heather Hodson, Georgia Beaty, Jackie Minns, Nina Hughes, Gil Yaron (Director), Mara Brenner, Katalina Bernard and Stephanie Leotopolis. (Absent: Andrea Kauffman.)

       

Characters don’t get much realer than the ladies who populate Michel Tremblay’s Les Belle Soeurs (The Beautiful Sisters). This popular Canadian play proves that unhappiness knows no boundaries and no time frame.  Although much of it is funny, it’s not quite comic; and while some of it borders on tragic, it’s too satirical to be drama. As inhabited by a terrifically talented local cast of 15 actresses, the pain and despair of the women who fill Germaine Lauzon’s kitchen are all too real — and yeah, sometimes funny. Germaine’s friends and relatives have gathered to help her lick the one million trading stamps she’s won into the books that can be exchanged for anything in the prize catalog.  Germaine has big plans for it all, although she doesn’t see the resentment and bitterness (and theft!) that’s swirling around her.

      Les Belles Soeurs was Michel Tremblay’s first professionally produced work.  The impact of this work in 1965 set off a storm of controversy, firstly because of the language (a particularly raucous — some say vulgar — joual, aka Quebecois street  talk.), and then because it dared to portray working class women doing working class things.  The English translation that will be performed on Bowen has proven, over the years, to be equally affective both in English Canada and internationally. The

Vancouver Sun said: “A tart but human satire on Canadian life and aspirations”       The very talented collective of local actresses for this reading are: Laurel Bailey, Lisa Barrett, Georgia Beaty, Katalina Bernard, Roberta Hardie, Cathy Garnier, Heather Hodson, Nina Hughes, Andrea Kaufman, Stephanie Leotopolis, Judith Maclaren, Jackie Minns, Rosie Montgomery, Tina Neilsen, and Colleen O’Neil.        MaraGold Theatre Productions will be presenting four staged readings of this world famous satirical comedy, directed by Gil Yaron, on April 11^th and 12^th and 13^th at 8pm and a matinee on the 13^th as well at 1pm at Evergreen Hall (464 Melmore rd.). Tickets are $15 each and are available through paypal at www.bowenboxoffice.com and at

Phoenix on Bowen.  As this is a residential neighborhood, parking is very limited. Patrons are asked to park in the cove and stroll over the causeway if possible, or car-pool. For more information go to www.maragoldtheatre.com  

          What if we all started the day with dance? 

I take a sip of my coffee. The dancers are close enough to see sweat.One movement is sharp, the next tumbling.Black out. Then lights up.A microphone records the impressions of a man sitting at the next table.  

This was Gail Lotenberg’s vision.          

 Since 2002, LINK Breakfast Dances have been fulfilling this dream by offering informal, informative presentations of dance over breakfast. While coffee flows, so too does an exchange about intention and interpretation in dance.  By creating this innovative approach, Gail is building bridges between dance and the public.  The premise is that dance requires initiation to broaden its reach, so the Breakfast Dances are designed to invite dialogue between artists and the public.  This interactive technique works to both expand the potential knowledge of the dancers as well as the audience.  The choreography of Gail Lotenberg is what fuels the fire of the LINK Dance Company. Gail has danced for many highly respected choreographers and her own pieces have been presented from New York to Alaska. Next year, LINK Breakfast Dances are headed for Ontario, New Brunswick,

Alberta and

New York. How did MaraGold Theatre manage to convince this internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer to bring her Troup to Bowen?  Well, after growing up in

New York, and living with her family in

Whitehorse for 15 years, Gail now lives here with her husband Alejandro and their daughter Twyla. She’s another example of a fantastic artist quietly living among the Bowen firs.  

      A Breakfast Dance will be served at Cates Chapel, on Saturday, March 29^th at 11am.  There is one seating only and the food, catered by Suzan Phillipe’s Sticky Spatula, is sure to be a perfect appetizer for the dancing that will follow it. Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for children over 3 years old. They can be purchased through paypal at www.bowenboxoffice.com or at Phoenix on Bowen.  Families are encouraged to attend and these prices include breakfast. Contemporary dance, muffins, fruit . . . Why not? After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.     For tickets you can just click here:  www.bowenboxoffice.com  For more information go to www.linkdance.ca or www.maragoldtheatre.com

If you’re not sure if Fringe theatre is for you, come out to the FREE Pub-Preview night on Thursday Sept. 27th at 8pm atThe Bowen Island Pub. The evening will feature each of the 4 performers doing a 5 minute excerpt of their play. Also, between acts Stu and the Frigidaires (Fridge-Tones? I don’t know which is better???) will entertain you with their unique song selections. This new all Bowen band consists of Stu Davidson, Marcus Hondro, Corbin Keep, Cindi Marsden and Troy Tilley. There will be a 50/50 draw and the kitchen’s open until 9:00. To purchase tickets clicl on BOX OFFICE. Come on, get out of the deep freeze, come to the Fridge!

The Vancouver Sun reviewed (very positively) all 4 fringe shows that will be visiting the Bowen Fridge Festival at the end of September. Below are the reviews.

Peter Birnie, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, September 10, 2007

by Peter Birnie
SINGING AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD Festival House, today and Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., Friday at 7:15 p.m., Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Randy Rutherford is the antithesis of glitz. Soft-spoken and singing sweetly to his own tidy work on an acoustic guitar, Rutherford has a loyal following of folks who don’t go in for Fringe shows filled with screaming hijinks. This is his fifth show, and like the other four it’s an autobiographical stroll through a life unmarked by major crises or earth-shaking events. Singing at the Edge of the World does deal with the very serious subject of Rutherford’s hearing loss, which kicked him into a prolonged depression and abruptly ended his career as a folksinger in Alaska. But the dark journey also led him to discover new talents as a watercolour artist and, ironically, he’s now here as a mainstay of the Fringe to sing with quiet charm and tell us of such strange things as the time he waterskied an Arctic bog.

In an interview from Victoria, he notes the problem of a Fringe venue there that doesn’t light his audience.”It’s very dark so I can’t see them,” Rutherford explains. “Sometimes that’s difficult for me because I do have humour sprinkled throughout my shows, and if I can’t hear them laughing — I get rhythm from the laughter — then at least I can see them smiling and nudging each other. But the way this is set up [in Victoria], they can’t light up the audience, so I’m doing it to this black void. It makes me blind as well as at a disadvantage hearing-wise.”
Happily for Rutherford, his Vancouver shows take place atop Festival House, an intimate space where it’s easy for artist and audience to interact. That’s important for any of his intensely autobiographical shows, but especially Singing at the Edge of the World.

It deals with a congenital hearing problem that Rutherford only realized long after childhood was the cause of him constantly saying “What?” and “Huh?” as a boy — and being thought a little stupid for it. In his 20s, just as he was launching a successful career as a folk singer in Alaska — “I was getting a hundred and fifty a night; I was developing a following” — Rutherford suffered a sudden plunge in hearing that now leaves him about 70-per-cent deaf in both ears.
The advice of all the doctors he saw was the same:”You’d better look for a new career, because this is only going to get worse.”
Climbing out of an eight-month depression, Rutherford emerged to become a watercolour artist who developed another following, this time for his paintings. But he missed performing, fell back into it about a dozen years ago and is now a mainstay on the Fringe circuit.
With five solo plays under his belt, Rutherford now wants to step beyond the Fringe.”I thought if I did a show and the focus of it was my hearing loss, then maybe I could take that show beyond theatre, because it’s so hard to make enough money to live doing theatre. It’s a sad show with some comedy, but people tell me they feel uplifted and inspired by it, so I’m hoping this can open some doors for me financially.”

Peter Birnie, Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, September 11, 2007
NAPOLEON’S SECRET DIARY
Waterfront Theatre, tonight at 10:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:15 p.m., Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Start with a strong script. Add an actor with a sharp sense of comedic timing and an even greater gift for physical comedy, and - voila! - the funniest Napoleon ever to escape Elba is born.
Ryan Gladstone writes and performs (with direction by his brother Jeff) a little masterpiece of hysterical history. Three banners of blue, white and red command the stage, and from behind one of the tri-colour stripes of the French flag Gladstone emerges in the archetypal costume of the little emperor.

What follows is an hour of blissfully funny stuff, predicated on the premise that Kid Bonaparte was a coward from his Corsican birth. How did so spineless a shorty manage to take over Europe? Why, by coincidence, luck, fate and a healthy dose of sheer stupidity, of course!
Gladstone’s grip on his character is complete, from an outrageous high-pitched French accent to the jittery mannerisms of a guy who was always in danger of getting stepped on. Even better, the actor shifts effortlessly into other characters of equally kooky assuredness. Ed Wynn as Louis XIV? Why not!

Joan of Arc via Paris of Hilton, Alexander the Great Flamer and, of course, the ABBA song that won them the Eurovision Song Contest of 1974 (hint: my, my, at what Belgian battlefield did Napoleon surrender?) are all part of this immaculately conceived manic mayhem. Not to be missed, ne c’est pas?

BYE BYE BOMBAY
Festival House, Thursday at 10:15 p.m., Saturday at 2:45 p.m., Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

Brava to actress Cara Yeates for stitching a gorgeous sari of a show from the simplest components. I was utterly absorbed in her fascinating tale, which mixes truth and fiction so fearlessly that what is real (Yeates as an actress in Bollywood) and imaginary (her character is a young Indo-Canadian trying to flee her teenage angst) blend into brilliance.

Gauri gets on a flight to Bombay, then panics when they announce that the plane’s about to land in some place called Mumbai. Nave, yes, but the pretty girl comes up to speed so quickly about Bombay/Mumbai that she’s almost instantly cast in a Bollywood song-and-dance epic.
You can find Yeates herself in Sajit Khan’s recent feature film Heyy Baby, as well as the TV horror show Shh . . . Phir Koi Hai. The latter was shot at a “haunted” castle in Rajasthan, which features in Gauri’s fictional adventures, and Yeates also brought back a couple of puppets she built in the Rajasthani desert.

They’re named Sunita and Rajesh, and sit stage-left for occasional cameos as the playthings of a girl caught between cultures. While Rajesh tries to tell the tale of a raindrop in search of a puddle, Sunita can’t quit ramping up the action so the raindrop is also battling terrorists and doing that thing you do with a nuclear weapon, you know, like, so it won’t explode. I believe she means “defuse.”
Videos and images of ageless India are projected as Yeates executes flawless dance moves. Add the music of Tarun and this whole hypnotic hour of power is an absolutely intoxicating introduction to the magical, mysterious muddle that is India.
Sun Theatre Critic
pbirnie@png.canwest.com

JEM ROLLS UP
Performance Works, tonight at 11:30 p.m., Wednesday at 7:45 p.m., Thursday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at midnight.

Roll up, roll up for the return of popular Fringe performer Jem Rolls. In his latest blistering blast of vocabulary, this performance poet proves once again why he’s so popular with those of us who love this language.
In the clipped London rhythms of a modern-day Michael Caine, this tall Terpsichore commands the stage by talking at an almost non-stop clip. The joy of absorbing such infinitely detailed and artistically layered monologues as O Be Careful or Life Is Up comes in the moment of experiencing them — as the artist points out, his rich material is only available in a “verbal nowness” — and then letting the whole hour-long experience sink in afterward.

It doesn’t hurt that Jem Rolls is a master wordsmith and sharp stand-up comic. Somewhere in this latest raucous set of riffs on our weird world, written during six months in India, is an upbeat take on Canadian politeness. (we could work in the unhappy U.K. he tells us, teaching positivity as a second language) and a reference to poor Regina, Sask., as “Darwin’s Betamax.”

Get out of the deepfreeze — come to the Fridge!

$13 tickets available at Phoenix on Bowen and bowenboxoffice.com

$15 at the door

$40 full Fridge pass

All the world’s a stage.

Are you part of the jet-set crowd? Can you hop on a whirlwind tour anytime soon? If you can’t, it’s okay because MaraGold’s Fridge Theatre Festival is bringing the world to Bowen. This year the Fridge is full of international delicacies. The performers will transport us from Bombay to France to Alaska and back again all in one weekend.

The defrost begins at the free Pub-Preview night at 8pm on Thursday September 27th where each fridge performer will do a short excerpt of their play. David Cameron (who else!) will host while Stu Davidson and the Fridge-Tones supply the music between acts. This is the second year that the Fridge is being kicked off this way and if last year is a yardstick it’s sure to be a blast….and it’s free! Did I mention that it’s free!”

The first performer, on Friday night at 8pm, is a man that the regulars have come to know well through The Canada Show in 2005 and Confessions of a Class Clown last year. This time Ryan Gladstone, of Monster Theatre brings his highly acclaimed “Napoleon’s Secret Diary” to the Tir-na-nOg stage. Leave your high-art, moral-ideals and fancy history degrees at home and come have a great big belly laugh at the expense of France. Whoopee cushions not provided. CBC Radio’s Joff Schmidt said “He’s silly enough for the kids to enjoy, skilled enough for the grown-ups to appreciate and if you’re not careful, you actually will learn history. From start to a surprisingly touching ending, this hour flies by.” Rated PG 12

One of the best things about theatre is all the places you get to go. If a show works, the audience finds itself transported to some other place. On Saturday the 29th at 7:30pm Cara Yeates brings Bombay to Bowen with her show entitled “Bye Bye Bombay” and at 9pm Jem Rolls is back with his show “Jem Rolls UP” which he wrote while wintering in India.

In “Bye Bye Bombay” Yeates delivers a fast-paced, passionate retelling of her experiences in the Bollywood film industry. Now Magazine said: “Yeates gives definition and weight to almost a dozen characters while using an array of techniques from animation to dance to puppetry, she creates a detailed, accessible world that still feels grounded and personal.” Her show has been selling out and receiving rave reviews all summer. Rated “all ages”

Following Cara on Saturday night will be “Jem Rolls UP”. After a very interesting performance for the British Consulate in India, (those in the know may wonder how “We won, we won, we won went over? Not to mention John Major and his peas!) Jem chose the theme of freedom for this show. “He explores the human condition in all its perplexing complexity, in words that sometimes have the cadence of music, then the rat-a-tat of a machine -gun. There is much laughter in this work and much to think about when it is done.” Five stars, Montreal Gazette. Jem has played to packed houses on Bowen for the last 4 years. Rated PG 14

The final whistle stop on this year’s voyage will be in Alaska. In “Singing At The Edge Of The World”, Randy Rutherford takes the stage accompanied by his guitar. Sixteen times ‘BEST OF FRINGE’ winner and recipient of the London Brickenden Award, Rutherford is a writer, humorist and solo performer. With his trademark mix of music and life – which reviewers have hailed as “moving”, “poignant” and “hilarious”, Rutherford “paints a compelling picture and creates a memorable cast of characters. His soulful and engrossing humor and suspense is conveyed with unflinching love.” San Fransisco Bay Guardian (Critics Choice). Rutherford’s show will be on Sunday at 2pm and is rated PG 14. He’s looking for a billet or house-sit while he’s here and he’s fully house trained! Call 2346 if you’d like a defiantly deft finger pickin’, story tellin’ house guest.

Once again the Fridge Festival will be graciously hosted by the Tir-na-nOg theatre. Tickets are, as always, available at Phoenix on Bowen and new this year, tickets are also available on-line. Go to maragoldtheatre.com and follow the link to the box office or go directly to bowenboxoffice.com. Prices are $13 each in advance and $15 at the door. Of course, the best deal is The-Full-Fridge-Pass, which gets you into all 4 shows for $40. (This pass is good for the same person to see all four shows) Please do not phone Phoenix for ticket information, as the gals are busy and do not accept phone reservations anyway. Finally, please note, again, that The Bowen Island Fridge Theatre Festival is in no way associated with the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals.!