Monday, June 1, 2009

Hopkins Happenings - June 2009

Hey everyone -

June is off-the-hook crazy. Off. The. Hook. At least we won't be bored! My month is full of adventures, including:
  • ALS Fundraising 2009
  • Post
  • Matadora
  • Markapalooza 2
  • Betty's Run for ALS
  • NextFest Nightclubs
  • Did I mention MARKAPALOOZA 2???
... and just to see who actually reads these things, there's a contest at the end! What fun!

ALS Fundraising 2009


My 2009 fundraising campaign for the ALS Society of Alberta is entering the homestretch, culminating in Betty's Run for ALS (see below) on June 14th! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far - as of this e-mail, I've raised $5,988 of my $10,000 goal.

This cause is very important to me: my great-uncle, uncle and father all passed away from ALS, and I have a 50% chance of someday being diagnosed. All the money raised will go toward support and care for victims of ALS, and toward research for a cure. The ALS Society of Alberta was an enormous help to my family during my father's illness, and I hope that my fundraising efforts will help them to support other afflicted families.

I am still gratefully accepting donations! You can donate online at this website:www.als.ca/events/mysite.aspx?fid=2704. I can also accept cash or cheques - just contact me at 403.710.0093 or mark.c.hopkins@gmail.com.

For more information about my fundraising efforts and my family's history with ALS, please click these links:

Calgary arts 'phenom' leads fight against ALS - Calgary Herald
Mark's Run - ShawTV Calgary
Choosing Hope over Helplessness - U Magazine 
Time and Love - Melanie Jones 

POST

June 1, 2009
Pay-What-You-Can
Facebook event page

Calgary, Alberta - 8:00 pm
Auburn Saloon (163 - 115 9th Ave SE)
Toronto, Ontario - 9:00 pm
The Cameron House (408 Queen St West)

June kicks off with a crazy Calgary-Toronto theatrical experiment, which includes a performance by yours truly!

About a month ago, Strangebird Theatre commissioned seven artists in each city to create a short show - theatre, music, dance, whatever - and then send the show to our counterparts in the other city. Their job, in turn, is to adapt and perform the piece they receive. Simple and fun!

The two shows will happen simultaneously, with some crazy Skype action so that we can see what's happening across the country. Alongside musician Brendan McGuigan, I'm performing an adaptation of a Canada Post-inspired song by Toronto artist Marko Panzda... and I have no idea what the other performances will be! It promises to be a wild, diverse and exciting evening of original performance. Hope to see you there!

Matadora

May 27-June 6, 2009
8:00 pm nightly (no show on Sunday, May 31)
2:00 pm matinee on Saturday, June 6
Joyce Doolittle Theatre
Pumphouse Theatres (2140 Pumphouse Ave SW)

Adults $16, Students/Seniors/Equity $12
403.263.0079 - tickets.pumphousetheatre.ca

Trepan Theatre's latest creation, Matadora, opened last week, but you still have six more days to catch the insanity!

Juanita Cruz dreams of becoming a bullfighter, but no one will train her. No one except La Reverte, a transvestite master of the bullring who has fallen into security. Witness the triumphant return of the Gender-Bending Bullfighter in Trepan Theatre's trademark style of tour-de-force physical hilarity. Starring Aaron Coates, Cheryl Hutton and Alice Nelson.

(There's talking bulls, testicle injuries, cross-dressing and a foppish royal family. What more could you want?)

Markapalooza 2

June 6, 7:00 pm-2:00 am
Wild Ginger (115 - 414 3rd St SW)
$15 at the door, or in advance at:
www.swallowabicycle.com/markapalooza2.html

Rockin' party. Fundraiser for the ALS Society of Alberta.  Be there.

The second annual Markapalooza has an incredible line-up of performers, includingBalleronster, DJ Noah York CityDragon Fli EmpireThe Fast RomanticsGarter Girls Burly-Q RevueGina DragpiperThe Human StatuesThe Shagbots andURBANdivide . Plus, there will be bodypainting, film screenings, a silent auction, a prize raffle and more!

(There's also the rumour of an after-party at Charles Netto's house, but you'll have to ask him about that.)

The party is getting a really good buzz, and it's going to be featured in Swerve Magazine on Friday, so I'd really encourage you to buy your tickets in advance... which you can dohere!

It will be a ridiculous, awesome night of partying, and all the proceeds benefit the ALS Society of Alberta. I promise, this will be one of the best parties of the year. Don't miss it!

Betty's Run for ALS

June 14, 9:00 am
North Glenmore Park Rowing and Canoe Club (6449 Crowchild Trail SW)
www.bettysrun.ca

All the fundraising, all the Markapalooza-ing, it all leads up to this: Betty's Run for ALS!

This will be my third time participating in Betty's Run, which is a major fundraising event for the ALS Society of Alberta, and it will be my first time actually training for the run. (Five miles! Eek! That's, like, eight kilometers!)

You're absolutely welcome to come along, either to run, walk, or just cheer us on. And hey, I'm still fundraising...

Nextfest Niteclubs

June 19 & 20, 9:30 pm
The ARTery (9535 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton)
$5 at the doorwww.nextfest.ca

Nextfest is Edmonton's gigantic, 14-year-old festival for emerging artists, with over 50 events and over 400 artists... including Swallow-a-Bicycle!

The fine folks at Catch the Keys Productions are curating Nextfest Nite Clubs, a series of late-night, multi-disciplinary performance parties. Each night has a different theme, and Swallow-a-Bicycle will perform in The Hurly-Burly Time-Traveling Vaudevillian Serial Comedy Show (June 19) and The SMUT Cabaret: Fetishism (June 20).

We're creating some brand-new performances for this event, so if you're in Edmonton, join us for an evening of performative mayhem!

- - -

After all that, in the early days of July, I'll be participating in the Calgary Blow-Out Festival. Watch for more info in the next newsletter!

I promised a contest, and here it is! The fine folks over at Hole in the Wall Studios have given me several free tickets for the midnight showing of Repo! The Genetic Opera on June 13. The first three people to e-mail me with the word "Repo!" will get a pair of tickets!

Of course, June is full of many other delightful events, and I'll be hitting twenty-fiveThe PiperNeruda NudeMichael Bernard Fitzgerald's Love and Manners CD launch,Tuesdays with Morriethe IGNITE! FestivalSomething to Do with DeathSled Island andImaginary Ordinary.

And, y'know, hopefully spending some time out in the sun.

Have a great month!

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