Hi everyone,
Since I'm always involved in a wide variety of events, I figured I would start a monthly newsletter to keep you updated on my activities!
October is a busy month for me, and here's the run-down:
Les Contes qui déménagent
Sorry for the super late notice, but this is my French-language theatre début, and I'd love to share it with you! Les Contes qui déménagent is the first show in a French-language theatre season curated by M. Inouk Touzin, and presented by le Regroupement Artistique Francophone de l'Alberta (RAFA). The show features three short plays, written by Inouk Touzin, Gisèle Villeneuve... and me!
Each of the plays has to do with moving (déménagement), and they're performed by Stéphanie Biky, Marcia Mailloux, Stéphane Prévost and Julien Thibeault. The show is in French, but if your language skills are shaky, there will be an English-language summary sheet provided.
R.I.P. - A protest against cuts to arts funding
In the days leading up to the Canadian Federal Election, artists and arts supporters need to make their voices heard in the national debate. The current national leadership has made their disdain for artists clear, both in their speech and actions. In light of the recent multi-million dollar cuts to arts funding, and the gloomy future in store for artists if Harper's government wins a majority, R.I.P. is both a protest against recent events, and an attempt to raise awareness about the vital role that the arts play in Canada's culture and identity.
The steps of city hall will become a graveyard, dotted with gravestones that read "R.I.P. - Musicians", "R.I.P. - Actors", etc. Protestors, dressed in black, will lie amidst these gravestones to mourn the impending demise of arts in Canada, if Harper's government is left unchecked. If you'd like to join the protest, show up at City Hall between 9-5 on Monday, dressed in black! I'll be there from about 9-10 am, and 3-5 pm.
For more information, or to get involved, contact Léda Davies (protest coordinator) at 403.680.2621 or leda_davies@hotmail.com
The Wrecking Ball - Calgary
In anticipation of the upcoming election and in response to Prime Minister Harper's recent comments about cuts to arts funding, Calgary's theatre community is coming together for a one-night only cabaret of politically-charged theatre that will be part of a nationwide happening. The Wrecking Ball is an evening of short theatrical works written, directed and performed by members of the professional theatre community.
On Monday, The Wrecking Ball events will take place in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.
The Calgary event will feature new plays by local writers Ken Cameron, Neil Fleming and Ellen Close, alongside a new piece by two-time Governor General's Award-winning playwright Judith Thompson. The evening will also feature readings of letters and other texts that illuminate the importance of arts and culture in the ongoing election campaign.
An amazing Who's Who of Calgary artists is involved in The Wrecking Ball, including directors Stephen Hair, Stacie Harrison, Kevin McKendrick and Vicki Stroich, and actors that include Trevor Leigh, Doug McKeag, Valerie Planche, Valerie Ann Pearson, Ryan Luhning, Jamie Konchak, Tyrell Crews, Rylan Wilkie, Chantal Perron, Alexander Arsenault, Julie Mortensen, Kathryn Waters, Brieanna Blizzard, Jane MacFarlane and more.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Department of Culture. For more information, please contact Simon Mallett or Stacie Harrison of Downstage at 403.294.7459 or info@downstage.ca.
The Opera Suicide & Scenes from a Revolution
The latest Swallow-a-Bicycle production features two original scripts: The Opera Suicide, by Dust Particle Productions, and Scenes from a Revolution, by Charles Netto.
The Opera Suicide: Peek, the last of the lighthouse keepers, has three loves: Gin, Tyle and Reeve. He is everything to them: refuge, knowledge, hope. But when Peek is confronted by his mechanical replacement, he must decide between his three dark women and the tower's light that he hopes desperately to save. In this original operetta, Dust Particle Productions explores Peek's fatal dilemma through humour and tragedy, music and myth. The Opera Suicide is an epic journey that defies convention and reminds us that, in the end, we must each light our own way.
Scenes from a Revolution: In a wartorn dystopian future, five characters spiral through each other's lives. A soldier, a prisoner, a general, a rebel, a doctor and a CEO come together on the chessboard of global conflict, where kings are sacrificed as easily as pawns.
Written and Directed by Charles Netto; Featuring Tom Cainer, Devon Dubnyk and Jacqueline Russell.
For more information, contact Charles Netto at 403.397.8559 or swallowabicycle@gmail.com.
2009 High Performance Rodeo Launch
The event will be attended by His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond, Patron of the 2009 Festival, and hosted by Rodeo Curator Michael Green. Afterwards, we'll all head down to the Centini Restaurant & Lounge (160 8th Ave SE) for refreshments and snacks.
Call OYR at 403.264.3224 or visit www.oyr.org for more information.
Blanche: The bittersweet life of a wild prairie dame
Blanche is a song cycle that lives in the dream state between music and theatre. In her writing debut, Onalea Gilbertson explores the life and stories of her 93-year-old grandmother, Blanche. This original sonic landscape, underscored with Blanche's recorded voice, spans generations to create a poetic family portrait.
In the 1930s, Blanche and her friends embarked on a fantastic photographic journey with an old Brownie Camera. The resulting images, along with other photographs from her long and dramatic life, are carefully woven into the live performance, bringing Blanche's history to life.
This is the Calgary debut of Blanche, and also a release for Onalea's new CD! It features Onalea Gilbertson (vocals/piano/guitar), Jonathan Lewis (violin/clarinet/soundscape) and Morag Northey (cello/backup vocals), directed by Rachel Avery and with lighting design by Terry Gunvordahl.
For tickets and info, call 403.441.6033. Also visit www.onalea.com
Canadian Federal Election
It's the Federal Election! Vote! I'd really prefer if you didn't vote Conservative, but just vote, dammit!
The election takes place Tuesday, October 14. For more information about how to vote, visit www.elections.ca. Just type in your postal code, and a wealth of information will be at your fingertips!
If you can't vote on the 14th, advance polls are open today (October 4) and Monday (October 6). You can also vote by special ballet until Tuesday, October 7. Again, all the information you should need is at www.elections.ca. But if you're stumped, call me! And hey, I'm always up for a good political discussion.
Some good resources for artists and arts-supporters, leading up to the election, include the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance and the Department of Culture. Also, Vote For Environment is an interesting read.
Poetry Bash (WordFest 2008)
By some strange confluence of events, I will be hosting this year's Poetry Bash at WordFest! Promises to be a pretty rockin' evening of poetry, with readings by Coral Bracho, Genni Gunn, Louise Halfe, Patrick Lane, JonArno Lawson and Randall Maggs.
There are a whole stack of other WordFest events to check out, including some featuring my dear friends Claudia Dey, Shane Koyczan, William Neil Scott, Jaspreet Singh, Samantha Warwick, and Sheri-D Wilson.
For more information, visit www.wordfest.com.
Grave Gala 2008
The price tag's a little steep, but Grave Gala is supposed to be one of the year's most rockin' parties. Hell, I'm excited!
For more information, visit www.calgaryopera.com or call 403.262.7286.
- - -
Phew. Like I said, busy month. Hope to see you at one or several of the above events (especially the election! vote, dammit!). I'll toss out another newsletter in a month, to let you know what's up for November.
And, of course, I also have my regular We Should Know Each Other parties, and Le Salon de la conversation is still rolling, with French conversation over beer or whatever at the Kensington Pub (almost) every Monday, 8:00 pm. If you want more information about either, drop me a line!
Hope you're having a fabulous month so far!
Mark Hopkins
403.710.0093
Since I'm always involved in a wide variety of events, I figured I would start a monthly newsletter to keep you updated on my activities!
October is a busy month for me, and here's the run-down:
- Les Contes qui déménagent
- R.I.P. - A protest against cuts to arts funding
- The Wrecking Ball
- The Opera Suicide & Scenes from a Revolution
- 2009 High Performance Rodeo Launch
- Blanche: The bittersweet life of a wild prairie dame
- Canadian Federal Election
- Poetry Bash (WordFest 2008)
- Grave Gala
Les Contes qui déménagent
Saturday, October 4, 8:00 pm
L'Alliance Française de Calgary
1221 2nd St SW
$15 / $12 for members of l'Alliance Française, l'ACFA, le RAFA, La Cité des Rocheuses
L'Alliance Française de Calgary
1221 2nd St SW
$15 / $12 for members of l'Alliance Française, l'ACFA, le RAFA, La Cité des Rocheuses
Sorry for the super late notice, but this is my French-language theatre début, and I'd love to share it with you! Les Contes qui déménagent is the first show in a French-language theatre season curated by M. Inouk Touzin, and presented by le Regroupement Artistique Francophone de l'Alberta (RAFA). The show features three short plays, written by Inouk Touzin, Gisèle Villeneuve... and me!
Each of the plays has to do with moving (déménagement), and they're performed by Stéphanie Biky, Marcia Mailloux, Stéphane Prévost and Julien Thibeault. The show is in French, but if your language skills are shaky, there will be an English-language summary sheet provided.
R.I.P. - A protest against cuts to arts funding
Monday, October 6, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
steps of Calgary City Hall
316 7th Ave SE
steps of Calgary City Hall
316 7th Ave SE
In the days leading up to the Canadian Federal Election, artists and arts supporters need to make their voices heard in the national debate. The current national leadership has made their disdain for artists clear, both in their speech and actions. In light of the recent multi-million dollar cuts to arts funding, and the gloomy future in store for artists if Harper's government wins a majority, R.I.P. is both a protest against recent events, and an attempt to raise awareness about the vital role that the arts play in Canada's culture and identity.
The steps of city hall will become a graveyard, dotted with gravestones that read "R.I.P. - Musicians", "R.I.P. - Actors", etc. Protestors, dressed in black, will lie amidst these gravestones to mourn the impending demise of arts in Canada, if Harper's government is left unchecked. If you'd like to join the protest, show up at City Hall between 9-5 on Monday, dressed in black! I'll be there from about 9-10 am, and 3-5 pm.
For more information, or to get involved, contact Léda Davies (protest coordinator) at 403.680.2621 or leda_davies@hotmail.com
The Wrecking Ball - Calgary
Monday, October 6, 8:00 pm
Jack Singer Concert Hall Lobby
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
205 8th Ave SE
pay-what-you-can at the door
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
205 8th Ave SE
pay-what-you-can at the door
In anticipation of the upcoming election and in response to Prime Minister Harper's recent comments about cuts to arts funding, Calgary's theatre community is coming together for a one-night only cabaret of politically-charged theatre that will be part of a nationwide happening. The Wrecking Ball is an evening of short theatrical works written, directed and performed by members of the professional theatre community.
On Monday, The Wrecking Ball events will take place in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.
The Calgary event will feature new plays by local writers Ken Cameron, Neil Fleming and Ellen Close, alongside a new piece by two-time Governor General's Award-winning playwright Judith Thompson. The evening will also feature readings of letters and other texts that illuminate the importance of arts and culture in the ongoing election campaign.
An amazing Who's Who of Calgary artists is involved in The Wrecking Ball, including directors Stephen Hair, Stacie Harrison, Kevin McKendrick and Vicki Stroich, and actors that include Trevor Leigh, Doug McKeag, Valerie Planche, Valerie Ann Pearson, Ryan Luhning, Jamie Konchak, Tyrell Crews, Rylan Wilkie, Chantal Perron, Alexander Arsenault, Julie Mortensen, Kathryn Waters, Brieanna Blizzard, Jane MacFarlane and more.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Department of Culture. For more information, please contact Simon Mallett or Stacie Harrison of Downstage at 403.294.7459 or info@downstage.ca.
The Opera Suicide & Scenes from a Revolution
October 7-11, 2008
Performances nightly at 8:00 pm
Saturday matinee, October 11, 2:00 pm
Dancer's Studio West
2007 10th Ave SW
$20 adults, $15 students/seniors
pay-what-you-can preview: October 7
Performances nightly at 8:00 pm
Saturday matinee, October 11, 2:00 pm
Dancer's Studio West
2007 10th Ave SW
$20 adults, $15 students/seniors
pay-what-you-can preview: October 7
The latest Swallow-a-Bicycle production features two original scripts: The Opera Suicide, by Dust Particle Productions, and Scenes from a Revolution, by Charles Netto.
The Opera Suicide: Peek, the last of the lighthouse keepers, has three loves: Gin, Tyle and Reeve. He is everything to them: refuge, knowledge, hope. But when Peek is confronted by his mechanical replacement, he must decide between his three dark women and the tower's light that he hopes desperately to save. In this original operetta, Dust Particle Productions explores Peek's fatal dilemma through humour and tragedy, music and myth. The Opera Suicide is an epic journey that defies convention and reminds us that, in the end, we must each light our own way.
Script by Ben Charland; Directed by Julia Rigaux; Featuring Sadie Evans, Carol Farrelly, Mandy McKee and Andrew Oberhofer; Music by Allison Lynch and Richard Jackson; Set & Costume Design by Ami Farrow; Composed by Andrea Wettstein; Sound Design by Peter Moller.
Scenes from a Revolution: In a wartorn dystopian future, five characters spiral through each other's lives. A soldier, a prisoner, a general, a rebel, a doctor and a CEO come together on the chessboard of global conflict, where kings are sacrificed as easily as pawns.
Written and Directed by Charles Netto; Featuring Tom Cainer, Devon Dubnyk and Jacqueline Russell.
For more information, contact Charles Netto at 403.397.8559 or swallowabicycle@gmail.com.
2009 High Performance Rodeo Launch
Wednesday, October 8, 12:00 noon
Big Secret Theatre
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
I spend five glorious hours a day at One Yellow Rabbit, and right now, we're all up to our necks in planning for this Wednesday's launch of the 23rd Annual High Performance Rodeo. This year's festival has an absolutely kick-ass line-up, but I can't tell you anything about it until Wednesday, so come to the launch!Big Secret Theatre
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
The event will be attended by His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond, Patron of the 2009 Festival, and hosted by Rodeo Curator Michael Green. Afterwards, we'll all head down to the Centini Restaurant & Lounge (160 8th Ave SE) for refreshments and snacks.
Call OYR at 403.264.3224 or visit www.oyr.org for more information.
Blanche: The bittersweet life of a wild prairie dame
Saturday, October 11, 8:00 pm
Sunday, October 12, 2:00 pm
Engineered Air Theatre
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
$20 adults, $15 students/seniors
Wheelchair accessible
I'm thrilled to be the publicist for this original creation by Onalea Gilbertson. I've already written a pretty comprehensive press release, so I'll just copy/paste that!Sunday, October 12, 2:00 pm
Engineered Air Theatre
EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
$20 adults, $15 students/seniors
Wheelchair accessible
Blanche is a song cycle that lives in the dream state between music and theatre. In her writing debut, Onalea Gilbertson explores the life and stories of her 93-year-old grandmother, Blanche. This original sonic landscape, underscored with Blanche's recorded voice, spans generations to create a poetic family portrait.
In the 1930s, Blanche and her friends embarked on a fantastic photographic journey with an old Brownie Camera. The resulting images, along with other photographs from her long and dramatic life, are carefully woven into the live performance, bringing Blanche's history to life.
This is the Calgary debut of Blanche, and also a release for Onalea's new CD! It features Onalea Gilbertson (vocals/piano/guitar), Jonathan Lewis (violin/clarinet/soundscape) and Morag Northey (cello/backup vocals), directed by Rachel Avery and with lighting design by Terry Gunvordahl.
For tickets and info, call 403.441.6033. Also visit www.onalea.com
Canadian Federal Election
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
It's the Federal Election! Vote! I'd really prefer if you didn't vote Conservative, but just vote, dammit!
The election takes place Tuesday, October 14. For more information about how to vote, visit www.elections.ca. Just type in your postal code, and a wealth of information will be at your fingertips!
If you can't vote on the 14th, advance polls are open today (October 4) and Monday (October 6). You can also vote by special ballet until Tuesday, October 7. Again, all the information you should need is at www.elections.ca. But if you're stumped, call me! And hey, I'm always up for a good political discussion.
Some good resources for artists and arts-supporters, leading up to the election, include the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance and the Department of Culture. Also, Vote For Environment is an interesting read.
Poetry Bash (WordFest 2008)
Friday, October 17, 9:30 pm
Vertigo Studio Theatre
161 - 115 9th Ave SE
$18, $9 students/seniors
Vertigo Studio Theatre
161 - 115 9th Ave SE
$18, $9 students/seniors
By some strange confluence of events, I will be hosting this year's Poetry Bash at WordFest! Promises to be a pretty rockin' evening of poetry, with readings by Coral Bracho, Genni Gunn, Louise Halfe, Patrick Lane, JonArno Lawson and Randall Maggs.
There are a whole stack of other WordFest events to check out, including some featuring my dear friends Claudia Dey, Shane Koyczan, William Neil Scott, Jaspreet Singh, Samantha Warwick, and Sheri-D Wilson.
For more information, visit www.wordfest.com.
Grave Gala 2008
Saturday, October 25, 8:30 pm
Hotel Arts
119 12th Ave SW
$90
By some other strange confluence of events, I will be one of the wandering performers at Grave Gala 2008, the annual fundraiser for Calgary Opera. This year's theme is "What Would You Sell Your Soul For?", and I shall be dressed in an outlandish costume, tempting guests with all kinds of sinful delights.Hotel Arts
119 12th Ave SW
$90
The price tag's a little steep, but Grave Gala is supposed to be one of the year's most rockin' parties. Hell, I'm excited!
For more information, visit www.calgaryopera.com or call 403.262.7286.
- - -
Phew. Like I said, busy month. Hope to see you at one or several of the above events (especially the election! vote, dammit!). I'll toss out another newsletter in a month, to let you know what's up for November.
And, of course, I also have my regular We Should Know Each Other parties, and Le Salon de la conversation is still rolling, with French conversation over beer or whatever at the Kensington Pub (almost) every Monday, 8:00 pm. If you want more information about either, drop me a line!
Hope you're having a fabulous month so far!
Mark Hopkins
403.710.0093
2 comments:
I found your blog when I searched for wordfest information. It looks like you have a good listing of some of the arts events coming up in Calgary. What's a "We Should Know Each Other" party?
Hey Chelsea! Um, you're the first person to have commented on my blog, so I don't know if the proper etiquette is just to add another reply under yours, or what. I guess I'll find out!
I've been holding regular 'We Should Know Each Other' parties since February. Basically, I invite a bunch of people over to my apartment - ideally people that don't already know each other - and we mix, mingle, eat and drink. It's super casual, and they've been going really well so far. I'll send you an invite to the next one!
I think we've "met" before - didn't you do the logo design for Calgary Young People's Theatre? I'm the president of that company, and I think we did some back-and-forth e-mails. Turned out great, by the way, thanks!
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