A new month and a whole new batch of awesome is upon us. It’s all here in the Round Up. Check it.
Pape and Taper go Non-Verbal in New Production
Alison DeRegt, Kelly Malcolm and Jennifer LeBlanc in Pape and Taper Productions’ Goblin Market and Little Problems.
Photo by Kathryn Smith courtesy of Pape and Taper Productions
Photo by Kathryn Smith courtesy of Pape and Taper Productions
They’ll use puppetry, shadow play, mime, clown and music but no words for their newest production.
This week Pape and Taper Productions will be presenting two shows back-to-back that have one thing in common – no speaking.
The original production is created and produced by an almost completely female team of actors, designers and director giving encouragement of female artistic endeavours and voices.
“By taking away our most familiar form of communication we were able to challenge ourselves in the way we tell a story. These two shows have developed a strong dialogue for unsung female heroes such as the all too familiar introvert,” says director and co-producer Kathryn Smith.
Goblin Market is based on the poem of the same name by Christina Rossetti and uses puppetry – with original hand-made puppets—and shadow play to depict the story.
“This isn’t your typical children’s puppet show” says puppet designer and actor Alison Deregt. “It tackles dramatic themes in a stylized and mature manner.”
In Little Problems, they take techniques from the world of mime, clown and physical comedy. “Personally, I have always admired the work of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Mr Bean,” says actor and co-producer Kelly Malcolm. “This has provided me with an opportunity to pay homage to their influence.”
They’re also currently running an Indiegogo campaign to cover the expenses in mounting the production, something every small theatre company fights with.
Goblin Market/Little Problems runs March 4 to 8 at 8pm, with a 2pm matinee on Saturday, at the MOTEL at the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $15 at the door, cash only, with a pay-what-you-can performance on Wednesday, March 5.
Workshop Production Tackles Religion and Homosexuality
It’s not everyday you get a chance to see a world premiere of a play in its first stages of development but you can this week at the University of Calgary.
Presented by ND Theatre, the Oblivion: A Workshop Production is written by UofC Drama student and founding co-artistic director of Third Street Theatre, Jonathan Brower and features a creative team of current BFA Drama students as well as Mount Royal University Theatre graduate Adam Schlinker in the title role.
Loosely based off Jonathan’s personal experience growing up as a gay man in the evangelical Christian church, the play presents the fictional story of Tim, a man who seeks a solution to his struggles through a controversial life changing vaccine – but doing so risks his relationships, beliefs, and entire life history.
The production is currently 45 minutes but will be further developed with the help of a sticky-note wall open to input from all who attend. ND Theatre is a student run company dedicated to cultivating University of Calgary artists that will stake their claim in theatre confidently and boldly.
Oblivion: A Workshop Production runs March 4 to 7 at 12pm in the Matthews Theatre (Craigie Hall F101) at the University of Calgary.
Get Out and Check Out These New Shows
Koichi Kiyono’s Between Life and Death runs this week at the UofC’s The Little Gallery.
Photo courtesy of University of Calgary
A new month is upon us and there are a bunch of new exhibits opening this week, making it the perfect time to get out and check out some amazing art.
On Monday, March 3 the University of Calgary presents Koichi Kiyono’s solo show Between Life and Death – an exhibition made possible thanks to an annual print sale put on by the faculty and printmaking students of the department of Art. The funds raised from the sale go towards materials, scholarships and, this year, some of the funds were used to invite the Japanese artist to campus.
Between Life and Death runs March 3 to 7, from 8:30am to 4:30pm at The Little Gallery with an artist lecture on March 3 from 7pm to 8:30pm (Art Building Room 672) followed by an opening reception from 8:30pm to 10pm.
Although it opened last week, The Travelling Light at The New Gallery should be on your list to see.
Penny Sister by Nicole Kelly Westman is part of The Travelling Light, The New Gallery’s discussion on how one’s personal life is affected by political and bureaucratic plots.
Photo courtesy of The New Gallery
The group exhibition features work by Jillian Fleck, Tomas Jonsson, Kegan McFadden, Ehryn Torrell, and Nicole Kelly Westman and explores how one’s personal life is affected by political and bureaucratic machinations.
Named after the sculpture Travelling Light found at the intersection of 96th Avenue and Deerfoot Trail – the unveiling of this piece sparked a divisive response from the public fuelling a debate about the use of public funds for art, the placement of public art and an attempt to define what makes art “good.”
Each artist’s work responds to this question: What our responsibilities are today as we forge ahead in the face of daunting political, cultural, and environmental issues?
Like the sculpture, this exhibition examines the pervasive effects of public affairs on personal lives without the ability to control the discussions.
The Travelling Light runs until Saturday, April 5 at The New Gallery (208 Centre Street SE)
Karrie Arthurs’ Flightless Bird is part of The Shop Show opening Thursday, March 6 at Christine Klassen Gallery.
Photo courtesy of Christine Klassen Gallery
On Thursday, March 6 head to Christine Klassen Gallery for the opening of The Shop Show – their first group exhibition in their new warehouse space (200-321 50 Ave SE).
“It was extraordinary to watch the transformation,” says gallery Directory, Christine Klassen of the warehouse’s reincarnation. “Everything came together in time for the gallery opening on February 6, which, in itself, was amazing.”
Named as a tribute to the warehouse’s former life, The Shop Show will highlight works of photography, sculpture, painting, and printmaking by gallery artists including Karrie Arthurs, Daniel Barkley, France Jodoin, Tim Merrett, Ulrich Panzer, and Brad Woodfin.
The Shop Show runs March 6 to March 29 at Christine Klassen Gallery.
Also on Thursday, March 6 is the opening of The Hardingham Sculptures at Contemporary Calgary’s C2 – the former MOCA Suite (Suite 104, 800 Macleod Trail SE).
The amazing exhibition by Douglas Bentham features six monumental steel sculptures executed in 1990 at the Hardingham Sculpture Workshop at Norfolk, UK where he was faced with fourteen days confronted with British steel, hot days tempered by cooling rains, other sculptors’ provocations and his own competitive spirit.
The Hardingham Sculptures 1990 runs March 6 to April 13 with an opening reception this Thursday from 4pm to 9pm.
Then on Friday there’s so much to choose from you might as well make a whole night of it.
Start off with Bee Kingdom and their newest show GOLD at the Ruberto Ostberg Gallery (2108 18st NW).
This is their 5th annual exhibition which is focused on a wide range of new artworks, new techniques and of course, gold. So get gussied up in something gold and head down to the opening on March 7 from 5pm to 9pm or March 8 from 2pm to 5pm.
GOLD runs March 7 to 29 at the Ruberto Ostberg Gallery.
At AVALANCHE! Institute of Contemporary Art (343 11 Avenue SW) they’re opening Relinquishing the Initiative – a solo exhibition of new work by recent ACAD grad Kent Merriman Jr. The opening starts at 8pm and will coincide with the launch of a limited edition print designed by the artist. Admission is free, open to the public and the artist will be in attendance.
Relinquishing the Initiative runs until April 5 and can be viewed during regular gallery hours (Saturdays from 12pm to 5pm) or by appointment.
Nathalie Quagliotto’s STUCK at Untitled Art Society.
Photo courtesy of Untitled Art Society
Then, head upstairs and check out Nathalie Quagliotto’s STUCK at Untitled Art Society.
The show features two fused and reconfigured vintage children’s shopping carts, merged into one.
The combined carts seem confused in both their ultimate direction and their utility, exploring issues of immobilization and the impossibility of moving forward.
STUCK runs March 7 to April 5 with an opening reception from 8pm to 11pm. The gallery is open Wednesday to Friday from 11am to 4pm and Saturday from 12pm to 5pm.
And Nathalie will be on hand at the UofC for a lecture on March 7 from 10am to 11:30am as part of their Visiting Artist and Scholar Series program. The talk is free, open to the general public and takes place at the Taylor Family Digital Library’s Gallery Hall.
Jazz it Up
Renowned jazz guitarist and composer Assaf Kehati is coming to Calgary this week thanks to the Calgary Jewish Community Centre.
The Boston-based musician and his trio – Kehati on guitar, Ehud Ettun on bass and Ronen Itzik on drums – will be performing and holding two jazz clinics on March 9. The first clinic will be at 4pm for beginners followed by a 5pm clinic for more advanced musicians and will provide an opportunity for musicians to work in a small group with these amazing artists and learn how to develop a distinct style and sound. It is open for all ages and instruments and participation in the jazz clinic includes entrance to the live show. The clinic costs $70 or $50 with valid student ID and tickets for the show are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
Jazz Night at the JCC featuring The Assaf Kehati Jazz Trio is this Sunday, March 9 at the Calgary Jewish Community Centre (1607 – 90 Ave SW).
Be a Part of Beakerhead 2014
It’s official. Beakerhead 2014 is coming to Calgary’s streets September 10 to 14 and now is the perfect time to get involved.
This week they’re looking for those interested in becoming program presenters to sign up for their intro meeting on March 10. So if you’re an artist, engineer, designer, technologist or an organization and you want to create and stage events, programs and installations during Beakerhead, check out all the details and then RSVP here.
And that’s not all the Beakerhead news for this week.
Suncor Energy has confirmed its three-year sponsorship of Beakerhead, joining the Government of Canada Western Diversification Fund for the honours, meaning this awesome festival of art and engineering is not going away anytime soon. Yay.
Girls Gone Wilde Returns
The Janes – Helen Knight, Joleen Ceraldi, Heather Falk – are just one of the great groups particpating in this year’s Girls Gone Wilde cabaret.
Photo by Aldona B Photography
Joleen Ceraldi and Helen Knight
Photo by Aldona B Photography
Calgary’s coolest celebration of female playwrights returns to the stage this week with its late night cabaret.
Urban Curvz Theatre’s ever-popular Girls Gone Wilde features theatre, clowning, song and dance with works by The Janes (Helen Knight, Joleen Ceraldi and Heather Falk), Lindsay Burns, Michelle Brandenburg, Genevieve Pare, Makambe K Simamba, and Sally Stubbs.
Now into its third year, the Cabaret brings together 24 amazing artists presenting six 10-minute pieces and overlaps with International Women’s Day on March 8 making for a great union and celebration of all things womanly.
Girls Gone Wilde runs March 7 and 8 and 14 and 15 at Lunchbox Theatre. The cabaret starts at 9:30pm with tickets $15 at the door and online.
And, Urban Curvz Theatre will be hosting a fundraising kick off on March 15 with a special presentation – Girls Gone EXTRA Wilde. Tickets are $55 dollars and include appetizers, drinks and a Girls Gone Wilde t-shirt.
Stars Shine at Kiwanis
One of Canada’s largest amateur competitive performing arts festivals is in full swing but with over 11,000 artists taking part, figuring out what to see can be daunting.
The Calgary Kiwanis Festival features competitions along side a number of non-competitive classes in 18 categories and runs until March 15 at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium and SAIT.
There are three sessions daily from 9am to 9pm (except Sundays) but there are four concerts throughout the fest – Musical Theatre Showcase on Saturday, March 8, European Masters Evening on Wednesday, March 12, Outstanding Speech Performers’ Showcase on Friday, March 14 and Stars of the Festival on Saturday, March 15 – each starting at 7pm.
The public is welcome to attend all classes free of charge and concert tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. The festival schedule can be found here.
Boogie over to Dance Central
Central Memorial High School’s Performing and Visual Arts Dance Program is celebrating its 11th year with its presentation of Dance Central this week.
Running March 7 and 8 at University of Calgary Theatre, the show features dancers studying in the PVA program performing a variety of genres including swing, Bollywood, contemporary and West African as choreographed by YYC dance gurus Deanne Walsh, Jackie Stewart, Jason Stroh, Christie Preston, Jennifer Moar, Vishal Mapluria and Tasha Lawson
Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 students and seniors.
Do you have something awesome coming up and want to be part of the Calgary Arts Round Up? Drop me a line at amy @ calgaryisawesome.com!