This week’s edition of Playhouse Peeps features our Marketing & Communications Manager, John McHenry. Can you guess the theme here? Clever chap.
John McHenry as Francis in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (2011)!
How long have you worked at the Playhouse?
(within) The Last Five Years
What did you do at work yesterday?
(I worked) 9 to 5
What did you think you would be when you grew up?
(a) Fiddler on the Roof
Most memorable Playhouse show to date?
The Drowsy Chaperone
First stage production you ever saw?
Babes in Arms
Favourite non-theatrical pastime or hobby?
On the Town
Name an artist you would love to meet/work with.
Jekyll & Hyde
Your top choice for a date to the theatre (living or dead).
Sweeney Todd
Musicals or plays?
Musical of Musicals (The Musical)
One word that best describes what the Playhouse means to you.
Wicked
Meghan Gardiner (The Blonde) & Andrew Wheeler (The Private Eye) in GUNMETAL BLUES. Photo by Emily Cooper.
Our new Recital Hall series begins tonight with the Opening of Gunmetal Blues! This musical parody of the film noir detective story will be performed at 9:30pm (4pm on Sat Feb 4) below the Vancouver Playhouse Mainstage, following performances of Red. Both productions are on stage until February 4. We are pleased to participate in the concept of #Neverbedark by enlivening this Civic Theatre space and encouraging active community involvement. We’ll continue this action with the production of Relephant Theatre’s The Exquisite Hour April 23-May 5 as part of our partnership with Vancouver International Fringe Festival and the Playhouse Fringe Award.
This post features a sneak peek at Gunmetal Blues, Max Reimer’s favourite “pocket-musical”, featuring actors Tom Arntzen, Meghan Gardiner and Andrew Wheeler. Photos by Emily Cooper.
Tickets for Gunmetal Blues are only $20 each, available in advance or at the door (Hamilton & Dunsmuir) as of 8:30pm. We are offering pay-what-you-can admission on Wed Jan 25 at 9:30pm; tickets will be available for purchase, cash only, as of 8:30pm.
See both Recital Hall (+ The Exquisite Hour) shows for only $35!
Contact the Playhouse Box Office at 604 873 3311 or VancouverPlayhouse.com.
Andrew Wheeler (The Private Eye) & Tom Arntzen (The Piano Player, Buddy Toupee) in GUNMETAL BLUES. Photo by Emily Cooper.
Welcome to the first edition of Playhouse Peeps, a series of blog posts in which we profile the people of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company. First up is our new Director of Development, Jodi Norrison. Thank you for playing with us, Jodi!
How long have you worked at the Playhouse?
Since November 2011.
Your job at the Playhouse in five words or less?
Raise money.
What did you think you would be when you grew up?
Lawyer.
Most memorable Playhouse show to date?
2 Pianos, 4 Hands (1997-98 Season). I saw it when I first moved to Vancouver. I wanted to learn more about the arts community so my best girlfriend and I bought a Playhouse subscription that season.
First stage production you ever saw?
I don’t know what show it was but it was at the Young People’s Theatre in Toronto. My mother took my three sisters and me to Young People’s Theatre, the National Ballet and the Toronto Symphony. We did a lot of sitting as a family.
Favourite non-theatrical pastime or hobby?
I gallery hop.
Name an artist you would love to meet/work with.
Claes Oldenburg
Your top choice for a date to the theatre (living or dead).
Pierre Trudeau.
Musicals or plays?
Plays.
One word that best describes what the Playhouse means to you.
Significant.
Recently, we spoke with Kim Collier, Director of RED (Jan 14-Feb 4). Here are her thoughts on Mark Rothko, Art, and the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company.
You recently directed RED in Toronto and the show is now set to open at the Playhouse. What made you want to be involved with this particular show?
When Matthew Jocelyn, the Artistic Director at Canadian Stage, asked me to read the script of Red I was immediately drawn into the play and became curious about every reference in it. At that time I felt it was a play that was going to lead me into so much interesting terrain artistically and intellectually. And in fact I was not let down…while researching for Red I became fascinated with the artist at the centre of this play, Mark Rothko, and his body of work. I also became fascinated with the period of history that gave rise to the abstract expressionists.
Jim Mezon & David Coomber in RED (Jan 14-Feb 4). Photo by Bruce Zinger.
What can audiences expect from RED?
Stellar, inspiring acting performances. A moving story of Master / Apprentice that we can all relate to as we age and consider our legacy, our life’s work, the cycles of our lives, and reconciling letting go and giving over to the next generation. A design that is literally going to take over the Playhouse stage and provide an evolving visual backdrop to the play. A smart, stimulating play.
Read More »
We hope you have had a happy, restful holiday season. Here are the many exciting things happening at the Playhouse in the coming year!
4 Mainstage Productions
We continue our 2011/2012 Mainstage season with three co-productions and one presentation of Theatre for Young Audiences at the Vancouver Playhouse.
David Coomber (Ken) and Jim Mezon (Rothko) in RED (Jan 14-Feb 4). Photo by Bruce Zinger
Red (Jan 14 – Feb 4) by John Logan is our co-production with Canadian Stage & The Citadel Theatre. Jim Mezon (Mark Rothko) and David Coomber (Ken) have already impressed Toronto audiences with their performances and we look forward to Vancouver’s response to this Tony Award-winning drama about American painter, Mark Rothko.
Catalyst Theatre’s Hunchback (Feb 18-Mar 10), a co-production with The Cultch, is a darkly romantic musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel and conceived by Jonathan Christenson and Bretta Gerecke.
God of Carnage (Apr 14-May5) by Yasmina Reza, our co-production with Manitoba Theatre Centre, has had huge success in London’s West End and on Broadway. This fast and furious comedy has recently been adapted into a movie, Carnage, directed by Roman Polanski.
The Cat Came Back is Manitoba Theatre for Young People’s Theatre for Young Audiences production inspired by the song Fred Penner made famous. If you know children aged 3-10 years, or if you remember Fred climbing through that magical log, you don’t want to miss this! The show features music, puppets, and local favourite Jay Brazeau!
Posted in 2011/2012 Season, Artistic Managing Director - Max Reimer, Catalyst Theatre's Hunchback, God of Carnage, La Cage aux Folles, Red, Tosca Cafe | Tagged audience, Fred Penner, God of Carnage, Gunmetal Blues, Hunchback, Jim Mezon, John Logan, Mark Rothko, musical, Red, Relephant Theatre, Roman Polanski, The Electric Company, theatre, tickets, urbanink, Victor Hugo, wine, Wines of Chile, Yasmina Reza |
With La Cage aux Folles hitting the stage for its first preview this Saturday, November 26, we sat down with one of the stars to talk about the show. Greg Armstrong Morris will be portraying Albin this Holiday Season at the Playhouse.
You have mentioned in other interviews that this is a role of a lifetime. Tell me why.
The show premiered when I was in theatre school. So the show itself had a huge impact on what I was doing at the time. It’s a show about a gay man maintaining his integrity in the midst of being asked to make great sacrifices for his family. I think any gay man, whether they are an actor or not, would certainly identify with this show. It’s a story that we all know so well. The song from the show that’s best known, “I Am What I Am”, became a gay pride anthem for an entire generation. It struck a chord. Gloria Gaynor turned it into a huge hit and it played all the time. What it says is very simple and very powerful, and I relate to it directly as a gay man playing a gay character, but I think it’s certainly something that everyone also relates to.
How are rehearsals going?
They are great. It’s been really fun, nothing but fun. Everybody here is hard working and very professional and wants to get along really well. They are all just helping each other wherever they can and carrying their load. Nobody has it easy in this show. There are people who aren’t necessarily onstage the whole time but when they are onstage they’re working really, really hard, and when they’re offstage they’re doing some sort of crazy costume change. Everybody has a big part in this show.
Read More »
We have a new video on our VanPlayhouse Youtube channel. David Cooper shares a behind-the-scenes look at Zaza and Les Cagelles as they prepare for their La Cage aux Folles photo shoot. Watch the video here.
This video features Greg Armstrong-Morris (Albin/Zaza), Peach Cobblah (Hanna), Ian Yuri Gardner (Mercedes), Celestial Seasons (Odette), Kiki Lawhore (Phaedra), Iona Whipp (Derma), and Cadence Winter Matthews (Chantal). DavidCooperPhotography.com
We are proud to announce our La Cage aux Folles “Catch That Fabulous Bus” Contest! Starting today, Thursday, November 17, 2011, take a photo of a La Cage aux Folles bus in transit and send it to us for a chance to win a fantastic prize.
Post your photo on our Facebook wall or email it to groups@vancouverplayhouse.com to have your name entered in a draw for FOUR tickets to the Opening Night of La Cage aux Folles on Thursday, December 1st! This includes the Cast & Company Party following the show! The winner will also receive Dinner for Four at Rasoee! AND we will provide you and three friends with limited edition “I AM” t-shirts and official Playhouse boas to wear on your special night out (or just around the house)!
Contest closes Monday, November 28th. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 29th. “Fabulous buses” are considered public transit vehicles operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company which feature the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company’s La Cage aux Folles poster image. There are a total of twelve buses with this image on a variety of routes.
Posted in 2011/2012 Season, La Cage aux Folles | Tagged bus, Coast Mountain Bus Company, contest, Facebook, La Cage aux Folles, photo contest, prize, Rasoee, tickets, win |
Today we participate in an integral theatre company ritual: the meet and greet for La Cage aux Folles. The meeting includes a design presentation and a read through of the script. Not only does this event include coffee and donuts (!), it means that all of the beautiful people who are involved with the show will meet, face to face. Actors, directors, designers, stage management, production and administration staff get together to celebrate the official start of rehearsals for this big, fantastic musical. Even the production dog, Kaya, attends! The room is filled with the feeling of a fresh, fabulous start as people of diverse skills and talent meet for the same reason: to create great theatre. And eat donuts.
Here is a selection of photos from a recent photo shoot with some of Les Cagelles from La Cage aux Folles. Aren’t they beautiful? Photos by David Cooper.
Les Cagelles of La Cage aux Folles (left to right): Cadence Winter Matthews, Ian Yuri Gardner, Iona Whipp, Greg Armstrong-Morris, Celestial Seasons, Peach Cobblah, Kiki Lawhore. Photo by David Cooper.
We call this the "Vanity Fair" shot. Les Cagelles of La Cage aux Folles (left to right): Peach Cobblah, Celestial Seasons, Ian Yuri Gardner, Greg Armstrong-Morris, Cadence Winter Matthews, Kiki Lawhore, (seated) Iona Whipp. Photo by David Cooper.
Posted in 2011/2012 Season, La Cage aux Folles | Tagged Cadence Winter Matthews, Celestial Seasons, David Cooper, donuts, Greg Armstrong-Morris, Ian Yuri Gardner, Iona Whipp, Kiki Lawhore, La Cage aux Folles, Les Cagelles, Max Reimer, Peach Cobblah, photos, Playhouse |
