Browsing “The Arts”

I assume you all had a great one last week – what with Timeraiser, IGNITE!, rallying, fundraising, shopping, checking out new shows and all the like. How could you not? Well, ladies and gents, you’d be pleased to know this week is no less jam-packed. Here’s your Arts Round Up for this week Calgary!

A SLED ISLAND AVALANCHE: This is the week Sled Island invades YYC and brings with it great music and great art. Like White Heat  – showing this Friday and Saturday only at AVALANCHE! Institute of Contemporary Art.
Photo courtesy of AVALANCHE! Institute of Contemporary Art

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And now you’re back with more.

For the past year I’ve been watching, waiting, all with baited breath. Ever since well-known science broadcaster Jay Ingram and the wacky, wonderful team over at Beakerhead rolled out their giant snake last June at the Glenbow Reservoir, I was hooked.

This is only the start they said. Wait until September 2013 they said. You’ll see they said.

Well. Here we are, almost a year later and Monday marked the official launch of their ever changing, fluid schedule. And boy, am I excited.

From September 11 to the 15, Calgary will be the absolute coolest, wildest, weirdest and possibly smartest place on the planet.

“Beakerhead will be on the ground, in the air, on the streets – everywhere in this city. There are going to be, at last count, at least 70 events and happenings,” announced Jay at this week’s unveiling.

STEM TO STEAM: Gearing up for the inaugural Beakerhead festival, organizers, minsters and partners came out for the official launch of their ever growing schedule. (Top Left) Just a few gears in the machine, Minster of Culture Heather Klimchuk, festival co-founder Jay Ingram and Minster of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Dr Richard Starke came together for a quick photo op before the announcement. (Top right) Amazing sights will be everywhere during Beakerhead like Lana Collier, who strikes a pose in her beautiful silk dress with 11 kgs of blown-glass petals, and robo-giant Patronus, built by Phil Allen. Beakerhead is set to fill Calgary’s streets with art, engineering and spectacle from September 11 to 15.
Photos by Amy Jo Espetveidt, Quadrophonic Image

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When Jani Krulc reveals the title of her book The Jesus Year, she is often met with blank expressions. She’ll then explain that it refers to the 33^rd year of a person’s life which also was the last year of Jesus’ life. It’s supposed to the happiest and most meaningful for transition and growth.

“I became interested in The Jesus Year as a concept. It’s ironic that Jesus, and by Jesus I mean the historic, cultural figure, died 4 months into his own 33^rd year. I became interested in that irony and also the arbitrariness of it. For someone to say: this is the happiest year across the board for most people and also to say  this is the year that people should get it together, I’m not sure how useful that is. But for the characters in the book, most of them are at a crossroads of some sort where something will shift. And when there is that momentous occasion, which doesn’t have to be in their 33^rd year, something does shift for them and they have to make certain choices.

Jani’s debut book is a collection of short stories she has written within the past years. She has a BA (Hons) in English from the University of Calgary and an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Concordia University.

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Oh. My. What’s on the calendar this week Calgary? IGNITE! takes over the Pumphouse, Verb Theatre closes their season on a hot button issue, SOFA will rally, Community Cultivated heads back to the Legion and so much more. Here’s your Arts Round Up. Wherever shall we start?

Monice Peter in The Dandelion Project      Photos by Justin Michael Carriere courtesy of Verb Theatre

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Rainy days are here again, it must be June in YYC and I must be trying to re-roof my house. Yes. That’s right. It’s all my fault. But that just means more time to create and take in all the awesome art. Here’s your Arts Round Up this week, Calgary.

THE LIST MAKER: Esther Purves-Smith stars in Urban Curvz Theatre’s The List – a Governor General award winning play running until June 8 at the EPCOR CENTRE’S Motel.
Photos by Amy Jo Espetveidt, Quadrophonic Image

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In its third year, the People’s Poetry Festival (PPF) is gearing to once again take over Kensington’s streets, alleyways, and business to fill it with poetry. In August 16-18, the PPF will immerse Calgarians in poetry. Not only are participants reading and listening to poetry, but they’ll be encouraged to bring out their inner poet out by participating in open mics, workshops, and DIY stations. With this year’s lineup of poets yet to be unveiled I caught up with the festival’s volunteer marketing and communications co-ordinator, Shannon McClennan to find out more on why YYC is a breeding ground for talented poets and artists.

“ Calgary is filled with creativity. We’re ripe with literary arts, theatre, dance, film, live music and more. In a city of our size, and one that continues to grow, people are looking for a culture that not only includes the arts, but also breeds the arts. Calgary has been experiencing a “cultural population boom” for quite sometime now, fed by organizations like WordFest, The Calgary International Spoken Word Festival, the Calgary International Film Festival, Fringe Festival, Sled Island, the Calgary Arts Development Association, and so many more. The work of Calgary’s thriving arts and culture scene continues to bring Calgarians world-class performances that not only enrich the lives of citizens, but draw newcomers to our city. They write, sing, compose, paint and draw, and continue to grown our rich, artistic heritage.”

The PPF has featured Poets from various experience levels, styles, and background. PPF 2013 will certainly aim higher.

“Each year we try to out-do the last, and I always look forward to offering new DIY poetry stations, events, poets and workshops. Last year, we debuted our after hours Poetry Cabaret, complete with poetry, live music and burlesque performances. It was such an enticing blend of genres, and so popular, we decided to make it a staple of the annual festival. This year we’re bringing back the Cabaret with a few spicy twists that I’m really excited about.”

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May is almost past and summer is sneaking up on us awful fast. What’s on the go this week? Sales and presentations, festivals and awards, calls for submissions and so much more. Where to begin? Get out your calendar, there’s tonnes of fun to be had…

SEUSSICAL HIJINKS: Time to get your Seuss on. The UCalagry Operetta Company’s Seussical is a delightful escape into the world of Dr Seuss including favourite characters Horton (played by Johann Wentzel), Gertrude McFuzz (played by Emily Sunderland) and, of course, The Cat in the Cat (played by Devon Oakander). Seussical runs until June 1 at the Boris Roubakine Theatre (U of C Campus – 2950 University Way NW) Tickets and details are available at UCalgaryOperetta.ca.
Photos by Amy Jo Espetveidt, Quadrophonic Image

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I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend doing what you love. Did you get a chance to take in any awesome art? Well, there’s plenty more where that came from. Here’s your Arts Round Up this week, Calgary.

GO SEE THIS PLAY: Perhaps one of the most intriguing shows of the season, Ganesh Versus The Third Reich runs this week only at Theatre Junction GRAND. Performed by a mixed-abilities cast, the show is a play-with-in-a-play featuring two distinct stories – one about Ganesh returning to reclaim the Swastika from Nazi Germany and one about a young man inspired to create this play about Ganesh while over coming personal obstacles to do so.
Photos by Jeff Busby courtesy of Theatre Junction GRAND

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The first thing I noticed upon arriving at my table for Stage West’s current production of Chicago wasn’t the aroma of the mouthwatering buffet or the interesting people around me.

No. It was the stage.

An arch of metal, bars and dramatic lights. It was so captivating even my husband took notice.

“Isn’t that cool,” he commented. “I wonder how they built it.”

After attending countless plays as my “plus one” this was the first time he ever commented on the set design. And he was fascinated. All through dinner he kept looking at it, making remarks about the design, the colour and the like.

Even at intermission, after the show stopping numbers of All That Jazz, Cell Block Tango and We Both Reached for the Gun he was still in awe.

DYNAMIC FRAME: The intriguing set design adds and frames the action in Stage West’s production of Chicago, especially in the Cell Block Tango where the performers dance with moving prison bars – a mesmerizing feat.
Photo courtesy of Stage West Calgary

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Every Second Thursday of every month, there’s a crowd that gathers on the second floor of Pages Books on Kensington. If you walked in from the street you almost wouldn’t notice the crowd gathered upstairs and assume it’s a community meeting over some subject matter you couldn’t be concerned about.

That is until you decide to satisfy the inexplicable curiosity that overcomes you and you decide to walk upstairs to join the seated crowd, plugged in, listening to a reader reciting from their pages.

Welcome to a Flywheel reading. It’s a free event hosted by filling Station magazine. This reading series has been going on for almost 10 years since November 2003. It’s brought writers from various backgrounds and disciplines to Calgary’s cultural scene. For me, discovering the Flywheel more than two years ago made me grow as writer and connect with Calgary’s writing community. It also allowed me a way to discover local talent.

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