Official launch: March 14
Greetings arts fans!
There is a lot to celebrate in the month of March: International Women’s Day (March 8), World Theatre Day (March 27), and my half-birthday (March 12). All very important occasions; and yes, I expect lots of half-presents.
In recent news: the nominees for the 2009 Prix Rideau Awards have been announced! For a full list, please follow this link: http://wp.me/p1SoS-wQ
Once again, if I have not included any local events in March featuring Ottawa artists in this newsletter, please feel free to post them on my website “the most exquisite moments” in the comments section.
Enjoy!
POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD
March 6
Capital Slam featuring Elyse Maltin
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=339956817648&ref=ts
March 7
Dusty Owl Reading Series “Open Hoot”
http://dustyowl.com/whatsnew.htm
March 9
Voices of Venus featuring Ruthanne Edward
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82921239343&ref=ts
Storyteller extraordinaire Ruthanne Edward takes the stage at this Ottawa literary series that shines a spotlight on women writers. Quickly becoming my favourite local event! See my piece on VoV on my website: http://wp.me/p1SoS-wV
March 11
Bill Brown’s 1-2-3 Slam featuring Luna Allison & The Living Sound System
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=324713271475&ref=ts
March 12
Urban Legends Poetry Slam
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Legends-Poetry-Slam/101529778283?v=wall&ref=ts
March 27
The A B Series presents Gary Barwin
http://abseries.org/node/135
THEATRE, SHOWTUNES, BOOK LAUNCHES, and MORE!
March 2 to 21
The Great Canadian Theatre Company presents blood.claat: one oomaan story
http://www.gctc.ca/
I saw this vibrant production featuring d’bi.young at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival a year and a half ago. This is a fine example of dub poetry used in a theatrical setting: totally accessible and still makes your heart sing and your fingertips dance. For spoken word and theatre lovers alike.
March 3 to 6
Toto Too Theatre presents Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
http://tototoo.ca/
Members of a James Dean fan club meet up on the anniversary of his death in small town Texas. Ottawa artist and professor Janne Cleveland directs a predominantly female cast in this play that features an openly transsexual character. Toto Too is passionate about bringing queer theatre to the capital, and I’m glad to see the company is producing this female focussed piece, especially so close to International Women’s Day! Woot!
March 4 (runs until the 28)
Canteen Gallery presents Two Days Slow: An Alice in Wonderland Group Show
http://canteenlife.com/artwork/1206666.html
Sure, the gallery is capitalizing on the upcoming Tim Burton movie. But I think this is a fabulous idea!
A gallery of pure nonsense, Canteen hosts Two Days Slow, an Alice in Wonderland themed show. Featuring a multitude of talented international and local artists indulging in the whimsical world of Wonderland, the show promises the irrepressible silliness of white rabbits, tea parties, wise caterpillars, Cheshire cats and wide-eyed wonder.
March 13
Show Tune Showdown 2010 – fifth anniversary!
http://www.tonecluster.ca/index.php?home
Join three teams of musical theatre performers as they compete for bragging rights and cold hard cash for their theatre company. This year, Sheridan College’s Musical Theatre program returns from Oakville to compete against Ottawa teams from Orpheus Musical Theatre Society and Zucchini Grotto Theatre Company. Judging them this year will be famed Ottawa actor and playwright Pierre Brault, CBC Radio host Kathleen Petty, and performer Erica Peck.
March 14
Von Allan launches graphic novel “the road to god knows…”
http://trtgk.vonallan.com/
This critically-acclaimed graphic novel by (the red-headed and freckled) Ottawa artist and writer Von Allan explores the struggle of a teenage girl as she comes to grips with her mother’s schizophrenia. The formal launch takes place at the independent bookstore Perfect Books on Elgin Street from 4pm. Don’t miss it!
March 14
Acoustic Waves: Ana Miura
http://www.ottawafolk.org/
Ottawa based international touring artist Ana Miura performs at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre as part of the Ottawa Folk Festival acoustic waves series. In addition to having a great voice and charming stage presence, Ana has been really involved in the Ottawa community: you might know her as the founder of Babes for Breasts, a collection of female singer/songwriters that raise money for breast cancer charities, or the General Manager of the Ottawa Folk Festival. Also, on March 20 & 27, you can check out the Ottawa Folk Festival Auditions at the Raw Sugar Café.
March 19 to 28
New Ottawa Repertory Theatre presents Cherry Docs
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=96153615270
In this critically acclaimed play by Ottawa playwright David Gow, a neo-Nazi skinhead charged with murder has a Jewish legal-aid lawyer appointed to defend him. The title is an abbreviation of the phrase “cherry red Doc Marten boots”, worn by skinheads. The lawyer, Danny, insists that the young offender, Mike, help construct his own defence, to make the young man “stand up” and be accountable. Directed Paul Dervis, this production features local actors Jeff Lefebvre and Garrett Quirk.
March 23 to April 3
The National Arts Centre English Theatre presents Where the Blood Mixes
http://nac-cna.ca/en/theatre/index.cfm
Hey, I also saw this at the Magnetic North Festival a year and a half ago! Looks like my travels are catching up to me in this weird time-warped fashion. For his play Where the Blood Mixes, Kevin Loring was awarded the 2009 Governor General’s Award in Drama. Well-deserved, I think. The play looks at the effects of residential schools on the next generation of aboriginals. It is humourous, touching and original, and does not fall into the trap of being preachy or didactic. This is darn good – and important –theatre.
March 27
Ottawa Theatre Challenge on World Theatre Day
http://nac-cna.ca/en/whatson/results.cfm?EventID=6178
Join a Company of Fools at this 10th annual Contest of Creation at the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage for an amazing evening of creativity. Forty-eight hours prior to the Theatre Challenge, local theatre companies are assigned inspiration items and will create scenes based on these items. The results are hilarious. Eddie May Murder Mysteries took home the rubber chicken prize last year; let’s see who grabs it this time!
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to email me with upcoming events for April. Remember, this newsletter focusses on local artists and events that take place in Ottawa.
Artistically yours,
Jessica Ruano
Let’s not forget the Cube Salon on March 13 – first show in the beautiful new Cube gallery, the evening’s program is called “memento” — more details here
Thanks, Evan! This series sounds super cool, and I still have yet to check it out.
(For people with not-so-great eyes: click on the word “here” to follow the link. I couldn’t see the green right away.)
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Don’t forget ENCHANTED APRIL at the Ottawa Little Theatre March 23rd to April 10th staring yours truly (Chantale Plante) – and Tim Ginley playing…surprise My HUSBAND. As well as Lawrence Aronovitch, Heather Archibald, Laura Hall, Charlotte Stewart, Dylan Kwart, and Danielle Silverman.
“The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous.” – Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest.
Shame on you, Chantale. Shame!
I get to smooch and if you sit strategically enough in the theatre you will get a gander of my cute hubby’s bare bottom!
Let’s not forget about university and college theatre in Ottawa:
http://www.algonquincollege.com/MediaAndDesign/programs/theatre_arts_whats_on.htm
http://www.theatre.uottawa.ca/eng/conferences.html?day=9&month=3&year=2010&method=day&type=0&filter=0
http://www.carleton.ca/socknbuskin/calendar.htm
Thanks a bunch for the mention, Jessica! Much appreciated!
You’re very very welcome! I plan to attend the launch.
Please note that the first of the spring 2010 Dusty Owl Workshop Series will occur on Sunday, March 28th from 1 pm – 4 pm at Sushi 88 with local poet Susan McMaster. The focus will be on writing autobiographical poetry.
For more information, see http://www.dustyowl.com/workshops.htm.
Yay Dusty Owl!
There are two Capital Slams each month! In addition to the one listed there is another on March 20th featuring Allesandra Naccarato from Montreal!
Insensitivity Training is proud to present the 2010 edition of the Ottawa Improv Festival (www.ottawaimprovfestival.ca) March 11th to the 14th. That’s this week! The Ottawa Improv scene is growing fast with over a dozen shows monthly and it’s time to celebrate this re-birth! Both in French and English, even in both, local troupes are seeing stages and making audience laugh all over the city.
The festival will be welcoming WDWMKR and Sex T-Rex from Toronto, Montreal Improv and Uncalled For… from Montreal and local troupes Crystal Basement, LIEU (Ligue d’improvisation étudiante universitaire), Insensitivity Training and NEW special guests: MSG.
Every night consists of performer showcases at 8pm where featured troupes take the stage to show you their stuff (and by stuff, we mean their rock collections) followed by specialty shows at 10pm like Danger-prov…which is exactly what it sounds like, watch improvisors tackle challenges like guessing between tabasco and ketchup in the middle of scene, or playing with other elements of danger. If you like laughing at people in unfortunate situations, this show is for you.
The festival kicks off Thursday March 11th , 8pm at University of Ottawas Agora with a FREE french hockey-rink style match. All other shows are held at Club Saw (67 Nicholas St.) ad Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa (292 Elgin St.), $5 cover.
For additional details visit the website http://www.ottawaimprovfestival.ca
Yay Improv! Danger-prov sounds like some awesome schadenfreude.
This Saturday — Valley Wind Productions is bringing a celebration of performing arts to Ottawa. Called Windrush, it’s happening at The Chambers in Ben Franklin Place. The day-long event will host two full-length shows that bookend a number of other activities, networking opportunities, and more entertainment. Intended for performers as well as directors, producers, and the theatre-going public, the March 27th event is designed as a way for people to network, reconnect with old friends, and just come together in support and celebration of what they love. (Attendees will also have the chance to win some great prizes.)
THE SHOWS
The day starts with a show like no other. Our Performer’s Showcase will see just about forty performers take the stage in eight short plays and three other acts. The performers include representatives and alumni from Canterbury, the Ottawa Theatre School, and both Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa’s theatre programs. While scripted performance opens the day, the evening show is all about improvisation and will see local improv teams bringing out the fun and entertaining the house with their high-energy antics. A two-show pass can be purchased for $20 (which includes a bonus 2-for-1 pass to Absolute Comedy) or attendees can take in just one show for $12.
NETWORKING BREAK
While the shows themselves are worth making plans for, it’s the innovative three-hour networking break that sets Windrush apart. While activities, games, and other entertainment will be going on in Centrepointe’s beautiful Atrium, several local theatre companies and troupes have been invited to take over the stage to promote themselves and their upcoming shows with a small preview. Other companies still will take their place at exhibition tables and talk to attendees.
So where will you be on Saturday, March 27th? If you’re a performer or even simply a member of the theatre-going public who loves the performing arts, the answer should be Windrush. Celebrating.
Further info: http://windrush.valleywind.com
Thanks, Allan! This looks like the perfect way to celebrate World Theatre Day in the daytime. I plan to attend this and the Ottawa Theatre Challenge in the evening. Man, I’ll be all theatre-d out.