People who have mostly known only poverty and suffering have now found new hope, a sense of joy and a stronger community thanks to a recent 番茄社区 Applied Theatre field school in India.
UVic faculty member and director Fran Gebhard remembers New York City in 1978鈥攖he Ramones were rocking CBGB鈥檚 club in the Village and the flower-power generation was on its way out, being pushed to the past by a new punk attitude. New York was changing鈥攁nd it was one amazing summer.
Not many of us get to bring our spouses to work, but for two UVic theatre alumni, acting together makes their careers more rewarding.
The buildings may have been repaired, but two key segments of the population in the southeastern coastal region of India are still struggling to overcome the effects of the 2006 tsunami: seniors and rural youth. Now, a new UVic field school hopes to bring a sense of joy to these marginalized people by creating India鈥檚 first intergenerational theatre company.聽
A group of 14 番茄社区 theatre artists will depart Monday for the southeast coast of India to help launch the country鈥檚 first intergenerational theatre company. UVic PhD candidate Matthew Gusul, with 13 students from UVic鈥檚 Department 鈥�
Few students would be proud of being called a scam artist, but theatre grad Max Johnson is鈥攋ust note the alternate spelling. Johnson, who has been working for local professional theatrical company Theatre SKAM since 2011 (associates are charmingly dubbed 鈥淪KAM artists鈥�), is graduating this June with a double major in writing and theatre. And the practical experience he learned at Phoenix Theatre has made him a valued member of SKAM鈥檚 team.
Kevin Kerr is coming full circle. Back in 2002, the noted playwright received the Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award for Unity (1918). Now a professor in the Department of Writing, Kerr is directing his first show for the Phoenix Theatre this month鈥攁nd it鈥檚 Unity (1918), a play that is regularly studied in first-year theatre classes. More significantly, it鈥檚 the first time he鈥檚 ever directed it.
On Feb. 1 the Department of Theatre opened its doors to a record crowd of high school students at the annual 鈥淚 Want To Be in Theatre!鈥� open house. Over 80 attendees were treated to a rehearsal scene of the Phoenix Theatre鈥檚 upcoming production of Picnic (Feb. 13-22), introduced by director Peter McGuire and his cast and crew. McGuire speaks at a free pre-show lecture on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. about the play and the joy of working with students.
In January, theatre historian Dr. Jennifer Wise鈥檚 play The Girl Rabbi of the Golden West was announced the winner of the 2013 Canadian Jewish Playwriting Competition by the Miles Nadal Centre in Toronto. Her play depicts the amazing true story of how, in 1895, in Victoria, Miss Ray Frank became the first woman to serve as rabbi for an orthodox synagogue throughout the High Holidays.聽
Department of Writing professor, UVic alumna and 2011 $100,000 Siminovitch Prize winner Joan MacLeod debuted her latest play, The Valley, at the playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays at Alberta Theatre Projects last month. The story of a troubled teenager who has a confrontation with a police officer on Vancouver鈥檚 SkyTrain, The Valley was praised by the Globe and Mail as 鈥渁 subtle work that avoids all the romantic traps that typically ensnare those who write about mental illness.鈥� The Valley will also be staged during the 2013-14 season at Toronto鈥檚 prestigious Tarragon Theatre. No local production is planned at this point.
Two new plays by Department of Theatre professors made the spotlight recently. Jan Wood presented a staged reading of the solo play Sacrifices at the Belfry Theatre鈥檚 SPARK Festival last month. Sacrifices 鈥渆xamines the choices that an ordinary woman makes to balance career, family and self-fulfillment.鈥� Meanwhile, Jennifer Wise debuted Ray Frank: Girl Rabbi of the Golden West at the 150th anniversary celebrations of Victoria鈥檚 Congregation Emanu-El in early April. Girl Rabbi is based on the true story of Miss Ray Frank, who made women鈥檚鈥攁nd religious鈥攈istory when she officiated at all religious services for three weeks in 1895 for Congregation Emanu-El, which was at that point still an Orthodox synagogue.
Bangkok and Victoria may not seem to have a lot in common, but they鈥檙e both about to start sharing a spotlight thanks to a new exchange agreement between the theatre departments at UVic and Bangkok University.
Christine Willes has been a doctor, a demon and a DC Comics super-villain鈥攁nd this year she can add 鈥渄irector鈥� to the list. Willes, an actor well-known for her appearances on shows like Smallville, Dead Like Me and Emily Owens MD, came to UVic last year for her master鈥檚 in fine arts in directing. Now, as part of her final thesis, Willes is directing her fellow students of the UVic theatre department in Reasons to Be Pretty (Feb. 14鈥�23).
