Friday Arts Quotes: You Still Can't Edition

With only 3 performances left of You Still Can't at Pacific Theatre, I bring you an all YSC version of Friday Arts Quotes.

Grandpa Tony: "Working against something you believe in. That's not good for a person's soul. What'll you have to take home with you at the end of it all?"


Norman: So you actually got to work with Philip Glass?
Dylan: You will recognize something of a cyclical organizing principle, and would be correct in any conjecture with regards to a certain Glassian influence.
Norman: Cool! Ripping off the greats!
Dylan: I think of it as a consciously post-modern referentiality -"

Photo: Sasha (Laura VanDyke) encouraging Dylan (Brett Ziegler) to sign the Dylan poster for Norman's (Tim Bratton) pseudograph display.

(Cut from the play) Norman: "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing"

I was in the paper...

...and I didn't even know it.

Two weeks ago the Langley Advance ran an article about You Still Can't at Pacific Theatre, talking about the connection between it and Trinity Western University. From the article:

A Langley contingent is collaborating to bring a wickedly hilarious comedy to the stage in Vancouver this month.

Many theatre lovers will be thrilled to hear the Vanderhofs are back; they're an eccentric family first brought to life in the comic classic You Can't Take It With You. Well, playwright Ron Reed has revived this family in his homegrown sequel called You Still Can't, which opened last week on the stage of Pacific Theatre.

Reed is an award-winning playwright who founded Pacific Theatre in 1984 and serves as the group's artistic director. He has also been teaching advanced acting classes at Trinity Western University (TWU) for the past 20 years, and in 2006 took on the designation as TWU's artist-in-residence.

But he's not the only one with a tie to Langley. Reed is joined by five actors, current TWU students or recent graduates, as well as the resident stage manager Lois Dawson, who is also a TWU alumni.

My mom called me today, having googled me this morning and found the article. I love that my mom googles me :)

The June To-See List (and what I saw/worked on in May)

It's been a very busy month for me theatrically.

In May I saw the following plays:

1. John & Beatrice (Pi Theatre)
2. Secret World of Og (Carousel Theatre)
3. 36 Views (Tempus Theatre)
4. Antigone Undone (Leaky Heaven Circus)
5. Fat Pig (Mitch & Murray Equity Co-op)
   
6. Les Miserables (Arts Club)
7. Top Girls (Vancouver Playhouse)
8. Palace of the End (Felix Culpa, Touchstone Theatre, & Horseshoes & Hand Grenades)

Based on this list, I still missed one show from my "To-See" list last month (Dying City), however I added Top Girls & Antigone Undone, so overall I feel pretty good about it as a month of theatre seeing.

I also rehearsed and opened You Still Can't at Pacific Theatre. This monster of a show features 14 emerging theatre artists from a variety of theatre training programs as well as three "extras' who volunteer and rotate through from night to night. In addition to a large cast (at least for our little 20" by 22" stage), it's a very props heavy show. I've mentioned the dozen custom-made latex turkeys, but there's also a working amusement park model, a Beatles-themed feast, & a working radio DJ booth. It's been a crazy ride and it still runs for another two weeks.

The day after You Still Can't closes I'll be hopping a 7am bus to Kamloops to spend my summer working with Project X Productions on Hamlet & Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It's going to be a fun summer as far as I'm concerned. Also, it will be a nice break from Vancouver (not that I hate Vancouver. I love Vancouver. I just need a bit of time to get away) and a chance to be close to my parents for a while.

Because I leave town on June 14th, my "To-See" list for June is quite short, though I've decided that I will list shows that I will not be seeing but that I think the rest of you should make sure to check out.

June To See List:
1. Othello (Bard on the Beach)
2. Flower Drum Song (VACT)

Shows that you should see, even though I won't be seeing them:
1. The Walking Fish Festival (www.upintheairtheatre.com) {from what I hear this year has a whole range of shows from amazing to terrible - I'd love to hear what people think!}
2. The Comedy of Errors (Bard on the Beach)
3. All's Well that Ends Well (Bard on the Beach)
4. Mixie and the Halfbreeds (Neworld Theatre)
5. Alter Boyz (Arts Club)

And for those of you in Vancouver for the month of June, don't forget to attend the Jessie Richardson Awards for theatre. If I were in town, I'd definitely be there!
Let's all see some theatre!

You Still Can't Video

You Still Can't, my current show at Pacific Theatre, opened this past Friday night. Today I give to you a two and a half minute video of a scene in act 2 where you get just a hint of the insanity of this show: Disney! Politics! Furniture! Groceries!



Video featuring Alexandra Voicu, Debra Sears, Christie Maxson & Shalyn McFaul

Where Have I Been Hiding?

You may have noticed that I haven't written anything in a couple of weeks. Why? Well, I've been in the midst of getting my current show up on its feet. We are in the midst of tech crazyness, but our promotional stills came in today so I figured I'd take advantage of a free minute to post them up here.

Tiffany (Alexandra Voicu), Dave (Mack Gordon), & Sky (Katharine Gauthier)

Norman (Tim Bratton) & Grandpa Tony (Glen Pinchin)