Join us this Friday for the opening of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at The Hilberry. Marking the third opening this season, Chekhov’s tale was also previously done in the 1983-1984 season.

Here is a peak of what the 1983-1984 season’s production held:

The 1983-1984 production featured Margaret Ingraham as the beautiful but aging actress, Arkadina. Her son was played by Mark Corkins.

Don’t have your tickets for this friday yet? Check out wsushows.com!

5 November 2009 (Opening Night)

Ah, a night of celebration took place last week, my readers, with the opening of the new Butte College Theatre; the pinnacle of their extensive construction projects. And what better way to kick off a theatre grand opening but a musical with transient two-steppers and strung-out singers! Yes the long-awaited Butte College production of Rent debuted last week and your humble reviewer soon found out that golden promises are sometimes gilded after all.

Note: I have been following the BC Theatre company for a few years now and I have been consistently impressed by their productions; and I really wanted that feeling again as I stepped into the new theatre. Alas, it was a masterpiece for the eyes, not so much for the ears.

The production value of Rent was, surprisingly, very high. The stage was beautifully furnished with pipes and other props used to create an old New York industrial building (Fannie Mae office?). This was not the case for some of the previous productions that were performed in Paradise. The lighting and special effects were also done superbly.

Rent is a musical, which subsequently requires actors to have the ability to sing as well. There were many good actors and actresses but they could not commit fully to what the songs required. There were great singers, but not in the main cast I’m sorry to say. Why these supporting cast members didn’t get the lead roles I haven’t a clue; maybe they weren’t fans of spandex perhaps.

On that note, and play on words, the on-stage rock band also added to the confusion of it all. Personally, I am not a fan of rock music and musicals: it never works and inevitably the band always seems more interesting than the script. For more than half of the show, the band was louder than the actors, which led to monumental plot confusion. During the show, many audience members turned their heads to the person next to them and asked what was going on.

In the end, it was a college production of a Broadway musical that plays on shock value while trying too hard to make the brand new theatre worth while. The shock value: men kissing, drugs and sex are things you’d find at any given Blue Room show. Congratulations to Butte College on their new theatre and if the rumors are true, Rent will be around all year; won’t it Chico State?

*When I asked another local reviewer about his glowing review of the show, he told me that he left out his negative comments and that he lowered his expectations of the show since it was a college production. Now, I have been to every Butte College production since I have been there and I have consistently been excited; but simply not this year. And the problem about lowering expectations is that the reader doesn’t know you are. For the reader, a good review of one play is on the same level a good review on another. I do not lower my expectations since it is the theatres that are competing for you: the reader. I am sorry Rent didn’t come out great, but there have to be bad reviews sometimes; at least to make the good reviews worth something.

The 1993-94 NHL season officially kicked off tonight.   The Detroit Red Wings went into Quebec and came away with a 2-2 tie.  Gerard Gallant and Bob Probert scored for the Wings, while Nordiques captain Joe Sakic scored both goals for his team.   Unfortunately, he left the game in the third period.  Hockey Central has since found out he’s expected to miss 4-5 weeks with a broken foot.

For Nov. 19:

THAT’S RIGHT, TEENAGERS, THE SECOND MOVIE OF THE TWILIGHT SAGA IS HERE.

IT’S EXPECTED TO RAKE IN ONE MILLION DOLLARS THIS WEEKEND.

FANS, THEATERS AND COLLEGE KIDS LOOKING FOR AN EASY BUCK GET READY FOR THE BIG OPEN.

BRIANNA PELLICANE REPORTS FROM UPTOWN THEATRE IN CLEVELAND PARK.

//

Choreographer Brian Carey Chung has been dreaming about having his own company for four years. On Friday, November 20, his company, Collective Body|Dance Lab, made it’s New York City debut. He shared the program with choreographer Teresa Fellion’s BodyStories.

I had the opportunity to photograph the pieces, including a piece by Collective Body|Dance Lab member Jennifer McQuiston Lott.

The talent was amazing and the performances wonderful. It’s a shame that dance companies are having such a difficult time getting press for their tremendous efforts.

Click to visit For the Time That This Dream Endures.

87 images.

I went to the play and it was a disappointment. I liked how it related to how diverse the school was and it did have its funny moments, but overall it was very boring. To make matters worse, barely anybody showed up. Of course it was full of supportive parents and family, but none of the students should up, making it a huge disappointment.

For anyone, who doesn’t know, it was opening night of the play “The Family Nobody Wanted” at Gahr, and if you ask me, it didn’t go that well. The actors were awesome (especially the guys, who played the Doss sons) and the morale of the story was relatable, but there was something about it that made the play seem very boring and slow. And another thing, it portrayed journalists very badly and I didn’t like that at all.  Hopefully it gets better in the days to come, because tonight was a huge disappointment.

Song of the post #7: Angels on the Moon by Thriving Ivory 

I am not a gamer.  I enjoy videogames, but I am far from being a hardcore gamer.  But I do understand opening night numbers.

Activision Blizzard said that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has sold $550 million worth in five days.

That is a little over half a billion worldwide.  That is a larger take than the first five days of ANY movie.  If this can be verified, this should be huge news.  But overall, it has been met with a collective yawn in this news cycle, where the President’s bow to the Emperor of Japan seems to be generating more heat.  While this may not represent anything other than something a lot of people have been waiting for in a year where there have been no really huge titles to go against, it is still news. 

Still, that success hasn’t come without some controversy. Several British politicians have spoken out against Modern Warfare 2, and in Russia, Activision is releasing a censored version of the game. The Russian edition leaves out a scene called “No Russian,” which allowed the user the opportunity to shoot at – or otherwise injury – innocent civilians in a Moscow airport.

But no matter. Reports are overwhelmingly positive on game play, from what I have seen on the boards.  Heck, I might even give it a shot.

Now Playing: Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms – Brothers in Arms

It was a wild and stormy night… but the cast and crew of White Christmas: The Musical created a cozy, Christmas glow inside the Stanley with their opening night performance. A wonderful time was had by all. And now on to a magical run!

Jak Barradell (ensemble), Jeffrey Victor (Bob Wallace), and Kristie Marsden (ensemble)

Delicious Anna's Cake House cake and our Art Auction

Nicola Lipman and Tracey Power

Nicole McLuckie, Jeremy Crittenden, and Jeremy Mitchell

Keri Minty (ensemble), Anna Kuman (ensemble), and Jeremy Lowe (ensemble)

Jennifer Bishop, Sanders Whiting, and Stephen Aberle

Ok, so it’s not exactly ‘where no man has gone before’, but photographer Tessa Bunney certainly likes to brave the more remote places for her work. She’s been to the Romanian Carpathian Mountains, The Westmen Isles (a small cluster of islands off the south coast of Iceland), and rural villages around Hanoi, Vietnam for her newest work. Oh, and she’s just got back from Yunnan province of China.

Home Work is Tessa’s exhibition which opens at Light House on Thu 26 Nov. She’ll be here talking about her travels around Hanoi’s ‘craft’ villages. Each village produces a particular speciality of sellable items and is described as such: incense stick making village, cuddly toy making village or paper making village, and so on. Other villages however seem to get the thin end of the wedge – the rat catching village wouldn’t be my first choice for relocation.

But don’t get the wrong idea, the work carried out isn’t craft in the leisurely, romanticised way we think of it – this is the livelihood for the people here, it’s hard work and it’s all carried out by women.

Come along to the exhibition opening to find out more and for a glass of wine from 5.30pm, Tessa’s talk will be at 6pm in the gallery.

You can read a review of Home Work on the 1000 Words Photography Magazine blog

Follow Tessa’s blog to see where she’ll be beamed up to next!

photos taken by Patrick Hough (thanks for that)

Thanks to all who attended the opening it was a great night, very exciting and encouraging!

you still have a chance to see the exhibition which is running from 11am – 3pm daily until the 22nd of November

The Exhibition was opened by Alison Hough

her speech was as follows:

I would like to welcome everyone to the inaugural show of the Basement Project Space, and thank you for coming. I feel lucky to be here to witness this event, as I see it as not just an art exhibition but a symbol of change.

For a long time now, Ireland has exported its talented, educated young people, and we have all been, in a cultural sense, the poorer for it. When I look around here today I see not just the artistic work, but also the fulfillment of a vision. I have witnessed the seeds of an idea take root in a neglected and abandoned space in Cork, and have seen this vision become a reality, through the hard work and passion of six people, Lorraine and Rachael McDonnell, Stephanie Hough, Claire Murphy, Paul Maguire, and Colm Madden. The work undertaken here is an example of how artistic development benefits the community. An abandoned space has been reinvented, opportunities created and connections made. The title of show, “Relocating Discovery”, is particularly appropriate in that it expresses what has happened here. Instead of leaving the country to find a place with more opportunities, these artists have created their own. In this way they have relocated the journey of discovery of their own art practice, rediscovering the potential of gathering together and creating not just work but optimism in the face of difficult times.

I would like to congratulate Monique Besten, from Amsterdam, and Alan James Burns for being selected for the Artists Residency here, and for the great work they have produced for this show. It is another great achievement of the Basement Project Space, to bring together such talented artists.

I would like to wish all involved the best of success with this venture, and I will now hand over to Monique Besten to say a few words about her experience here in Cork.

Ho il piacere di confermare che il 21 Novembre 2009 lo spettacolo Testa d’Asino (liberamente tratto da Le metamorfosi di Apuleio), scritto e diretto da Adamo Toma, nato all’interno di The No Direction Workshop 2008/09, I ed. con il titolo Il buio e oltre debutterà nella stagione di prosa del teatro No di Parma. Il 20 e il 21 sarò a Parma per super – visionare l’allestimento e le prove e per il assistere allo spettacolo.

I’pleased to confirm the opening night of the show by Adamo Toma Testa d’Asino (freely based on Apuleio’s Metamorphosis. The show will debut on the season of the teatro No in Parmat the 21th of November 2009. The show was born on The No Direction Workshop 2008/09, I edition.  The 2oth and the 20th I’m on Parma to oversee set up and rehearsal. I’m in Parma to see the show.

>>>Adamo Toma Official web space >>>the show on the Teatro No official website

britney spears circus

Originally uploaded by it is me not you

A word of warning to those going to see Britney Spears in concert…Don’t get your hopes up! A Britney fan myself, I chose to ignore the negative complaints and bad media coverage concerning her tour in Perth. However, after seeing her first concert in Sydney, I would have to join the critics.

When purchasing the tickets I was aware that there was a possibility of her lip synching and I was ok with that. I bought the tickets to see a show, to be entertained; I would rather her bust out the moves hard then see her move her hips a little and hear her puffing into the microphone.

But, alas, we saw no hard out booty shaking. There was a lack of energy and the ambience was a little dead. Never before have I been to a concert where everyone has sat in their seats and watched the show. Besides the screams of Brit fans no one got up to dance. It was a forced effort to wiggle in tune on my seat.

Formerly being satisfied with the possibility of lip synching, it was different live. The screens didn’t capture her close up for the fear that she would be out of sync, and indeed she was. At times she even looked to her dancer on her left after missing a dance step.

The concert lasted only one hour and 40 minutes. This includes the amount of time she was off stage for a costume change. I felt like I saw more dancers, circus performers, and visual aid, than I did of Brit herself. I’m just glad I didn’t pay $600 for a love seat.

However despite the lack of contribution from Brit, the rest of the show was fabulous. I was awed by the circus performers and the way they worked the stage, the backup dancers and the way they made the show, and even DJ Havana Brown who held more atmosphere than Brit herself.

So if you are going to see the Britney concert be satisfied with your seats in the bleaches and don’t go just to see Brit herself, as she seemed like she doesn’t even want to be there either, but to see the circus performers and backup dancers.

Brit, sweetheart, I think your time has come and gone…

Wait! Why am i telling you about this……

Brilliant. Time to talk about our Ten lists once more, so settle in for the long haul and try and keep up. Much discussion ensues as Sam tries to extol the virtues of Ingmar Bergman, praise the magical realism of Billy Liar and attempt to make sense of All About Lily Chou-Chou. John continues the theme, causing slight, though understandable, consternation with his uncensored views on Raging Bull and confessions of multiple tears during Schindler’s List. Tom rounds the night off in business-like fashion with praise for The 400 Blows, controversial dislike for the second half of Stalker and man-crushed love for Le Samourai.

Download The Movie Overdose Episode 40.5

Remember to email us, sugarplums!

Just Got Home from The Opening of Nate Holmes Trapnell’s Second Solo Exhibition “The King Pin” at Gorker Gallery in fitzroy. The attention to detail in his art is utterly amazing and his imagination is pretty wild too. All ilustrated with Fine Liner’s. Running with a Rockabilly/Bowling Ally  Theme Through out the Exhibit, it’s Running through From November 12th till the 29th. Anyway enough crap from me ill let the pros give you a run down…..

“The King Pin’ is a figment of the imagination of gifted emerging Melbourne based artist Nate Holmes Trapnell. It’s the second installment in solo shows from Nate and totally lives up to expectation after the success of ‘The Fine Line’ show at Gorker in July 2008. Nate’s hand drawn fine-liner illustrations are something that we feel must be experienced in person so please join us in November for ‘The King Pin’.

“The King Pin bowling alley is found just north of No-where, take a left at Lost and follow the old dusty track all the way to the end. It’s a meeting place for spooky little hollow eyed characters, sporting full sleeve tattoos and bad habits. These cheeky little bowlers spend eternity knocking down pins, sucking on cigarettes, guzzling beers and laughing hysterically at their own jokes. Their twisted senses of humor are reflected in their bowling team names like the ‘Pin Ponies’ and the ‘Slippery Chickens’. Their cars are chopped, dropped and cranked into beasts of darkness, epitomized by their hood ornaments. The air is filled with enough exhaust fumes, fuel vapor and second hand smoke that you can almost smell it seeping from the paper. Come to Gorker Gallery and experience the world of the alley, a world hidden away in the shadows of its surroundings, with no day or night, just an eerie underlying feeling that its dark out there.’

More Flicks after the Jump.

We were invited by a good friend of ours, Deeana from R. Rock Enterprises, to Hello Kitty’s Three Apples 35th anniversary VIP opening night at Royal T in Culver City!

There were an endless array of amazing art pieces and lovely ladies dressed in ‘Cosplay’ to compliment the Hello Kitty Couture.

Various artists in collaboration with this special anniversary include: Gary Baseman, Natalie Fabia, Ron English, Colin Christian, Tara McPherson, Buff Monster and Lady Gaga.

It was the ‘creme de la creme’ of the Hello Kitty world. We enjoyed every moment of the night and made some new friends!

Jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino.

Fashion designer Miss Shrinkle (left).

Linkin Park’s Mr. Hahn.

Kimora Lee

Alexandra Holden from Sugar and Spice.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Not only was seeing the art work an amazing experience but the food was also unforgettable!

We definately had our cake and ate it too!

We ended the night with a big smile on our faces and the cutest Hello Kitty gift bags in hand!

Our mate Andrew (DrewFunk to you guy’s out of the loop) just had his opening night for his latest Exhibition entitled “Drewfunk: FUNK IN A BOX ” at the newly renamed BroodBox Gallery. The exhibition consisted of lots of Drew’s signature Aerosol styles but with a lil twist, all were painted on Square frames of pinewood with some glossed with glass gloss to bring the colour’s truly to life. JPS was Spinning beat’s in the BroodBox Caravan that had been specially sprayed for the night… all in all i was mega-ly impressed with the night, but free beer would have been cool! ;( haha

Here’s a few shots of the night, Courtesy of my main man The DreadedCat

Hit the flip for a few more flicks. Chyeaaahh!

Plenty more on my Flickr if you duder’s want.

N.

I realise I have been lacking in blogs recently. It wasn’t that I was lacking time, but rather that the Seagull was very “regular” and I struggled to find anything to blog about. It was very classical, and maybe not quite my thing, but still good fun to work on. As always I learned new things as I went, but found that the show was quite technically bare. Nothing went wrong, in fact I think everything went really well, but I don’t know if I came across many notable points for reflection.

I don’t think tech week got off to the best start. Monday and Tuesday were LX focus and plot. As TSM crew I found this long and tedious. Perhaps it was because I knew we had a long list of things to do, but we couldn’t do any of them because everything had to be done in silence, in the dark without disturbing anyone. I am happy to sit about and do nothing if there is nothing to do, but otherwise I want to be working away through the list. Anyway, by the time Tuesday afternoon came, I had visited the library and taken out some books to keep me occupied. As the week went on, it got better and better, and we all seemed to agree that Friday afternoon was a fantastic session and we managed to get almost everything in order by then ready for the first dress.

Opening night went really well, but I am also glad we had the dress in the afternoon to make sure we had it all sorted, especially after the changes made. Mostly I am impartial to the changes, but I am disappointed that the Kabukis were cut since we had worked really hard and I thought they looked pretty good.

I think, on the whole, the production was a success, but I found it quite deceiving. When you looked at the design/lighting/tech stuff/general show, it should have been a really straight forward fit-up and show in most aspects, but somehow even near the end of the tech week we were still encountering small problems to overcome and looking back, perhaps there were a few issues which would have been easier to resolve had a different approach been taken. Had it been a longer run I think we should have implemented some more permanent solutions for a few of the more time consuming tasks such as the velcro on the trellises which kept ripping off.

I really enjoyed working Automation and Flies since I felt more involved in the process. I know every job is important, but sometimes when I am the person on the deck tidying-up, coiling rope or holding a bit of wood while someone else drills a hole in it, I feel like a bit of a spare part. I tried to lend a hand with the tedious tasks where I could, but it was nice to get a change in responsibilities and I think it has helped me appreciate one of the most important and dangerous things about working off the deck (but especially on the fly floor) which is communication. While the show was simple, during the fit-up and strike I seemed to have a list of requests which people were adding to by the minute. They were manageable, but I often found myself having four conversations at once and trying to make it very clear which bar was going in, which one was going out and which one had now been clipped while also trying to keep tabs on the weight and positions of bars and lines. All this is made more difficult by other people working around you, chatting and calling to each other across the stage, grid or auditorium.

For anyone who has missed it, here are a few links related to The Seagull:

STV Part 1

STV Part 2

STV Part 3

The Seagull review by The Herald

All in all, The Seagull went well and I was happy with the work I did, but doubt it will make it into my five favourite shows. Next up is Panto which I am really looking forward to. I just have a good feeling that we will all be suitably challenged by the show, and with it being bigger and more complex I am sure there will be more chances for us to take different responsibilities onboard. It’s too early to tell for sure, but I think it might be a good choice for Scott and I to leave after fit-up and begin to work on War and Peace since it sounds like it will be a huge production, gives the first year crew more opportunities and responsibilities on Panto and also means we get the experience of doing two challenging fit-ups without having to endure all the performances of Panto!

The very gracious Christopher Lynn, Director at Spaces sent me over the link to the shenanigans of Saturday night, thank you so much for doing that I can just here Endless Love playing. Looked like a great time and for all who were there, relive the moment here or for those who missed it, see what you should have been doing  last Saturday.

Just look at the bartender, I mean, come on, that is just a brilliant suit.

Live long and prosper Spaces.

Da oggi al 13 di Novembre sarò impegnato per la prima sessione di prove dello spettacolo Segreto di stato di Silvio Da Ru’ e Fortunato Zinni. Il debutto, in prima nazionale,  è previsto per il 10 Dicembre presso l’Hangar numero uno dell’aereoporto di Bresso (MI).

From today to the 13th of November i’m engaged on the first session of  rehearsal for the show Segreto di stato by Silvio Da Ru’ and Fortunato Zinni. Opening night and italian debut the 10th of December at the hangar number one of the airport of Bresso (MI)

>>>www.piazzafontana.it

Last month, New Zealand’s number one student magazine Salient put out the last issue of the year. Here is the column reviewing the year in film (despite the fact it was only October).

2009. It’s not over yet, but it might as well be considering this is the last issue (the ultimate issue, if you will) of Salient. Hells teeth, where do I begin. Has 2009 been a good year for film? Well, I would say yes. It was certainly a damn sight better than 2008 but still perhaps not as good as the No Country for Old Men-There Will be Blood-Zodiac trifecta that ruled my 2007. I always keep my movie stubs so the following is an attempt to try to make sense of the little torn up pieces of paper, which are the only physical reminders of the things I saw on the silver screen this year.

For starters, Hollywood was up to its worst tricks again. The big Blockbusters came in the stupidly long Transformers 2 and the just plain stupid GI Joe. Once again animated films like Up proved that Pixar is pissing all over everyone else when it comes to good storytelling. A little film called Bruno pulled no punches in making Americans look like fools (again), and managed to fill the screen with a giant talking penis. Michael Mann disappointed me greatly with his sub-par Public Enemies, while Tarantino divided critics with Inglourious Basterds.

At the Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire, a terrible picture that everybody seems to love won way too many awards. I’m sorry, but the ending was nonsense. Its main competition The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was rubbish too, a shame because Fincher’s Zodiac was so unbelievably good. Leonardo DiCaprio was at his best in Revolutionary Road but didn’t even get a nomination (nor did the very solid film for that matter). Instead Sean Penn’s Harvey Milk trumped Mickey Rourke’s stellar comeback in The Wrestler. Kate Winslet hoisted the Oscar for her role in The Reader and Heath Ledger became only the second actor to win posthumously for his superb turn as the Joker.

Some cool people died this year too. Patrick Swayze (above) lost his battle with cancer, as did Farrah Fawcett. English rose Miranda Richardson and old timers Henry Gibson, Dom Deluise and Karl Malden all said their last goodbyes. John Hughes left, taking with him part of my adolescence. David “Kill Bill” Carradine died in bizarre circumstances (Bound for Glory jokes aside). And of course they’re still talking about some small timer named Michael Jackson.

In July the festival came with swag of good pictures. Antichrist was not one of them—I hated it. Ponyo was Miyazaki in fine form. Che was a brave, often fascinating four-hour masterpiece. Palme d’Or winner The White Ribbon was near perfect. Aussie classic Wake in Fright had the most beer and Kangaroo wrestling I’ve seen in any film. I still haven’t made heads or tales of Jarmusch’s The Limits of Control, but Chris Doyles photography was beautiful. Moon was as good a sci-fi as I’ve seen in years.

Writing for Salient has been great because Uther was radical enough to let me scribble about stuff I really like, in the hope that maybe other people will like it too. Hence I blabbed on about my New Hollywood favourites like Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and Two-Lane Blacktop, mainly because they both star Warren Oates. Go watch them, they are the best. I also got to write on the greatest television show of all time, The Wire, which even proved a hit in the Salient office. If you haven’t seen it yet, sheeeeeit, make sure you do.

So what does 2010 bring? Well, if Avatar lives up to its absurd hype, cinema might ‘never be the same again’. Frankly, I think this is nonsense. Even if the 3D experience is amazing the film looks like a ten-foot blue turkey. Expect Transformers III and GI Joe II. As long as people keep going to these movies, Hollywood will keep making them. Expect all the best movies to come in the festival and expect them to have subtitles. Expect Megan Fox to make her relationship with Nic Sando official. Expect there to be too many movies to watch, and not enough time in the day.

In proper Salient/High Fidelity tradition here are some top fives.

Top 5 films of 2009 (that I saw)

1. The White Ribbon
2. Che
3. The Wrestler
4. Revolutionary Road
5. Ponyo

Top 5 films I saw in 2009 (from any old year)

1. Happy Together
2. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
3. Opening Night
4. A Taste of Cherry
5. Being There

Top 5 films of 1971 (for my loyal readers)

1. Two-Lane Blacktop
2. The Last Picture Show
3. Harold and Maude
4. McCabe and Mrs Miller
5. The Hired Hand

Top 5 movie quotes

1. “If I’m not grounded pretty soon, I’m gonna go into orbit.”
2. “Get the meat.”
3. “If you keep looking at me you’ll see me kill you.”
4. “Pipe dreams Dad, I’m a barber’s son.”
5. “GARBAGE DAY!” or alternatively “CARPET DAY!”

Top 5 other things…

1. The video for ‘Welcome to Heartbreak’ by Kanye West.
2. The trailers for Must Love Jaws, Brokeback to the Future, and Shining.
3. Alexander Skarsgard (above).
4. HSX.com.
5. My blog! therushmorefilmsociety.wordpress.com.