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#1 AnonAnnie2

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Posted 25 July 2009 - 05:22 AM

Went to Wingfield Lost and Found by Dan Needles last night, make the time and don't miss this one! Excellent theater.:)

#2 Mike K.

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Posted 26 February 2012 - 09:10 PM

The Spark Festival is the Belfry Theater's "festival of new plays and new ideas" held in March.

From the website www.sparkfestival.ca

SPARK is the Belfry Theatre’s annual festival of new plays and new ideas. Each March, in our intimate venue in Fernwood, we showcase some of Canada’s finest performing artists and companies bringing acclaimed work to the city for the first time.


Along with these presentations from across the country, we commission local artists to create and perform short new pieces throughout our space. The festival also features a new play written and created in just one week by high school students enrolled in our education program, Belfry 101.


Throughout SPARK you’ll find new play readings, works-in-progress, professional development workshops and one heck of a party. Join us.


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#3 Bob Fugger

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Posted 22 August 2013 - 09:34 PM

As many of us see in the VV ads at the bottom of that screen, Wingfield is back. If the numbers are any indication, the shows have been terrible. For example, whereas a normal mid-week summer matinee would draw a crowd of 200-250, this show is barely breaking forty patrons. Not sure if it's the show or the fact that the Belfry has contracted out the administration of the show (e.g., including marketing). I'm guessing a little from Column A, a little from Column B...

#4 Holden West

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Posted 22 August 2013 - 10:24 PM

Strange, I assumed Wingfield was always a huge draw. Yet John Cleese sells out eight times over. Tough to predict for a promoter.
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#5 Bingo

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Posted 23 August 2013 - 09:23 AM

We have seen two of the three Wingfield plays. They are very well done, with lots of laughs. The lower seats have been full when we were there.

#6 lanforod

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Posted 23 August 2013 - 11:26 AM

Strange, I assumed Wingfield was always a huge draw. Yet John Cleese sells out eight times over. Tough to predict for a promoter.


Personally, I've never heard of Wingfield. Had to Google it. Cleese is much more well known internationally.

#7 Mike K.

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Posted 29 January 2014 - 11:17 AM

Press release from the Belfry:

 

The Power of 10

 

Home Is A Beautiful Word inspires group of Victorians to put a powerful idea into action.

 

Victoria, BC…The impact of the Belfry Theatre’s last production, Home Is A Beautiful Word, is extending well beyond the walls of the building. Home Is A Beautiful Word, a piece of verbatim theatre collected and edited by Joel Bernbaum, chronicled Victorians’ ideas about and thoughts on homelessness.

 

During each performance of the play, the Belfry encouraged audiences to stick around and participate in our Afterplay discussions, and typically 50 – 120 people would.

 

One of the interviews from the play garnered particular interest during the Afterplay discussions. In this interview, a housed person told a story about a young boy helping starfish (excerpt follows). He then suggested the only solution he ever thought would work to end homelessness would be bringing ten housed citizens together to support one non-housed person. During the performance run of Home Is A Beautiful Word, the Belfry also received several calls from audience members with questions about the feasibility of this idea.

 

In the summer of 2012, a small group of Belfry staff and board members decided to put this plan into action. They found a few additional people to join their group from the broader community and connected with a homeless person who had expressed a desire to get off the street. They called the group the Power of Ten.

Each member of the Power of Ten committed to a monthly mentorship session with the person transitioning off the street. They also committed to a monthly financial contribution to be used towards rent, food and utilities. Both commitments were for one year.

 

Over the course of that year, the person transitioning from homelessness did a great deal of hard work. The Power of 10 has supported him in this work. Mentorship sessions included skills like cooking, driving, budgeting, time management, schoolwork and assistance with applying for government assistance. The person is now housed and has returned to school, after twenty years of living on the street.

“All eleven people are grateful for the life enriching experience, and think there is great value in letting others know how to embark on a similar path,” says Belfry Artistic Director Michael Shamata.

-30-

Fore interviews or more information please contact
Mark Dusseault, Publicist
250-385-6835 / pr@belfry.bc.ca

“Starfish” excerpt from Home Is A Beautiful Word
Courtesy of Joel Bernbaum and “Kevin”

 

KEVIN is in his fifties, Caucasian.

[KELT] Kevin: Uh, the only solution that I ever thought would work would be for a group of individuals to get together and have a simple, um, agreement between themselves to help one homeless person, and, not in bits but to actually commit themselves to that person for six months or a year, for a place to live, and to be their family, and to, uh, get ‘em trained for a job, help ‘em find a job, help ‘em find a purpose in life. You just get ten people together. Just do it for one person. That’s a good – good thing right? What about the little kid on the-there’s a little kid on a beach, and uh, the tide had gone out, and the beach was covered with starfish, thousands and thousands of starfish, and they were all dying ‘cause the sun was baking them, and so the little kid was picking up one starfish at a time and throwing it in the water to rescue it. A man said, “Well, that’s not gonna do anything. That’s not gonna make any difference.” And the little kid says, “Well, it made a difference for that one.” It’s kinda the only solution, right. One, one at a time. Not with the government. They can’t do anything. They’re too – there’s too much bureaucracy. Too complicated. Too many freakin’ social workers. With their own ideas how to do things. They need a bed to sleep in and they need family and they need a job. That’s what we all need. Call me. Call me when you have the other eight. I can probably find at least two or three more. Uh, a hundred bucks a ni – a month? Um, probably one day a month, spend with that person. Not all at once, but, you know, furnish their apartment, help them grocery, teach ‘em to cook, probably know how to cook already, they’d probably teach us a lot. (laughs) hhuhuhuhuhuh huhuhuhuh

 


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#8 Mike K.

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Posted 07 February 2014 - 10:13 AM

We had a chance to check out Proud at the Belfry Theatre last night. It is highly, highly recommended. Whether or not you love Harper and the Conservatives or hate them, you will be pleasantly entertained.


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#9 Mike K.

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Posted 12 May 2014 - 09:33 AM

Press release from the Belfry.

 

PGI Plays the Belfry with Connie Kaldor and Russell deCarle

 

A celebratory evening of folk/country/roots music in support of Literacy Victoria featuring Steve Briggs and Denis Keldie.

 

With special CBC Radio guests Jo-Ann Roberts (Host, All Points West), Bob McDonald (Host, Quirks & Quarks) and Gregor Craigie (Host, On The Island)
Victoria, BC…On Tuesday, June 10, iconic singer/songwriters Connie Kaldor and Russell deCarle take to the stage in a special benefit concert for Literacy Victoria at the Belfry Arts Centre. Doors open at 6 p.m. with a pre-show reception, and the concert starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 and $100.

 

Connie Kaldor is a Juno award-winning artist who has sung for royalty (Joni Mitchell, the Queen) and is a member of the Order of Canada. Her touring has taken her across North America and around the world. She has 14 albums to her credit, three award-winning children’s books/cd’s, a musical, and much more. Her original songs and riveting performances evoke the powerful and unique presence of the Canadian prairies. Witty and serious, down-home and metropolitan, her versatility and talent ensure that she is an artist whose fan base expands with every show.

 

Russell deCarle is a founding member, lead vocalist, bassist, and contributing songwriter to the multi-platinum, Juno award winning country roots group, Prairie Oyster. As a solo artist, Russell has appeared on CBC TV’s Songwriters Circle, opened for Merle Haggard on his cross-Canada tour, traveled coast to coast with Bluebird North Songwriters’ Tour, and been a featured guest on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café. Russell has won two SOCAN Song of the Year awards, and his much-anticipated solo recording, “Under the Big Big Sky”, was released in 2010 to wide acclaim. Joining Russell onstage is guitarist Steve Briggs and multi-instrumentalist and accordion-player extraordinaire, Denis Keldie.

 

About the Victoria PGI
Each spring, Literacy Victoria organizes the Peter Gzowski Invitational (PGI) – its signature fundraising event with roots dating back to 1989. Originally a charity golf tournament, the PGI has evolved into a new event, PGI Plays the Belfry – a celebratory evening of music, comedy, poetry and storytelling that brings together friends, supporters, celebrities, and many others, at the beautiful and intimate Belfry Theatre where the event has been held with great success for the past four years. Victoria’s PGI event is the second oldest PGI in Canada.

930A Yates Street Victoria BC V8V 4Z3 (250) 381-3755 www.literacyvictoria.ca
 

The PGIs in Canada
In 1986, award-winning Canadian broadcaster and journalist, Peter Gzowski, began raising funds for literacy through an annual golf tournament. His goal was to raise much needed resources for the thousands of adult learners who struggle with the challenge of low literacy. The tradition lives on, with PGI events held in every province and territory, ranging from golf tournaments to curling bonspiels to concerts, and more. To date, the PGIs have raised more than $12.5 million (net) for local literacy programs and initiatives in communities across the country.

 

Concert details:
PGI Plays the Belfry
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Belfry Arts Centre, 1291 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria, BC
Show starts at 7 p.m.
$45 +GST | includes pre-show reception from 6 p.m. onward
$100 | VIP Package – includes VIP seating, post-show party with the artists, and tax receipt

 

Tickets on sale now at the Belfry Box Office: 250-385-6815 or online at tickets.belfry.bc.ca
100% of the proceeds benefit Literacy Victoria’s adult literacy programs. The PGI is generously sponsored by: Thrifty Foods, Times Colonist, CBC, Scotia Private Client Group, Metro Lexus Toyota Victoria, Jane Francis Design, COBS Bread, Urban and Discovery Coffee.

 

About Literacy Victoria
Literacy Victoria is a local, non-profit charitable organization that provides programs and services across Southern Vancouver Island to adults facing low literacy skills – in basic reading, writing, math, computer and other essential work and life skills. Offered free of charge, their programs are delivered by specially trained volunteer tutors who work either one-to-one or in small groups with clients (learners). Literacy Victoria also reaches out into the wider community by providing literacy services to marginalized adults living in shelters, in transitional housing, on the street, and in correctional facilities. Literacy Victoria currently has 175 trained volunteer tutors and serves 325 adult learners, and is the only organization offering free adult literacy services on southern Vancouver Island.

 


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#10 Mike K.

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Posted 14 May 2014 - 03:03 PM

Press release from the Belfry:

The Flame Storytelling Workshop

Victoria, British Columbia …Award winning actor, one of the creators of Mom’s The Word, and co-founder of The Flame in Vancouver, Deborah Williams, is hosting a storytelling workshop at the Belfry from May 30 to June 1.

 

In this weekend intensive, Deb will share her storytelling expertise and give participants the tools to create and share a truly compelling story. Participants are asked to bring a short personal anecdote.

Space is limited. Please reserve by contacting the Belfry Theatre Box Office at 250-385-6815. The cost is $25 + GST.

 

Dates and Times:
Friday, May 30: 7pm – 9pm
Saturday, May 31: 10am – 4pm
Sunday, June 1: 10am – 4pm

Location:
Studio A, Belfry Theatre, 1291 Gladstone Ave. Victoria, BC

- 30 –

 


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#11 Mike K.

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Posted 07 September 2014 - 09:23 PM

Belfry Theatre opens 39th Season with Tomson Highway’s groundbreaking play, The Rez Sisters

 

"a striking cast of characters who reveal both blemishes and beauty…and who possess, on the whole, great human dignity." Canadian Theatre Review

 

Thursday 4 September, 2014 — Victoria, British Columbia...From September 16 - October 19, 2014, the Belfry Theatre will present Tomson Highway's ground-breaking play, The Rez Sisters. Directed by Peter Hinton, The Rez Sisters stars Reneltta Arluk, Tiffany Ayalik, Tantoo Cardinal, Tasha Faye Evans, Waawaate Fobister, Cheri Maracle, Tracey Nepinak and Lisa C. Ravensbergen.

 

Tomson Highway is a celebrated Cree playwright, novelist, children's author and pianist / songwriter. His best known works are the plays, The Rez Sisters, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, Rose, Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout, and the best-selling novel, Kiss of The Fur Queen.

 

In 2000, Maclean's named Tomson as one of the 100 most important people in Canadian history.

 

The Rez Sisters was first performed in 1986, and Tomson wanted to make life on the reservation (or 'the rez') seem "cool" and "show and celebrate what funky folk Canada's Indian people really are."

 

Inspired by Michel Tremblay's play Les Belles-Soeurs, Highway's The Rez Sisters follows seven women, all related either by blood or marriage, living on the fictional Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island, Ontario.

 

When they find out about "The Biggest Bingo In The World," to be held in Toronto, they embark on an eventful and challenging road trip, each dreaming of winning the jackpot and what life-changing fortunes it will bring them.

 

The creative team for The Rez Sisters includes Denise Clarke (Choreographer), Catherine Hahn (Set & Costume Designer), Bonnie Beecher (Lighting Designer), Troy Slocum (Sound Designer/Composer), Ryan Cunningham (Assistant Director), Jennifer Swan (Stage Manager) and Jessica McLeod (Assistant Stage Manager).

 

Engaging Audiences
Prior to and throughout the run of The Rez Sisters, the Belfry is producing a number of audience engagement events designed to enhance and extend the experience of the play.

 

B4Play - Saturday, September 13 at 11 am
CBC Radio's Gregor Craigie will host a live talk show featuring director Peter Hinton, acclaimed actress Tantoo Cardinal from The Rez Sisters, and Judith Sayers, former Chief of Hupacasath First Nation. This free event is held at the Belfry Theatre.

 

AFTERPLAY WEEKS
September 23 - 27 / October 7 - 11
Following selected performances of The Rez Sisters, we'll host Afterplay - a facilitated discussion where patrons can share their thoughts with fellow audience members. It's a chance to "debrief" after the show and hear how other audience members experienced the play.

 

TALKBACK THURSDAY
Thursday, September 25
Following the 8 pm performance of The Rez Sisters, join some of the actors from the show and your fellow audience members for a 20-minute Q & A session.

BOOKSMACK!
Monday, September 29 at 7:30 pm
Fast, furious and fun, GVPL librarians return to the Belfry for Booksmack. They'll let their hair down, take off their glasses and speed review their favourite books. Highbrow, lowbrow and everything in between, including some great titles inspired by The Rez Sisters. Free event.

 

VOCALEYE PERFORMANCE
Sunday, October 12 at 2 pm
Audio describers provide descriptions of the visual elements of the show, allowing people with low vision to enjoy the theatrical experience without missing any of the details. Following the performance there is a touch tour of the set.

 

Ticket Information and Performance Schedule
Tuesdays - Saturdays at 8 pm
Wednesday Matinees (September 24 & October 1) at 1 pm
Saturday Matinees at 4 pm
Sunday Matinees at 2 pm

 

Single tickets can be booked by calling 250-385-6815, or online at www.belfry.bc.ca. Student discounts are available.

Audience Advice - The Rez Sisters contains some strong language and mature subject matter.

 

Special Thanks

The Rez Sisters is generously sponsored by The Magnolia Hotel, TD Canada Trust, 103.1 JACK FM and 98.5 The Ocean.

 

The Belfry's Season Sponsors are Thrifty Foods, the Times Colonist, and Cook's Day Off Fine Foods and Catering. The Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of British Columbia, the BC Arts Council, CRD Arts and the City of Victoria are our government funders.

 

-30-

For interviews, photos and HD video for the show please contact:
Mark Dusseault / Marketing & Communications Director
250-385-6835 / pr@belfry.bc.ca

 


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#12 Mike K.

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Posted 03 October 2014 - 12:27 PM

Press release from the Belfry:

 

Company C Hits Greater Victoria with Its Edgiest Show Yet!
 

Spring Awakening runs from October 21 – November 2, 2014

 

Victoria, BC - 14 highly talented Year III performers from Oak Bay’s Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) are working tirelessly to produce the region’s first-ever staging of Spring Awakening. Claiming an astonishing eight Tonys in 2007, Spring Awakening is a ground-breaking musical by Steven Sater with music by Duncan Sheik that bridges the generation gap and shatters the stigma surrounding adolescence, innocence and sexuality. With a powerful rock score reminiscent of shows such as RENT, Hair and Next to Normal, Spring Awakening is a show that musically appeals to young and modern theatre goers. More

 


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#13 Mike K.

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Posted 25 February 2015 - 02:54 PM

Enter here to win one of two pairs of Spark Festival 2015 tickets at the Belfry Theatre. The festival runs between March 10 and 22.

 

Winners can choose any available date.

 

Spark-2.jpg


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#14 Bingo

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Posted 23 July 2015 - 10:23 PM

 

$340,000 for the Belfry was the next biggest of the package of local grants announced by Michelle Rempel, minister of state for Western Economic Diversification.

Belfry will use the money to expand lobby space and to buy 250 theatre seats, replacing ones that were refurbished 20 years ago

- See more at: http://www.timescolo...h.BCrSF1Mu.dpuf

 



#15 Nparker

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Posted 11 January 2018 - 02:08 PM

I like to think of myself as a fairly artistically enlightened person, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what this is:

City of Victoria Indigenous Artist in Residence Lindsay Delaronde in partnership with the Belfry Theatre invites you to attend Pendulum: An Indigenous Showcase, traditional and contemporary multidisciplinary performances by Indigenous artists and groups from across Canada...[It] will include the following ...


Rage Flowers, a contemporary duet exploring decolonizing of the body through rage...

http://www.victoria....s-showcase.html

For those interested in seeing the rage in person, performances are as follows:

  • Friday, February 23 from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 24 from 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 24 from 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.


#16 Cassidy

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Posted 12 January 2018 - 07:12 AM

 

....but for the life of me I cannot figure out what this is:

Rage Flowers, a contemporary duet exploring decolonizing of the body through rage...

It's artistic doublespeak - a fabricated "thing" designed by the artist to try and explain their artwork (whatever that artwork might be) in an effort to market it to potential ticket buyers.

It's the same kind of phraseology (only more convoluted) as "white settlers guilt".

 

From the artists own explanation:

“This community-focused initiative honours Indigenous worldviews as they relate to reconciliation and community healing,” said Lindsay Delaronde. “Pendulum brings new life into the context of theatre and decolonizes the art form, which Indigenous peoples are so often left out of.”

 

I'll go out on a limb and note that many who fancy themselves artistically enlightened in the traditional sense probably wouldn't enjoy this ... I know I wouldn't.

As live performances start to move away from traditional forms like dance, musical theatre, opera, and pop concerts - and transition into "new experimental forms" and "new experimental themes", those new forms and themes can often be difficult to enjoy from an entertainment point of view, and are really designed more to send the viewer away aware of, if not now sharing the artists highly political agenda.

 

If I was guessing, I'd guess that Rage Flowers is probably some sort of contemporary performance incorporating dance, with live vocalizations and instrumentation and/or recorded effects, likely designed to imply that the performers are ridding themselves of rage built up over time at (presumably) colonization, and all that goes with that particular subject matter ... but I don't know for sure, and I won't be attending to find out :)



#17 FirstTimeHomeCrier

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Posted 12 January 2018 - 11:12 AM

Cassidy, I am asusming you are not indigenous, but you are welcome to correct me if I'm wrong. I think it is extremely dangerous for those of us who are not indigenous to label decolonization as doublespeak or fabricated. Indigenous people have spent hundreds of years having their cultures erased and their populations decimated as a direct result of the actions of settlers. It is wildly inappropriate for any settlers to downplay the legitimacy of what indigenous artists are choosing to express, especially if those settlers have no intention of engaging with the art in any way.



#18 Nparker

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Posted 12 January 2018 - 11:29 AM

I am a 4th generation Canadian on my father's side and I take offence at being referred to as a "settler".



#19 Cassidy

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Posted 12 January 2018 - 11:35 AM

I didn't label "indigenous anything" as doublespeak ... I labeled the phrase "decolonizing of the body" as doublespeak - because that's what it is.

 

There's no such thing as "decolonization of the body", because it's a fabricated term, put forward by an artist as part of an artistic work.

 

I'm also not a "settler" of any kind. I was born in Victoria, and I've spent my life here. Please refrain from putting any sort of label on me, as might suit your personal interpretation of my post.

 

In short, please don't attempt to project your personal agenda in my direction. I didn't ask for it, and it's unwelcome.

Thanks.



#20 shoeflack

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Posted 12 January 2018 - 11:54 AM

There's no such thing as "decolonization of the body", because it's a fabricated term, put forward by an artist as part of an artistic work.

 

I mean, all terms are fabricated at some point, are they not? And this one isn't particularly new. Let me Google that for you. Just on the first page of results there's use of the term beyond 20+ years.


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