Local Shows

Chairs

Description

Chairs by ITSAZOO Productions
Playwright: Sebastien Archibald
Director: Chelsea Haberlin

A tribal allegory featuring a unique blend of live action, flash animation and found-sound musicscape. Drawing inspiration from the theatrical existentialism of Samuel Beckett and serving it up for the sardonic, hipster generation, Chairs follows the trials and tribulations of three men as they attempt to build a civilized existence for themselves in a barren wasteland. They enjoy a hilariously uneventful life full of equality and boredom until one man steps forward and does the unthinkable... he builds a giant chair! With his newfound power position he can survey the land, dictate orders, and offer keen insights about the world around them. But how long can he abuse his authority before the seeds of rebellion are sowed? And what untold horrors lay beyond the wasteland?

Praise

"Ok, so Chairs is either post-apocalypse or neolithic, but where knowledge of fine furniture is surprisingly common... It’s the history of Capitalism in an hour and a half and it’s riotous fun."
— Chris Felling, Culture Vulture (Victoria)

Company

"ITSAZOO Productions has no trouble attracting that elusive group of theatergoers: the 20-somethings.”
—Jo Ledingham, The Vancouver Courier

ITSAZOO Productions is a non-profit incorporated society and registered charity that Thinks Outside the Cage. This means that we have a mandate to: 1) Create opportunities for emerging artists, providing new and challenging experiences through paid professional work; 2) Inspire other theatre practitioners by producing progressive theatre outside the traditional playhouse setting; 3) Present theatre to a younger and more diverse audience by making innovative and unparalleled productions affordable to a wide demographic and 4) Produce new Canadian plays and adaptations that entertain and inspire theatre practitioners and audiences alike.

ITSAZOO consists of three co-artistic directors: Sebastien Archibald, Chelsea Haberlin, and Colby Wilson, each of whom is a graduate of the University of Victoria Theatre Program. Since 2004, ITSAZOO has produced nine full-length works including seven Canadian premieres. The company has developed a reputation for productions that feature provocative writing, and display the talent of emerging Canadian playwrights. In 2008, upon ITSAZOO’s arrival in Vancouver, they were named the Westender’s favourite new company.

Credits

  • Director – Chelsea Haberlin
  • Playwright – Sebastien Archibald
  • Stage Manager – Anthony Liam Kearns
  • Man 1 – Colby Wilson
  • Man 2 – Cameron Anderson
  • Man 3 – Sebastien Archibald
  • Costume Designer – Meredith Grantier
  • Set/Props Designer – Kyle Sutherland
  • Lighting Designer – Mark Eugster
  • Sound Designer – Chris Adams
  • Video Designer – John Crossen
  • Dramaturgy - Melanie Moore (411 Dramatrugy Co)

Chelsea Haberlin - Director

Chelsea is Co-Artistic Director, and General Manager of ITSAZOO productions, a company she co-founded in 2004. Favourite directing credits with ITSAZOO include Robin Hood, The Road to Canterbury, Grimm Tales, Casualties of Progress, Death of a Clown, Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Zoo Story. Directing projects outside of ITSAZOO include The Ends of the Earth with Medical students at UBC, The Scarecrow for Spectral theatre and an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm with inmates at the William Head Penitentiary. Chelsea is a graduate of the University of Victoria with a degree in Theatre with a specialization in Applied Theatre and Directing. In the fall of 2011 Chelsea will be entering the MFA Directing Program at UBC.

Sebastien Archibald – Playwright / Man 3

Sebastien is a Vancouver based actor, playwright, and director as well as Co-Artistic Director of ITSAZOO Productions. He was last seen starring in Death of a Clown (2008 Theatre BC's National Playwriting Competition Finalist) this past October presented by the Phoenix Theatre as part of their Spotlight on Alumni . He recently wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed outdoor modern adaption of Robin Hood (Queen Elizabeth Park/Gabriola Theatre Festival). For ITSAZOO he has written and performed in The Road To Canterbury, Grimm Tales, Casualties of Progress, and now Chairs: A Parable. Other recent acting credits include David Hare's The Vertical Hour (United Players) and Charlotte's Webb (Kaleidescope). His most recent directing credit was the critically acclaimed Baggage (part of the Four Course Meal Theatre Festival). Playwriting accolades include Monday Magazine "M" Award for Best New Play for Grimm Tales, and the Belfry Incubator Project for Casualties of Progress. Sebastien is a graduate of the Phoenix Theatre where he honned his skills in shows such as Guys and Dolls and Janet Munsil's That Elusive Spark.

Colby Wilson - Man 1

Colby Wilson is one of the founders and Co-Artistic Directors of ITSAZOO Productions.  Favourite ITSAZOO credits include Robin Hood, The Road to Canterbury, The Zoo Story, Death of a Clown, Bridge Mix 2010 and Grimm Tales (M Award for Favourite Actor).  Other credits include Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun (Theatre Northwest), Sharing Shakespeare with Anthony Holland (No Bells and Whistles), Zastrozzi (Enlightenment), Aladdin (Kaleidoscope), and Charlotte’s Web (Kaleidoscope).  Colby can also be seen in Supernatural (CW), The Break Up Artist (Legacy), Girlfriend Experience (Mongrel), The Middleman (ABC), The Party Never Stops (Lifetime), Psych (USA), She’s the Man (SKG) and Smallville (CW).

Cameron Anderson - Man 2

Cameron recently appeared as Dr. Olson in The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari in the Victoria Fringe Festival, and as Juror #12 in Twelve Angry Men for Hardline Productions.  He has appeared in past ITSAZOO shows Grimm Tales and Casualties Of Progress.  He is an Artistic Associate of ITSAZOO, and a graduate of the University of Victoria.

Homecoming King

Description

Homecoming King by Thirty Below Theatre
Book & Lyrics: Dave Deveau
Composer: James Coomber
Director: Mike Mackenzie

What do you do when life is going perfectly? You screw it up.  Daniel is a successful businessman. And he’s married to Evelyn. They’re in love. And life continues on, as it has a tendency of doing. But a few years, when Daniel meets Linda, he has to make a choice.  Or does he? Can a man navigate two wives and two lives? A musical with grit.

Company

Formed in 2005, Thirty Below Theatre has committed itself to producing the work of Canadian playwrights under 30 both past and present. Past productions include the world premiere of Michel Tremblay’s first play The Train (2005), the internationally screened film Belly (2006), the workshop production of Dave Deveau’s Nelly Boy (2007), the workshop of Dave Deveau’s Map of the West (2008), the workshop production of Dave Deveau’s My Funny Valentine (2009), and the hit production Tiny Replicas in the inaugural Neanderthal Arts Festival (2010). 

 

Credits

Mike Mackenzie - Director
Mike is honoured to be directing Homecoming King, and getting to work with Dave and James on this exciting project. He is an honours graduate of the George Brown Theatre School’s Performing Arts Program (2005), and until moving to Vancouver, spent most of his time producing, designing and performing. Since moving to Vancouver in 2008, Mike has had the wonderful pleasure of directing several musicals and plays, including A New Brain and Nine for Pipedream Theatre, The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later for Homeshark Theatre, [title of show] for Homeshark Equity Co-Op, and Little Me for Applause! Musicals in Concert. Upcoming, he will be directing Elegies: A Song Cycle. He dedicates this show to his family and of course, to Megan.

Dave Deveau – Book & Lyrics
Dave Deveau investigates queer themes in plays that speak to a broad audience: My Funny Valentine (Zee Zee Theatre), Tiny Replicas (Neanderthal Arts Festival, Playwrights Theatre Centre), Map of the West (shortlist: Tarragon National Playwriting Competition, Herman Voaden Competition), Courte Forme (Théâtre la Seizième) and Nelly Boy (Zee Zee Theatre, Theatre Direct). Dave has written the libretti for three short operas for Toronto’s Tapestry New Opera Works: Unfamiliar, Declining and Rest in Peace. He is the 2010 recipient of the Gordon Armstrong Playwright’s Rent Award. As an actor he is more noted for his work in the TV series Are You Afraid of the Dark? A graduate of York University’s Creative Ensemble, he also holds an MFA in Playwriting from UBC. He has just received his first Jessie Richardson award nomination for Outstanding Original Script for his play My Funny Valentine. Upcoming: his play Tiny Replicas has just been optioned for the screen and his latest play, Out in the Open, will start touring through Green Thumb Theatre in October.  www.davedeveau.com

James Coomber – Music
James Coomber is a versatile music/theatre artist living and working in Vancouver.  He has collaborated as a musical director, composer, conductor, musician, sound designer and actor throughout the theatre and music community.  He completed a BFA (Honours) in Music as well as a BFA in Theatre from Simon Fraser University.  Selected credits include The Little Mountain Mountaineers (Genus Theatre) as part of Theatre Under the Gun, Waiting for Go. (Theatre Terrific), Twelfth Night (Shadows and Dreams Theatre), 4H Club (Genus Theatre), Harmonia (SFU Mainstage), Exit Commander Kitty (Tigermilk Collective), The Physicists (Genus Theatre), The Visit (SFU Mainstage), Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights (SFU Mainstage).  He continues to explore the intermingling of disciplines, studying new approaches to musical theatre, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and music pedagogy for non-musicians.

Jillian Perry  - Stage Manager
Jill is a graduate of the University of the Fraser Valley, where she studied Theatre.  Her most recent Stage Manager positions are My Funny Valentine (Zee Zee Theatre), Tiny Replicas *(Thirty Below Theatre/Neanderthal Arts Festival), Nelly Boy (Zee Zee Theatre),  Matters Domestic (Fringe), Heaven and Hell (Vanarts), Whale Riding Weather (Zee Zee Theatre), The 21st Floor (Lyric Stage Project), Macbeth (UFV), Unity (1918) (UFV). Besides Stage managing she has many other theatrical hats; Props, lighting, Actor, and technician.  She would like to thank her friends, family, and co-workers for adapting to her crazy schedule! Jill is thrilled to be a part of Homecoming King.

Megan Phillips - Performer
Megan could not be more thrilled to be in Homecoming Kingwith such a talented creative team and cast!  Megan has an MA (Musical Theatre Performance) from Mountview Academy in London, UK, and a holds a BA (Music) from the University of Western Ontario. Other training has included Musical Theatre and voice at Circle in the Square (NYC). Selected credits:  Fay in Here on the Flight Path (Metro Theatre), Diana in Nine (Pipedream Theatre Project Society), Georgeanne in 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress (BR Productions), Gertie in Oklahoma! (Theatre Under the Stars), Helena in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Applause). Teaching experience: choreographer, music director, and director at Take to the Stage! UBC musical theatre company, Music Theatre teacher at Youth Out Loud after-school Musical theatre program, Head of Music and Voice at Buck's Rock Performing Arts Camp in Connecticut for 3 years. Megan is an accredited Journey practitioner -  a form of mind/body healing - and has just launched a business as an Arbonne Independent Consultant, and is completing her own solo show project, Breaking Velocity. Love to Mike: couldn't do it without you.

Shantini Klaassen - Performer
Shantini is thrilled to be a part of this project with such a great group of talent.  She recently won the 2010 Outstanding Gypsy Ovation Award for her work as Maria Understudy in Footlight's, "The Sound of Music".  In the past year she has also been in Fighting Chance's "The Wiz", Applause's "The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Pipedream's "Nine" and took a turn under the stage playing keyboard for TUTS's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat”.  Shantini's other credits include "Yellowpoint Christmas Spectacular", Nellie in "South Pacific", and Hodel in "Fiddler on the Roof".

Gaelan Beatty - Performer

Meryn Cadell - Dramaturg

The Gas Heart

Description

The Gas Heart by Gas Heart Theatre
Written by Tristan Tzara
Adapted by Quinn Harris and James Foy

How does the Oxford English Dictionary define “bootylicious”? Is Helvetica really a fascist typeface? Can I get an STD from unprotected twittering? Find horribly unscientific answers to these and more imperative questions of our time in a modern adaptation of a classic from the Dada movement. Aptly described by its author as “the greatest three act hoax of the century,” The Gas Heart searches through the skivvies of our society to reveal the senselessness in our world today: politics, pop culture and potato chips in 2011.

Praise

"Who's your Dada?  James Foy and Quinn Harris have grabbed on of the weirdest pieces of theatre ever to emerge from the Dadaist movement of about a century ago, and what was already very deliberately anti-theatre is now an off-the-scale blast of anarchy... a whole lot of fun."
-- Peter Birnie, The Vancouver Sun

"Not only is The Gas Heart awesome, it is so fresh, young and tight you wanna spank its ass till it gets purple.... I could write specifics, but I will not... nope nope nope!!  You know why?  Because I want everybody to see this show.  Well, everyone over the age of 14."
-- Victor Terzis, Plank Magazine

Company

GasHeart Theatre was founded by James Foy and Quinn Harris in 2007 and is a resident company at Theatre Conspiracy. The companyʼs aim is to create theatre that cannot be expressed through any other art form, theatre that engages its participants, artists and audiences alike, in discussion and debate on universal themes of contemporary relevance to our community. Our work includes The Mechanical Bride (2008 Victoria and Vancouver Fringe Festivals), NAPathy (HIVE3, 2010), and Macbeth: nach Shakespeare (co-produced with Theatre Conspiracy 2011). For their next work of absurdity, GasHeart co- artistic producers James and Quinn will both be pursuing law degrees, ʻting-a-lingʼ!

Credits

Quinn Harris – Director/Co-Creator/Co-Artistic Producer
James Foy – Co-Creator/Co-Artistic Producer/THE GAS HEART
Sarah Mansikka – Lighting Designer/Stage Manager
Chris Cochrane – NECK
Mack Gordon – EYEBROW
Timothy Johnston – EYE
Amitai Marmorstein – NOSE
Maryanne Renzetti – MOUTH
Katie Takefman – EAR

Company

CHRIS COCHRANE - Neck
Chris Cochrane is very lucky. He loves The Gas Heart and will always cherish the times they shared. He really hopes you enjoy the show. Recent theatre credits: Wired and New Canadian Kid (greenthumb), The Amorous Adventures of Anotol (Playhouse). Recent film/tv credits: R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (The Hub), Time After Time (Hallmark). Chris studied acting at the Stella Adler Studio (NYC) and Studio 58.

JAMES FOY – Co-Creator/The Gas Heart
James Foy is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia with a degree in Theatre Design and Production. Selected past credits include Production Management for Seussical: the Musical (Carousel Theatre), The Hobbit (Carousel Theatre), Gravity (Urban Ink Productions), and The Odyssey (Carousel Theatre); Technical Direction for Best Before (PuSh Festival/Rimini Protokol), After the Quake (Rumble Productions) and Blackbird (Theatre Conspiracy/Rumble Productions).  James has been nominated for a Jessie Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Theatre for Young Audiences and has also jointly received two Jessie awards for Outstanding Production in Theatre for Young Audiences for Seussical: the Musical and The Odyssey.  James co-founded GasHeart Theatre with associate Quinn Harris in 2008 and has co-produced The Mechanical Bride and The GasHeart  for the Vancouver Fringe and NAPathy for HIVE3.

MACK GORDON - Eyebrow
Mack Gordon graduated from the University of Victoria in 2008 and moved to Vancouver in 2009. He's been working in and around the city ever since. His first role came with Pacific Theatre's You Still Can't. Last year he was nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Performance in TYA for The Big League (Carousel). Before that he performed in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, (Chemainus) and has since toured Wired (Green Thumb) all across North America, from Southern California to Massachusetts to Newfoundland. He also writes and performs work that is not for children. He played a serial killer in Hardline Productions' premiere event, An Evening of Sam Shepard, Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show, Antonio in Twelfth Night (Project X), and Benjamin in Strindberg's Easter (Chemainus). In June he made his Vancouver directorial debut with Hardline's Bash and at Halloween will be helming Itsazoo Production's Debts.

QUINN HARRIS – Director/Co-Creator
Quinn Harris is a graduate of the BFA theatre program at the University of Victoria with a specialization in directing.  She is an artistic associate at Theatre Conspiracy, and co-founder of GasHeart Theatre.  Quinn directed the company’s inaugural production, The Mechancal Bride, at the 2008 Victoria and Vancouver Fringe Festivals.  She has also directed at two Walking Fish Festivals, was an instructor for Carousel Theatre’s Teen Shakespeare Program production of As You Like It, and assistant directed Theatre Conspiracy’s Live from a Bush of Ghosts, and Jack Paterson’s production of Coriolanus. For GasHeart Theatre she has directed GasHeart’s adaptation of The Gas Heart for the 2009 Vancouver Fringe and NAPathy for the third installation of HIVE as part of the Cultural Olympiad. Most recently this spring, Quinn directed the first English translation of Heiner Müller’s Macbeth: nach Shakespeare (co-commissioned and co-developed by GasHeart and Theatre Conspiracy).

TIMOTHY JOHNSTON - Eye
After premiering it at the Vancouver Fringe in 2010, Timothy is grateful be to back working on the wonder that is The Gas Heart. Timothy trained at both Capilano U and the University of Victoria, and has a multitude of credits in both cities, including Prodigals (Twenty-something), The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (Somnambulist), Ride The Cyclone (Atomic Vaudeville), Radius (Open Source), Silverwing and Disney's Aladdin Jr. (Kaleidoscope), Toothpaste & Cigars (VEC), Tartuffe (Phoenix Theatre), Seussical The Musical (Random Entertainment) and many more. Catch Tim next as Bobby in George F. Walker's Tough! at the CBC studio in August with Twenty-Something Theatre. Thank you for supporting new, local, independent theatre.

SARAH MANSIKKA – Lighting Designer/SM
Sarah is a graduate of the BFA Theatre Design program at Concordia university. She is presently based in Vancouver working as a lighting director for the Rimini Protokoll tour of Best Before. Some of her past credits include: Assistant lighting design with Vancouver Opera and Vancouver Playhouse. Lighting design with Pink Baby Monster and Nakusp Music Festival.

AMITAI MARMORSTEIN - Nose
Amitai just realized he's terrible at writing bios. He feels like any credits or accomplishments he mentions are just shameless self-promotions. But he also doesn't want to seem like a complete failure who doesn't get any work. Also, Amitai doesn't feel comfortable with the third-person-perspective that convention dictates one must write their bio in. Amitai is in a bind. So, how about this? You give Amitai the benefit of the doubt that he is super successful but also refreshingly modest and then he doesn't have to write an actual bio? That cool?

MARYANNE RENZETTI - Mouth
Maryanne Renzetti is a graduate of the UBC’s BFA Acting program, as well as the British American Drama Academy (Oxford, England). She is the Co-Artistic Director of Staircase Xi Theatre and is notable for her performances in Staircase Xi's Evelyn Strange and Oh, The Humanity and Other Good Intentions. Other favorite roles include: Kate and Petruchio in two different versions of Taming of the Shrew, The Gas Heart (GasHeart Theatre) in the 2009 Fringe Festival, Medea in Lois Anderson’s Medea (Theatre at UBC), Mary Tyrone Karamazov in The Idiots Karamazov (Theatre at UBC), Sunna in Unity (1918) (Theatre at UBC), Love/Stories (Kinetichism) and The Verona Project (Stone's Throw Productions). She is thrilled at the chance to work on The Gas Heart once again.

KATIE TAKEFMAN - Ear
Katie is thrilled to be working on The Gas Heart with GasHeart Theatre again. Previously Katie has been seen in such roles as Will Scarlet (Robin Hood, ITSAZOO Productions), Medea (Medea, Phoenix Theatre), Rosaline (Love's Labour's Lost, Somnombulist Productions), and in Grimm Tales (ITSAZOO Productions). Katie studied theatre at UVic.

Other Side Through You

Description

Other Side Through You by exit.left productions
Director/Dramaturge/Co-designer: Jamie Nesbitt
Performer/Playwright/Co-designer: Cat Main

Other Side Through You is a charged, theatrical blending of fact and fiction that wrestles with the science and spirit behind communication. Cat Main's sister has cerebral palsy and "talks" with an alphabet board. With the help of a facilitator who holds her arms Cat's sister points to letters on the board to spell out what she wants to say. The problem…not everyone believes her sister is the one communicating.

On a quest for the truth Cat talks to world famous sceptics, family members, top researchers & speech pathologists. Using verbatim text from these interviews Other Side Through You takes us on a journey that explodes the personal into the political and immerses the audience in a dialogue on what constitutes real and authentic communication between any individuals.

Company

exit.left productions is a small Vancouver based company run by Co-Artistic Directors Cat Main and Rachel Peake. The company provides opportunities for emerging theatre artists to collaboratively create new work. Cat and Rachel seek out dynamic artists who thrive in exploring the wide variety of their skills and aim to offer their audiences a fresh perspective, a point of departure from the mainstream, towards the left.\

Credits

Cat Main - Performer/Playwright/Co-designer

Cat is a Vancouver based performer & theatre creator and the co-artistic director of exit.left productions. Most recently she was the 2010 Artist in Residence with Theatre Replacement. Over the last few years she's also enjoyed working with Realwheels, Rumble Productions, Pi Theatre, Sea Theatre, Théâtre la Seizième, Gateway Theatre, Carousel Theatre, Calgary’s Vertigo Theatre, Toronto's Why Not Theatre, as well as Boca Del Lupo (Jessie nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble). Cat has also worked as a voice actor doing cartoons, video games and radio. She is currently teaching movement at the Vancouver Film School and as well as being an instructor at Arts Umbrella and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Cat also runs workshops for adult siblings of people with disabilities through PLAN and the Centre for Ability and will be beginning an MA in Expressive Arts Therapy this September. She is a graduate of Studio 58 where she was the recipient of the Earl Klein Memorial Scholarship.

Jamie Nesbitt -- Director/Dramaturge/Co-designer

Jamie works across across North America. His resume includes: The Canadian Stage Company (Toronto), the NAC  (Ottawa), The Vancouver Playhouse (Vancouver), Soulpepper (Toronto), Company XIV (New York), Theatre Calgary (Calgary), Bard on the Beach (Vancouver), The Arts Club (Vancouver), The Electric Company (Vancouver), Pi Theatre (Vancouver), The Belfry (Victoria), Why Not theatre (Toronto), Cahoots (Toronto), Citadel (Edmonton), The Yukon Arts Centre (Whitehorse), and many more. A graduate of Studio 58, he is the recipient of 7 Jessie Richardson Award nominations, 1 Jessie Richardson Award, the 2008 Mayor Arts Award, the 2007 Sam Payne Award, and the 2006 Earl Klein Memorial Scholarship. www.jamienesbitt.ca.