Daniel Martin from Up In The Air Theatre dropped me a line today for some help with his website.  He said he was having a few problems embedding a Youtube video into his web site.  I sent him a few words of help and got him up and running fairly quickly.  Then I got a little curious about the video because I remembered that he and Dave Mott had disappeared into the wilds of Montana to do some research for their next project.

"What's the video about?" I asked.

"You have to see it.  Just watch it.  It makes Dave and me look like a couple of goofs."  He replied.

This is theatre in the making, boys and girls - pure, unadulterated live performance.  From the amount of effort going into this production I can tell that it is going to rock.  I can't wait for part two!

Technorati Tags: daniel martin, david mott, up in the air theatre, theatre, johnny grant

Hey, Left Right Minds followers.  One of our clients, Springboard Performance, has a great project called containR that launches this week.  If you are in Vancouver, why not head over to the Vancouver Public Library's main downtown branch and check it out. 

Think of it as green cinema meets performance films. Recycled shipping containers are reconfigured to house free screenings of Canadian and international dance, sport and performance films that celebrate physicality in art and sport.

Presented by Springboard in partnership with the Vancouver 2009 Cultural Olympiad, containR is a street installation at the nexus of video, public art and urban design. Sited on the northeast corner of Vancouver’s Library Square, containR sits at the cross roads of mountain and urban culture; art and sport cinema, embracing public art and sustainable design.

By using reconditioned shipping containers and integrating alternative energy sources, the installation references Vancouver’s rich history as a major port as well as a centre for green design. It also features artwork by Vancouver artists Zak David (aka Virus) and the dark.

containR asks the question: where is the line between art and sport? How does a dance performance differ from a snowboarder’s ‘performance’ on the slopes? What are the differences between how the body is used by athletes or artists? How is this reflected in cinema? containR allows the viewer to draw their own conclusions.

The project will run from today until March 1st, 2009.  It will also be re-appearing in different places around Vancouver in the coming months.

Technorati Tags: containr, sports, environment, dance, film festival

Up In The Air Theatre, one of our clients who doesn't blog as much as we think they should (hee hee), has announced an extension to their Walking Fish Festival call for submissions.  Here is the press release:

UPINTHEAIR THEATRE
presents

The SEVENTH ANNUAL WALKING FISH FESTIVAL
June 10 - 14, 2009

You now have plenty of time to finish that draft, write that cover letter, burn that script to disk or update those resumes. We at Walking Fish and Upintheair Theatre are pleased to be extending our call for script submissions, creation pieces and director applications through to the end of the month. Drop your package in the mail by Friday the 30 of January, and we'd be delighted to consider your work for the Seventh Annual Walking Fish Festival on Granville Island this summer!
 
Please forward this call far and wide to any artists who may be interested in submitting.

Call for Submissions

Playwrights. Directors. Theatre Artists. All Welcome.

Upintheair Theatre in Vancouver is now accepting new scripts, fresh proposals for creation pieces and applications from directors for their annual emerging artists' theatre festival, held on Granville Island in early June. Make good on your New Year's resolutions to submit your plays, direct a show, create a piece, get involved, gain experience and exposure... apply!

Script & Non-Script Submission Deadline EXTENDED: Friday, January 30th, 2009.

Script Submission Guidelines

Scripts submitted should be as minimalist as possible: sets consisting of a few easily movable pieces, featuring no more than six characters with a running time of 10–25 minutes, 2500 words max (shorter scripts encouraged!). Artists are welcome to submit a maximum of three plays or proposals. Please include your name, address, daytime telephone number, email address, and a 30 word summary of the play on a SEPARATE COVER SHEET. Please do NOT head or foot your pages with playwright's name. Please number your pages, use a standard 12 pt font and at least 1.5 spacing. Submit ONE unbound copy of the script and ONE electronic copy on CD or DVD. Both versions are mandatory. Submissions via email will not be considered.

Non-Script Based Submission Guidelines

Walking Fish welcomes creation pieces of any theatrical nature, and has showcased a wide variety of new and untraditional works over the years. We provide the following outline of the information we need to assess your proposal, and we encourage you to keep submissions simple.

Proposals must contain the following information to be considered by the festival:

• A list of names and short (one page) resumes for all participants.
• Performance history of the main group/individual.
• Maximum two-page project outline including subject matter, description of the envisioned performance and creative process, projected technical requirements of the piece and estimated running time (max 20 min).
• An explanation of how your project will provide opportunities to bring artists from disparate backgrounds together: i.e. will your project make use of writers, directors, actors, stage management, visual arts, dance, music or other disciplines? Please include address, daytime telephone number, email address, and a 30 word summary of the project on a SEPARATE COVER SHEET.

Winning submissions will receive dramaturgy and production through the Walking Fish Festival.

Director Application Deadline EXTENDED to Friday, January 30th, 2009

Potential directors should submit a theatrical resume and cover letter explaining their experience and interest in directing at the Festival. No professional experience is required, but an understanding and passion for the role of the director is a must. Applicants will be contacted for an interview in February, 2009.

Mail All Submissions To:

Walking Fish Festival Submissions
Upintheair Theatre
4096 Commercial Street
Vancouver, BC V5N 4G3

The holidays are upon us and next week most people will be enjoying time with family and friends and, hopefully, taking some time off to reflect on 2008.  Left Right Minds has had an amazing year of growth and 2009 is already shaping up to be bigger and better.  We thank our clients, friends, and, especially, our families for their support and love throughout the year.

Holiday Hours

December 24, 2008 - Closed
December 25, 2008 - Closed
December 26, 2008 - Closed
December 29, 2008 - Closed
December 30, 2008 - Closed
December 31, 2008 - Closed
January 1, 2009 - Closed
January 2, 2009 - Closed

Emergencies

As usual, if you have any emergency, we have staff on call over the holidays and we will be able to address any major concerns you have.  We may be away from our e-mail and the best way to contact us will be using the following numbers:

Shane Birley
(778) 386-7220

Allyson McGrane
(604) 671-0890

Chris May
(604) 418-8231

We will be open with our standard hours starting on January 5th, 2009.  Have a great holiday and a Happy New Year!  And, don't forget, we hope you can make it out to our open house on Friday!

Left Right Minds wants to invite you to our First-Ever LRM Christmas Bash!
When
Friday December 19 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Where
Left Right Minds office at 406 - 857 Beatty Street (buzzer 40)

Come on down to our Christmas Bash on Friday, Dec. 19, 2008.

Why?  Because we would LOVE to see you all in celebration of the holiday season!  Check out the official, pug-approved invitation at
www.christmas2008.leftrightminds.com!

To RSVP, please contact:

Marta Baranowska at mbaranowska@leftrightminds.com with the subject heading "RSVP to LRM Christmas Bash 2008" or simply pick up the phone and call us at 604.873.6373!  If you don't RSVP, feel free to swing by anyway... we're gonna have lots of food and drink and pug love for all.

If you're itching to go out this coming Saturday night, we have a cool party for you to attend!  NOW Orchestra is having a CD release party for their latest albums.  Here are the details:

The Albums
Jeff Younger's Sandbox - The Nudger
Bruce Freedman's African Groove Band - Live at the Cellar

What
NOW Orchestra Records presents a CD Release Party!

When
Saturday, November 29, 9:00 pm.

Where
The Western Front (303 East 8th Avenue).

Cover
$10 at the door - or for $20 you get in and get both cds.

Who
The NOW Orchestra, for more information www.noworchestra.com.

On Saturday November 29 at the Western Front, NOW Orchestra Records is pleased to have both Jeff Younger's Sandbox and Bruce Freedman's African Groove Band. Jeff Younger's Sandbox will perform their blend of groove, sound and texture with a wonderful sense of playfulness, focus, kick-ass intent and determination that is a pleasure to witness. The Bruce Freedman African Groove Band will bring lyrical grooving improv consisting of simple, beautiful melodies and arrangements appealing to all who listen.

Music starts at 9:00 p.m.

Come check it out and get yourself two new albums, just hot off the press!

Technorati Tags: now orchestra, now records, cd release party, jeff younger, bruce freedman

There have been many calls to our office in the last couple of days asking about parking for our events at the Roundhouse Community Centre.  This is just a quick post to let you all in on a little Roundhouse secret - they have underground parking available.  I will be the first one to admit that I didn't realize they had an underground parking area.  It is somewhat hidden away to the east of the community centre and the driveways leading to the parking are mostly brick and don't look really look like driveways, so, you may miss them.

We've created a quick little map for you to help get to the event and find parking if the street level parking is full.

View Larger Map

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the Third Annual Louis Riel Day Celebration is almost here!  This is the third and the best Compaigni V’ni Dansi event yet and we hope you can pull on your jigging shoes and join us for some family entertainment this Saturday.

Compaigni V’ni Dansi will partner with a group of live musicians to co-present a performance at the Roundhouse Community Centre on November 15, 2008 in celebration of Louis Riel Day. This show will include traditional Métis dance featuring the Louis Riel Métis Dancers and live musicians (a fiddler, guitarist, and a caller for square dances). We expect that this evening's performance will be both an artistic event and a true community celebration. It will feature a variety of traditional Métis dance, including jigging, square dances, solos and group performances.

Programming for the evening will include:

• Our professional ensemble, the Louis Riel Métis Dancers.
• Contemporary dance excerpts by Yvonne Chartrand.
• All dancers, led by the Louis Riel Métis Dancers, performing the Red River Jig. Audience members who know the dance will be invited to perform onstage with the professional dancers.

With this year's celebration, we hope to build on the success of the last two years. Our host will be Edmonton guitarist and entertainer Winston Wuttunee.

The night will be filled with dance and some other new surprises.  Come on out and celebrate with us!

Technorati Tags: louis riel day, louis riel dancers, compaigni v’ni dansi, jigging

Some people thought we were completely nuts.  They said to us: why would we ever want to put politicians on a stage and have them show off their creative talents? 
Because the arts are important, that's why.  Last Saturday night proved
it.  The Creative City Cabaret was a unanimous success.  People
clapped, laughed, and had a great time.  Here are a few of the
reactions we've seen.

On Craigslist:

Reply to: pers-911620713@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-11-08, 11:59PM PST

Where
the hell were you, Vancouverites? I just got home and it was a great
evening and a totally unique format instead of the same old boring
round of speeches, backbiting and media rants we have been going
through. And about 75 people bothered to come out to have a great,
practically free evening laughing at and with the people who want to
lead the City. The room could have held 250 people. You can't say you
didn't hear about it. My elderly mother heard about it. Don't complain
if your Council stinks if you don't take this kind of opportunity to
see these people from a whole other side.

From Peter Birnie from the Vancouver Sun on Canada.com:

If the upcoming civic election were won on artistic talent, Peter Ladner would be, hands down, Vancouver's next mayor. Not to fault his chief rival, Gregor Robertson, for trying to show his guitar skills at the Creative City Cabaret on Saturday night, but Ladner had it all going on.

Stitched together by the creative minds at the arts management group Left Right Minds, the cabaret was an attempt to allow mayoral candidates and some others running for political office to show off their skills as actors, singers, dancers, etc. The evening succeeded only in fits and starts, and offered many moments of jaw-dropping awe at the deep, unsettling weirdness to be found on the campaign trail.

Take mayoral candidate Scott Yee. Please. It was early in the night and the audience had been lulled into complacency by a charmingly clumsy presentation from the COPE slate. Bad jokes behind fake beards were followed by a cute video urging everyone to "Vote Beard," before the Beard himself, Councillor David Cadman, offered a rambling and folksy string of bits from songs (only slightly off-key) culminating in an ode to the oysters that can't live in the city's sewage.

From Travis Smith from Hop Studios:

I dropped by the Roundhouse last night to attend the Creative City Cabaret, a collection of performances by candidates in the upcoming Vancouver elections.  My friends at Left Right Minds asked me to blog the event, and I was happy to help out and to see the potential city leaders in a non-political event that was to showcase some of their creativity and human side.

...

At the end of the performance, all the candidates came up and took a bow together - that was a real wonderful moment and made me feel like Vancouver was a small town, not a big city.

Was it a success?  I think so.  Truly some bad performances, and yet a kernel of heart-felt wonderfulness, and a chance to see the human side of the people who will, some of them at least, be running Vancouver.  Thanks, Left Right Minds.

From 24 Hours Magazine - Vote For Me by Ian King:

If you listen to urban guru Richard Florida, the cites that will be urban powerhouses are going to be the ones that attract creative types and keep them there. So how about combining debate and performance ahhts in one show, as at the Roundhouse on November 8? Why Not? 24 hours's Ian King liveblogged the event.

9:01 -- Where my net conection at? Gotta bug Shane and Allyson about this!

9:13 -- and the cabaret is opened by a flute 'n taiko combo that's moderately well-received by the several dozen spectators here at the Roundhouse.

9:17 -- things are finally underway, with host Ryan introducing himself as Barack Obama, a joke that fell flat. The first group from COPE, with council candidate Ellen Woodsworth and school board candidates Alvin Singh and Jane Bouey.

COPE is poking fun at itself as a 40-year-old party, stuck in the old days. There's too much truth behind that joke, because when you see a crowd of COPEsters, the first thing you notice is that it's oh so old and oh so white.

From Langara's The Voice:

An 80-year-old tap-dancing environmentalist upstaged top mayoral candidates Gregor Robertson and Peter Ladner at a civic election-themed talent show in Yaletown last weekend.

At the Roundhouse Community Centre, the Creative City Cabaret brought
candidates for the election onstage to showcase their hidden talents,
on Nov. 8.

The cabaret was the brainchild of Left Right Minds, a management and consulting company that aims to connect arts with business.

According
to Chris May, the company’s tour and production manager, they wanted to
stir up interest in the Nov. 15 election while bringing awareness to
the arts and raise money for a shared theatre space in the city.

“These people want to run this city, and we want to see them being
creative, in a situation where they aren’t comfortable,” said May.

On Youtube and the NPA:

NOTE: We
were intending to live blog the event but the wireless connections in
the theatre were not working properly and we were unable to post from
the event.  We will be posting those in the next few days.

Technorati Tags: left right minds, creative city cabaret

We've been at the Roundhouse Community Centre for the last couple of hours and have been hard at work setting up the lobby and having a few of the candidates come through to do a few quick rehearsals.  What we have seen thus far is amazing!  The enthusiasm the candidates have is addictive and we're very excited about tonight as it should be a lot of fun.

Hope to see you soon!

Technorati Tags: left right minds, creative city cabaret, live performance, roundhouse