Shane Birley's blog

There are only a couple of weeks left until the Neanderthal Arts Festival.  I can't believe it is so close now.  We started this process last fall and it is almost here!  Here is the latest press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEANDERTHAL ARTS THEATRE FESTIVAL: Theatre Festival More Fun Than Play With Rocks

JULY 9 2010 AD – VANCOUVER – You thought theatre extinct like Neanderthal.  Theatre not extinct. Neanderthal not extinct!   Me show you what extinct. Listen now human. Or me crush skull. 

Humans come Neanderthal Arts Theatre Festival July 21 - August 1, 2010 Cultch Theatre in East Vancouver. Look 6 one-act plays. Four plays by local humans.
Two plays by far away human tribes. That not all. Upintheair present Walking Fish Festival as part of Neanderthal Festival. Five short plays by new human artists.

“Festival good time for humans,” say Neanderthal Consultant Og Ra. “Make laugh. Make think. More fun than play with rocks all day.”

Tell friends, Og say. “More good: all bring spear and bear not come in!”

Showtimes and ticket sales, visit http://www.thal.ca/

Neanderthal Theatre Arts Festival Media Contacts:

Tok Bok, Neanderthal Media Rep

To contact Tok, send message chiseled onto rock at cave #3, Vancouver BC.

No Phone
No Email

Andrew, Human Media Rep
andrew@thal.ca

I hope to see you all there!  Here is a video that may entice you.

We received an official announcement today that one of Left Right Minds client's, the author Terry Gould, has recently won yet another award!  Terry has also revealed that his book Murder Without Borders: Dying for the Story in the World's Most Dangerous Places, will also be translated into Spanish.  Here is the press release:

Dear Colleagues,

The Spanish-language edition of Terry Gould's Murder Without Borders: Dying for the Story in the World's Most Dangerous Places (2009, Random House Canada) will be published in Spain on September 7, 2010, by the Spanish publishing house Los Libros del Lince.

On May 27, Murder Without Borders won its third major kudo.

• Winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non-fiction book of 2009.
• Winner of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression 2009 Tara Singh Hayer Press Freedom Award.
• Finalist, 2009 Writers Trust of Canada Award for Best Political Writing of the Year.

In the United States, the book is published as Marked for Death: Dying for the Story in the World's Most Dangerous Places (2009, Counterpoint Press).

"A book of love and passion. The portraits of slain journalists who reported from the world’s most dangerous places are unquestionably tragic, but this book is uplifting and even inspiring. Through his meticulous reporting and his compassionate storytelling, Gould performs a small miracle, a literary resurrection, allowing journalists so cruelly killed to tell their own stories completely and honestly. In an age when journalism is threatened by economic collapse and deep public cynicism, Gould’s book reminds us that journalism can be beautiful and meaningful and that its power to combat injustice so great that some journalists around the world are willing to give their lives to tell the truth.”
--Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists

"Terry Gould has made all of [these journalists] more than mere statistics. By digging so deeply into their lives, he has not only memorialized them but has helped us understand their martyrdom." --Columbia Journalism Review

"Terry Gould has done an enormous service to journalists everywhere with this macabre collection of murders most foul.... Fathoms why these individuals came to be martyrs."
--National Post

Visit Terry Gould online at www.terrygould.com and you may contact Terry at: gouldink@shaw.ca   

From everyone at Left Right Minds - congratulations, Terry!

We have some very exciting news to share today.  One of our clients, Angela Cameron Fine Art has been chosen by the Vancouver Olympics to hang her art work in their VIP room at the Olympic Village.

But don't take our word for it, here is a bit from their news release:

It took the 2010 Vancouver winter games Olympic committee Vanoc, minutes to choose Angela Cameron's fine art photography to decorate the city of Vancouver Mayors Media Room and VIP lounge.

Her signature brand impressed the Olympic organizers to have this artwork showing in the prestigious VIP lounge and the Mayors Media office at the 2010 Winter Games Olympic Village.

The artwork will be viewed by athletes, dignitaries, media and celebrities over the course of the 2010 winter games.

If you want to check out her website, you can find it here.

I suppose it is fitting to say something about the new site.  The first thing is, we're not done yet.

But enough about technology.  Here is our official message:

What a year it's been! We've launched new sites, worked with new clients, sent artists on tours, produced several shows here in Vancouver and continued our work with Plank Magazine. For 2010, we're excited to announce that we will be co-producing a new summer theatre festival at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre... we'll be looking for volunteers and donations in the new year!

But now it's holiday time and Left Right Minds will be closed from December 23, 2009 until January 4, 2010. We'll be checking our e-mail but if you need to reach us, the best way is by cellphone (Shane Birley 778.386.7220 or Allyson McGrane 604.671.0890).We hope you've all had a lovely 2009 and we are looking forward to working with you in 2010!

That about does it for me at this point.  I am off to ready myself for more Christmas excitement and finish up a few things before a well deserved break.  I wasn't able to get back to everyone today but if you have any emergencies, don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail.

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