Pi Theatre

Archive for March, 2009

As part of our front of house display for Bashir Lazhar, we had a Migration Map in the theatre lobby. Audiences were invited to place a pin in the map where their journeys began. Here are some shots of how it looked on closing night:

It was very interesting to see where there were clusters and where there were no pins!

Denis Dutton, a New Zealand philosopher, suggests that we have an ‘art instinct’, just like Steven Pinker has argued that we have an instinct for the development for language. His book, The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution, proposes that our desire for beauty has an evolutionary explanation, a product of our struggle to survive and reproduce.  Apparently, art is one of the few things (along with language, religion, and social structures) found in all human cultures the world over.

Here are some snaps from our opening night reception for Bashir Lazhar.

 

 

(All photos by Jergus Oprsal.)

Jo Ledingham of the Vancouver Courier was “struck by the courage of refugees” and “tremendously impressed by Marr’s 70-minute solo performance. Marr is one of those rave-worthy virtuosic performers… incomparable. Bashir Lazhar feels distinctly Quebecois. That, in itself, may be reason enough to see it.”

After three weeks of rehearsals, several days of tech and a successful opening, Bashir Lazhar is up and running! Since this is my first time working on a professional show as an assistant stage manager, I thought I would give some insight into my experience, now that the hard part is over. Not that I’m saying this experience has been hard, quite the opposite—if it was hard, I was having too much fun to be thinking about it! To be honest, even before rehearsals started, the thought never crossed my mind that working on this show would be any different from the shows I worked on while studying at UBC. If anything, it is a lot simpler and for that I’m grateful! Having been an assistant stage manager several times over the last few years, it always makes me a little sad that we don’t ever get to see the show in its final form, as an audience member would see it…but I can effectively say that I am the only person who gets to see a mini shadow play every show from my home behind the scrim! Truly, I’ve had a lot of fun working for Pi Theatre on Bashir Lazhar and I look forward to the next two weeks of its run. Now (despite my eternal gratitude for a simple, stress-free job), if only I had a few more things to do backstage during the show…

Pi Theatre’s Bashir Lazhar opened this weekend and David Marr’s performance is getting a lot of attention.

“The subject matter is as intriguing as the people behind it.”
-Georgia Straight

“Marr maps out this brilliant bit of writing (and translation) with elan…Haunting. Charming. Mesmerizing. Powerful…David Marr’s solo performance in Bashir Lazhar is one class act”! -Peter Birnie, Vancouver Sun

Read the rest of Birnie’s glowing review here.

Don’t miss this incredible performance! Tickets available through www.ticketstonight.ca or by phone: 604.684.2787.

Bashir Lazhar is this week’s Arts Choice in the Georgia Straight! Here’s what they have to say about the show:

The subject matter is as intriguing as the people behind it. In Pi Theatre’s Bashir Lazhar—opening tonight (March 5) at Performance Works and running until March 21—an Algerian refugee finds himself instructing a Grade 6 class that’s dealing with the tragic loss of its previous teacher. A portrait that’s been praised for its sensitivity to the experiences of new Canadians, the one-man play was written by Quebec’s Evelyne de la Chenelière and translated by hit Hogtown playwright Morwyn Brebner (whose The Optimists and Little Mercy’s First Murder have attracted huge buzz). David Marr tackles the role, with original music and sound design by Joelysa Pankanea.

Here’s an interview that Andrea Loewen of Vancouver Events Blog UQ events did yesterday with Richard Wolfe, director of Bashir Lazhar.

Here are some sneak peeks at our set, from the build last week, at the Great Northern Way Scene Shop.

(Set design by Jergus Oprsal, photos by Ken Bryant)

An immigration lawyer/actor has written a course that ‘teaches lawyers to become better storytellers through theatrical techniques’, hosted by Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre. Very interesting!

Meanwhile, Pi Theatre’s upcoming production of Bashir Lazhar is chronicled in Canadian Immigrant Magazine.