Pi Theatre

Archive for October, 2011

Obstructions was launched at last night’s AGM-apalooza which took place at PL 1422.

March 31, 2012
May 19, 2012
June 9, 2012

More dates to be announced.

Stay in the loop about upcoming Obstructions events. Check out the website coming soon: progresslab.ca

Back in late August the Pi office received an email from the folks at Groupon in Chicago telling us about a new initiative that they were launching in Vancouver called G-Team. Groupon were interested in using their service as a way to create awareness and raise funds for mission-based organizations. The lovely folks at Groupon had done some research into mission-based organizations in Vancouver and they wanted to invite Pi to be one of their first campaigns. And so, here we are!

Here’s how the deal works. Pi is hoping to raise money to support the development of our Playwright-in-Residence Sean Devine’s next script. You can contribute to the project through going here http://www.groupon.com/deals/gt-pi-theatre and clicking on Buy! If at least 40 people buy in to the deal, Pi will receive 100% of all the donations. Groupon won’t retain anything, not even credit card service charges!

With only a minute of your time and for only $10, you can help us bring a brand new script to life. We’d love if you’d contribute!

Photography by Guntis Gurkis and Paul Campbell

Carmen Aguirre, Jennifer Mawhinney and Patrick Keating relive the Stanley Cup Riot in Kevin Loring’s The Thin Veneer

Patrick Keating, Carmen Aguirre, Jennifer Mawhinney and Shaker Paleja begin Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith’s The Bridge.

Jennifer Mawhinney and Shaker Paleja as Ellen and Brad. Trapped in traffic in a hot car.

Carmen Aguirre as Virginia Macleod and Patrick Keating as Frank. “Is that what you’re doing up here Frank? Thinking about hell?”

The setting for The Thin Veneer.

Patrick Keating as Cory’s Dad in The Dead Line. “It’s like nothing”.

Jennifer Mawhinney as Sal, Carmen Aguirre as Muffy and Shaker Paleja as Chris in Adrienne Wong’s Elevate.

It’s official, the reviewers love Visions of Vancouver.

Peter Birnie of the Vancouver Sun claimed “thanks to strong writing, solid performances and some clever design ideas, each chapter of Visions of Vancouver offers a tart treat for our 125th birthday.”

Tessa Perkins of Press + 1 writes “These four short plays, each dealing with their own aspect of what it is to be a Vancouverite, were extremely entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the show.”

Alex Waterhouse Hayward said “Those who braved a Vancouver evening at the theatre were winners.”

We’ve already introduced you to many of the wonderful people involved in bringing Visions of Vancouver to life. Here we’d like to tell you a little about those you haven’t yet met.

Kevin Loring - Writer

As an actor he has performed in numerous plays across Canada. Notable productions include Marie Clements’s Burning Vision, Copper Thunderbird and the Edward Curtis Project. He was also in the National Arts Centre/Western Canada Theatre 40th anniversary production of George Ryga’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. He starred in the freature film Pathfinder, and is the head actor on Health Nutz, a half hour comedy on APTN.

Kevin co-produced, co-wrote and co-hosted a documentary titled Canyon War: the Untold Story, which chronicles the Fraser Canyon War of 1858. Canyon War has been aired on the Knowledge Network and APTN, and has garnered numerous awards at film festivals across North America.

He is a recipient of the 2005 Vancouver Arts Award for Emerging Theatre Artist, 2009 Sydney J Risk Prize, and a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Original Script. He was the 2006 Artist-in-Residence at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and was a 2010 Playwright-in-Residence at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa. Kevin is deeply honoured to be the 2009 winner of the Governor Generals Literary Award for Drama for his play Where the Blood Mixes.

Kevin is a member of the N’lakap’mux Nation (Thompson Indians) and is from Lytton BC.

Jeff Harrison - Lighting Designer and Production Manager

Jeff has designed over 50 shows in Vancouver and internationally and has been nominated for five Jessie Richardson Awards, including one win for his work with Carousel Theatre. He is a graduate of SFU’s School of the Contemporary Arts and attended the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts. Past design credits include: The Full Monty, Bat Boy the Musical (Patrick St. Productions), Robin Hood, Pharaoh Serket (Carousel Theatre), Train (Theatre Replacement), Oklahoma! & Guys and Dolls (Chemainus Theatre Festival), On the Ice of Labrador (Montreal Danse). Jeff is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Florence Barrett - Costume Designer

Florence Barrett is a costume designer based in Vancouver and the lower mainland. She has designed costumes for theatre and film across Canada and is currently completing her BFA in design at Simon Fraser University . Recent works include Machinal (SFU) Project X (Leaky Heaven Circus) and Objecthood of Chairs (Interdisciplinary Theatre) The Great Divorce (Pacific Theatre) The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Graffiti Theatre) and Re:Union (Pacific Theatre).

Jergus Oprsal - Set Design

Jergus studied at the University of Calgary / BA / Ecole Internationale de theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia / MFA Honours.

Since 2005, Jergus has lived in Vancouver and continues to work internationally as a designer. In his work, he explores the possibilities of integrating space, light and projection design in a unified scenographic image.

He has designed for the following Vancouver companies: Pi Theatre, Blackbird Theatre, Studio 58, ZeeZee Theatre, Theatre Conspiracy, Presentation House, Twentysomething Theatre as well as Slovak National Ballet, State Opera Banska Bystrica and State Theatre Koslce, Stanica Zilina (Slovakia), Cinoherni studio Usti nad Labem (Czech republic).

In 2009, 2010 and 2011 Jergus was nominated for a Jessie Award for set design and for lighting design. Check out his work on his website jergus.com.

Jillian Perry - Assistant Stage Manager

Jillian is thrilled to be the ASM for Pi Theatre’s Visions of Vancouver. She studied Theatre at the University of the Fraser Valley and is currently the resident Stage Manager for Zee Zee Theatre. She would like to thank her family and friends for adapting to her crazy schedule!