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Do you like eating delicious food, sampling artisan beer, and making new friends? Then join us for our upcoming Pi Dinner Circle, on February 10th, 2012.

This dinner circle is a six-course meal, held in the home and studio of a prominent Vancouver theatre artist. Each course will feature an artisan beer pairing by local brewmaster Claire Connolly.

Tickets are only $100, and include dinner, beer pairings and a tax receipt for $35. We can also offer a dinner-only option for $80.

Past dinners have sold out quickly and seating is quite limited. If you would like to book your tickets or if you would like more information on the evening, please email info@pitheatre.com or call 604-872-1861.

Please consider joining us for what is sure to be a wonderful evening.

As many of you know, in 2009 it was decided that adult arts and cultural organizations would no longer be eligible for funding through Gaming grants. Pi was just finishing the last year of a three year commitment from Gaming as the cuts were announced. Between Gaming eligibility changes and cuts to the BC Arts Council, Pi lost over 20% of our funding between 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. The past two years have been undeniably challenging. We’ve been incredibly fortunate in our fundraising, and are hugely grateful for our amazing community of supporters for helping us get through.

After a months-long public review that engaged 1,700 British Columbians across the province, Premier Christy Clark announced last week that adult arts and cultural groups will again be eligible to apply for gaming funding. We are heartened by this news, as we are by the admission that the cuts were “a mistake”. The total amount available to charities through gaming grants is still 13% lower than 2008 levels so there is still a great deal of uncertainty, but we believe that this is an important step in a positive direction.

We attended and spoke at the Vancouver stop of the review, and were assured by both the leader of the review (the affable Skip Triplett) and by other presenters that adult arts organizations are a integral part of life for people across the province. We are proud to be part of such a vital and resiliant community and we want to thank everyone who has contributed to the ongoing success of the arts in BC.

You can read the full report generated by the review here and you can read what Pi had to say at the Vancouver session here.

Pi Theatre staff and board had a lovely dinner at Nuba in downtown Vancouver on December 19th to mark the end of the year. Great food. Great company. Bring on 2012!

(In the photo: Pi GM Becky Low, Secretary Dawn Padget and President Ben Unterman.)

Pi’s playwright in residence Sean Devine unveiled his newest work-in-progress at CBC Studio 700 Thursday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd of more than thirty people. “Except in the Unlikely Event of War” takes a look at whether peace is actually desirable or is war, in fact, better for us all.

The actors from left to right are Alex Ferguson, Vincent Gale, Kathleen Duborg, Todd Thomson and Richard Wolfe. Except will have its second workshop this summer.

Thanks to all who came out to support Sean and new play development in Vancouver.

Tired of buying people things they don’t need? Fed up with spending money on more useless tat? This year, avoid waste, give theatre. This holiday season, give ethically with Pi.

We have a wide variety of gifts for everyone on your list. You can buy a gobo for your landlord, fifteen sound cues for your aunt and an actor for a day for your sister. With items starting at $5, it’s affordable for everyone to contribute, and play a vital role in creating contemporary theatre. For gifts over $20, you will receive a tax receipt for the full value of your donation. Finish your holiday shopping now at www.pitheatre.com/ethicalgiving/.

Carmen Aguirre is recently returned from London where she was promoting her new book Something Fierce.

Read a wonderfully written profile of Carmen in The Guardian.

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.”