Stillman will present a film each night, Metropolitan and The Last Days of Disco, and discuss his work as a whole following each screening. The event will mark the first in the newly created The Seventh Art Live Director Series presented by The Royal, which will bring important directors to Toronto to screen and discuss their films.
“We’re thrilled to kick off the series at the Royal with Whit, a great contemporary American filmmaker” said The Seventh Art co-producer Pavan Moondi. “The consistency of his films fits the series perfectly,” said fellow co-producer, Brian Robertson.
The first night, Wednesday, December 12th, will showcase Stillman’s breakout hit, Metropolitan (1990), while the next night features the cult favourite, The Last Days of Disco (1998). The filmmaker will be joined by The Seventh Art’s Christopher Heron for a conversation on the topic of each night’s film and a moderated Q&A with the audience.
“We’re overjoyed with the opportunity to host such a fabled filmmaker in Toronto and to partner with The Seventh Art” said Stacey Donen of The Royal.
The Seventh Art is an independently produced video magazine about cinema with profiles on interesting aspects of the film industry, video essays and in-depth interviews with filmmakers. The production is based in Toronto, Canada and releases an online issue once a month. Originally built in 1939, The Royal is an historic Art Moderne movie house located in the heart of Little Italy. The Royal continues to operate in the evenings as an indie/art house cinema.
Tickets will be sold in advance through The Royal’s website for $15 per screening, or $20 for both. Tickets will also be available at the door for $20 each night. Make sure to make it out to one, if not both, of these screenings. It promises to be quite an interesting set of screenings.
For our entire history we have lived and worked in rhythm with the rising and setting of the sun. But all that changed with the invention of artificial light over 100 years ago. Light fixtures, computer screens, television screens – all of these have allowed us more time to live, work, play and extend the length of our days. And shorten our nights. But at what cost? Are we actually putting ourselves at risk?
Recently scientists have been discovering that exposure to artificial light at night, even the glow of a cell phone or computer screen, can throw our internal body clock out of sync with the planet and could even be leading to serious illnesses like cancer, obesity, heart disease and certain forms of depression. Perhaps those who work in front of a computer screen or who are surrounded by screens most of the time should consider ways to reduce the impact of damaging glare and digital eye strain on their lives. One of the ways that people are doing this is by checking out products like those of Felix Gray which include blue light glasses. These can help to reduce the harmful, artificial light entering their eyes.
With nearly 20 percent of Canadians working night shifts to maintain our 24-hour world, it is now more crucial than ever to find safe and effective answers to what some scientists refer to as an “environmental insult” to our health.
Even though light at night’s effect on health is still a relatively new discovery, the clinical proof is mounting. In July 2012, a report co-authored by Dr. David Blask, Dr. Richard Stevens, Dr. Steven Lockley and Dr. George Brainard was approved by the American Medical Association, officially recognizing that light at night can effect our health and be linked to breast cancer and many common diseases.
Dir. McNamara and team filming at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. Image courtesy of Markham Street Films Inc.
Lights Out!, the new documentary by director Michael McNamara, joins leading scientists in the lab and in the field, to discover how much harm light at night may be causing and we learn about the ground-breaking steps being taken to protect ourselves. Through the film, we check out the nightshift at the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant, go for a ride-along with 18-wheeler truckers on a cross continental run, and meet a New Orleans scientist who fights cancer by day and plays trumpet with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band by night. The film points out that danger hot spots are everywhere – from the illumination in the Hospital ICU, to the tiny screens of our mobile devices.
“Light pollution is one environmental issue that we can exercise real control over,” said Michael McNamara, “so we wanted to examine our fascination with light as well as the hidden effects it is having on us physically.”
What can we do about an environmental hazard that we just can’t seem to live without? Lights Out! ventures into the darker side of light to find answers. The film presents some very interesting scientific research but also offers some ‘food for thought’ with regards to how certain advacement can impact our overall well-being. The world broadcast premiere of this one-hour documentary is tonight, Dec 6th at 8pm EST (8:30 NT) through CBC‘s The Nature of Things.
Laugh your stache off on TONIGHT, November 28th, when Impulsive Entertainment, Comedy Bar and Jesse Owens present an evening of laughter for a great cause: Laughstache!Some of Canada’s best comic acts will perform stand-up and sketch comedy routines to raise funds and awareness for the Movember Foundation.
The evening will feature stand-up comedy from Darrin Rose (four-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee and host of the Comedy Network’s Match Game), Ben Miner (host of Comic Stripped on SiriusXM), and Debra DiGiovanni (three-time winner of Canadian Comedy Award for Best Female Comic). Sketch comedy troupes Vest of Friends (2011 Cream of Comedy nominees) and Toronto favourite, Falcon Powder (2012 Canadian Comedy Award Winners for Best Sketch Troupe), will also perform. Hosts for the evening are The League of Extraordinary Moustache’sRob Baker (The Second City) and Carmine Lucarelli (Bad Dog Theatre).
Movember participants are invited and encouraged to enter their moustaches for some good-natured judging. Enter Mo’s online at impulsiveent.com, or at the venue tonight! Prizes will be awarded for moustaches in all categories.
The celebrity panel of judges will feature Ali Hassan (Lead Comedy Panelist on CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight), Ladystache (offensive and delightful sketch comedy duo and winners of the 2011 One More Step award) and Debra DiGiovanni (three-time winner of Canadian Comedy Award for Best Female Comic).
The Movember Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada are dedicated to working together to ensure all funds raised for Movember are used to support a range of initiatives including awareness, education, survivorship and research.
After two-years of development in residency at The Theatre Centre, Kitchenband is proud to present BOBLO, a theatre and concert experience that explores the evanescent nature of memory, November 22 – December 2, at The Great Hall Black Box Theatre (former home of The Theatre Centre).
BOBLO is inspired by personal memories and collected stories about Boblo Island Amusement Park, located on an island in the middle of the Detroit River, which operated from 1898-1993. Kitchenband, a collective of theatre creators and musicians, pays a stirring tribute to Boblo, riding the Boblo-Boat ferry one final time to relive the excitement and the danger the theme park once offered. Field recordings, songs, radio waves, family photos, souvenirs and keepsakes fuel this ghost-story-meets-rock-concert celebration of a former childhood destination that now lies in ruins.
BOBLO is created by Erin Brandenburg (Petrichor, Reesor, and Pelee) and Andrew Penner (The Sunparlour Players), directed by Steve McCarthy (The ElastoCitizens, Bliss) and features the talents of radio producer and sound artist Andrew O’Connor, lighting designer Rebecca Picherack (The Golden Dragon, Ruined), multi-media visual artist Elysha Poirier (Seeds) and set and costume designer Jung-Hye Kim (Middle Place, If We Were Birds). The stellar cast of performers and musicians inlcudes Anna Atkinson, Gordon Bolan, George Meanwell, Trent Pardy, Alan Penner, Andrew Penner, Amy Rutherford and Sophia Walker.
BOBLO
Thursday, November 22 – Sunday, December 2, 2012
Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm; Sunday at 2pm
Late Night Show: Friday, November 30 at 10:30pm
Location: The Great Hall Black Box Theatre, 1087 Queen Street West
Tickets: $25 regular $20 arts worker/student/senior plus applicable service charges
Tickets can be purchased by calling 416.538.0988 or by visiting www.theatrecentre.org
Canadian Stage presents Ignorance, an inventive (and completely adult) puppet documentary about the evolution of happiness from Calgary’s world-renonwed The Old Trout Puppet Workshop. The newest production from the troupe behind the international hit Famous Puppet Death Scenes will be Toronto beginning next week.
Ignorance is a puppet documentary about the evolution of happiness – from the thick-blooded hearts of the ancient caves, to the ethereal heaven of our light-speed future – it’s about where we all went wrong, and how we might find our way once again.
Photo Source:The Old Trout Puppet Workshop
Bouncing between primitive man and modern man, urban sprawl and prehistoric cave life, Ignorance blends live performance with comedy, over-sized puppet heads, balloons, lighting, sound and video effects. Puppeteers Nicolas Di Gaetanto, Trevor Leigh and Viktor Lukawski bring various characters to life on stage, becoming extensions of the hand-crafted puppets themselves, with Judd Palmer (artistic director and co-founder of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop) as the an omniscient narrator. A bleak and harsh Garden of Eden, designed by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop creative team, with animation from four artists, is the backdrop for this imaginative performance.
The production is The Old Trout Puppet Workshop’s first attempt at Open Creation – the entire show was written on the internet for all to see, with crowd-sourced comments, criticism and contributions. Learn more on the Ignorance Blog. Especially relevant in a time when communities are online, Ignorance addresses the age-old “ignorance is bliss” adage and poses the question: in our quest to know so much, have we lost a connection with what actually makes us human?
I had the pleasure of seeing The Old Trout Puppet Workshop’s Famous Puppet Death Scenes here in Toronto back in 2007. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very creative; it posited some interesting questions, and made the audience take a minute to ponder about the scenes depicted on-stage. You can read my thoughts about it here. Since then, I’ve been hoping they’d come back with a new show!
Ignorance will be on stage at the Berkeley Street Theatrefrom November 27 to December 15. Performances run Monday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with matinees on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. The performance runs 75 minutes with no intermission. Tickets from $22 to $49 are available online, by phone at 416-368-3110 or in person at the box office. For more details visit canadianstage.com.
Toronto Masque Theatre kicks off its 9th season with a celebration of the rich legacy of a musical genius, showcasing Henry Purcell’s compelling and innovative work for the stage. Featuring Toronto Masque Theatre’s patented fusion of genres, Fairest Isle will be an exhilarating combination of dance, theatre, orchestral music and song: a chance for audiences to glimpse the Baroque splendour of the work Purcell created for London’s theatre of the time.
Although a celebrated and prolific composer, Purcell’s life was tragically cut short and we can only imagine what he would have gone on to create had he lived longer. With Fairest Isle audiences will experience the breadth of his work while contemplating the legacy he left us. The program includes pieces drawn from his semi-operas: The Fairy-Queen, Dido and Aeneas, King Arthur and The Indian Queen along with music he composed for the Church and Court.
Speaking about the program, Artistic Director, Larry Beckwith shared: “Purcell’s music is so full of genius, craft, warmth and humour. He was so adept at supporting the meaning of the great – and sometimes not so great! – texts he worked with. The tunes are memorable and moving, the instrumental writing is first-rate, and the overall thrust of his work is lively and full of humanity. I look forward to sharing this great music with our audiences.”
Prior to each performance, Beckwith will host a pre-show during which he will be joined by special guests. The pre-show chats will last approximately 45 minutes.
The program will feature tenor Lawrence Wiliford. The evening will also feature dancer Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, actors Derek Boyes and Arlene Mazzerolle, singers Dawn Bailey and Michele DeBoer, sopranos; Scott Belluz, countertenor; Charles Davidson, tenor; Geoffrey Sirret, baritone.
The Ensemble will include: Larry Beckwith, as musical director and on violin, as well as, Kathleen Kajioka, violin; Margaret Gay, cello; John Abberger and Gillian Howard, oboes; Lucas Harris, lute; and Christopher Bagan, harpsichord and organ. Lighting design is by Gabriel Cropley; Costume and Production design by Erika Connor.
Catch Fairest Isle at the Al Green Theatre for two performances only:Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17 at 8pm. Ticket are: $40; $35 (for seniors) and $20 (for under 30) available from the Al Green Box Office, or by calling 416-924-6211 ext. 0.
Based on an actual murder case in Edwardian England, The Drowning Girls combines true-crime thriller and clever theatricality with echoes to contemporary issues of domestic abuse. It is based on a real-life Scotland Yard serial murder known as the “Brides in the Bath” case. In the early 1900’s, bigamous conman George Joseph Smith used a series of fake identities to seduce and marry seven women, murdering three. He also convinced each wife to sign over her property to him, and collected on their life insurance policies.
The Drowning Girls, focuses on three of Smith’s ill-fated brides. It premiered at the 1999 Edmonton Fringe Festival. An expanded version premiered at Alberta Theatre Projects in 2008, and has since been performed around the world.
Beth Graham and Daniela Vlaskalic met at the University of Alberta, where they were both studying acting. After graduating from the program in 1998, they teamed up with director Charlie Tomlinson to write The Drowning Girls.
The play is told from the perspective of the brides – Bessie, Alice and Margaret. Their narratives are woven together with very poetic language and rhythms, each telling their story from beyond the grave – their hopes and dreams of life and marriage, their choices and their regrets.
Alumnae Theatre Company’s production of The Drowning Girls will feature three actors playing the “brides in the bathtubs” as well as other roles – male and female – and each takes a turn portraying her murderer: Jennifer Neales as Alice (the youngest; a vibrant, passionate woman who abandons her values), Tennille Read as Bessie (a posh, accomplished woman distanced from her family), and Emily Opal Smith as Margaret(a lonely spinster who falls for the wrong man).
Definitely an interesting take on representing all sides of this intricate story…
The Drowning Girls
Written by: Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, & Daniela Vlaskalic Directed by: Taryn Jorgenson Running Time: Approximately 75 minutes. There is no intermission.
Opening Night & Gala: Friday Nov 16th
Performance Dates: Fri, Nov 16th – Sat, Dec 1st
Schedule: Wed – Sat 8PM; Sun matinee at 2PM
Tickets: Wed 2-for-1; Thur, Fri & Sat $20; Sun PWYC. May be purchased online for Thu/Fri (except opening night)/Sat at www.totix.ca
The Furniture Bank hosted its third annual Chair Affair on Thursday, November 1, at the stunning Palais Royale where over 300 patrons enjoyed an evening of entertainment and the opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind designer chair. The event was once again guest hosted by Global Television‘s Susan Hay and presented by Streetcar Developments.
“We are thrilled and honoured with the overwhelming support we received for the event from the design community, our sponsors and long-term supporters of Furniture Bank,” says Executive Director, Susanna Kislenko. “Combined with the support and the commitment of our incredible volunteers, this this has been the most successful Chair Affair yet!”
The theme of Vibrant Toronto infused the event – from food stations created by Chef Steffan Howard who represented the different neighbourhoods of Toronto, to the Toronto-centric playlist spun by DJ Matt Gracie.
Eighteen of the city’s talented designers took on the challenge of interpreting Vibrant Toronto in transforming chairs they’d selected from Furniture Bank’s warehouse into works of art. Twenty uniquely crafted chairs were on display, with 10 of the chairs were up for bid in a live auction, and led by seasoned auctioneer, Stephen Ranger from Waddingtons with some chairs fetching up to $1,300.
Also present was founder of Furniture Bank, Sister Anne Schenck, who presented Member of Parliament Olivia Chow with a special plaque in tribute to Jack Layton and the commitment he’d shown to Furniture Bank and the Chair Affair.
Olivia Chow stepped into the role of last minute guest auctioneer, replacing Councillor Mike Layton, and auctioned off a Maple Leafs signed Hot Stove Lounge chair. The chair raised $600, with former Toronto Mayor David Miller opening the bidding.
We were also delighted with surprise entertainment from Yakudo Traditional Japanese Drummers and soloist, Lesley Andrew, who also auctioned off a private home concert where she will perform. Many of the designers attended the event, including Heidi Richter and Paul Lafrance from HGTV’s Decked Out, Kiran Thind of Cherry Bomb vintage, Kelly Cray, Neil Jonsohn and Alex Chapman from UNION 31, Jessica Help and Jeff Schnitter from Seven Haus Design, Jackie Bray from The Upholstery Academy, and Peter Bray from PFBray Fire Woodworking.
It was quite a successful evening. I may not have purchased a new chair, as I have only just bought some comfortable office chairs for my home office, but among the other guests, I also bid on some items from the silent auction. I even came home with a yoga package! What matters is that all the money raised from this event supports Furniture Bank, an organization in the Greater Toronto Area that helps over 2,500 families annually by furnishing homes and bringing a sense of empowerment and dignity to their lives at no cost to the recipients.
Workman Arts, celebrating its 25th Anniversary, presents the 20th annual Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival (RWM). The festival runs from November 9 – 17. The nine-day festival showcases over 20 programs of feature and short films, as well as industry and artist talks, multi-media installations, live performances and visual arts exhibitions. Programs include a post-screening panel discussion with filmmakers, people living with the experience of the issue explored on film, a health care professional, and a special interest person.
Matthew Hogue, Program Manager at Rendezvous with Madness, took a few minutes to talk about choosing programs and films for RWM, its role as a community festival, some highlights of the festival, and the future of RWM.
HM: Could you talk a bit about your role as Program Manager and the selection of films for the festival?
Matthew: Along with a team of programmers, we work together with filmmakers, artists, mental health professionals, community members, and educators in viewing submitted films. This year, we had over 200 submissions. Over the months of April to September submissions are open and during this time, this group of people helps organize us as to which films would be great to have at RWM. We assess submitted films on high standards, such as, how they fit with RWM’s mandate, are they engaging & powerful, and how they portray mental health issues. The selection process is very exciting.
HM: How does RWM fit in with Toronto as a film festival and its community?
Matthew: First of all, RWM is the first and largest festival of its kind. It targets a niche community but it also brings forth mental health issues to a wider audience. The context of mental health issues is changing and it’s coming more into the mainstream. This festival has an important role in that it ensures the work is worthwhile artistically, emotionally, and also realistically depicting the issues at hand.
HM: Any highlights from the festival or festival favourites that you’d recommend for us?
Matthew: The Doc Symposium is an incredible program, which includes films and panel discussions about the future and challenges of documenting mental health issues. This is the first year we offer a symposium, but I think it’s timely given that mental health issues are moving into the mainstream, as I mentioned earlier. In terms of films, the funniest film I’ve seen submitted has to be King Curling (Dir. Ole Endresen, The Netherlands). It is entertaining and it uses every stereotype and cliché about mental health there is. But it’s also absurdist and hilarious. It is certainly fun to watch.
HM: How do you see RWM evolving?
Matthew: The festival is certainly evolving. We incorporate more film, video and other media each year. The idea that mental health issues are more widely discussed also helps. The festival will definitely continue to move forward in supporting the industry, and will continue to be a place where professionals can connect with community members (who may have experienced mental health issues) to help them tell their stories, and support each other’s work.
Great way to summarize Rendezvous With Madness and its role as a film festival but also as a community festival. The full festival line up can be found here. RWM also has full Media & Visual Arts Program, information can be found here. For ticketing and location information, visit rendezvouswithmadness.com.
The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Reel Asian) will celebrate its 16th annual edition this year with screenings, international guests and special events, it continues its expansion outside downtown Toronto to bring Richmond Hill residents a taste of some of the best in Asian cinema.
For those of you in Toronto, here are my picks of films at both locations.
Shorts Presentation Co-Presented by Toronto’s Shorts That Are Not Pants (Curated by James McNally) Wed Nov 7, 7:15 PM | Innis Town Hall ONCE LOST, NOW FOUND Presenting meditations on memory and loss, connection, and pure joy, these films address some of the most powerful yet peripheral facets of human experience with quiet restraint and creative narratives. Including work by Keith Lock, Quek Shio Chuan, Christopher Makoto Yogi, Han Han Li and Kimi Takesue.
Feature Presentation | Thu Nov 8, 9:55 PM | Innis Town Hall GRACELAND Director Ron Morales | USA/Philippines 2012 The driver for a corrupt politician gets embroiled in a botched kidnapping and must traverse the seedy underbelly of Manila to save his daughter in this gritty noir.
Centrepiece Presentation | Fri Nov 9, 6:45 PM | The Royal PRISON DANCER Director Romeo Candido | Canada 2012 Inspired by the real-life dancing rehabilitation program that went viral on YouTube, Prison Dancer tells the personal, poignant, and hilarious stories of six Filipino prison dancers whose group dancing turned a maximum-security prison into a world stage. This unique presentation will integrate on-screen projection and live performance from the cast.
Special Presentation | Fri Nov 9, 8:45 PM | The Royal VALLEY OF SAINTS Director Musa Sayeed | USA/Kashmir Upon the beautiful but troubled Dal Lake in Kashmir, a young boatman’s world is opened up by a visiting scientist in this lyrical drama about friendship, family and home.
Feature Presentation | Fri Nov 9, 11:00 PM | The Royal TATSUMI Director Eric Khoo | Singapore 2011 The fascinating life and sinister stories of legendary manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi are brought to life on the big screen in this animated biography about the man who pioneered gekiga, a genre of dark adult-themed comics.
Feature Presentation | Sat Nov 10, 4:30 PM | The Royal DAL PURI DIASPORA Director Richard Fung | Canada 2012 Trinidad-born Toronto filmmaker Richard Fung takes an inquisitive food journey through the Caribbean and India to discover the mouth-watering roots of one of his (and Toronto’s) favourite foods, the dal puri, most commonly known as the roti.
If you’re in the Richmond Hill area, I’d suggest the following screenings:
Opening Film | Fri Nov 16, 7:00 PM | Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts FLOATING CITY Director Yim Ho | Hong Kong 2012 The film tells the true story of Bo Wah-Chuen (Aaron Kwok), as he rises from being an orphan on a Chinese fishing boat to the upper echelons of the notorious Imperial East India Trading Company.
Feature Presentation | Sat Nov 17, 4:00 PM | Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts THE WOODSMAN AND THE RAIN Director Shuichi Okita | Japan 2011 Celebrated Japanese actor Koji Yakusho plays a lonely lumberjack whose life is drastically changed when he’s unwittingly enlisted into helping a spineless young filmmaker to complete his low budget zombie movie.
Closing Film | Sat Nov 17, 7:00 PM | Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts THE FRUIT HUNTERS Director Yung Chang | Canada 2012 This film is a globetrotting tour of faraway places, filled with eccentric people to whom fruit is a way of life and not just a suggested daily dietary recommendation.
You can find the full film list and scheduling information at reelasian.com. Tickets can be purchased online through reelasian.com, in-person, or by phone (1-888-222-6608). Please note, there are discounted tickets available for students and seniors. Discount applies to students (with valid current ID), seniors over 65 (no ID required).
Make sure to come back to this page, follow me on Twitter, and Facebook as I will have my thoughts on the films I see in the next few days.
