Election ’08: Green Plan vs Rain Man Or: Harper Hates Minorities
The writ has been dropped, and, too lazy to bend down and pick it up, our Prime Minister has decided to call an election. And so the Wrecking Ball swings into action to bring you one night only (Oct 6th) of bracing political theatre from some of the county’s hottest artists. Come witness the throw-down between Harper’s haircut and Dion’s personality-like public interface. Come find out why Jack Layton’s moustache and Elizabeth May have never been seen in the same room. Come and thrill to the sounds of the third round of parliamentary musical chairs in four years. Most of all, come and find out why in this election the stakes are higher and the consequences more fraught than ever before.
Montreal meet Victoria. Winnipeg, meet Halifax.
Artist, meet artist. Let the coalitioning commence.
And, for the first time (and not a moment too soon), The Wrecking Ball becomes The Wrecking Balls! Which, okay, sounds like gay porn, but it’s not. Wrecking Ball events are being scheduled on the same night across the country in cities (or ‘niches’, as Harper might say) from Halifax to Victoria. They will be linked up by the most sophisticated (which is to say, cheapest) technological means available, which will create a tide of political inspiration and action from coast to coast to coast to coast to coast! To coast!
Cities include: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. Think of it as One Big Ball. Which, okay, sounds like gay porn, but it’s not.
A hand-picked coterie of Canadian playwrights will create brief, explosive plays inspired by the election: the candidates, their policies, and which party hasn’t bought enough carbon offsets for their belching campaign buses and piggish jets. The playwrights have complete free rein over what they choose to write – the Wrecking Ball’s only goal is to challenge and provoke. Each city will present plays from local artists as well as those from their national brethren. Or sisteren. And all the plays will be no more than a week old, so you know the theatre’s gonna smell fresh.
Proceeds from these PWYC events are going to the Department of Culture. Check them out (or oot, as we say in this country) at www.departmentofculture.ca
At the Ball Nearest You
The TORONTO event includes plays by Judith Thompson, Teresa Pavlinek and Rick Roberts, directed by Vikki Anderson, Kate Lynch,David Jansen and David Ferry. And featuring Hardee Lineham, Ieva Lucs, Fiona Highet, Clinton Walker, Bruce Godfree and Gray Powell among others. The event will be hosted by your local WB crew: David Jansen, Andrew Soren, Lara Robinson, and the incomparably jetlagged Michael Healey. Tarragon Theatre Mainspace Oct 6, 8pm. PWYC.
In VICTORIA meet at The Belfry Arts Centre, 1291 Gladstone St. The Box Office opens at 7pm, with the show at 8pm. You’ll see work by Judith Thompson and Dennis Eberts, among others. With Marcus Youseff slotted to direct one of the plays.
The VANCOUVER edition will take place at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage – 1250 Granville St. Tickets go on sale at 6:00pm and the show starts at 9:00pm following an All-Party Forum and Press Conference which begins at 7pm. Your host will be John Mann from Spirit of the West! And on stage you’ll see new plays by Lucia Frangioni and Judith Thompson and more still to come.
Wanna come in CALGARY? Come to the EPCOR CENTRE’s Jack Singer Lobby, 205 8th Avenue SE. Monday, October 6, 2008, 8:00pm (box office opens at 7pm). Home grown Alberta flavour includes Ken Cameron, Neil Fleming and Ellen Close, plus Judith Thompson and readings from letters and other documents that illuminate the importance of arts and culture in the ongoing election campaign. Calgary directors Stephen Hair, Simon Mallett and Stacie Harrison will collaborate on the pieces with many of Calgary’s most notable actors including Trevor Leigh, Doug McKeag, Valerie Planche, Valerie Ann Pearson, Ryan Luhning, Jamie Konchak, Tyrell Crews, Julie Mortensen and many others.
The WINNIPEG Wrecking Ball will be held at the Prairie Theatre Exchange’s Colin Jackson Studio (Unit Y300-393 Portage Avenue) at 8pm. Check out plays by Judith Thompson, members of the The Royal Liechtenstein Theatre Company, Ellen Peterson, and Michael Nathanson. Box Office opens at 7pm.
OTTAWA will gather at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and Humanities, 314 St. Patrick St. at 8:00pm (get there by 7pm to get your ticket) on Oct 6th. With pieces by Pierre Brault, Judith Thompson, Sarah Migneron and Oni the Haitian Sensation! Kate Hurman and Pierre Brault will be at the directing helm. This Wrecking Ball will be bilingual.
In MONTREAL, you can head to the MainLine Theatre to check out the action. Oct 6th, 8pm, box office opens at 7pm. Details will be posted soon.
HALIFAX’s Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen St.) welcomes the crowds to line up for tickets starting at 7pm on Oct 6th. Doors open at 7.30 and the show will start at 8pm. You’ll learn more about what’s going on there soon.
A MARI USQUE AD MARE
About The Wrecking Ball
The Wrecking Ball was founded in Toronto in November 2004 to address a nagging imbalance: too much theatre in our politics, not enough politics in our theatre. There’ve been six Wrecking Balls cabarets to date, all of which sold out, proving there is an undeniable appetite for politically charged work in this fine land.
Past writers for the Wrecking Ball include: Jason Sherman, Judith Thompson, Karen Hines, Norm Foster, David Young, Michael Healey, Morwyn Brebner, Daniel MacIvor, Hannah Moscovitch, Andrew Moodie, Claudia Dey, Morris Panych, d’bi.young, Linda Griffiths, and many others. COLDAX, a series of political play readings at the Tarragon in the spring of 2004 was such a hit that The Wrecking Ball presented The Silencing of Rachel Corrie at the Tarragon’s Spring Arts Fair in 2005. Check out the website for more information about political theatre throughout the world. www.thewreckingball.ca.
The Wrecking Ball: Election ‘08 is ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
Monday, October 6, 2008
Box Office opens at 7:00pm
Show starts at 8:00pm
Tarragon Theatre, Mainspace,
30 Bridgman Avenue
Toronto, ON
Price: Pay what you can (No advanced sales) – proceeds will go to the www.departmentofculture.ca
- 26 09 2008 - 07:12
