Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Arts Briefs

Whistler the play, act one, scene one

Whistler History will become a staged event thanks to the partnership of MY Millennium Place and Whistler Theatre Project setting a new live stage play into action with the hiring of a Canadian screenwriter to pen the living history.

“The concept of live theatre celebrating the soul of Whistler really resonated with me,” said Dennis Marriott, general manager of MY Place.

Marriott focused the development resources of MY Place to transform the dream of an original live theatre performance celebrating the history, character and challenges of building a mountain resort and community into a reality.

After 18 months of dreaming Marriott, with support from the Whistler Theatre Project, was able to commission writer Leslie Mildiner to develop a treatment or concept document for the proposed show called Living History in Whistler.

Mildiner is most famously known for his award-winning adaptation of George Orwell’s Coming Up For Air at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, as well as the books for the hit musicals Wang Dang Doodle – The Harlem Musical and All Grown Up, produced at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver. Both plays have also broken numerous box office records in Canada. Most recently, he wrote the script for Debt – the Mu$ical, slated for 2007-08 at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver. For television, he wrote for award-winning shows such as Yvon of the Yukon, What About Mimi?, Something Else and Class of the Titans. He also has two novels to his credit.

Living History in Whistler will be Whistler’s first locally commissioned theatrical work, which Marriott hopes will premiere by 2009 with national and international tours envisioned.

Quebec and B.C. in one chorus

The Whistler Children’s Chorus joins a Quebec choir from École Cure-Antoine-Labelle to make beautiful music together concert on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Mountains Church.

The Quebec choir also performs solo Sunday, March 4 at 3:30 p.m. at the Village Gazebo in front of The Mountain Club.

The two groups will come together in a cultural exchange sponsored by the SEVEC Youth Exchanges Canada program. The program is aimed at youth groups between the ages of 12 and 17 years old from various provinces and territories across Canada.

The Whistler and Quebec choirs are participating in an eight-day exchange of culture and fun.

“This is a clear example of a successful community partnership where families, businesses and schools/organizations have joined forces to encourage personal growth, community pride and a greater understanding of our Canadian heritage,” said Janet Hamer, co-director of the Whistler choir.

The groups will engage in a myriad of events over the weeklong exchange, showcasing Whistler’s diversity and culture. The Whistler choir has participated in two previous exchanges, traveling to Georgetown, Ontario as well as Pictou County, Nova Scotia. Quebec will be added to the list later this year.

Until then, French and English songbirds come together for two public performances in Whistler. Admission is free to both shows.

Anyone who attended the inaugural Battle of the Bands last year was absolutely blown away with the incredible backroom talent that stepped out of the dark corners of their garage rehearsal halls and songwriting bedrooms, and onto the modest stage at the youth centre at MY Millennium Place.

Bands and soloists were rock stars for their 20-minute sets that drew packed crowds. The energy was infectious and the talent, ranging from folk to rock to hip hop to punk, was sublime.

And that is why more bands are jumping on the Battle of the Bands showcase with the second annual event wrapping up Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2 at the Rainbow Theatre located behind the Telus Conference Centre.

“Each year the mix will be unique,” said Kiran Pal-Pross, event organizer. “Wherever in the world they’re from at our Battle of the Bands they are representing Sea to Sky talent and energy.”

But Battle of the Bands is more than a great live show. It’s a forum to encourage and support up and coming musicians. This is one of the few forums in town that challenges musicians to stray from the usual cover sets. Originals are a must for this original Sea to Sky showcase.

The showcase will give bands great exposure to live audiences as well as industry professionals such as Neil Shankman, CEO of REMG Entertainment Corporation. Shankman is one of the four judges on the 2007 Battle of the Bands panel. His Toronto-based company is the largest independent concert promotion and event marketing company in Canada. REMG has produced and promoted concerts and tours for the likes of Black Eyed Peas, Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Jamiroquai and K-OS. Shankman is both a producer and pianist who attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.

The rest of the judging panel hits closer to home, with G Willy, a.k.a. Greg Manuck, who has roamed the rock/folk scene for more than 25 years; Rob Michaels, an announcer for Mountain FM; and Jana Marie Dupuis, the keys and vocals behind Kostaman.

Along with exposure, a top act will be awarded a live show at Merlin’s, an interview and live air play on Mountain FM and a music gift certificate from Katmandu.

So far registered bands ranging from blues and punk to hip hop and folk include Slush, Headland, Jipsea E. Lee, The Chambo Graham Show, Animal Nation, Susan Holden and Pasqual Stufano.

Registration for the LUNA-run event is $15. To register, call Kate at 604-938-7394.

Finalists will be announced March 1 with finalists performing March 2 when a winner will be announced.

Shows begin at 8 p.m. sharp with doors open at 7:30 p.m. Audience admittance is $5.50.

 

Filmmaker Showdown sweetens prize pot with $2,000 plus

So what is up with the new $50 registration fee with the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival’s Filmmaker Showdown — a 72-hour filmmaking marathon?

The fee is the fault of the filmmaker. They are making such good films, the profile of one of Whistler’s most popular filmmaking events grows in leaps and bounds every year and festival organizers wanted to up the anti for this year’s competition by awarding a minimum of a $2,000 cash purse to the winner — a first for the event.

“The profile of the event is growing and it’s earning a reputation globally as a quality filmmaking event with professional and industry-insiders from across the country lining up to take part,” said Lisa Richardson, festival spokesperson. “The $50 fee for entry this year is recognition of the amount of energy and investment filmmakers put into their work for this competition.”

All entry fees will contribute to the winning purse, so depending on how many teams register, the cash prize might be more than $2,000. The cash prize will lead to the top filmmaker or team taking home $15,000 in prizes.

“A $2,000 cash prize could be pretty significant seed money for someone ambitious to go on to a bigger celluloid success,” Richardson said.

The Filmmaker Showdown challenges filmmaking teams to produce, shoot and edit a three to five minute digital short film in 72 hours. The competition has launched many emerging filmmakers into the industry, with previous winners moving on to screen for the Directors Guild of Canada, the 2003 Squaw Valley Film Festival and the 2003 World of Comedy International Film Festival in Toronto.

A panel, which narrows the submissions to eight finalists, first reviews the films. The finalists are then screened to a public audience of more than 2,000 people at the Showdown showcase where a panel of industry professionals crown the winner.

The review panel this year includes Tara Hungerford, a Leo-nominated writer and director; Paul Armstrong, producer of the Celluloid Social Club; Anthony Vitali, WhiteOut Films producer; and Zaib Shaikh, Little Mosque on the Prairie star and co-founder of the Whistler Theatre Project.

Industry judges for the finals include Bruce Sweeney, writer and director of Last Wedding and American Venus; actor Terry David Mulligan; Kevin Eastwood, producer of The Delicate Art of Parking and Fido; and film critics Kevin Eastwood and Katherine Monk.

Advanced registration is recommended. The deadline for guaranteed entry is April 3.

To register, visit whistler2007.com.

 

Learning about spirit guides

Have you ever had an idea come out of the blue or felt that some inner voice was guiding your decisions?

Learn how to tune into those bursts of inspiration by learning about the spirit guide phenomenon at Meet Your Spirit Guides Thursday, March 1 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at The Oracle in Whistler Village.

The Spirit Guide workshop includes a guided meditation and visual journey to put participants in touch with their guides and help open the doors to communication between the worlds.

Oracle workshops are hosted by owner Kelly Oswald who facilitates a number of drop-in classes each month. Other workshops to look forward to include The Secret Movie and Vision Board Workshop March 4 at MY Millennium Place; and Intuition: Feel it, Use It, Trust It March 5 at The Oracle. Guest-hosted workshops for March include Vince Gowmon’s Remembering to Play!: A Simple and Joyful Pathway to Our Authentic Self March 8 and Elke Siller Macartney’s What’s new in the Aura March 10 at The Oracle.

Most workshops are $10.

Classes always sell out, so register early by calling 604-905-0084.

 

Golden-Globe-nomination performance in next Reel Alternatives flick

Kate Winslet shines in the next Reel Alternatives hit film, Little Children , Wednesday, March 7 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at Village 8 Cinemas. Her performance was nominated for a Golden Globe.

“The best film I’ve seen all year,” raved Leonard Maltin of ET. “Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson are extraordinary, expressing all the nuances and colours of their characters — and the sparks that fly between them.”

Reel Alternatives is presented by the Whistler Film Festival and Village 8 Cinemas to expose film audiences to the best in independent films.

Little Children is the latest work from Oscar-nominated writer and director Todd Field. The film, based on a novel by Tom Perrotta, centres on a handful of young married couples whose lives intersect on the playgrounds, town pools and streets of their small community in surprising and potentially dangerous ways.

“Stunning, rare and intelligent from start to finish,” wrote Rex Reed of The New York Observer.

Other Reel Alternative films to look forward to for March and April include The Lives of Others (March 21), Unnatural and Accidental (April 11), and Monkey Warfare (April 25).

Tickets are $6.50 for Reel Alternative members and $8.50 for non-members. Membership is $4.

For more information, visit whistlerfilmfestival.com.