BREAKING INTO THE BIZ FORUM 2007
Saturday November 10 • Chinese Cultural Centre boardroom, 50 E. Pender
Sunday November 11 • Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender
In association with Vancouver Moving Theatre
Two days of information-sharing, discussion, learning and fun tailored for Downtown Eastside community actors. Pre-registration is required for the skill building and information workshops. The workshops are on making our art, earning our living, supporting our community and creating a healthy environment in which to do our work. Working artists, with special expertise in the topics, will lead each session. The forum is coordinated by Savannah Walling.
A light lunch will be provided. A non-refundable fee of $10 total for two days must be paid in advance. Phone 604-254-6911 to register. Maximum 25 participants. The Saturday afternoon panel discussion is open to the public and free on a first come, first served basis.
Saturday November 10
Chinese Cultural Centre boardroom, 50 E. Pender
9:30am – 10am Coffee and muffins
10am - noon
WHAT IS MY ROLE? ENSEMBLE SKILLS
with Mike Stack
When we become involved in a play, we each become important members of a creative ensemble working towards a common goal. The team must function with a semblance of unity, lest the entire venture collapse. Many questions, and potential conflicts, arise: how do we build that ensemble feeling? what are the performer’s responsibilities in relationship to the director and the rest of the ensemble? what is expected of me, and how can I best contribute? This workshop will address many questions in a hands-on, playful format involving discussion as well as theatre exercises that help us to build trusting, respectful relationships in the rehearsal hall. Actor Mike Stack teaches and directs numerous programs for young people, including the Young Shakespeareans Summer Workshops at Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. He’s acted for most of Vancouver’s theatre companies, most recently touring internationally with Axis Theatre’s hit comedy The Number 14.
Noon - 1pm Lunch
1pm - 3pm
THE SINGING ACTOR – INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE
with Andy Toth
If you can speak, you can sing, if you can think, you can act, but can you do it all at the same time? In this fast-paced workshop we’ll cover the simple basics of breathing, sounding, resonating and releasing the voice in song. We’ll then learn to sing an old standard from an actor’s perspective, and how to break it down and reassemble it for performance. Finally, we touch on potential risks associated with being a singing actor and how to care for the voice when you’re using it five days a week! Actor/singer Andy Toth was seen recently at the Firehall in Urinetown the Musical and at the Arts Club Theatre in Company. Andy has taught singing and acting at Arts Umbrella and Capilano College, and currently teaches musical theatre at the Richmond Academy of Dance.
3pm - 3:30pm Break
3:30pm - 5:30pm
PRODUCING 101 PANEL
with Renae Morriseau, Irwin Oostindie, Terry Hunter and moderator Amir Ali Alibhai
Want to get your cultural projects launched? Hit a bigger audience? Produce a play, concert, or festival? A small benefit concert or a mega event? Learn from cultural workers with a range of experiences. Learn about: creating a mandate and vision, objectives and timelines to build your audience, budgets to match your resources and scale and surprising promotional strategies. Hear first-hand from experts who will share their tips and pitfalls. Irwin Oostindie has curated exhibits at Gallery Gachet, and produced conferences and festivals; Renae Morriseau has produced musical and theatrical events and has worked with broadcasters, filmmakers and community video artists to promote and distribute their work, and Terry Hunter produces the Heart of the City Festival and events for Vancouver Moving Theatre. This panel is open to the public. Free.
Sunday November 11
Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender
9:30am - 10am Coffee and muffins
10am - noon
BUTOH ZEN JAZZ MOVEMENT
with Jay Hirabayashi
Movement training develops strength, flexibility, balance and performance skills. In this workshop, we’ll look at how to care for the body and move with clarity, focused intention and a fully awakened imagination. In the butoh approach to dance, every body is a perfect body. Each person finds their own way of dancing through a process of guided improvisations which stimulate our bodies and subconscious to respond in movement. Jay’s approach derives from his years as a competitive downhill skier, combined with his studies in Buddhist philosophy and butoh – a modern dance form born out of devastated post-World War II Japan. In addition to teaching at Harbour Dance Centre, Jay is executive director of the Vancouver International Dance Festival and Kokoro Dance, which he co-founded 1986 in the Downtown Eastside. Kokoro fuses aesthetics of East and West, taking its name from the Japanese word Kokoro – meaning heart, soul and body.
Noon - 1pm Lunch
1pm - 3pm
A CRASH COURSE IN STAND-UP COMEDY
with David Granirer
Contrary to popular belief, being funny isn’t just something you’re born with; it’s a skill you can develop. In this workshop we’ll analyse video clips, learn joke-writing formulas used by top comics, and look at what makes a good stand-up act. This class is great for beginners or advanced performers. David Granirer is a counsellor, stand-up comic, speaker, and author of The Happy Neurotic: How Fear and Angst Can Lead To Happiness and Success. He has taught stand-up comedy to recovering drug addicts and cancer patients, and is the founder of Stand Up For Mental Health, a project teaching stand-up comedy to people with mental illness that was featured in the CBC documentary Cracking Up.
3pm - 3:30pm Break
3:30pm - 5:30pm
BREAKING INTO THE FILM BIZ
with Michael Bean
A whirlwind overview of Vancouver’s film and television industry: including info on talent agents, getting extra work and tips for working as a film actor. After a brief Q&A with Michael, participants will spend the second half of the session getting some quick on-camera practice. Two brave participants will do an audition-demo and everyone will get the opportunity to try a short script on-camera. Handouts will cover the basic points, also available at www.bizstudio.ca/resources.html after the session. Michael Bean is a working actor, principal acting coach at the DTES Biz Studio and author of Confidence on Camera: A Practical Handbook for Young Actors.