“Noises Off” comedy to open next season for Portal Players, audition dates announced
Portal Players Dramatic Society is gearing up for its next season of plays, and the kickoff comedy is scheduled to be Michael Frayn’s hilarious backstage sendup, “Noises Off”. Directed by Peter Wienold, this farce promises to have audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter throughout its run.
In “Noises Off”, Lloyd Fellowes is the director of a theatre company. He's desperately trying to get his production together, despite the best efforts of the cast, the crew, and Lady Luck. We follow the production from final rehearsals, through opening night, and onto the tour: as with any group of actors forced to work closely together for any great length of time, romances and arguments are bound to break out. Quite often, what's happening on stage is nothing compared to what's happening backstage.
There are roles for 5 adult men and 4 adult women in “Noises Off”, with auditions scheduled for early April. Acting hopefuls should attend auditions on either (or both) April 6 or 8 at 7:00 pm in The Capitol Theatre. Several of the roles require a good level of physical fitness to bounce around the two-storey set.
Also, people interested in working behind the scenes on the backstage crew or in the front of house are encouraged to attend auditions and sign up.
“Noises Off” will open in September of 2010 at The Capitol Theatre. Rehearsals will begin briefly right after the cast is selected, and then in earnest this July.
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Noel Coward's "Nude With Violin” opens February 12
Producer Tanya Horne & Co-Directors Debbie & Derek Burke are pleased to announce that casting has been completed for Nude with Violin. This Noel Coward light comedy is set to open on February 12th.
The cast includes newcomers: Debra Hamilton, Alixzandra Verlaan, Chazz Lazorko & Chuck Shobe.
Moving up from the Stages Youth Program is Dhillon Webster. Returning after a long absence is Brodie Lowe.
Bouncing in after roles in Rocky are: Randi Levasseur, James Brook and Charlotte Wright.
Christopher Bernard is a singing priest again!
Mary Ellen Shimell, Yvette Van Metre, John Milne, Rob Mooney and Terry Switzer make a welcome return to our stage.
In charge of all things visual is our Artistic Director Chris Doman (who is also the set designer & poster designer). Dave McGarry is the lighting designer. Hannele Talkio is in charge of props. Colleen May has the key to the costumes. Jessica Burns has signed on as stage manager!
For more info about this play, please give us a shout! Contact Tanya Horne or the Burkes through The Capitol Theatre at (250) 723-1195 or e-mail to capitoltheatre@shaw.ca.
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Live Improv: THEATRESPORTS on February 27 at 7 pm
Continuing on the popular TheatreSPORTS Challenges that were part of the McLean Mill program on Friday nights last summer, Portal Players is very pleased to present live TheatreSports and Improv at The Capitol Theatre.
TheatreSports returns on Saturday night, February 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. A drop in cost of only $5 gets you into the Capitol Theatre on show night. Concession and refreshments will be available!
Join in the hilarity and watch the actors who are "scared scriptless" - our referee and scorekeeper will join the judges in choosing a winning team. And, this is an all-ages audience event, so you can look forward to plenty of double-entendres!
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Centrestage Presents Tambura Rasa
Tambura Rasa is a world fusion project combining the music of Gypsy, Afro-Latin, Flamenco, Balkan and more. The members are Ivan Tucakov on guitar, Pepe Danza on percussion, Michael Fraser on violin, Trevor Grant on drums, John Bews on bass with Karen Pitkethly Flamenco dancing and Leah Belly dancing. Tambura Rasa play at the Capitol Theatre, Friday, Feb. 26, 7 p.m. Tickets $18 adults, $16 senior/students are available at the Rollin Art Centre. ALL tickets at the door are $20.
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Sound Advice Productions presents
Carlos del Junco and the Blues Mongrels
Wednesday, March 17th at 8:00 pm, tickets
$20 advance and $25 at the door, Capitol Theatre, Port Alberni.
For more info, Contact Sound Advice Music @ 250-723-3057.
Tickets available at Sound Advice Music or The Smoke Stack.
Carlos del Junco is hands down one of finest blues/jazz harmonica players on the planet. "One listen and it’s obvious he’s in a class with such greats as Toots Theilmans, Paul Butterfield and Howard Levy, formerly of Bela Fleck’s Flecktones." Edmonton Journal
Born in Havana Cuba, del Junco (loosely translated "of the reeds") immigrated to Canada as a young child, discovered the harmonica and the rest, as they say, is history. Now a true virtuoso in every sense of the word, del Junco holds not one but two Gold Medals from the Hohner World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen, Germany, as well as multiple national awards.
For erudite “harp” blowers: del Junco plays a ten hole diatonic harmonica, and has developed the unique ability to play chromatically by using an "overblow" technique taught to him by jazz virtuoso Howard Levy which is more expressive and communicative than the mechanized tone produced by the chromatic harmonica. Carlos is one of the few pioneers of this overblow method.
Simply put for the rest of us, Carlos del Junco plays the harmonica like nobody else. Simultaneously sophisticated and raw, his playing blurs the boundaries between blues and jazz (hence the name for his band “The Blues Mongrels”). The emphasis is on blues, but they are not afraid to merrily traipse off in other directions delivering a seamless fusion of New Orleans second line grooves, swing, Latin, hip-hop or ska melodies, to swampy roots rock.
The Blues Mongrels are: bassist Henry Heillig (founded the nine piece Latin band Manteca, musical director for both the Genie and Gemini Awards, toured with pianist Joe Sealy), guitarist Eric St. Laurent, and Mark Mariash on drums. Get ready to trash all you thought you knew about the harmonica. Carlos and his Blues Mongrels deliver a no-holds-barred display of fun and melodic virtuosity.
Also Performing:
Kevin Falkenberg and John Dryden formed the Family Stoned over a few late night recording sessions in 2006.
Dryden, fret-less bass extraordinaire, worked his magic over Falkenberg's vast collection of original material and created a style and sound unlike anything else on the music scene today.
Over the past few years they have welcomed many members into the Family including, Lance Lapointe, Rob BB Armich, Andrew Schmidt, Ryan Connell and Andrew Harper. Each has brought their own flavour of honesty and originality to the music and has made for many unique performances. Thanks also to Pat Stewart.
Known for leaving it all on the stage, The Family Stoned Show is not one to miss. They tear through their originals as well as the songs of Cash, Presley, Waits, Petty, etc. with serious intensity.
Staring down a hail of stones, Kevin Falkenberg and John Dryden have stayed the course in promoting original music and have created something very special in the process.
They have but one message; Do what you believe in... even if it gets you Stoned...
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Centrestage Presents Ed Peekeekoot, First Nations Artist
Ed Peekeekoot is a highly skilled finger-style guitar player with a great ability to entertain audiences. He can play just about anything with strings – including fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and dobro.
Although he has lived on Vancouver Island for the last several years, Ed maintains strong connections with the Ahtahkakoop Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan where he was born and raised. Growing up in a musical family, Ed began playing professionally when he was 16.
Ed has twice been nominated for the BC Country Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year award. His “Two Worlds” tape was nominated for EP of the Year when it was released. One of Ed’s instrumentals, “Land of the Raven” was used as the theme music for a film series called “North American Indian Portraits”. Ed was featured in that series in a film called “Gentleman Cowboy of Honkytonk”. He has recently appeared on the APTN series “Beyond Words”.
In May 2006 Ed was selected by the National Campus and Community Radio Association to appear on the compilation CD with a number of other Aboriginal artists on the CD "Dig Your Roots - Aboriginal" which is number five in the Dig Your Roots series of compilations. The release was followed by national concerts in five locations throughout the country from June 17-29. Each show was broadcast live nationally on participating campus and community radio stations. Please visit www.DigYourRoots.ca, for more information about this project.
Ed’s latest CD, “Dance Tonight” released November 2008 is a collection of the most requested cover tunes from the years of dances Ed has played. Ed says, he’s a happy guy when he’s playing a dance and, at the end of the night, you’ve got a big smile on your face and your feet hurt from dancing.”
Ed’s CD, “in the key of cree” (released in 2006) was nominated for an Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Award in 2008. This CD takes you on a captivating musical journey through one Cree man’s worldview.
Ed also released an acoustic guitar CD, “Front Porch” in November 2005. It’s the kind of laid-back music Ed plays when he’s sitting on the front porch just picking and keeping happy.
Ed Peekeekoot plays at the Capitol Theatre, Friday, March 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets $18 adults, $16 senior/students are available at the Rollin Art Centre. ALL tickets at the door are $20. For tickets and information call Rollin Art Centre at 250-724-3412.
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