Alexa Devine, Russell Roberts
& Laara Sadiq by David Cooper

The following was contributed by Miss604.com guest theatre blogger, Megan Stewart

It was a hard play to watch. “Not a fun play,” were my thoughts as the lights came up. Yet, there I sat, riveted in my seat, captivated by the suffering of three characters who were failing to come to grips with what they’d done during war. Touchstone has put on a strong production about conflict’s human collateral.

For Palace of the End, playwright Judith Thompson has written three monologues, each fictional but drawn on recent history and the actions of real people who became significant players in the story of Iraq since the Baathist coup that put Saddam in control in 1979. Torture is at the centre of these three lives; the language is graphic, and the imagery visceral.

I think we all remember Lynndie England. Whether or not her name rings a bell, who could forget the U.S. Army soldier who was photographed giving the thumbs-up at Abu Ghraib prison while naked Iraqis were dog-piled at her feet. The tragedy of this girl’s life, Thompson suggests, is her hick ignorance and naïve patriotism. This is an easy trope, considering Lynndie must spell her full name aloud—letter by letter—and was repeatedly fired from a West Virginia Dairy Queen because she couldn’t master serving frozen treats. She hopes her life story will be told through that bastion of American high art, the made-for-TV movie.

But the production and actor Alexa Devine grant depth to this character, revealing a lonely and pregnant girl desperate for validation. Devine brings a needed, well-timed comic touch since the character she plays has not known love or meaningful human contact and is haunted by the tenderness of one man’s neck—an Iraqi terrorist, she must remind herself— who she walked like a dog, leash in one hand, M16 in the other, and a smile ready for the cameraman.

Next we meet Dr. David Kelly, the U.N. weapons inspector who in 2003 pointed out the inaccuracies in the military intelligence on weapons of mass destruction. Russell Roberts plays this role, balancing bewilderment with softspoken, childlike optimism. The prescient line, “Perhaps I knew something I didn’t know I knew,” is a direct reference to Donald Rumsfeld’s “known unknowns.” A portrait of the past Secretary of Defense hangs on Lynndie’s office wall.

The third monologue takes us back nearly 30 years as Nehrajs Al-Saffarh, the widow of the leader of the Community Party, remembers Saddam’s Baathist coup. She tells us that we cannot understand the terror of life under Saddam—only those who experienced it can testify. Indeed, she says, “We were inside hell.” Laara Sadiq is excellently cast as Nehrajs and she brings vigour and dimension to this tale of ultimate loss and shame.

The score (sound design by Brian Linds) is heavy at times and dramatizes the internal states of mind of the characters. Likewise, the lighting (John Webber) points out the characters’ strife and self-doubt. And the unexpected shock that comes in the play’s closing minutes is excellently executed by the creative team at Thouchstone. The audience was visible shaken, as if further traumatized by a challenging play.

Palace of the End runs this week until Saturday, June 6 at the PAL Theatre in Coal Harbor. Tickets are $16 to $26. Showtime from Tuesday to Saturday is at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday.

Megan Stewart is an independent reporter currently at the UBC graduate school of journalism. She has covered arts across Canada and Australia and also writes for Newslab.ca.

The City of Vancouver’s Heritage Awards, which took place last week, showcase heritage conservation projects and highlight when best efforts have been made to restore, preserve, and maintain icons of our city’s history. This also includes efforts to revitalize communities and neighbourhoods.

Here are just a few of the winning projects:

610 Granville Street – The Hudson
An Award of Recognition for restoring the two primary facades of the BC Electric Showroom, for retaining and restoring the additional facade of the Hunter Brothers Block, and protecting the St. Regis Hotel and Gotham Steakhouse. Awards were presented to Wall Financial Corporation, Macdonald Development Corporation, Stantec Architecture Ltd. and McGinn Engineering & Preservation Ltd.

Arts and Crafts Building, 576 Seymour Street
An Award of Recognition for restoring the storefront and the mezzanine, re-opening it to the street and adapting new retail and office uses. Awards were presented to owner Terry Pejan, David Hepworth of SITU Design, Hi-Fi Centre and VPAC Construction.

Paris Block before, and after

Chinese Freemasons Building, 5 West Pender Street
An Award of Recognition for the rehabilitation of the exterior, its contribution to the Carrall Street Greenway and incorporating seniors housing which will bring diversity and vitality to the area. Awards were presented to owner Pip Peri Pembo Management Ltd., Joe Y. Wai Architect, Commonwealth Historic Resource Management and Makam Construction Ltd.

The South Granville Business Improvement Association received recognition “for the celebration and public awareness generated by its festivities and public awareness efforts: installing heritage plaques, compiling a photo archive, holding a centennial event, and dedicating a time capsule.”

Lisa Smedman was recognized for her book, Vancouver, Stories of a City, awards were given to the Vancouver Art Gallery and Fred Herzog for Fred Herzog: Vancouver Photographs, and the City Reflections: 1907 – Vancouver – 2007 DVD by the Vancouver Historical Society was also honored.

Big thanks to Jason for informing me of this event and following up with links and info.

While planning our trip to San Francisco I put the call out on Twitter for recommendations and was told that @Kimpton would be a great choice. Just as soon as I replied to the referrer, Kimpton was adding me on Twitter and I setting up my reservation. I ended up booking our stay with the Serrano Luxury Boutique Hotel as Duane and Dale had already reserved a room there. However, Kimpton has over half a dozen boutique hotels in San Francisco alone so there were definitely many options available.

I came to learn that each Kimpton Hotel has a theme and for the Serrano it was “fun and games”. Our hotel mini bar had an etch-a-sketch, cards, a yo-yo, and a wooden snake puzzle that had me going for days until Duane solved it before we left.

The room for John and I was amazing to say the least. We had a big king-sized bed, minibar, iPod clock radio, and a LCD TV in the bedroom then in the living room we had a desk/workstation, another entertainment center, another fridge, and a hide-a-bed couch. The wifi was also complimentary if you signed up for Kimpton’s In Touch program although it wasn’t very speedy for us at times.

The bathroom was huge as well, complete with a jacuzzi tub, leopard print robes, Aveda products and a digital scale. John and I ended up stopping by the Lush store in Union Square to pick up a bath bomb so we could make the most of the tub after walking around the city all afternoon (a custom we enjoyed when we stayed on Saltspring).

Down in the lobby, which had elegant decor mixed with lots of seating space, there was a wine reception each evening at 5:00pm. Boardgames were stationed around tables, armchairs and couches including Scrabble, Life, backgammon, Sorry, checkers, chess, and there was plenty of opportunities to simply relax and enjoy the atmosphere… in the hotel lobby — which I know sounds strange but it really worked.

On Sunday Dale scooped up Jenga and we had a fun tournament in our room (where I believe I became the grand Jenga master champion… by beating Dale who beat everyone else).

The location was good, however if you’re walking there at night from the BART station I would recommend taking certain routes over others. We walked pretty much everywhere and were able to catch the cable car a few times to get to further points of interest so it was definitely conveniently located.

I was offered a tour of the hotel however schedules didn’t match up (my bad) but everyone I dealt with that the hotel and the company was very pleasant.

Tired from a few days of walking for hours on end (and conquering hills, my goodness the hills) Duane inquired about transportation to the airport when we were checking out. The concierge listed several detailed options and we all decided to take a town car to the airport. Sure, BART would have been under $10 each but for $15 each we would get to sit back, relax, and enjoy a relaxing ride. When the driver pulled up to the hotel it turns out he was taking his brand new luxury van for a spin so for the same price we got to enjoy its comforts for our final journey through town. This included iPod jacks (with bluetooth headphones), digital television, XM radio, cushy leather seats and candy – yes, candy.

The experience at the Serrano made it seem like much more than a simple room to store our stuff, with a bed to rest our heads. We were able to invite our friends up for games nights but also have our own relaxing time together in a quiet room.

Next time we’re in San Francisco I would definitely stay with a Kimpton Hotel – or lookup a Kimpton if we’re traveling elsewhere in North America. We had amazing pastries at the cafe under the Hotel Triton, John Biehler had a good stay at the Harbor Court, and the Hotel Palomar‘s bustling location was appealing. In Vancouver, Kimpton operates the Pacific Palisades Hotel off Robson. Kimpton Hotels are also pet-friendly.

tripleman on Flickr / tripleman.com

Canada Place would like to know why you love Canada and what you feel makes it the best home for you with their Our Canada campaign.

Until June 21st they would like you to submit up to 50 words about what Canada is to you — what is your Canadian identity. You can enter your “Why I Love Canada” message online or by texting (604) 767-9990. A panel of “Canadian luminaries” will present the responses on Canada Day at Canada Place, noting the top three themes across the nation.

“We know Canadians are proud of their country and we’re starting a national conversation to uncover what defines us as Canadians,” said Mike Shardlow, President & CEO, Canada Place Corporation. “Since our inception at Expo ’86, Canada Place has been a symbol of national pride and now we’re calling on the Canadian people to tell us what they love about Canada.”

Another way to participate is by tagging your uber-Canadian photos on Flickr with the words “Our Canada” and they could be used by Canada Place in future promotions (permissions/compensation would be discussed with the photographer).

Do Vancouverites really hike and ski in the same day while having skin made of GORE-TEX? Do all Canadians say “EH” and “aboot” while talking about bacon and hockey? The goal all around is to seek out Canada’s identity for 2009 and see what the people of this country consider to be unique and special with regards to their truly Canadian culture and way of life. Submit your theme and you can also follow @Our_Canada on Twitter for updates.

On Friday June 12th the Vancouver Aquarium will host their annual fundraising gala, Night at the Aquarium.

Tickets are available online for $250 and you can preview the silent auction items online as well. 100 percent of the proceeds from this event will go to the aquarium.

The evening will feature delectable dining options from Ocean Wise restaurants such as: Aqua Riva, Bishop’s, Blue Water Cafe & Raw Bar, C Restaurant, Culinary Capers Catering, Grouse Mountain: The Observatory, A Kettle of Fish, Le Gavroche Restaurant, O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar, Vancouver Aquarium Catering, Wild Rice, Zen Japanese Restaurant, and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.

Over the last few years I have become re-acquainted with the Vancouver Aquarium and the work that they do. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend events, talk to staff, and even tour the jellyfish labs to learn more. Their mission is clear as they remain dedicated to research, conservation and education. Through the work that they do in Vancouver, across the province, through Ocean Wise, and things like the Shoreline Cleanup, I believe they are an organization worth supporting.