The interactive comedy production Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding has been running downtown for 14 years and at the end of May the Vitale and Nunzio family will be joined in holy and hilarious matrimony for the last time.
Photo by: Mischa Bartkow
“Tony and Tina’s Wedding is a Vancouver institution,” said publicist and theatre blogger Rebecca Coleman for my E!Online article last fall. “If you are an actor in Vancouver, you have been through TnT at some point. It’s a great training ground – every night is a different show, because every night is a different audience. It hones your improv skills like nothing else.”
It is the longest running production in Vancouver history and since it all comes to an end in in just a few short weeks I gladly sent off my RSVP when I received my invitation. On Friday I grabbed a date (the lovely Keira-Anne), got all gussied up for an evening wedding, and headed straight to St Andrew’s Wesley Church for the nuptials. After the church service, the entire wedding procession walked over to the reception while the bride got several honks and congratulatory cheers while parading down Burrard and Georgia streets.
Dinner at The Other Space (adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre) is where the real fun began. As this is a fully interactive and participatory show, you will eat, drink, and be very merry while mingling and chuckling with the eclectic cast. Jokes were cracked, bottles were chugged, and my oh my was there a lot of Madonna on the dance floor. It’s a great big Italian celebration and like most other family gatherings, it’s not a stranger drama and plot twists on many levels.
Photo by: Mischa Bartkow
We’re already planning our return to the guest list as it truly makes me sad to realize the production has been around for so long and I’ve never experienced it until now. The Champagne stops flowing at the end of May so I would encourage everyone to get their ticket (or get a group together) for an upcoming performance. Quote promo code TNT loves World Theatre Day when booking up until March 31st and receive 15% off.
World Theatre Day
I briefly noted World Theatre Day in my last link fest and there’s a special Tony n’ Tina tie-in. On March 25th they will have an open rehearsal from 6:00pm – 8:00pm followed by a special World Theatre Day event at The Other Space until midnight. Some cast members will also be participating in the annual pay what you can event March 29th at Performance Works on Granville Island.
Over the last month or so hundreds of events across the region have been presented as a part of the Cultural Olympiad — from Rigoletto at the Vancouver Opera, to art installations, films, Munsch Alley, and countless concerts.
During the final days of the Olympiad many are looking ahead to next year when the focus of the world will be on sport in Vancouver, even though we’ll also have the same massive performing arts schedules to entertain all ages throughout the Lower Mainland.
I had the chance to ask a few questions to Robert Kerr, Program Director of the Cultural Olympiad. I shared pieces of a few weeks ago on E!Online but here are the answers at length:
Rebecca: As there’s much more to the Olympics than the actual Games, especially for a host-City, how is the Cultural Olympiad and its surrounding events becoming a vital part of our local community (whether it’s a year or two in advance or during those two weeks in 2010)?
Robert Kerr: Culture is the second pillar of the Olympic Movement and has been an integral part of the Games since ancient times. The Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad is bringing the “Second Pillar†alive through three annual festivals of arts and popular culture (Feb/Mar of 2008, 2009 & 2010), creating a diverse and dynamic showcase of some of the finest local, national and international artists of our time.
Through our contemporary focus and our partnership approach we are giving voice to a huge cross-section of artists that speak to the culture today in Canada and around the world. Cultural Olympiad 2009 is presenting this year’s edition in partnership with 75 different arts and cultural organizations – large and small, emerging and established. In doing so we have connected with the creative pulse of our community and are reaching out to a large and diverse audience. This year’s 400+ performances and 12 exhibitions will attract over 200,000 people.
Over the course of Cultural Olympiad 2008, 2009 & 2010 we’ll present over 1400 performances and exhibitions. Alongside the live experience we are about to launch an on-line program that will provide an interactive creative space in the digital universe.
Rebecca: How important do you feel it is to celebrate and showcase Canadian talent, in a Canadian city that is so greatly affected by the international entertainment industry, especially that of our neighbours to the South?
Robert Kerr: Celebrating our creative community is an essential part of celebrating ourselves – who we are, what makes us tick, what connects us to our neighbours and what distinguishes us from them. As a port city Vancouver has always been a location for exchange and interaction between peoples and by extension their cultures. At the same time we have always been greater than the sum of our parts, fusing and translating the many influences that wash up on our shore into a unique vision that speaks to this place. Vancouver 2010 presents a precious opportunity where we can bring our talent to the forefront and showcase it to a global audience.
Rebecca: Do you think this will change/effect the City of Vancouver when it comes to multi-day festivals and events like this in the future?
Robert Kerr: The Cultural Olympiad is occurring during a critical period for Vancouver’s cultural community. While the scene here is still developing, still shaping its identity, it has reached a stage of sophistication that gives artists, producers, presenters and audiences the confidence to reach out beyond their safety zones. We are moving well beyond borders of artistic discipline, style and genre to embrace the multi-faceted and often unpredictable nature of creativity. As this happens festivals and events are becoming more fluid and open-minded in their programming, their venues and their format. I hope the Cultural Olympiad can contribute to this process.
We can also look back at Expo 86 and see the impact that major event had on the development of our festival scene and on the Vancouver audience’s appetite for arts and culture – I think the Cultural Olympiad has the same potential, if not more so, to grow events and their audience base. This is the first Winter Olympic Games that have seen a multi-year festival and we did that on purpose, so that we could not only build on the festival year after year, but also build public awareness of the vibrant arts and culture scene here in Vancouver and across Canada.
This weekend you can catch the following shows as the series draws to a close…
Tonight at the Biltmore: Alex Cuba and Zapato Negro
Tonight at the Vancity Theatre: Hockey Nights in Film
Tonight at the Roundhouse: Kokoro Dance and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Tonight at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre: Royal Winnipeg Ballet presents Peter Pan
Opening tonight: Vancouver Anthology (free event)
You can find more on the Cultural Olympiad site, searching by municipality, date or discipline. Also, you won’t be hearing the words “no fun city” from me with regards to a lack of events any time soon.
I’m pretty sure I didn’t fully grasp the scale of the upcoming Juno Awards and its satellite events until I started downloading PDFs and thumbing through the pages upon pages of schedules, venue maps and artist listings.
The actual Awards broadcast will be Sunday March 29th and on top of the Juno Cup, you can catch 100’s of concerts around the city starting Thursday March 26th as a part of the festival events listed below:
Juno Fest
Juno Fest is Friday March 27th and Saturday March 28th. You will be able to purchase tickets or wristbands ($30) for performances at anywhere from the Railway Club, Bourbon Street, Doolins, the Yale, Libra Room, Pub 340 and even the Penthouse (note: these are 19+ venues).
To top it off, all shows have at least 4-5 performances in the line up. Daniel Wesley will be at Richards on Richards, Odds and Armchair Cynics will be at the Roxy, The Cellar will host The Februarys, and Hey Ocean! will be on stage at the Media Club.
There are so many concerts that I can’t possibly list so check out this full PDF (or venue map PDF) or the Facebook event for more details and make sure to clear your schedule that weekend if you’re a fan of live music.
WestJet Street Party
The WestJet Street Party will start Thursday March 26th run right up until Sunday with 3 stages setup downtown around the 800 block of Granville Street. On the Vancouver Radio Stage you’ll be able to catch Hot Hot Heat, Divine Brown, The Trews, and more.
Early bird tickets for this are on sale for $15, you can purchase them from Ticketmaster for $20, or ClubZone as well.
Note: If you have a Juno Fest wrist band I have been told that will get you into the WestJet stage area as well. Also, 300 tickets are being released “at the door”.
The Street Party will also include the Juno Fan Fare on Saturday March 28th from 110:0am until 4:00pm, hosting several autograph/meet n’ greet sessions with the likes of City and Colour, Divine Brown, Faber Drive, Aaron Pritchett, The Trews, The Stills and more. The Juno Fan Fare shows and autograph sessions are *free* for the public.
Whistler Brewing Company presents SUMOs at the JUNOs
Whistler Brewing Company is the exclusive beer supplier for the 2009 Juno Awards and as such they’ll have a presence on Granville during the WestJet Street Party (and will also be hosting some sweet VIP parties). During the Street Party you can stop by their location, hop into a Sumo suit and battle your way to some great prizes.
The winner of their SUMOs at the JUNOs tournament will be handed tickets to the Juno Awards ceremony on Sunday. The Sumo Wrestling competition will be March 27th and 28th from 4-6:30pm, and March 29th from 1:00-3:00pm.
Tickets to the actual ceremonies Sunday evening at GM Place are also still available and I’ll have a liveblog up from the Awards on Sunday as well.
It’s not everyday that one gets invited to the International Dermal Institute so when I was extended an invitation to stop by for face mapping and a treatment, I gladly accepted.
The International Dermal Institute is a teaching facility downtown that helps professional skin therapists learn and practice every facet of skin care imaginable. You can search for courses online, from skin and body treatments, to the business of Dermalogica.
On the day of my visit I was greeted by Paula, one of the instructors, and was given a tour of the Vancouver location (that has breathtaking views of the North Shore). After a quick consultation and a glass of water (with a hint of lemon), Paula performed a face mapping which identified things like fine or dark lines, dryness, pigmentation, breakout activity, redness, and sensitivity. After my reading she was able to tailor a facial treatment to my exact skin type; this included cleansing, exfoliation, and hydration.
After my treatment I received bottles of the product used during my procedure: multi-active toner, special cleansing gel, daily microfoliant, precleanse, multivitamin powerfirm, and sheer tint moisture. My favourites include the microfoliant, which is a powder that is activated with a touch of water for exfoliating, along with the sheer tint moisture. I use a foundation every day but it usually leaves my skin feeling very dry, even when I apply lotion as well. The sheer tint moisture combines these two elements on top of providing spf 15 sun protection.
Geez, look at me – I’ve come a long way in these last few months after being a regular “soap and water” girl my whole life. I’ll be trying the rest of the products in my daily skin care routine although honestly, I’m unsure if I’ll have time for a 6-step process each day. However, since my visit to Dermalogica, I have noticed a reduction in redness and dryness on my face.
Paula informed me that every now and then they host an evening for consumers where you can stop by the Institute to learn some skin-care basics or various other tips and tricks in a workshop-like atmosphere.
For products and information about a location, you can visit the website and type in your postal code. The site is also ultra-informative and provides tidbits about reducing redness, shaving, exfoliation, and uneven skin tones.
On a personal note
Paula is a lovely woman with a very soothing accent so with each step she performed I was not only informed, but I was also very relaxed and at ease — even when I noted my “stress levels” were at 3 of 4. I also appreciated that she spoke at a moderate volume as truth be told, I have hearing loss in my right ear. When regular spa attendants speak with a “calming” whisper I have a very hard time understanding them and in turn, this does not leave me feeling very relaxed at all.
I have yet to start using every product I have received but I look forward to seeing if it helps make a difference – I’ll add an update to this post to share my progress in about two weeks.
Disclosure: I was not paid to write this review, however my visit and the product were courtesy of Dermalogica
I’ve ramped up my history series lately including several little tidbits by request, which is always fun to research and scope out. This afternoon I was browsing VancouverHistory.ca (the ultimate source for archival facts, tales and anecdotes) and I decided to browse the “1909” section. Here’s a taste of what I found out about our city, 100 years ago.
1909…
Did you know the grey squirrels in Vancouver have American ancestors? In 1909, eight pairs were shipped over from New York City and placed in Stanley Park
Part of the Sinclair Centre, The Winch Building (757 West Hastings), was built in 1909
Completed this year, the Dominion Trust Building (across from Victory Square at Hastings and Cambie) was Vancouver’s first skyscraper
Construction started this year on the Hospital for the Mind, later renamed Essondale, now Riverview Hospital
The Cecil Hotel opened up on Granville Street
In June, the first moving picture theatre in North Vancouver opened at Larson’s Pavilion
In May, 9th avenue was renamed Broadway after the famous street in Manhattan, in order to be more appealing to American investors
In October, Surrey’s first bank branch opened up – it was a Bank of Montreal
Read more at VancouverHistory.ca and seriously consider sponsoring an entire year in Chuck Davis’ book. I tried to get my birth year but it was already taken, but I think it would be a fantastic investment.
