Lecture and Reading Salon
INFLUENCY WEST
Tuesday November 10, evening
W2 Perel Gallery, 112 W. Hastings
also Wed Oct 28
InfluencyWest is a unique lecture and reading salon presented by the Kootenay School of Writing. The sessions during the Festival feature local writers Larissa Lai, Rita Wong and Kim Duff who will read a book of poetry to prepare for the evening’s guest poet. In the week after a lecture/reading, registered participants are encouraged to compose written responses and post to the InfluencyWest blog, or orally present their responses to increase the complexity and dynamism of the dialogue. An introductory session takes place Wed Oct14. InfluencyWest marks the return of the Kootenay School of Writing to their former digs at 112 W. Hastings, where they operated for many years alongside Or Gallery. For more information and registration: www.kswnet.org.
Panel Discussion
MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE?
Forming Community Partnerships
Friday November 13, 7pm-9pm
Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender
How do you form a network of partnerships to support community arts projects? What are the issues surrounding partnerships with social agencies, schools, parks boards, neighbourhoods and global organizations? How do you safeguard an artistic vision while respecting your partners’ agendas? How can community partners support you in entering unknown and possibly risky social territory? Panelists include Judith Marcuse (Co-Director, International Centre of Arts for Social Change), jil p. weaving (Vancouver Parks Board), Dafne Blanco (Headlines Theatre) and Ruth Howard (Jumblies Theatre). Presented by the DTES Arts4All Institute. Free
Art Talk
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? with Ruth Howard
Thursday November 12, 7pm-9pm
Carnegie Community Centre Theatre
401 Main
Join Ruth Howard for an Arts4All introduction for everybody to learn about community plays in Toronto and beyond, and pick up a few tips on principles and practices of community-engaged arts. Visiting artist Ruth Howard has designed community plays across Canada, produced community operas in Toronto and developed mentoring programs. She is Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre, a company based in Toronto who makes art in everyday and unexpected places with, for and about the people and stories found there, creating transient utopias and lasting ripples. Presentation, video clips and lots of time for questions and discussion. Presented by the DTES Arts4All Institute. Free
Films/Art Talk
AN EVENING OF TALK AND DOCUMENTARIES
Saturday November 14, 6pm-10pm, Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main
The DTES Arts4All Institute is pleased to present an evening of talk and documentaries that demonstrate exciting examples of community-engaged arts practice in Canada and beyond. Presented in cooperation with Documentaries for Thinkers, the popular program coordinated by Colleen Carroll with Humanities 101. Free
6pm-8pm Films include: Dignity and Grace, The Story of the Eramosa Community Play –
an Ontario community play spearheaded by Dale Hamilton that sparked a movement across Canada; Something from Nothing, telling the story of Runaway Moon theatre’s Enderby and District Community Play that inspired In the Heart of the City: the Downtown Eastside Community Play; Bringing Shadows Into Light, Cease Wyss’ film about the making of Vancouver Moving Theatre’s community arts project We’re All In This Together: The Shadows Project – Addiction and Recovery; and Jumblies Theatre’s community play Cups for Everyone, and Oh the World will Grow Younger which explores the history of Toronto’s Jewish Left and Camp Naivelt, a socialist, secular Jewish summer community.
8pm A Big, Big Picture: Art for Social Change Around the World
Join Judith Marcuse, an artist and activist, who will talk about her exciting work with Vancouver’s International Centre of Art for Social Change. As part of her talk, Judith will show Desperatar, a documentary about the first International Earth Symposium held in Vancouver that saw 300 delegates from 23 countries gather for arts for social change. Hear how the arts reconnect people with themselves and others, and why people participate in community arts.
9 pm – Stock Characters: The Cooking Show and P O W E R
Elaine Carol of MISCELLANEOUS Productions – an East Vancouver community-engaged organization that collaborates with culturally diverse multi-barriered youth – presents and discusses Demo Reels of two documentaries that provide insight into the artistic process of the MISCELLANEOUS Productions, Stock Characters and POWER.
Panel Discussion
MAKING ROOM AT THE TABLE
Diversity in Community Arts
Tuesday November 17, 7pm-9pm
Gallery Gachet, 88 E. Cordova
How do you ensure that your community arts project reflects the diversity of your community? How do you build a truthful, honest and safe process where all contributions are strong and valued? Lina De Guevara, Chilean-born Artistic Director of Victoria’s Puente Theatre, will look at practical strategies to embed diversity in a project from day one. Rosemary Georgeson, whose family has been intertwined with the Downtown Eastside since it was beach, trees and clam beds and who has worked on a number of DTES community art projects, will look at navigating and negotiating the whole multi-cultural spectrum of a community and the diverse protocols that make its varied groups feel safe and welcome. Additional speakers to be announced. There will be lots of opportunity for questions and contributions from the audience. Presented by the DTES Arts4All Institute in cooperation with Gallery Gachet. Everyone welcome. Free
Forum Theatre
AFTER HOMELESSNESS…
Friday November 20, 8pm 2-for-1 preview
Firehall Arts Centre Theatre, 280 E. Cordova
November 21 to 29, 8pm
after homelessness… asks questions. It asks questions about people living in unsafe structures with little or no social support; about SROs and money. It asks questions about expectations, about safety, about frustration; it questions why society’s hands seem tied.
Artistic Director and Joker David Diamond leads a cast of six in this story of affordable and safe housing in the Lower Mainland. Created and performed by people living issues of homelessness and mental health, the play draws on real life experiences to produce affecting performances.
This production is Headlines Theatre’s third foray into making theatre to create policy: the company has received written agreements from a number of governing bodies and NGOs to use the project in their research strategies on homelessness and mental health. This form of theatre encourages community involvement in producing ideas to help shape policy decisions.
As a means of engaging the public in a dialogue about homelessness and mental health, after homelessness… will invite the audience up on stage to explore possible solutions to the crisis in the city. Tickets: $10 + $2 service charge at the Firehall box office, call 604-689-0926.
Workshops/Performance
DTES COMMUNITY GAMELAN PROJECT
“Taster” Session Saturday November 28, 1pm-4pm
Carnegie Centre, 401 Main
Workshops Sunday November 29 to Tuesday December 1
11am-4pm, InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings
Performance Tuesday December 1, 5pm-6pm
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings
The DTES gamelan project is a community engaged music workshop coordinated by students of the University of British Columbia and made possible through partnership with the UBC School of Music, the UBC Learning Exchange, the Portland Hotel Society and the Downtown Eastside Centre for the Arts. Drawing upon the highly communal and accessible tradition of Indonesian gamelan—an ancient form of music-making utilizing various metallophones, gongs and drums played in large groups—the project engages UBC students and members of the community in creative learning through playing, listening, improvising and collaborative composition. The project culminates in a short performance for the community by the project’s participants. For more information: communitygamelan@yahoo.com. Free
Workshop
THE WRITERS JAMBOREE
MAKING YOURSELF KNOWN AS A WRITER
Thursday November 19 and Friday November 20, 1pm-8pm
Carnegie Community Centre 3rd floor, 401 Main
General time frame for both days:
Blue Pencil Cafe, 1pm-3pm
Round Tables, 3pm-6pm
Author readings, 7pm-8:30pm
Would you like a half- hour session with well-known authors who will look at two pages of your writing? Sign up for a Blue Pencil Café slot at the Carnegie Library. Are you curious to hear award-winning authors read from their books and talk about how they made themselves known as writers? Come and ask them your questions. Are you ready to publish your work in magazines? Get the inside story from a Publishers Round Table. Come and share ideas with writers from the Downtown Eastside and from The Writer’s Studio. Learn about our new Jamboree Writing Contest with Geist Magazine and how you can submit your work. Be part of our gala DTES and The Writer’s Studio Jamboree Reading on the evening of November 20. Hosts are the Writer’s Studio of SFU Harbour Centre, Friends of the Vancouver Public Library, Vancity and Carnegie Centre. For information visit www.thewritersstudio.ca and click on Writer’s Jamboree. Or pick up a leaflet with all the details at the Carnegie Reading Room. Free