Projects

Current

• Instant Shop Presents: Conservatory Live!

Future

• Yung Men
• New Show (Winnipeg)

Past

• Can't Get Started (Winnipeg)
• The Horrible Friends: World Tour! (Winnipeg)
• The Suckerpunch (Ottawa, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Victoria, Vancouver)
• Illuminati: The Musical (Winnipeg)
• Clued-In (Calgary)
• The Paperbag Princess & More (Winnipeg & Rural Manitoba)
• The Horrible Friends: For the First Time, For the Last Time (Winnipeg)
• The Weirdest One In The World (Winnipeg)
• Unequal Harvest (Winnipeg & Victoria)
• When The Killer Mutant Lizards Attack (Winnipeg & Victoria)
• Habitat (Winnipeg)
• Neighbours (Winnipeg)
• 2009 Fem Fest: One Night Stand (Winnipeg)
• Life in a Box (Winnipeg & Edmonton)
• Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare (Winnipeg)
• Saint Joan (Winnipeg)
• Billy Bishop Goes To War
• Paper Jack
• Identity.com

 Current Projects

Sunday, February 12th at the Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright St, Vancouver, BC)

This night marks the first performances from all 6 of the winter 2012 Conservatory Ensembles. The ensembles have been working with Taz Vanrassel, Aaron Merke and Alistair Cook since the beginning of January to create 6 amazing long form performances. There will be two shows in one night so feel free to come out for both. BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE IMPROV!

The 7:30 show ---

PEP RALLY
Featuring: Jordan Moore`, Cameron MacLeod, Marcel Perro, Jeffery Sanders, Beth Garner, Megan Phillips, Joe Tucker, Tyler weber, Zoe Middleton and Rachel Smith.

BINGO INJURY
Featuring: Ryan Whyte, Emmelia Gordon, Jullian Kolstee, Zosia Cassie, Dejan Loyola, Michael Unger, Mathew Holloway, Dan Willows and Jordan Boivin.

PUNCH.KICK.DUCK
Featuring: Bradley Duffy, Michael DeMaria, Cameron Anderson, Chris Wilson, Naomi Vogt, Bryan Nothling, Allison Quiller, Brent Hirose, Allison Deal, Chip Ellis and Lauren McGibbon.

 

THE 9:30 show ---

DASHING ON THE ROCKS
Featuring: Nadiya Chettiar, Clifford Upham, Jim Miller, Michael Markowsky, Katie Coupland, Curtis Grahauer, Ayma Letang, Stephanie Tennant and Elinza Pretorius 

ZAZU
Featuring: Erin Weber, Daniel Gordetsky, Jordan Binotto, Zach Wolfman, Mike Loder, Nigel Robinson, Taylor Boivin, David Carnegie, Max Montesi and Frances Breden.

THE MAYOR
Featuring:Ember Konopaki, Emmett Hall, Kaitlin Fontana, Nick Harvey-Cheetham, Nicole Passmore, Nima Gholamipour, Sarah Szloboda, Tom Hill, Tyler Cheyne and Warren Bates.

Tickets are only $8 and available through the performers or at the door. 

You won't want to miss this show!

 

 Future Projects

Yung Men is a heartfelt 17 minute family drama about Carl Yung coming home for Christmas after several years  to an explosion of sibling resentment and ailing parents. He must make a choice: family or his new boyfriend?

The prospect of losing a parent is a frightening reality that many must face. Choosing  family and personal commitments, especially at the holidays, brings up conflicting desires and emotions on all sides. At the core, Yung men is about a son returning home for Christmas and trying to make amends for not being there when it matter the most. - Jason Karman

Yung Men is set to film during the first week of March. Watch this space for more details.

Seismic Shift (Formerly Stupid Gumball Dispenser) Productions Presents: A new show, to be premeired at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. The writing process for this show has begun, so watch this space for more details as they arrive.

 Past Projects

A festival favorite all over North America, Can't Get Started is New York Playwright Tom X. Chao's examination of one lonely man's (Tom X Chao) attempt to smash the preciousness of theatre while possibly attempting to woo Sarah, the actress helping him in his mission. Will Tom find true love? How long can Sarah put up with this guy? Unendurable loneliness has never been funnier!

Starring Brent Hirose as Tom X. Chao and Anne Wyman as Sarah

Can't Get Started was perfomed at the 2011 Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

Artist Bios-

Brent Hirose (Tom) is a critically acclaimed actor, writer, singer, director and voice over artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Most recently he performed all over northern Manitoba for the 2011 Munsch Holiday show The Paper Bag Princess and More, presented by Prairie Theatre Exchange. Prior to that he performed his one man show When the Killer Mutant Lizards Attack and Unequal Harvest by Geoff Hughes at the 2010 Victoria Fringe Festival. Along with Can 't Get Started, at this years' Winnipeg Fringe, Brent is performing in The Horrible Friends: World Tour! with his improv group The Horrible Friends as well as The Suckerpunch his one-man sci-fi drama which is touring across Canada this summer on the Canadian Fringe circuit. His plays have been nominated for numerous awards including Best Original Script at the Pumphouse Theatre's One Act Play Festival (for Identity.com) and The Harry Rintoul award for best new Manitoba play (for The History of Theatre, with Matt Tenbruggencate and Mel Marginet). He is a former board member of the Manitoba Association of Playwrights and a three time winner of the Carol Shields Festival Instaplay competition.

Anne Wyman (Sarah) got her start in the world of fringe at the tender age of fifteen, appearing in Fantasy Theatre’s Hansel and Gretel. Since then, Anne has been involved in nearly ten fringe production, including co-authored (with Ryan Segal and Brigette DePape’s) Stuck, Sterling Lynch’s Tangelico, Jayson Mcdonald’s The Last Goddamn Performance Piece and a six city fringe tour of her solo show, Chris Craddock’s pornStar. Anne has also toured GreenKid’s Ebb&Flo: The Watercycle, and has appeared in both the SAFE Work Manitoba campaign and the Just Slow Down ad campaign. Anne teaches drama at Manitoba Theatre for Young People and is the production manager of the D’n’D improv show and the Manitoba Improv League.

Tom X. Chao (playwright) is a playwright and performance artist based in lower Manhattan. His performance career began at Dixon Place in 1997. Two of his earliest works were presented by HERE: his solo show, The Negative Energy Field (February, 1999), and a one-act tragicomedy, The Universe of Despair, in HERE's American Living Room festival (Summer, 1999). Recently, he presented a work in the NY One-Minute Play Festival (2010). Chao presented Callous Cad at Dixon Place in December, 2009, where he was named an artist-in-residence. He wrote and appeared in The Alternative Lifestyle Fair for the Ontological Theater's Tiny Theater festival (2008). The Peculiar Utterance of the Day: Live on Stage, in the 2007 Frigid Festival, was based on his audio podcast. In 2006, he presented his comedy, Can’t Get Started, at the Edmonton fringe festival. Chao toured with his "greatest hits" show, Freak Out Under the Apple Tree, to the Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg fringe festivals in 2005. Chao's comedy Cats Can See The Devil was selected by editor Martin Denton for the print anthology Plays and Playwrights 2004. Chao previously held a residency at the Horse Trade Theatre Group. He has staged original pieces at the invitation of P.S.122, Surf Reality, Dixon Place, Confluence Theatre Company, and The Brick Theater, among others. He has presented comedic monologues and sketches at numerous New York City venues, most recently at Under ACME, the Asian American Writers' Workshop, and 17 Frost. Several excerpts from his scripts have been reprinted in monologue anthologies. In addition, he has released a CD of original songs, The Only Record. Recently he was a featured guest on PBS's Asian America.

PREVIOUS PRAISE:

"New York playwright Tom X. Chao certainly deserves a lot of respect just for finding a new take on the “smart, misunderstood, antisocial guy wonders why girls don’t like him” premise. . . . It’s self-referential in a surprisingly funny way. . . . It’s very clever, thought-provoking, at points very funny. . . . If you’re like me, and you like your Fringe shows extra-fringey, you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy Can’t Get Started . . . "
--CBC Manitoba (Winnipeg, previewed in Ottawa)

"Sharp comedy. . . . Sparkling dialogue, provocative debate and rich comic setups--unlike nerdy Tom, this play can't lose." **** (Four out of five stars)
--Wnnipeg Sun

"It must be said that New York writer Tom X. Chao is a magnificently sick man . . ." (Four planet rating)
--Planet S (Saskatoon)

"Playwright Tom X. Chao's little gem is a definite sleeper hit."
--Toronto Sun

"A personal story of heartbreak from playwright Tom X. Chao. . . . His brainy banter . . . is entertaining . . . including a hilarious puppet show between geometric shapes which has 'no allegorical content'."
--Eye Weekly (Toronto)

"Can’t Get Started . . . never takes itself too seriously and winds up as an insightful peek into a generation plagued by inertia . . . [Z]anier moments such as a weird puppet show-within-a-show and some really funny ethnomusicology jokes help enliven the show’s existential . . . angst."
--Winnipeg Free Press

The Horrible Friends are on tour! (It's still a tour with one stop, right?)

Shawn, Luke and Brent are hilarious improvisers, here to make you laugh while making each other cry. Come see them turn improv upside-down as they do anything to entertain you, to amuse you and to hurt each other's feelings.

After all, they are The Horrible Friends.

The Horrible Friends: World Tour! played at the 2011 Winnipeg Fringe Festival in a fantastic run, featuring special guests Alan Mackenzie, George McRobb, Ed Cuddy and Veronica Ternopolski.

Reviewers had this to say:

""If you have an irrepressible urge to pummel a Fringe performer onstage, this is definitely the show for you.  

The Horrible Friends will go to great lengths to get you to laugh. If you tell them you had Eggos for breakfast, they'll come up with a story involving a demon in the closet and a kid with no friends. If you throw a fairy tale and a movie title at them, they'll invent a very funny sketch about Jack and the Inception, "a film about a boy who climbs a beanstalk...or does he?" And you definitely won't be able to keep a straight face when they stick paper notes on their shirts and let you wollop them with a plastic bat 'til one of the notes falls off.

FOUR STARS"

-CBC

""...a very entertaining show.  Shawn, Luke, and Brent had the whole audience laughing many times, even reducing some to tears."

-Ignite107

"Another newer local improv troupe has popped up, but this group is bucking the current trend of long form improv and is sticking with the good old fashioned improv games. The group has three main performers, though they invite additional guests from other shows to join from time to time. The show I attended had two members of Improvision joining as guest performers. I attended an evening show with a rowdy crowd which makes a good recipe for laughs. Right off the bat, the first suggestion was “penis”. It ended up being that kind of a show, but who doesn’t appreciate a little toilet humour mixed into their improv. The performers were quick witted and a number of great scenes unfolded. The games were fast and funny and were interspersed in between a long form improv scene that ran the length of the show, divided up into four or five parts. In the end, they wound everything together perfectly, wrapped it with a bow, and kept the audience laughing until the last second. This new troupe looks like they’ll be one to watch and this show is definitely worth checking out. "

Winnipeg Theatre 

"Venue 7's, "The Horrible Friends: World Tour!" came as a surprise to me. I somehow had been clueless to the fact that this is a 3-man improv show but soon became one of my favourite improv groups that I've seen so far. Horrible is not the right word to describe this show, but is definitely the right word for how these friends treat each other as plastic bat beatings soon become part of the hilarities to follow in the show. Audience participation is of course in no shortage here as members from the audience get a couple hits with the bat to decide what kind of improv we will be seeing and as in any other improv show, yelling out suggestions. One things that really stood out to me in this show is that you are really paying to see 2 SHOW IN ONE! I won't explain that too much, so please go find out for yourself! Deviously funny group, fun times and highly recommended."

Hot 103 Live

The show also won a much-coveted Jenny award. The fact that Shawn is the MC seven years running has nothing to do with that at all, we're sure. Turns out we can be Horrible People too!

Thanks to everyone who came out, with a possible exeption to the people who hit us with the bats. We kid, we kid.

For more on the Horrible Friends, check out their website.

A new technoloy allows you to go back in time five seconds, just long enough to undo a ill-timed comment or misthought action. If you could take it back, would you? And what would the consequences be? A brand new one-man sci-fi drama performing all around Canada on the 2011 Canadian Fringe Tour.

The Suckerpunch is currently set to play at the Vancouver Fringe Festival at the following dates and times:

Venue: Origins Organic Coffee (1245 Cartwright St. on Granville Island) 
Thusday, Sept 8th 8:30
Satuday, Sept 10th 9:15
Sunday, Sept 11th 3:30 AND 9:15
Wednesday, Sept 14th 7:15
Friday, Sept 16th 10:15
Saturday, Sept 17th 9:15
Sunday Sept 18th 2:45

Tickerts are $10 during the week or $12 on the weekend, including HST, and can be bought at the door OR in advance (with a $3 surcharge) at https://tickets.vancouverfringe.com/

PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS:

The Suckerpunch was performed successfully at the Ottawa Fringe where it gained the following praise:

“A testament to [Hirose's] reputation as a Fringe powerhouse... enthralling”
--FullyFringed.ca

“A darn good actor”
– Ottawa Citizen

“It feels like you're watching a fully cast... he is an amazing performer”
- Yay or Nay Reviews

It was then performed at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, where critics continued to rave about the show and it received sell out crowds:

"Hirose is a superb performer"
-CBC

" a thought-provoking concept... FOUR STARS"
-Winnipeg Free Press

"This powerful, brilliantly performed jewel knocks the air clean out of us in startling fashion...Don’t miss this one for the world. FIVE STARS"
-Uptown Magazine

The show then moved to the Potash Corp (Saskatoon Fringe) where it continued to gain praise:

"Brilliantly performed and thought provoking... a truely rich fringe expirience. FOUR STARS" - The Saskatoon Star Phoenix

The tour continued on to the  Victoria Fringe Festival, where reviews continued to laud the show:

"One word for The Suckerpunch. Wow. ... Do yourself a favor and see this show." - Monday Magazine

"Funny, touching and sharp, The Suckerpunch will catch you off guard" - Culture Vulture Victoria

(Photo Credit: James Firby)

Kiss the Giraffe Productions is pleased to announce the return of this smash hit musical by Joseph Aragon!

16 actors, 64 characters, and one... big... secret! Join a scientist, a conspiracy theorist, a journalist, and a homeless woman as they journey to discover the secrets of an ultra-powerful secret society!

This musical comedy played to sold-out crowds at its Winnipeg Fringe Festival premiere in 2005. 

Tickets only $10 in advance or at the door. Seating is limited and there are only THREE shows, so don't miss out! Reserve your tickets early by sending an email to heather@ktg.ca, or by calling 227-1820.

Showtimes: 
Tuesday April 26, 8:00 PM
Wednesday April 27, 8:00 PM
Thursday April 28, 8:00 PM

And watch for Illuminati 2... the conspiracy continues at the 2011 Winnipeg Fringe!

Proceeds go to support this not-for-profit local theatre company's 2011 Fringe Festival production.

Cast (and just some of their roles!):

Stephanie Sy as Crazy Ethel
Tim Bandfield as Arthur Grainger
Lisa Tjaden as Liz Dixon
Tim Magas as Dexter di Nardi
Kami Desilets as Echelon
Curtis Lowton as Senator Rush
Brent Hirose as Perry the Producer/The Pope
Heather Madill Jordan as The Overseer
Keri-lee Smith as Martha/Rourke
Julie Horbal as Reba
Owen Suppes as Zeke
Dora Carroll as the Elder
Kendra Jones as Monica
Carly Winthrop as Clementine
Renell Doneza as Maxwell
Peggy Hamilton as Senator Barry/Dave
Matthew Legace as ensemble and ASM

Direction by Kami Desilets, based on the original direction of Leif Clarke
Fight Direction by Brent Hirose

Written by Brent Hirose

You are cordially invited to the estate of Mr. Body for the gathering of the decade! Join such luminaries as internationally known artist Ms. White, esteemed scholar Professor Plum, sultry socialite Ms. Scarlett, war hero Colonel Mustard, fashion fixture Ms. Peacock and Mr. Green who is probably known for something or other. It will be a party to die for!

Based on the phenomenally successful board game Clue, Clued-In is a brand n...ew mystery-comedy that throws the audience head first into the intrigue and gets them to ask: Whodunit?

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PRODUCTION IS RATED PG

Produced/Directed by Allister Denton
SM/Assist. Directed by Shelby Reinitz

Cast:

Jeeves - Faith Amantea
Mr. Body - Rick Borger

Col. Mustard - Shea Christie
Mr. Green - Matthew McDonald
Ms. Peacock - Elizabeth Payne
Ms. Scarlet - Kayte Parnell
Ms. White - Shanna Hedley
Prof Plum - Tony Norman


CLUEd In ran November 4-20, 2010 at the Easterbrook Theatre.

Choose from a variety of assigned seating and rush seating shows. Check out our Pajama Parties – early evening performances followed by cookies and milk afterwards (pajamas & teddy bears welcome!).

Family Four-Packs:  $40 (assigned seating shows)     
                              $32 (rush seating shows)

Individual Tickets:  $12 (assigned seating shows)      
                             $10 (rush seating shows)

Family Fun Days:  December 18 (1 & 3 pm) & December 19 (3 pm) -- $5 per ticket (maximum of 6 tickets)

Daycares -- please call our box office for special group pricing (942-5483)

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

(A) - Assigned seating     (R) - Rush seating   (P) - Pajama Party

^{No performances on December 24, 25, 26 31 or January 1}

 

D A T E	T I M E	S T A T U S		T I M E	S T A T U S
DEC.18	1PM (A)			3PM (A)
DEC.19	3PM (A)
DEC.20	1PM (R)
DEC.21	1PM (R)
DEC.22	1PM (R)
DEC.23	1PM (A)			3PM (A)
DEC.27	3PM (A)			7PM (A) (P)
DEC.28	1PM (R)			3PM (A)
DEC.29	1PM (A)			3PM (A)
DEC.30	1PM (A)			3PM (R)
JAN.2	3PM (A)			7PM (A) (P)
JAN.3	1PM (R)			3PM (A)
JAN.4	1PM (A)			3PM (R)
JAN.5	1PM (A)			3PM (A)

 For tickets, please click here.

The Horrible Friends present their first and possibly LAST show!

Yes, the Horrible Friends, last seen at the Winnipeg Fringe in Deadliest Improv Warrior and unbeaten at the Free Laughs Series Cage Match are reading to show the world what they've got!

Brent Hirose is skipping town so he, Luke Falconer, Shawn Kowalke and special guest Alan Mackenzie are going to rock your socks off with some amazing improv comedy. Short form! Long form! Medium form? You might just have your mind BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS.

All this for only $5!

The Exchange Community Church

Do you ever feel that you’re the weirdest one? Martin sure does. That’s why he takes a trip to NORMAL - a village somewhere between here and there and not of this world. It turns out NORMAL is not exactly what it’s cracked up to be. A new original musical about being yourself, liking to be yourself, and being anything but normal. 

Great for kids, awesome for families. 

Book by Cory Wojcik
Music and Lyrics by Angus Kohm
Directed by Cory Wojcik
Choreography by Laura Kolisnyk
Stage Manager Jane Buttner 

Starring 

Andre Gomes
Jessica Gomes
Brent Hirose
Laura Kolisnyk
Davide Montebruno
Stefanie Wiens 

Performed at the 2010 Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

“Local playwright Cory Wojcik has hit the nail on the head this year with his musical comedy that celebrates being different. A really solid, well-rehearsed cast, including Winnipeg favorite Stephanie Wiens as a loopy Queen Normal, have no problem pulling off this well-written, beautifully told tale of a boy and a princess who both think the grass is greener on the other side until one villainous Prime Minister Sinister, played by Davide Montebruno, shows them both what the other side actually looks like.

Hats off to Angus Kohm for writing a fresh and funny musical score that, during the opening performance, had a packed audience of kids and adults alike singing along to the catchy lyrics "it's only weird until somebody says it's art.

****"   
-CBC.ca

"Gripping and heartbreaking in equal measure, an urgent and compassionate call to understand the real lives and people behind the appalling statistic of a billion people going hungry."

-Raj Patel, author of 'Stuffed and Starved'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 2008, three non-profit organizations; The Canadian Foodgrains Bank, the Manitoba Food Charter and Winnipeg Harvest, resolved to draw attention to the Global Food Crisis by commissioning Winnipeg playwright Geoff Hughes to write and direct an original work. “Unequal Harvest” debuted before an enthusiastic Winnipeg audience on World Food Day, October 16.

Unequal Harvest was work-shopped into a two-person show with dramaturge by Ellen Peterson and The Manitoba Association of Playwrights. Now in 2010 the show is appearing in the Ottawa, Winnipeg and Victoria Fringe Theatre Festivals hoping to encourage debate around the topic of how to deal with the ever-growing numbers of undernourished people.

Performed by Kami Desilets and Geoff Hughes in Ottawa and Winnipeg, Brent Hirose will be assuming Mr. Hughes’ part for the run of the show in the Victoria Fringe Festival.

Venue 3 – Wood Hall, VCM (907 Pandora)

$11 regular /$9 student & senior • Advance $13/11

Thu Aug 26, 7:30
Sat Aug 28, 10:00
Sun Aug 29, 3:30
Mon Aug 30, 8:00
Fri Sep 3, 11:30 pm
Sat Sep 4, 4:00

Fringe Link

Eventually the inevitable happened: the Killer Mutant Lizards attacked, decimated the city and mysteriously disappeared. The survivors resume their lives, but must ask: Why? How? And will they return?

A new one man dark comedy by Brent Hirose.

Originally performed at the 2010 Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

****1/2 stars – Filipino Journal

“Well-written and aptly acted… B+” Uptown Magazine

“Sharp and clever, and Hirose hits it just right” Winnipeg Free Press

“sharp writing, deep thinking, and first-rate acting” CBC.ca

Now set to play at the 2010 Victoria Fringe Festival

Venue 4 – St Andrew’s School Gym (1002 Pandora)

All Seats/Door $11 • Advance $13

Sat Aug 28, 5:00
Sun Aug 29, 10:00
Wed Sept 1, 9:30
Fri Sept 3, 6:00
Sun Sept 5, 7:15

Fringe Link

The show will also be re-mounted for a one-night performance in Winnipeg at Aqua Books (274 Garry Street) for the Best of Fest holdover series, October 6^th at 7:30.

 

Habitat

by Judith Thompson, directed by Arne MacPherson

April 29 - May 8, 2010
Aqua Books - 274 Garry Street

Life is good for the residents of Mapleview Lanes ... until Lewis Chance buys a house on their street to open a group home for troubled adolescents.

Two worlds collide in Judith Thompson's disturbing look at our modern "not in my backyard" politics.

Uptown Magazine

A-

Theatre by the River offers up a thoughtful production of Judith Thompson's Habitat

In this beautifully written and thoughtfully crafted production, Canadian playwright Judith Thompson and local company Theatre by the River consider a basic yet important element of our lives: our home. Following the struggle to establish a youth group home in a rich Toronto neighbourhood, Habitat shines a light onto the lives, for better and worse, of those on both sides of the contentious issue.

Raine (Megan Herkert) is a teenage girl living in Toronto whose mother has died and whose father lives outside the city with a hated other woman. Raine has nowhere to go and much anger to contend with, and ends up one of the new home’s inhabitants. There, she becomes friends with Sparkle (Brent Hirose), a troubled 18-year old man-child who is seemingly incapable of telling the truth of his life, even to those he holds dear.

Lewis (Matt TenBruggencate) is the one person on the side of these lost souls, determined to make them a home in a beautiful neighbourhood. Largely driven by tragic events in his past, Lewis refuses to give up the fight for these children, who, as he says, we have all failed.

Margaret (Carolyn Gray) is an aging neighbour of the new group home, herself nursing the wounds of her own tragedyy. She bonds with Raine yet remains terrified of the group home and its inhabitants. Janet (Lisa Nelson), is Margaret’s daughter, a lawyer whose liberal values compel her to give lip service to the right for the group home to exist, but who ultimately leads the fight against it.

The lives of all of these characters are carefully woven together by Thompson, who draws from their most elemental feelings and relationships — the love of mothers and children, family, and their own sense of place and belonging — to create complex and fascinating people who are terribly fallible. But in their own faults and confusion, we discover their true humanity

In a wonderfully inventive stage — a triple-set tableau spanning the length of the room — Theatre by the River offers Thompson’s work a fitting home of its own: simple, yet surprisingly effective.

The cast is also up to task for this often harrowing work. Herkert is mesmerizing as Raine, embodying all of the anger, confusion and pain of a young girl who is ultimately transformed by the events of her life. The rest of the cast is equally strong and affecting as all of these souls are thrown together to bash out their own confusion. And although the play’s length threatens to drag it down occasionally, the actors never waver in their commitment to it.

Thompson has anchored Habitat in breath, our most basic human element. This comes as no surprise in a work which unlocks the key to our most basic human need. In Thompson’s hands, the journey home may not always be easy or comfortable, but it is essential.

- Barb Stewart

Winnipeg Free Press

4 STARS

Habitat skilfully unpacks family baggage

Habitat opens with the sound of a woman's laboured, raspy breathing

It's a death rattle. This mother in her 40s is about to expire from cancer.

Her 16-year-old daughter, Raine (Megan Herkert), just wants to get her hands on Mom's bank card so she can buy some jeans. "I don't even have anything to wear to your funeral," gripes the appallingly selfish teen.

The kid ditches her mom with "See you when I see you." The play asks, with compassion for every viewpoint, why it's so difficult for us to "see" -- that is, understand, value and accept.

The next time we meet Raine, she's been placed in a group home for troubled teens that's just opened on Maple View Lanes, an exclusive street populated by wealthy professionals.

Kudos to the small but discerning company Theatre by the River for mounting the first local production of this layered, thoughtful 2001 work by Toronto dramatist Judith Thompson (The Crackwalker, White Biting Dog).

The five-actor Habitat opened Thursday in the intimate upstairs space at Aqua Books. It's presented in blackout scenes effectively connected by moody cello interludes played by Natanielle Felicitas.

The fringe-like venue is far from ideal in terms of sightlines. But director Arne MacPherson makes skilful use of the long, shallow performing space so our imaginations fill in two homes and a park, as well as unseen characters.

Habitat is built around the battle between a social worker who is passionately determined to give neglected teens a family-like home, and intolerant, change-resistant neighbours who fear crime and lowered property values.

But on a more profound level, it's about family, especially the primal, complex relationships between mothers and children -- lifelong dances of adoration, criticism, contempt, disappointment, guilt, care-giving and misunderstanding.

Thompson, a mother of five, has penned dialogues and monologues that are stunningly honest about mother-child psychology.

Margaret (Carolyn Gray) is an elderly widow on the street. Her daughter Janet (Lisa Nelson) is raising her own kids a few doors away. There's all sorts of baggage here, with Margaret disapproving of Janet's feminism and law career, and Janet agreeing to lead a lawsuit against the group home to win her "mummy's" approval. Meanwhile, Margaret and the angry Raine form a surrogate mom-daughter bond.

In a powerful, taboo-smashing monologue that would probably only be written by a female playwright, Janet confesses that as her children became pre-teens, she began to dislike them.

Over at the group home, gay social worker Lewis (Matt TenBruggencate) makes phone calls to his own mom and reveals in a wrenching monologue the long-ago incident that compels him to nurture unwanted kids.

Sparkle (Brent Hirose), a morally hollow teen, is the sad example of the damage that results from a lack of a primary bond.

Thompson includes a few heavy-handed political speeches and overdoes her attempt to make Maple View Lanes a microcosm for human-rights issues, unwisely drawing analogies to Nazi Germany

But each character emerges as a rounded, flawed human being. The actors rise to the work's challenge. TenBruggencate is the standout, giving the social worker a chipper exterior and a haunted, aching, rage-filled interior.

Thompson's poetic images are rich and rewarding, particularly the use of breathing as a sustained metaphor.

As worried parents we check on our babies' breathing; as adult children we keep vigil as our mothers breathe into life's final passage.

The play circles back to place Raine at her mom's bedside once again. The journey is well worth taking.

- Alison Mayes

CBC Information Radio

I did get to see the show on the weekend, and highly recommend it. Top-notch performances from the five-person cast; taught direction from Arne MacPherson; and a script that dances between dark humour, heart-breaking tragedy, and probing social commentary. It's a very impressive production of a superb piece of theatre - as entertaining as it is provocative.

- Joff Schmidt

Neighbours is a story of fun. A story of community. A story of familiarity.  And now it’s your turn to visit the neighbourhood! 

See the staged reading of neighbours, the remarkable original musical by Manitobans Craig Cassils and Robin Richardson when White Rabbit Productions produces a workshop presentation of the show on January 27 at the Park Theatre. 

Join boy-next-door Michael, his little sister Monica and the rest of their neighbourhood gang as they welcome and learn to accommodate Jill, the new girl in town. 

There’s Michael’s best friend Jason – who is more interested in ants than playtime – and playground tormentor Ronald, always flanked by the always ambitious and game-loving Perry. Then there’s Queen Margie and her princesses Judith Ann and Helen Louise, who are determined to make the neighbourhood bow down to their rule. 

But where does Jill fit in? Where do any of them fit in? 

Take a glimpse into their neighbourhood and watch them learn about tolerance, friendship and family. Maybe even learn a thing or two about your own neighbourhood – all through the magic and wonder of a powerful, insightful script and catchy, fun original music! 

Starring: 
Wes Rambo - Michael
Stephanie Sy - Jill
Mallory Schellenberg - Monica
Nelson Bettencourt - Jason
Brent Hirose - Ronald
Connie Manfredi - Margie
Felicia Perron - Judith Ann
Robyn Pooley - Helen Louise
Sheldon Atts - Perry 

Creative Team:
Craig Cassils - Composer, Co-Writer
Robin Richardson - Co-Writer
Carson Nattrass - Dramaturge, Co-Director
Jeffrey Kohut - Co-Director, Project Manager
Cary Denby - Band Leader, Pianist
James Reynolds - Drums
Rafael Reyes - Bass/guitars

________________________________________________________

This staged reading of neighbours, an original Canadian family musical by Craig Cassils and Robin Richardson, is the result of a two week workshop facilitated by acclaimed Actor/Director/Writer Carson Nattrass.

This step marks the latest in White Rabbit's 3 year journey towards producing the musical in full in September of 2010.

Sarasvàti Productions and FemFest present

ONE NIGHT STAND
Experience the future of local theatre

Instant gratification, immediate feedback. Selected readings from new works in progress by Manitoban playwrights. A chance to experience the future of local theatre.

Plays by:

Loretta Basiuk — Payoff
Muriel Hogue — Scar Tissue
Anita Lebeau — Coats
Anne Nesbitt — Grey Owl Pilgrim of the Wild
Talia Pura — Confessions of an Art School Model, too 

Featuring: Dorothy Carroll, Donna Fletcher, Ti Hallas, Brent Hirose, Talia Pura and Martin Wilson 

Tuesday, September 29 at 8:30 pm
Tickets $10

CANWEST CENTRE FOR THEATRE AND FILM

(AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG, 400 COLONY STREET)
www.sarasvati.ca
204.586.2236

 

Geoffrey, a misanthropic office clerk, becomes obsessed with the story of Brian, a young boy raised in a sealed chamber, safe from the hostile world outside. Manic reporters, renegade cops and self-absorbed siblings collide as Geoffrey’s pursuit threatens to unravel his own life. 

A brand new one-man show from Brent Hirose, directed by Matthew Tenbruggencate.

 

The show was originally performed at the  2009 Winnipeg Fringe Festival and was very well recieved both critically and commercially. Media responses include:

“Hirose is a gifted and compelling actor” – CBC Manitoba
“an unconventional and exceptional drama… Hirose is a dynamic performer” – Uptown Magazine
"Four Stars!" - Hot103

The show then played at the 2009 Edmonton Fringe Festival and received more great reviews.

“a touching and funny play all about what happens when the stories we've created won't stay on the page. ****” – Vue Magazine

All in all, a fantastic run! Thanks to all who saw it!

 

Up the close and down the stair,
A but-and-ben with Burke and Hare.
Burke’s the butcher,
Hare’s the thief,
Knox the boy who buys the beef.

Robbing graves for medical science is backbreaking work. So why dig up corpses when you can create your own? A brand new musical by Joseph Aragon.

www.whiterabbitproductions.ca

 This show played at the 2009 Winnipeg Fringe Festival, winning Best of Fest for the venue, the Canwest Center for Performing Arts. It also won Joseph Aragon his second Harry Rintoul award. The cast was as follows:

 

Derek Leenhouts	as	William HARE
Murray Farnell	as	William BURKE
Heather Jordan	as	MARGARET Hare
Felicia Perron	as	HELEN McDougal
Brent Hirose	as	THOMAS Warton Jones
Bob "perkins" Hopkins	as	Sir William RAE
Mitch Krohn	as	Dr. Robert KNOX
Simone Pamplin	as	MRS. LAWRIE
Kami Desilets	as	JANET Brown
Dorothy Carroll	as	MARY Paterson
Andrea Houssin	as	ABIGAIL Simpson
Joshua Bouchard	as	JAMIE Wilson
Sheldon Atts	as	William FERGUSSON
Bernie Pastorin	as	Chief Constable BLACKWOOD
Keri-Lee Smith &	as	CHORUS
Dexter Barcellano

Crew

Sharon Bajer	-	Director
Joseph Aragon	-	Writer and Composer
Simon Miron	-	Assistant Director
Julian Vanderput	-	Musical Director
Jeff Kohut	-	Project Manager
Ken Perchuk	-	Technical Director
Kathryn Ball	-	Stage Manager
Ray Padua	-	Production Assistants
Annette Kohut
Alana Penner
Julie Horbal	-	Media
Ryan Schultz	-	Digital Media

 

SAINT JOAN

by Bernard Shaw

Directed by Debbie Patterson

Who was Joan of Arc? 
Warrior or temptress?
Strategist or schizophrenic?
Hero or fanatic?

A political thriller exploring the relativity of truth and the temptation of idealism.

St. Joan was performed at Theatre de la Chapelle in Winnipeg from June 18th-20th and 24th-27th.  
Reviews included:

"Winnipeg's fringe festival is still a month off, but a local production of Saint Joan that opened Thursday feels like a fringe drama come early...

 

Marginet has the right fresh-faced look for Joan, the medieval teenage warrior who is convinced that God has empowered her to lead the demoralized French army to victory over the English.

Striding boldly around, slapping the arms of the male characters to whom she is supposed to defer, Marginet conveys Joan's brash impudence and innate smarts. She is less successful at giving layers to the maid's religious fervour/possible madness and making us believe in her direct pipeline to Heaven.

TenBruggencate proves he's got the classical chops and bearing to carry off the haughty archbishop and the ruthless Earl of Warwick. Brent Hirose skilfully finds the comedy in the contrasting roles of the wimpy Dauphin and a rabidly vengeful chaplain. In an intriguing bit of gender-blind casting, Megan Herkert summons the gravitas of the Inquisitor.

As a British critic noted about a recent revival of Saint Joan, "rhetoric is out of fashion." Shaw's long, cerebral arguments about the nature of heresy and the power of the Church and aristocracy, versus the individual and the rise of nationalism, largely freeze out the emotional engagement that today's audiences tend to seek.

Fortunately, director Debbie Patterson gives the show energy, earthy humour and a strong undercurrent of attraction between Joan and military leader Jack Dunois, ensuring that it never becomes a stiff talkfest.

Staging the dream epilogue, in which the characters reunite after death, as a giddy pyjama party is an inspired choice, returning the characters to a state of childlike grace. Shaw's compassion toward all the players in Joan's politically charged execution proves to be more affecting than anything that's gone before."

-Winnipeg Free Press

"

Uptown Magazine

B+

A Haunting and Poignant Portrayal

George Bernard Shaw's fascinating take on the life of Joan of Arc is in capable hands at Theatre by the River. The young theatre company, along with veteran director Debbie Patterson, brings heartfelt vigor and joy to this production, and the enthusiasm is infectious.

With much the same zeal as Joan herself, the cast of Saint Joan embraces its roles with fervour. Following the events leading from Joan's appearance at the Castle of Vaucouleurs, where she convinces the oh-so-skeptical military captain Robert de Baudricourt of her quest to lead the French to victory over the English invaders and to crown the Dauphin king, to her death (and a bit beyond), Saint Joan is an appealing, although sometimes slow-going, work.

As Joan, Mel Marginet wonderfully embodies the bright-eyed single-mindedness of a young girl on a mission from God. Marginet's Joan is an earthy, infectiously likable creature whose certainty makes her impossible to refuse. Her strong performance is a delight to behold.

Although this is a very serious tale, including Shaw's exploration of nationalism, and religious and political intolerance, the cast and director allow plenty of room for humour. Brent Hirose's Dauphin (Charles VII) is a comically pathetic and spineless ruler, and Luke Friesen offers some fine physically comedic turns as a steward and page.

All in all, the wonderfully costumed cast is up-to-task, especially for the lighter side of the work. But when the text focuses on the political or religious maneuverings behind Joan's back, the work starts to drag. And with a running time of two-and-a-half hours, this Saint Joan would be improved by a stronger take on these scenes. The actors don't quite hold the audience's attention as intently as they should and the production loses some of its steam.

- Barb Stewart"

 

 

Billy Bishop Goes to War 

Written and Composed by John Gray with Eric Peterson
Directed by Rod Beifuss
Starring Brent Hirose and Patrick Keenan

Our young, Owen Sound boy must "fight! fight! fight!" for King and Country in the dog fights of World War One. Kill the enemy at all costs because that's what he's trying to do too! The madness of war meets the music of vaudeville in the crown jewel of Canadian theatre.

This show was performed from Oct 29th to November 14th at the Ellice Cafe and Theatre to great reviews in Uptown Magazine and the Uniter-

Uptown

"B+

Anchored by the pleasantly capable performance of Brent Hirose, Theatre by the River's production of Billy Bishop Goes to War is a puzzling pleasure. 

Billy Bishop... is the kind of play one expects to be relegated to community theatre revues or seniors' homes. Chronicling the story of the Canadian World War I pilot hero, it's a quaint musical that could easily dismissed as old-fashioned nostalgia with little to offer audiences in the 21st century. 

In some ways, this may be true. While Billy's story itself is classic - ne'er-do-well young man finds meaning in fighting the war and becomes a hero in the process - its execution is sometimes belaboured and trite. No matter the talents of wonderful local musician Patrick Keenan, whose perfectly coifed hair and moustache could have him walking straight out of a Jeeves and Wooster caper, the musical component of the show is sometimes just plain exasperating. Although there are some genuinely fun musical moments such as the rousing Empire Soire, the music tends to make the show a bit too cloying, despite its serious subject matter. 

And while, by the end of the first act, you were wishing writers John Gray and Eric Peterson (now most famous for playing Oscar on Corner Gas) weren't so enamoured with including one more bloody song, the second act pulls up its socks (not to mention the pace) once Billy becomes a high-flying ace. 

With its exploration of heroism, colonialism and the horrors of war, Billy Bishop... touches on timeless topics that its one-person format manages ably, and Brent Hirose is pleasingly adaptable, playing 17 different roles in the show, including a sweet Everyman touch as Billy. The resonance of the themes explains why we still find the show on the stage today, and Peterson and Gray have captured an important piece of Canadian history that could otherwise easily fall into the hazy mists of the forgotten. 

Despite its sometimes painful devices (the full-circle moment when Billy and his son head to World War II is awfully obvious, even if it is true-to-life), there is something to the down-home Canadian earnestness of the show that just can't be denied. It may be difficult to draw parallels to modern life in the play's old-fashioned-ness, but that does not make the story irrelevant. 

And, much like the release of Passchendaele, renewing interest in the horrifying conditions of World War I, a time in which men were sent off into the mud and muck on horseback, should not be dismissed as quaint entertainment - nor should the dream of a young man to fly above it all.

Billy Bishop Goes to War is an entertainingly honest and heartfelt chapter in the Canadian theatre cannon, despite its limitations.
— Barb Stewart"

The Uniter
"Four Stars out of Five

A Haunting and Poignant Portrayal

For another week and a half, local history buffs and avid theatre-goers alike can enjoy the opportunity to see one of Canada's landmark plays performed at Ellice Cafe and Theatre.

Billy Bishop Goes to War tells the World War I flying ace's story as he enlists, goes overseas to fight and eventually returns home.

Likely Canada's greatest hero of the Great War, Billy Bishop was matchless in the skies. He was decorated with medals and served as an inspiration to all on the side of the allies. His journey was one of incredible triumph, of overcoming countless odds and crushing adversity, albeit not without its share of controversy.

His legend continues to live on through the play, and so it is fitting that the show runs through Remembrance Day. Some part satire, some part realism, and completely tragic, the tale of Billy Bishop shouldn't be forgotten anytime soon.

Featuring Brent Hirose as the lead and 17 other characters, Billy Bishop Goes to War is an astounding one-man show sure to have a successful run. Hirose and pianist Patrick Keenan make a remarkable team on stage.

Presented by Theatre by the River, the play's opening performance was an absolute smash. From the soliloquies, to the music and vocals, and even the lighting, everything was brilliantly spot-on.

Hardly a minute into the opening number, I already had goose bumps. Hirose's portrayal of Bishop is haunting and poignant, which is to say nothing of his excellent abilities to master multiple characters. Everything about the play did justice to its weighted history.

Take a classic work of Canadian drama, drawn upon the experiences of one prodigious Canadian war hero, and put it together with the extraordinary talents of Hirose and others, and it all makes for one exceptional theatre-going experience. Billy Bishop Goes to War is undoubtedly a must-see for the Winnipeg theatre community this fall.

- Jennifer Pawluk The Uniter (Nov 6, 2008)"

 

Hidden at the base of the mountains lies a tiny village that harbors a fantastic secret. But now a young girls love threatens to reveal the mystery of Paper Jack...

Written by: Shawn Kowalke

This show premiered at the 2008 Winnipeg Fringe Festival with the following cast and crew:

Directed by: Brent Hirose

Featuring:
Sheldon Atts
Matt Brault
Kami Desilets
Shawn Kowalke
Derek Leenhouts
Raymond Padua
Chelsea Rankin
Keri-Lee Smith

Produced by: Todd Tichon
Music by: Joseph Aragon
Stage Managed by: Kathryn Ball

 

Michael is a twenty something stuck in a dead end job with no romance on the horizon. Emily is his estranged former best friend, still trying to find the right job and the right guy. Identity.com is the latest social networking website, promising to show its members "who they are, on the net!". Michael needs to remake his life, and he thinks he's found just the right tools...

From the writer of Jesus Christ, I'm Sorry (Best of Fest '06), One Last Thing and The History of Theatre comes this funny, sexy and outrageous comedy that examines friendship, love, dating and the digital world.

Written by Brent Hirose

Production History:

This show premiered at the 2008 Winnipeg Fringe Festival with the following cast and crew:

Directed by Darcy Fehr
Starring Gwen Collins and Brent Hirose
Media by Aaron Zeghers

Reviews for this production included:

“A must see!” - WinnipegOnstage.com

Another production was subsequently mounted (after significant re-writes) by the Attic Players for the inaugural "Bohemian Rhapsody" festival in Red Deer Alberta with the following cast and crew:

MICHAEL/ANTHONY Matt McDonald

EMILY/GLORIA Shelby Reinitz

Directed by Kayte Parnel
Stage Managed by Michelle Ang.  

This production was then re-mounted for the Pumphouse Theatre's One Act Play Festival where it was nominated for Best Original Script. 

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