What’s On in the Arts

I was pretty grouchy on Saturday morning. The idea of standing in the rain for 10 or so hours among a fleet of much younger, much more energetic music enthusiasts really didn’t appeal to me. I was already feeling a little like a “poser”, being 34 and having bought tickets to Edgefest. But, it was a good lineup, and I’d never have the time or cabbage to see all these bands play individually. That’s what I kept reminding myself when I pulled the rain poncho over my head and the skies opened up.

I wasn’t the only one with bitter feelings. My friend Alf joked about selling the tickets when we got there and splurging on a nice dinner. Cat admitted she thought more than once about bailing. Trevor, my husband who wouldn’t miss a concert even if the band itself cancelled, just shrugged us off.

But, I argued, I wasn’t 19 anymore with a carefree attitude. In those days I would head to Lollapalooza (or insert-any-concert-here) with my I.D., some cash and band of friends. In my younger days, that’s all I needed. I wouldn’t have thought about bringing a vinyl tablecloth for sitting on, or an extra couple pairs of socks. I wouldn’t have cared if I got wet, mucky, sore or had a few too many bevvies in the beer garden.

But you know what, when we got there and met up with some other friends, it wasn’t all that bad. Sure the spurts of rain were annoying, and my Chucks might never recover from the 12-hour muckfest, but the music was good and so was the company. And you know, I really didn’t feel all that old— at least not until I got home and my feet felt like cinderblocks and my lower back was partly crippled.

Cat, who also complained of sore feet, said she felt like she was on a battlefield all day. Alf said he had a new appreciation for soldiers who spend months in wet, mucky conditions like that minus the musical festivities. And it’s true. If the most I have to complain about is standing in the rain for one Saturday with eight amazing friends, knee deep in muck, to listen to a lineup of great musicians it can’t be that bad.

But, having said that, I may hold off on tickets for next year until I hear the weather report.

As far as I can tell…the Heritage Theatre on Main Street and Theatre Lane is no more than a colossal bus shelter. I drive or walk by it often, and I’ve determined that its best current use is to give transit riders something to lean up against while they wait for their bus. 

I somehow doubt this was the vision when the landmark was first opened in 1922 as the Capitol Theatre.

So what’s with the Heritage, anyway? Will it forever be a bus shelter, or does the city (who purchased the structure in 1981) have plans for the Rose Theatre’s predecessor? Or, do people even care now that we have the Rose, the pride and joy of Brampton’s arts and culture sector?

I’m curious about your thoughts on this issue. What would you like to see done with the Heritage? Does it have a place in Brampton? Or is it a matter of “out with the old and in with the new”? What do you think  belongs on that corner? And how do you envision its future?

Drop me a line, let me know (agoodfellow@thebramptonguardian.com).

Maybe it’s something you can think about while you’re waiting for the bus.

Yep. It’s true. There’s a new website focused on connecting creative minds in Brampton. I don’t know how or when she finds the time, but Sharon Foster is the mastermind behind this new venture. Kudos, Sharon, for coming to the rescue. We desperately need something like this.

Creative Brampton Online is a well-designed resource for anyone looking to connect with the local arts scene. It allows you to make a profile and sign up for free, and gives users many reasons to do so. There’s:

• free advertising and promotion for your group and/or events

• links to chat, blog, upload photos/videos/sound clips

• opportunity to connect with other people and groups locally

• many people with whom you can share resources and information

What a great way to stay connected and keep up to date with events happening in Brampton. I suggest you check it out, become a member and start contributing. I know I’ll be stopping by often.

I’m a bit of a tv junkie.

Not in the sense that I watch hours and hours on end of the boob tube, or that I need an intervention for a reality-show addiction. But, I do easily give in to a good tv show, and would pick an interesting, edgy series over a movie any night of the week.

(In fact, I almost needed therapy when Six Feet Under ended it’s run and even now can’t bring myself to watch Dexter because in my eyes, Michael C. Hall will always be David Fisher.)

Lucky for me, the shows I’ve committed to don’t all run the course of the regular fall to spring season, and while some have recently concluded (Breaking Bad, Californication) others are ready to launch a new season this summer (Weeds (tonight!!!), Mad Men, Entourage).

And, right now In Treatment is in its second (and unfortunately less interesting) second season, but I’m willing to stick it out a little longer.

Some of the best tv I’ve seen in the past few years have been hidden little Canadian gems: Durham County, which was at once creepy and fascinating (and apparently coming back for a second season, yay!) and Terminal City, which combined two of society’s obsessions— death and reality tv (and which, in my opinion, ended prematurely).

I also have no qualms with going back in time to start a new (old) series. I did this with Dead Like Me, and am now just on the second episode of Rescue Me. And, maybe one day I’ll watch The Sopranos, but next on my list is Flight of the Conchords (by the way, have you seen Eagle vs. Shark? WATCH THIS FILM!).

Anyway, the only thing I love better than good tv, is my PVR!

Well, if I’m being honest, I have to say I’m of two minds about the Brampton Arts Council’s Bravo! Awards, which took place at the Rose Studio Theatre on Friday, May 29.

The event hands out 17 different awards to local arts groups for various achievements— which is a wonderful gesture that supports, recognizes and provides opportunities for local arts groups and those involved with them.

I have nothing negative to say about the mandate or the execution of the evening— it was very well done— but where the awards ceremony fell short was with the lack of recipients in attendance.

More than half of the awards— nine to be exact— were accepted on behalf of the award recipient by someone in the same arts group. The impact of the event, for me, was lost a little every time it happened. Especially with the final, and most prestigious award, the David Bloom Award for Outstanding Performance by a Juvenile.

In some instances, I can understand why this would happen— the nominees aren’t publicized before the event and it’s unrealistic to expect some to attend the evening. (For example, the award for Outstanding Guest Performer/Group.)

When I poked around a little and asked why recipients were not in attendance, many said it was because of the limited number of tickets available to each group— and not knowing who was nominated.

Perhaps there is a way to remedy this, and it’s something the Brampton Arts Council can consider for next year’s awards.

Wow. In the past few days I’ve received a plea for help to get the word out about a call for artists from several different groups. It goes to show, that despite the wobbly economy, there is still a great demand for artist, musicians and entertainers— and a great opportunity for local talent to get exposure.

Here are the details:

1.  Childhope Foundation Canada will perform a variety show at 50 Kennedy Road in Brampton on May 30 at 2:30 p.m. and is looking or performers. Call 905-783-9306 or 905-456-9800.

2. Musical artists in Brampton are invited to submit information and demos for a new reference library the city will use to choose performers for events happening throughout the year.

Soloists, instrumentalists, bands and artists of all genres are encouraged to participate. Artists are asked to send a one-page information sheet about themselves and their music along with a sample of the music (tape, CD or any format). A video of a performance is also an asset.

The idea, according to the city’s community development programmer Konrad Skorupa, the idea os to promote local talent at city-sanctioned events.

Information and demos can be sent to: Konrad Skorupa, 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton, Ontario, L6V 0A3

3. Get discovered this summer at the youDiscover Concert Series. The Niagara Parks Commission will host a summer concert series to find the best undiscovered musical talent from Canada and New York state. It is a battle of the bands style competition and the top four performers will compete in a grand finale to be judged by a panel of celebrities.

The grand prize winner will earn the chance to win a recording contract from Orange Lounge Recordings, receive a band makeover and become the opening act at the nationally broadcast New Year’s Eve show in Niagara Falls.

For more information visit www.youDiscover.ca.

4. The Rose on the Road program with the Rose Theatre is looking for young Brampton artists of all fields to display and sell their work in the community. Rose on the Road will be a combination summer camp and art/acting training for six weeks in July and August. Every Saturday there will be a public performance. It is free to participate.

The program is looking for local, up-and-coming artists to display work at the Arts Fair from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This is also free, and tables will be provided.

Contact 905-793-3611 for more details. Space is limited.

I finally made it. I finally saw a film at the Canadian International Documentary Film Festival, otherwise known as Hot Docs. Although I was only able to see one film— Forgetting Dad— it was a phenomenal experience, and a story that will stay with me for a long time.

The film explores 16 years of Richard Minnich’s life— a California man who wakes up one week after a seemingly harmless auto accident with total amnesia— through the probing eyes of his eldest son (and filmmaker) Rick Minnich.

Richard awakes and no longer recognizes his wife, his children (five biological and two step children), his home. He has trouble performing simple tasks like showering and has no recollection of his former life. Doctors are puzzled, finding no organic damage to his brain or body, and his family begins to raise suspicions over the authenticity of his condition, and whether he is faking his memory loss.

It’s a compelling piece that uproots emotions that were never dealt with, poses questions that everyone was afraid to ask, uncovers new information and raises even more speculation around the entire event.

Not only was the story a gripping one, but Rick Minnich’s editing, cinematography and score had a wonderful ebb and flow that matched the story’s passion and sentiment.

I encourage you to visit the website for Forgetting Dad and check out the film. Better yet, plan to go to Hot Docs next year. I know I will.

Are you open and honest about your relationship, and have experiences you’d like to share with others? If so, you might be a good candidate for a new documentary film that looks at the changing nature of love in committed relationships— for better or worse.

The film, called Edges of Love, is seeking couples who have been in a committed relationship for seven to 10 years who are willing to talk about issues in love. Filmmakers are focussing on the dream of romance, eternal love and the proverbial seven-year itch.

Edges of Love is a new television documentary by award-winning director Maureen Judge. 

Edges of Love: The Seven Year Itch is part of a new trilogy of honest and provocative portraits on the changing nature of love. Other films will include: The Honeymoon is Over (relationships reaching the two year mark); and The Empty Love Nest (middle-aged couples, once again alone, face to face).

Interested participants should contact the producers for more information or to set up an interview. You can also go to our www.edgesoflove.tv and upload your story to us using a webcam or call 416-516-1833 for more information.

Being a reporter definitely has its perks— a big one, in my eyes, is having the inside scoop on the local arts and entertainment scene.

Yesterday, I met with Costin Manu (the Rose Theatre’s Manager of Programming, Marketing & Development for its professional entertainment series) to get a sneak peek on the line-up for the 2009/2010 season.

Without giving anything away (because I promised I’d hold tight until current subscribers had their sneak peek preview of the season) I can say if you aren’t already a subscriber, this is the season to become one.

With several exclusive-to-The Rose performances scheduled, a handful of returning favourites, more comedy, more Broadway shows and a new superstar series with four huge names in the entertainment industry, it’s definitely the season to commit.

Watch for my article coming this month, and in the meantime clear your schedule for the 2009/2010 theatre season— I predict you’re going to be at the Rose, a lot.