Vancouver, BC – An explosive love story set in a theatreof ice, a massive hand-painted mural on a downtown Vancouver landmark and acutting-edge theatrical production by a Québécois visionary are among theexciting Canadian and international artistic works coming to Cultural Olympiad2010 presented by Bell. With less than 300 days to go until the start of theVancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, tickets and information for the first 20projects are available at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.
The 20 projects being announced today include works byRobert Lepage, Alberta Ballet, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Cloud GateDance Theatre of Taiwan. The third and final edition of the Cultural Olympiadfestivals will start on January 22, 2010 and run throughout the Olympic andParalympic Winter Games concluding on March 21. The extensive program willinclude more than 600 ticketed and free performances and exhibitions in 50venues in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia’s Sea to Sky corridor.
“With the incredible wealth of talent and outstandingvalue these shows have to offer, we expect them to sell out and encouragepeople to go online now and get their tickets,” said David Guscott, executivevice-president, celebrations and partnerships for the Vancouver OrganizingCommittee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “This isjust the first installment of the hundreds of artists who will participate nextyear as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2010 lineup. In the coming months, we’lladd even more projects to our program with the support of the Government ofCanada and the home provinces and territories of the performers.”
Burke Taylor, vice-president, culture and celebrations,added, “Cultural Olympiad 2010 is the culmination of a three-year program ofdeveloping new work, building partnerships with the national and internationalarts community and delivering outstanding festivals of arts and popularculture. VANOC has helped create a lasting artistic legacy that will livebeyond 2010 by commissioning major projects, such as Robert Lepage’s The BlueDragon/Le Dragon Bleu, Compagnie Marie Chouinard’s world premiere of a new workand an extended version of Joni Mitchell’s ballet The Fiddle and The Drum.”
Seven of the 20 projects announced today have beencommissioned by VANOC or co-commissioned with Arts Partners in CreativeDevelopment, indicating a major investment in the arts in Canada. These newworks highlight the innovative spirit and diverse character of the Vancouver2010 Cultural Olympiad – a diversity that stretches beyond the imaginedboundaries of an artistic discipline, cultural tradition or geography. “The endresult,” said Taylor, “is a global dialogue where artists and audiences canconnect and embrace the creative spirit we all share.”
The first 20 projects of Cultural Olympiad 2010,featuring dancers, musicians, playwrights, and visual artists, are:
The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu – Robert Lepage
Quebec’s Robert Lepage continues his internationallycelebrated imaginative and innovative stagecraft with this sequel to hisacclaimed series The Dragons’ Trilogy, set in modern China. Co-commissioned bythe Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.
Moon Water – Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
Lauded worldwide for its innovation and grace, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre ofTaiwan’s Moon Water is a contemporary exploration of Tai Chi Tao Yin movement,an ancient Chi Kung exercise, set to Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello. It willbe the troupe’s first performance in Vancouver since 1997.
NiX
Canada’s first theatre of ice and snow comes to Lost Lake in Whistler. NiXfollows an arsonist through the fireworks at the end of the world. It featuresa flaming tuba, snowman death scene and an explosive love story. Commissionedby Arts Partners in Creative Development.
Nunavut – Kronos Quartet featuring Tanya Tagaq
Performed by Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet and featuring Inuit vocalistTanya Tagaq, the centrepiece of Nunavut is Tundra Songs – a new work byCanadian composer Derek Charke that paints a mesmerizing Arctic soundscape.
Michael Lin: A Modest Veil
Taipei-based artist Michael Lin will create a massive mural covering theVancouver Art Gallery’s northern facade using the patterns and exuberantcolours found in traditional Taiwanese fabric designs and decorative art. Itwill mark the first presentation of his work in Canada.
Where the Blood Mixes – Playhouse Theatre Company
Emerging Canadian playwright Kevin Loring goes beneath the surface of theAboriginal residential school system and celebrates its survivors.Co-commissioned by Arts Partners in Creative Development.
Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and The Drum – Alberta Ballet
This extended, full-length collaboration production of the dazzling balletfeatures four additional Joni Mitchell songs, illuminated by her latest artworkand the choreography of Alberta Ballet’s artistic director Jean Grand Maître.Commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. Tickets on sale May 15,2009.
Laurie Anderson: Two Sided Plays
Renowned multimedia artist Laurie Anderson will premiere her newest work, acompelling series of 10, two-character plays in which Anderson plays both rolesdefined through the use of audio and visual effects and set design.Co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.
Nevermore – Catalyst Theatre
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the great master of the macabre, this whimsical,chilling musical fairytale by Edmonton’s Catalyst Theatre reveals thepsychology of a man whose haunting writings continue to resonate.
Compagnie Marie Chouinard: World Premiere
This newly-commissioned group piece by Canada’s reigning queen of contemporarydance is based on the notion of time recaptured. For the first time, MarieChouinard will create an accompanying vocal score. Co-commissioned by theVancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.
Nixon in China – Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera presents the Canadian premiere – and a new production – of JohnAdams’s modern masterpiece about U.S. President Richard Nixon’s historic 1972visit to China. Canadian coloratura soprano Tracey Dahl, as Madame Mao, joinsopera greats Robert Orth as Nixon and Alan Woodrow as Mao Tse-tung under themusical leadership of Maestro John DeMain who led the 1987 premiere of theopera.
Rain – Cirque Éloize
Montreal’s Cirque Éloize brings the wonder of childhood to vivid life in thisamazing circus arts performance. The company expresses its innovative nature bycombining circus arts with music, dance and theatre.
Mahler Symphony No. 8: Symphony of a Thousand –Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will give a rarelive performance of Mahler’s monumental masterpiece, featuring hundreds ofmusicians, eight vocal soloists and three choirs, including soprano MeashaBrueggergosman, the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Beyond Eden– Theatre Calgary
Written by Bruce Ruddell and starring John Mann, this spellbinding new rockmusical was inspired by Wilson Duff and Bill Reid’s 1957 groundbreaking andcontroversial expedition to Haida Gwaii. Beyond Eden will have its worldpremiere during Cultural Olympiad 2010.
Elephant Wake – Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre’s production digs deep into the pain and anger of a man trying tocome to terms with his own marginalized existence and the struggle to keep hisculture, family and town relevant in Saskatchewan. Tickets on sale June 15,2009.
Fear of Flight – Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland
This music and movement spectacle tracks 14 nervous passengers on a bumpytranscontinental flight. The production by Artistic Fraud of Newfoundlandcombines monologues, choral text and movement – all performed by an ensemble ofsinging travellers. Tickets on sale June 15, 2009.
Tear the Curtain! – Electric Company Theatre
Murder, mayhem and movies take centre stage in this stylish new thriller fromVancouver’s innovative Electric Company Theatre. Inspired by the true historyof the Stanley Theatre, which opened as a movie house in 1930, this multimediaspectacle offers a new twist to the classic whodunit.
Kidd Pivot: Dark Matters
Created by Kidd Pivot artistic director Crystal Pite, this new work bringstogether six dancers for a moving exploration of human significance in the wakeof catastrophe and planetary frailty. Co-commissioned by Arts Partners inCreative Development.
Juste pour Rire 2010
Three brilliant evenings of fun and laughter with la crème de la crème ofCanada’s francophone comedians, the hottest emerging and internationallyacclaimed artists on the scene today. Co-presented by Le Centre CulturelFrancophone de Vancouver and the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. Tickets onsale September 1, 2009.
Martha Wainwright and Jorane: Chanteuses modernes
Powerfully raw singer/songwriter Martha Wainwright and award-winningsinger/cellist Jorane, known for her unique “cello rock,” weave their musicalspell in an evening of emotionally frank and unforgettable songs.Ticketson sale June 12, 2009.
The full slate of Cultural Olympiad 2010 events, alongwith ticket information, will be available online at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiadas soon as events are announced.
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