The Week in Review: June 3
VANCOUVER’S MANHOLE COVERS GET ARTISTIC MAKEOVER
The City of Vancouver launched a competition for artists to design manhole covers for the city, to distinguish sanitary from storm sewers. The initiative aims to “express Vancouver’s spirit, values and a vision for a sustainable future.” Two winners have already been announced, but voting for the Public’s Choice is open until June 10. You can view the entries on the official Ironclad Art website.
Nigel Dembicki's Winning Design
ELECTRIC COMPANY LAUNCHES CROWDFUNDING REMOUNT CAMPAIGN
Vancouver’s Electric Company Theatre plan to remount their acclaimed, sold-out performance, All the Way Home, by crowdsourcing funds. The company’s Indiegogo campaign attempts to raise $100,000 during the month of June and states that the show will only happen if this goal is reached. Contributors can experience a range of perks for participating, from a ticket to see the show to picnics on the Queen Elizabeth Stage and more. The show is set to run in January 2014.
CBC’s RADIO CANADA REBRANDS TO “ICI”
The CBC is rebranding it’s French-language service to be called “Ici” – a change that will be seen throughout all channels and websites in the coming months. The organization argues that such a change modernizes the brand in what is a fast-paced, continuously developing media landscape. While public reaction has yet to be seen, Heritage Minister James Moore has expressed concern, calling on the CBC to ensure that “the presence of Canada… should not be diminished in any part of this country.”
SHAKESPEARE ACROSS CANADA & ABROAD
Bard on the Beach mounts the third Hamlet in the company's history this summer. The highly anticipated production was featured in this week's Vancouver Sun. The piece spoke not only to director Kim Collier's vision, which sets the work in modern-day Vancouver. Meanwhile, over at Bard's blog, it was revealed that Torquil Campbell, of the indie band Stars, is also involved in the production. The multifaceted artist is assisting in helping Collier create the production's sound and music.
Regular readers may recall that Torquil is also working on a Hamlet-inspired theatrical project on the other side of the country, at Ontario's Stratford Festival.
Hollywood is also reinvigorating Shakespeare, with director Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing receiving high praise: “perhaps the liveliest and most purely delightful movie I have seen so far this year,” commented the New York Times. This version of the classic ‘rom-com’ uses black and white cinematography to capture the “essential screwball nature” of the play. View the trailer here:
Finally, Shakespeare's Globe (the London, UK theatre modeled on Shakespeare's original venue) announced that it will achieve a milestone when it tours Twelfth Night and Richard III to New York this fall. The occasion will mark the first time that the repertory company, whose launched its inaugural season in 1997, will perform on Broadway.
Categories: MPMG