Dan Gillies Performs at the 2016 WinterPLAY Festival

Dan Gillies is no stranger to the Wood Buffalo community – especially if you attended last year’s – 2015 Western Canada Summer Games Opening Ceremony- having performed at countless festivals, private events and bars since 2008. He’s known for his jazzy instrumental performances, but at this year’s WinterPLAY Festival you’re in store for a very different Dan Gillies than you’ve seen in the past.

On Friday, February 19, 2016 from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. you can expect to hear the likes of the Goo Goo Dolls, Foo Fighters and a plethora of Big Shiny Tunes 2 artists thanks to Dan’s 90s rock-inspired set-list! With his hair down and a more rock-inspired look, you might be caught doing a double take, half thinking you’re seeing Dave Grohl himself on the stage.

Being collaborative and sampling from different genres is what’s kept Dan’s career thriving. He says that being versatile and willing to try new things is what has allows him to capitalize on so many different performance opportunities. While he considers himself primarily a strings man, he does own a set of bagpipes (though rumour has it they won’t be making an appearance anytime soon in one of his performances). Dan’s new “rock show” set is the culmination of a pet project idea that started about a year ago and one that he’s been testing out at a variety of events since then. It’s very exciting to have Dan perform at WinterPLAY again and he couldn’t be more excited to continue to share this new vibe of his with the RMWB community.

So whether you’re a long-time fan of 90s era music or just looking to have a music-filled Friday night out, but sure to check out Dan’s set at 7 p.m.!

For more information on Dan Gillies music, please check out his website: DanGilliesMusic.com. 

WinterPLAY Snow Art Challenge - Come Play in the Snow!

Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, this year’s WinterPLAY Snow Art Challenge is sure to get your creative juices flowing. Taking place on Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21 – on the hill beside the Snye – WinterPLAYers are invited to contribute to this year’s first ever community art mural!

Local artist Sonia Burke-Smith, who runs the Boreal Artist Institute, is the Wood Buffalo resident responsible for bringing the Snow Art activity to WinterPLAY 2016. She and other artists from the Boreal Art Institute will be on site from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day to help, encourage, guide and inspire all participants to make the mural.

Brushes and spray bottles will be given to participants to create their masterpieces. Whether you use stencils or let your own artistic creativity guide you, the goal of this WinterPLAY activity is to create a free-flowing art piece with no parameters. The end result will be a physical representation of our community’s diverse culture, our Northern Spirit and our residents’ collective voice. The added bonus of this activity is that it will live on long past the festival. Community members can re-visit the piece and see its many changing phases until spring rolls into Wood Buffalo and the last colourful drop of snow melts away.

For those who may be worried about the Snow Art Activity’s environmental impact, do not fear! Food colouring will be used so as not to harm or disrupt the area.

Lastly, the whole event is sponsored by KAOS! All participants are eligible to enter into the draw, where at the end of the weekend three lucky winners will be selected at random to win an amazing Art themed gift basket.

Be sure to check out this colourful event and make your artistic contribution to our community art project!

Night Witches Previews This Wednesday

Night Witches, a collectively created play by Cheepiyak Theatre previews this Wednesday at Westwood Community High School Theatre. Directed by Terri Mort and co-directed by Michelle Thorne, starring twenty four Westwood high school actors, the play is based on the famous world war II Soviet women’s 488 Night Bomber Regiment. Nachthexen as the Germans called them were; female pilots, navigators and mechanics who flew small PO-2 biplanes or obsolete Yak planes that called for specific strategies to overthrow enemy occupied territory. The perspective is from both male and female pilots and show moments of their; recruitment, training and tragedies. Moments in the play include the love relationships between the male and female pilots, flight strategies, weather conditions and other surprising facts that contributed to the story of these amazing very young pilots.
  
Community Strategies coordinator Michael Beamish recently sat down with Terri Mort and discussed the challenges and triumphs of creating this unique piece of theatre.

Michael Beamish (MB): How long have you been teaching theatre in Wood Buffalo?

Terri Mort (TM): I have been teaching with FMPSD for eighteen years. Eleven at Westwood and prior to that at Greely Road School where I did extracurricular drama projects.

MB: Why did you choose to create a piece on the Night Witches?

TM: I wanted to create a piece of theatre that focused on the perspective of youth and war. Through many overwhelming moments and research, I stumbled across an articles about the young female night bombers of World War II USSR. I was really excited when I learned about these courageous and talented women. I ordered books & shared with the cast and crew and we learned that they were not only war heroes but also had incredible personal stories.

MB: How many students star in the show?

TM: This is an ensemble show with twenty five stars-fourteen girls and nine boys.

MB: How did you and your students create the show?

TM: Actors were assigned characters and researched the lives of those people -whether a German officer or a specific historic figure such as Major Marina Raskova .Students also researched information such as soldiers’ ranks, duties, professional background and personal stories. We workshopped various scenes to create stage moments -keeping moments we liked. In addition students wrote their own monologues, short scenes and eventually formed everything into one script.

MB: Have your actors been affected by the material of the show?

TM: I believe our actors knowledge on Operation Barbarossa, technical understanding of aircrafts and challenges that the USSR went through in World War II is evident. Each cast and crew member would also be able to give you their own anecdotes in addition.

MB: What were some of the challenges you had in creating this play?

TM: Some of our challenges included: working originally without a script, building scenes and refining to make stage worthy moments along with dropping some of the stories that also inspired us. Local actor and Arts Council employee, Michelle Thorne has worked as co-director providing professional guidance and creativity.

MB: What are the awards and challenges in working with young actors?

TM: We are blessed to have so much talent at Westwood. Students created stage roles and dramaturged the world of the play. They created choreography, combat scenes, costume construction, sound design and made efforts to learn Russian dialects. This play showcases a huge range of skill and ability. 

Challenges for many were starting a show without a script. Actors didn’t understand at first what their role was in the story or the vignettes and who we were going to threat it all together. This was equally challenging for a technical team without a script for the longest time. However the actors kept searching deep into their characters, coming up with their own ideas for scenes that are woven into our final collection

MB: What have you learned from the show?

TM: I’ve learned that theatre isn’t always about ordering a script online from a publishing company. Original material can be created from a mass of intelligent and creative young minds who make brave choices  all for the love of  theatre.

MB: Why should audience come see Night Witches?

TM: Night Witches is one of the greatest war stories never told. Audiences will be moved by the story of these young pilots. In addition audiences will hopefully make connections with their own family heritage and stories of war -whether through accounts from those who served overseas in recent war zones or from those who served in World War II.

Do not miss this unique, original play! Night Witches has a few scenes with suggested violence and occasional language and is recommended for audiences aged 12 and up. The show runs from November 18-21, tickets can be purchased at the Westwood office or one hour before show time at the Cheepiyak Theatre office, $15 adults & $10 students & seniors, $5 for preview night. For more information please contact: Terri.Mort @fmpsd.ab.ca or 780-791-1986 Ext. 178

Wood Buffalo Idol

Tervita Instruments of Change invites you to support access to music arts for deserving youth in Wood Buffalo.

Take a picture or video of yourself enjoying music.

We want people in Wood Buffalo to revisit their passion and excitement for the music arts. Play doesn't end when you are nineteen years old! We want people to grab a mic, a drum or an air guitar and rediscover what they will always have inside them; their own music story which started in our early years.

Music made an impression on all of us when we were young. It is the same for our music students. The music our youth listen to and play today will be a part of them for their whole life.

Please use #WBidol in social media when you post your picture or video.

Reconstitute the music arts as often as you like and invite others to do the same!

Invite yourself to our Fundraiser Event on April 11th, 2015 at SEPCA. Bring your instrument and your favourite song. 

Tickets are $75 dollars, $50 of the ticket cost is tax refundable. 

For more information on the fundraising event please contact;

Dave Martin
(780) 881-6869
dave@legacyfoundation.ca

Tervita Instruments of Change connects local youth with donated instruments and local musicians. A stay in and complete school initiative, Instruments of Change collaborates with schools so youth experience success through the music arts. For more information on the program please visit the Instruments of Change website .

Norm Foster’s latest play, On a First Name Basis, makes its Alberta premiere this Friday, 8pm, at Keyano Theatre. Directed by Claude Giroux and starring Norm Foster and Patricia Vanstone, On a First Name Basis, is a love story, a touching comedy, a social commentary and a mystery wrapped in witty dialogue and vivid imagery about a wealthy novelist and his dedicated housekeeper.    

Norm Foster, known as Canada’s most produced playwright, was born in Newmarket, Ontario. He began his career as a playwright in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 1983 while he was working as a host of a popular morning radio show. One evening he accompanied a friend to an audition and ended up getting a role as Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey, without ever having even seen a play. Foster quickly fell in love with the stage and swiftly wrote his first play titled Sinners which was an immediate success and ignited his career as a playwright. Since that day Foster has become a prolific writer creating and producing more than forty plays on professional stages. He is frequently compared to American playwright Neil Simon and like Simon Foster’s plays are full of insight into the everyday tribulations of life. He is known for his witty sense of humour and comedic characters that touch a wide range of audiences. His plays have been staged across North America and around the world. Some of his most renowned shows include The Melville Boys, My Darling Judith, The Affections of May, The Motor Trade, Wrong for Each Other, Office Hours,  The Love List, The Long Weekend; Bedtime Stories; Kiss the Moon, Kiss the Sun; Storm Warning; and Here on the Flight Path.

Tickets for, On a First Name Basis, are available at the Keyano Box Office or online at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=kethe. The play opens this Friday and runs Saturday, October 4^th then the following week from October 8^th-11^th at 8pm. For more information please call the Keyano Box Office at (780) 791-4990. 

On a First Name Basis at Keyano Theatre

Keyano College Foundation, Partners & Friends Presents 
On A First Name Basis
By Norm Foster
Directed by Claude A. Giroux

Professional Tour starring Norm Foster & Patricia Vanstone - Alberta Premiere

A love story, touching comedy, a social commentary and a mystery wrapped in witty dialogue and vivid imagery about a wealthy novelist and his dedicated housekeeper. Featuring a performance by Canada’s most produced playwright – Mr. Foster himself.

Date(s): October 2 (Preview), 3 (Opening), 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 | Time: 8:00pm

Keyano Theatre | Rating: Mature