theatre – Page 3 – Firehall Arts Centre

World Theatre Day

Posted: Mar 27 2012

Theatre can be beautiful, ugly, frightening, funny and everything in between. What it always does is create dialogue. Whether you enjoyed the last piece you saw or hated it, you were part of that moment.

To celebrate World Theatre Day, go out and support theatre by seeing one of the amazing plays on in Vancouver now:

Doubt at Pacific Theatre
Carousel Theatre for Young People’s A Year with Frog and Toad
FourPlay at Studio 58
MacBeth from Theatre at UBC
The Importance of Being Earnest at the Arts Club’s Stanley Stage
Osimous Theatre’s production of Hedda Gabler
Fiddler on the Roof on at Trinity Western University
BellaLuna’s Fresco at the Cultch
Spinning You Home by Tightrope Productions at the Havana

So much theatre in this city! Go out, explore and enjoy!

Firehall Fact #25: The Infamous Black Box

Posted: Mar 26 2012

If you’ve come to the Firehall to see a performance, you’ve noticed the theatre is what we in the bizness like to call a “black box”. A black box theatre, according to Wikipedia, is an “unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor. It is a relatively recent innovation in theatre.“

Yep, that’s what the Firehall theatre looks like, and it’s been pretty much that way since 1982, which in the grand scheme of things, is fairly recent.

Now, the great thing about having a black box is how malleable and versatile the space is. Sets are generally simpler than at larger theatres, but because of the technical specifications of the space, can be extremely unique and interesting. Lighting can also play a grander role in a performance in a black box theatre because there is no place for lighting leaks or for it to be diffused. The theatre itself can also be configured specifically for each new show, a feature impossible in larger, static spaces.

This year alone, we have had the theatre capacity go from our regular 136 to 155 and 162 as well as taking it from the regular arrangement of seats in the picture above and reconfiguring it into an L shape for VIMY and a thrust stage for Goodness.

This versatility provides the opportunity to present work to the public in the most interesting way, allowing the audience to interact in the best possible way with the work.

That’s pretty cool.

If you’ve been thinking about donating to our $30 for 30 Campaign but haven’t yet, you still have time! Do it now through our website, give us a call or visit Canada Helps to donate there!

Firehall Fact #13: Staff Favourites

Posted: Mar 15 2012

The Firehall has a wonderful, talented and inventive staff. We love this place, not only for its wonderful history and good looks, but each staff member has special reasons as to why we cherish being here.

Today, we spotlight Jamie Burns, the Technical Director here at the Firehall.

Jamie has been with the Firehall for six years, and has been TD for the past two. He’s the go-to guy for anything having to do with the theatre and the building, and he’s a sucker for bubble tea.

My name is Jamie Burns and I am the Technical Director here at the Firehall Arts Centre. I have many favourite things about the Firehall: from the huge stone block foundation to the fire pole in the the theatre to the friendly Firehall ghost. But, I have to say my favourite thing is the variety of the shows we put on: from rocking musicals like Chelsea Hotel to dramas like The Blue Light, East of Berlin and Where the Blood Mixes, the shows we produce and present here always bring something new to the table. You never see the same show twice.

To donate to our $30 for 30 Campaign on our website, click here! To donate via Canada Helps, visit them here.

Firehall Fact #12 – V6A Pass

Posted: Mar 14 2012

Did you know the Firehall offers a discounted ticket program for residents living in the V6A postal code area?

The V6A Pass is a program designed to provide residents of the Downtown Eastside with the opportunity to attend presentations and productions here at the Firehall Arts Centre at discounted rates.

Remember, we need your help! Donate to our $30 for 30 Campaign through our website or Canada Helps!

Firehall Fact #11 – Savage Parade

Posted: Mar 12 2012

In 1992, the Firehall saw a very unique performance that plays in the theatre and in the studio upstairs.

As most of you are aware (if you’ve read the first Firehall Fact, which I know you have), the Firehall Arts Centre used to be a fully-functioning fire station. Which means there were a number of fire poles placed in convenient places all over the building for firemen to get down to the trucks and gear. Four of these poles were located in four corners of what is now our upstairs studio, which was then the room in which the firemen slept.

When the fire station was turned into an arts centre, these poles were removed, which left four holes in the floor. Don’t worry, these were covered up.

Until 1992 when choreographer Cornelius Fischer-Credo’s Savage Parade was presented.

The show was comprised of two parts that happened simultaneously in the theatre and upstairs in the studio, and the performers moved between the spaces by using ladders propped through these old fire pole holes. They would also throw props including glitter, lights and shoes through the holes as well.

During intermission, the audience that viewed the show upstairs would move down into the theatre, and vice versa.

In the theatre, the production was moody and dark, taking the public on a journey to a ghostly underworld, while in the land upstairs, audiences were treated to funny, happy (and hilariously off-key) renditions of 70s pop songs and bright, silly performances.

Savage Parade was performed in June and December of that year.

Remember, we need your help! Donate to our $30 for 30 Campaign through our website or Canada Helps!

Savage Parade news clipping from the Vancouver Sun, December 18 1992. From the Firehall’s archives.