Spotlight on Christopher Nash - Sound Designer for Burning Vision

What is your role on this production? I'm the Sound Designer, so I came up with the long list of sound cues for the show.  Many of the sounds are made from scratch.  I even got my inner Hank Williams on to sing I Saw the Light.

What drew you to Burning Vision as a project to work on? I'm a musician and songwriter (I post my stuff to topher.ca), and when my friend Sarah was going to direct Burning Vision, she contacted me to see if I would be interested in giving sound design a try. It was an excellent way to stretch myself and learn something new.

What is your background in theatre? I was in a couple of musicals as a child growing up in Wainwright. In university I was the on-stage music director for summer musical revues in Lethbridge. I have no recent experience in sound design - I'm pretty much a newbie. The only background I have with Walterdale is that I travelled to Japan with its former artistic director Sam Varteniuk.

Burning Vision deals with Canadian History that is not well known, but which has had a long lasting impact on many people environmentally and culturally. What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? My background is Japanese-Canadian, so the Second World War and the atomic bomb and Hiroshima and internment camps are all very much a part of my personal history. So that impact of the play was obvious to me going in. The surprise was the aspect of how Canada mined the uranium for the bomb. I had never heard of that before. It makes me think of our involvement in the war in a whole new way.

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect?  Being new to everything was a little scary. Learning the sound cue software took some getting used to. The sheer volume of the number of sound cues was a bit of a challenge. But the most enjoyable aspect was working with the great production team and crew to cobble together a show that was hard to do, but comes off as very impressive. That, and making the sound of a bomb that scares the shit out of everyone was pretty damn satisfying, too!

Spotlight on Yvonne Trethart - Costume, Make-up and Hair Designer for Burning Vision

What is your role on this production?  I am the costume, makeup and hair/wig designer. I am in charge of designing the whole aspect of costumes for the show. I do renderings of my vision for what the costumes, the makeup and the hair will be. I also add a photo collage as reference. After discussing it with the director, I then set a building schedule in which I help with construction and answer any questions pertaining to costumes. Also, I buy costume pieces for the show as well as any needed makeup and wigs. I solve any problems that arise during the dress rehearsals. I make sure that every costume is fully finished and have them ready in time for opening night.

What drew you to this production?  I like the idea of the play being a historical piece. I get to do lots of research about the time and learn why they wore clothing they did. Then I make that moment in time come alive on stage with the costumes.

What is your background in theatre? I started in Santa Barbara, California, taking lots of theatre classes and volunteering to be head of wardrobe for shows. Slowly but surely, every show I worked in taught me a little bit more about costumes than the classes could teach like makeup tricks, caring for wigs, doing fast changes and rigging costumes to fit the blocking. Soon enough, I was designing costumes for shows and getting recognition for my work. After graduating with three Theatre Arts degrees, I came to see my husband’s hometown and began to look for theatre here. I was drawn to a costume building workshop that Geri Dittrich was hosting at Walterdale. I asked how I could volunteer at this theatre and right away I started helping to build costumes for some shows.

What have you learned from working on this particular show? It is sad for me to see how the indigenous people were treated and currently are treated here and in my country. With such rich cultures struggling to survive, one assumes that everyone is doing what they can to preserve them, just like when they have historical findings. However, they still use cultures’ ignorance in order to deteriorate it. I guess the damage caused in hardly noticed until it has happened and then we look back on it. 

What were your biggest challenges on this show?  The most enjoyable aspect?  One of my biggest challenges was beading and building the hide jacket. I had not built anything with real leather before and I found that beading is really time consuming. What I enjoyed from working in this show was working with a bunch of great crew and actors and seeing the whole show coming together.

Check out Burning Vision and Yvonne's wonderful designs onstage now at Walterdale (show runs to April 20th).

Spotlight on Lee Boyes - The Miner in Burning Vision

What is your role in this production? I play the Miner.  He is an idealistic young man who simply want to make enough money to support himself and find someone to share his love. 

What drew you to this production? I've been acting for quite some time and I wanted to get to know the scene in Edmonton and challenge myself with the type of character I don't normally play. 

What is your background in theatre? This is my first Walterdale show, but I have a BFA in theatre performance .   I also spend a lot of time following my real passion: Improv.  I perform with Rapid Fire Theatre, which allows me great opportunity to practice and home my one man improv show: Legion. 

What have you learned from being involved in this production? Every country has moments in it's history that are not very flattering, but none the less, need to be recognized and explored.  The subjects touched upon in this production are a perfect example of events that we don't necessarily need to be proud of, but we do need to understand and embrace them as much as the triumphs. 

What has been the greatest challenge for you? The greatest challenge for me has been playing a character that i don't usually get to play: a man who travels from optimism to despair in a very short time.  It is not a linear narrative, and his character arc progresses quite quickly.  The juxtaposition of characters and scenes don't necessarily relate directly to each other and this is very difficult, yet it is what makes the piece so unique and powerful.  

What has been the most enjoyable? Being able to play with such a fun and supportive cast.  The enthusiasm involved makes working on such a challenging play extremely rewarding. 

Stunning Images of Burning Vision - Opens Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

Burning Vision, by Marie Clements and directed by Artistic Director Sarah Van Tassel, is the next production up on our decks.  It opens next week.  Here are a few of the images from this week's media call.  Photos by Douglas Stewart.

You can see all of the photos here. 

Introducing Lisa Dawn Daniels - Rose in Burning Vision

What is your role in this production?  My role in this production is Rose. She is a Métis woman in her 20s. The playwright describes her as walking between aboriginal and non-aboriginal lines. 

What drew you to Burning Vision? As a Métis woman, I was most attracted to this piece because I felt that I could personally relate to it. I worked with Sarah on a show at Walterdale last year, The Love of the Nightingale, and she told me about the play. I read it a couple times over the summer and just fell in love with the parallels that were being drawn between the aboriginal and Japanese people during WWII. 

What is your background in theatre? I got started in community theatre at the young age of 7 and have been actively involved ever since. I have my Theatre Studies Acting diploma from Red Deer College and am currently getting my Bachelor of Arts majoring in Drama at the University of Alberta. I have helped out a lot back stage and with front out of house at Walterdale in the last year, and was an actor in last season's production of The Love of the Nightingale. Walterdale has been such a wonderful place to be, and I enjoying getting involved in as many aspects of the productions as I can. 

Burning Vision deals with a piece of Canadian History that is not as well known, but which has had a long lasting impact on many people environmentally and culturally.  What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Any discoveries or realizations? If anything this piece has just reiterated what I have always believed: that our environmental impacts and impacts on cultures is generally a negative one and something we should be looking at reducing in the near future. Having felt the impacts on my culture, I hope that this production can bring awareness to people and shine light on a subject that is often kept in the dark. It has been a real privilege exploring this subject with this wonderful team of artists. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect? The biggest challenge for me in this show is differentiating myself from Rose. Because I feel that I can directly relate with the character as a person, it makes it very challenging to find the differences between us. That being said, it has been a wonderful journey finding Rose, and Sarah has provided wonderful support and guidance in finding Rose's subtle nuances. The most enjoyable aspect, as I always find at Walterdale, is the people. It is such a wonderful environment, and the people make the long nights of rehearsal fun and worthwhile. I am lucky to have the opportunity to get to know such a wonderful group of people. 

Introducing Asha Deboran-Hotrum - The Radium Painter in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I play Frances a radium painter living in the 1920's. She is an intuitive young woman who is struggling with her fate and attempting to find answers in any way that she can.

What drew you to this show? I was drawn to Burning Vision for it's story. Hiroshima, although it is something that has affected many lives, is not something that we hear about too often. This play rectifies that in the most beautiful way managing to represent many perspectives and demonstrating just how big a ripple effect it had on the world.

What is your background in theatre?  Although this is my debut in a play that the Walterdale is putting on this is not my first time working with the Walterdale. Last year I co-directed a high school one act which I had the pleasure to direct on the Walterdale stage. We won first place in the High School Cities One Act Festival allowing us to go on to perform in the Provincial One Act Festival at Red Deer College. I am honoured to have this opportunity to once again return to the Walterdale stage.

Burning Vision deals with a piece of Canadian History that is not as well known, but which has had a long lasting impact on many people environmentally and culturally.  What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Working on this show has made me realize just how much about our history is unknown. This is a sad fact and one that I hope changes in the future. It is hard to fully comprehend just how huge an impact this had on people but it is imperative that we try. Our history is created by the stories of these people and our history is what forms our future. Without stories like this to remind us of our past mistakes our present and our future are bound to be laced with poor decisions. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect? Attempting to understand the struggles of this character has been difficult. I, thankfully, have never experienced hardships on this scale and in order to portray this story I have done my best to put myself in her shoes.  I do however, have an amazing cast and crew that have been utterly wonderful, supportive and inspiring.

Introducing Dylan Evans - Charles Labine and Stevedore in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I am Brothers Labine 2 (Charles) and The Other Stevedore. Charles is a bit reluctant to strike it rich and desires the simple life. The Other Stevedore in a sense has already struck it rich with simple labour and lax days on the water.

Why did you come out for this show? In all honesty, it sounded really interesting. After reading the play and doing research, to fully realize all of the actions and implications of the human race since the 1800s is truly a feeling of gravity. The sense of, "we did this. It happened."

What is your background in theatre? I found my love for the stage in a nonprofit that was called Alectra Theatre in 1996, I started with speech and acting classes, grew into dance and vocal classes and appeared in various shows such as: The Velveteen Rabbit (2002), James and the Giant Peach( 2003), and The Ant and the Grasshopper (2005, Alectra Children's Theatre.) Between 2005-2008 I volunteered at Alectra: I built sets, designed props, learned how to set and run lighting, stage managed and understudied for other shows. Mentoring under Jacquelyn Madley I attained my Advanced Performer's Certificate from Trinity Guildhall London. I am also a member of the Spoken Word Youth Choir. My most recent performances have been: The Canadian Badlands Passion Play (2011, Drumheller);Savage/Love (2011) and Into the Woods (2012, Grant MacEwan University.) This is my first Walterdale show, and It's hard to keep in the excitement. Growing up in a nonprofit, and participating in a nonprofit just feels right.

What has this show taught you? It absolutely blows my mind even now when I think about it. We actually subjected our own people, and people in other countries to radiation poisoning through transporting it to utilizing it as a weapon. Makes you sit back and really rationalize with your own mortality. But on a lighter note its amazing how much Marie Clements packs into it. It's really a solid piece of text and the multi-media collaboration over it sounds delicious just reading its description. Burning Vision is really something more people should read, look into, and deeply consider the implications of action. I never remembered learning of Canada's Uranium trade in grade school, and it's insightful to understand the dark corners of one's culture.

What is the most challenging thing about this production?  The most enjoyable? Probably finding my roots for both characters. I had a lot of angles for Charlie, and unfortunately, not so many for the Other Stevedore, so after adjusting both of them here and there makes the shoes fit more comfortably. Burning Vision is amazingly designed like a parka--easily seen as a single thing, or an interesting collection of pockets. The overall process is always what I appreciate and enjoy about shows: seeing how much growth can happen is a really spiritual experience.

Introducing Michelle Durocher - The Widow and the Japanese Grandmother in Burning Vision

What is your role in this production? I will be playing The Widow, a Dene woman who keeps a fire burning for her dead husband. The second character is The Japanese Grandmother, an elderly Japanese woman who is looking for her grandson after the atomic bomb. 

What drew you to Burning Vision? I was drawn to Burning Visions because I thought it sounded really interesting. I didn’t know the Canadian/First Nation connection to the war before this. It sounded like it would be an important story to tell, and I love that about theatre, the story telling and education.  

What is your background in theatre? I have a BA in Drama from the U of A, but I haven’t had much experience onstage since graduating in 2008.I’ve stage managed and worked lights for various Fringe shows, and acted in a friends production at the U of A. This is my first time acting at the Walterdale.  

What has working on this show made you think about with regards to our impact on the environment and people's cultures? Any discoveries or realizations? It makes me wonder what other secrets our history holds. I’ve discovered even more of a desire to learn about our past and participate in changing our future. 

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show? The most enjoyable aspect?  The biggest challenge has been trying to learn to speak Japanese as the Grandmother. The most enjoyable aspect is definitely the people I’ve had the pleasure of working with and just getting back onstage. 

Introducing Amy Chow - Round Rose in Burning Vision

Who do you play in Burning Vision? I play a character called Round Rose, who sometimes refers to herself as Tokyo Rose. The character is based on a woman named Iva Toguri who broadcast short propaganda stints on the radio in order to affect any Allied forces who may have been listening. In this play, Round Rose appears as both her younger self, on the radio, communicating with whoever was listening, and her older self, living a more quiet life working in her father's shop.

What drew you to this project?  I studied Burning Vision in one of my courses at the University of Alberta, and I enjoyed the fragmented, episodic nature of the play. I like the parallel between the Dene and Japanese people during this time period, and I think this play is still relevant in terms of its examination of war, culture, and the environment humans abuse.

What is your background in theatre? This is my first show with Walterdale, so I'm very excited to be working with such great people in this new experience. I studied Drama at the University of Albert and have a Bachelors of Arts (Hon.) in Drama. I've been in 3 Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festivals, as a performer, and this year will be my fourth performing in two BYOV shows.

What have you learned from working on this show? I believe we all need to set goals and make commitments to sustainability. It's difficult with such a great need for petroleum products and things like cars and electricity, but since we only have one plant to live on (for now, at least) I think we should take care of it. Burning Vision could very well be a projection of our future and our dependency for oil. When I read this play I ask, if we continue to let our lives be consumed by the need to mine our planet for its resources, what will happen to us when they're gone and the Earth is just a shell of what it was?

In terms of culture, it's hard for me to imagine the hardships the Dene and the Japanese went through during WWII. For me, Burning Vision tells us to look closely at the scars that still run through Canada’s past; they may be healed on paper, but the consequences are still present. Although I don’t know what can or should be done, it is important to recognize that lives are still being affected because of what has happened.

How has the process been for you? I was a late addition to the team, so the biggest challenge for me will be to catch up to everyone, still keeping the group dynamic and rhythm going. I really enjoy seeing such a variety of people coming to do what they love to do. And it’s always fantastic to see the space being built up and the transformation of the play into a show. I’m very excited to see Burning Vision go up, and very grateful to be able to be a part of it.

Meet the Cast of Burning Vision - Bradley Bishop as "Fat Man"

What is your role in this production? My role is "Fat Man"  The character is a bit of a challenge to describe.....the character is a bomb test dummy, and also the Fat Man bomb itself, and also a representation of "America".

What drew you to Burning Vision? I was  drawn to the play because it  is wonderfully written in an almost poetic way, deals with important themes, and it's great to be involved in a production that is written by a Canadian.

What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I started performing in theatre in 2004 in Our Town at The Walterdale, and have  performed in 21  plays since then ( all genres and with a variety of theatre companies).  This is my 8th show at The Walterdale.

* Some of Bradley's previous appearances on Walterdale's stage include Sea of Green, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Threepenny Opera and The Trial of Salome.

What has working on this show taught you?  Any new discoveries or realizations? The play has  made me think about how , unfortunately, the "powers that be" throughout so many years, and including today, had and have an "Us  versus Them"  belief system.  And that the  environment, and world cultures, are treated as something that just gets in the way of one side trying to "prove" it is better than the other side. And that's why this is such an important play in that it shows how all the  world's cultures and the environment are connected, and that  the "Us versus Them" mentality has to end.  

What has been the biggest challenge of working on this show?  The  biggest challenge  for me is  working on the overall "arc" of my character.

  The most enjoyable aspect? The most enjoyable aspect for me is seeing the play taking shape and growing very quickly !   Photo Credits: Headshot - supplied; The Trial of Salome - photo by Douglas Stewart

Introducing the Cast and Team of Burning Vision - On Walterdale's Stage in April

Walterdale welcomes this new cast and team to our building to work on Marie Clement's script, Burning Vision, under the direction of our Artistic Director Sarah Van Tassel.  We are happy to see some familiar faces and we send a warm welcome to new faces joining our membership.

CAST

 

Brad Bishop - Fat Man

Martin Salinas - Little Boy

Amy Chow - Round Rose

Lee Boyes - Miner

Asha Deboran-Hotrum - Radium Painter
Wes Schofield - Bro Labine 1/Dene Ore Carrier/Stevedor 1
Dylan Evans - Bro Labine 2/Stevedor 2

Philip Geller - Koji

Lisa Dawn Daniels - Rose
Michelle Durocher - Widow/Japanese Grandmother
Bill Roberts - Cpt Mike (v0)
James Hees - Lorne Green (vo)

Robbie Mederios - Radio Engineer (vo)

TBA - Dene Seer-er /Announcer (vo)

PRODUCTION TEAM

Sarah Van Tassel - Director

Liz Furber - Stage Manager

Anglia Redding - Assistant Stage Manager
Roy Jackson - Light/Set Designer

Pierre Valois - Light/Set Builder

Sarah Valois - Production Manager
Chris Nash - Sound Designer

Yvonne Trethart - Costume Designer

Parazanda Valois - Props Master

Scott Meunier - Graphic Designer

Auditions - Burning Vision

Burning Vision

by Marie Clements

PERFORMANCE DATES: April 10th – 20th, 2013

AUDITION DATES: December 9th & 10th, 2012; Times: 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Walterdale Playhouse

DIRECTOR: Sarah Van Tassel

STAGE MANAGER: Liz Furber

CONSULTANTS: Christine Sokaymoh & Yumiko Hoyano

Burning Vision traces a chilling line of death and destruction caused on both sides of the Pacific as a result of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima during the Second World War and the uranium used to make those weapons, which was extracted from mines on Dene land in the Northwest Territories.

CHARACTERS:
PLEASE NOTE: We will try to cast the Aboriginal and Japanese characters as authentically as possible, but will colour-blind cast if necessary.

•Little Boy – Native, 10 years (older actors who look younger will be considered) – The personification of uranium
•Fat Man / Captain Mike – American / Icelandic, 30s-40s – An America bomb test dummy manning his house in the late 40s / Icelandic captain of the barge that transported the uranium
•Round Rose / Tokyo Rose – Japanese, 20s-30s – American-Japanese woman accused of being “Tokyo Rose”, a propaganda radio personality
•The Widow / The Japanese Grandmother – Native, 40s-60s – An older Dene woman who keeps a fire for her dead Dene ore carrier husband / A Japanese Grandmother looking for her grandson after the bombing
•Rose – Métis, 20s – A bread-maker, works in her father’s Hudson’s Bay Store
•Koji – Japanese, 20s-30s – A Japanese fisherman
•The Radium Painter – American, 20s-30s female– 1930s Radium Dial Painter
•The Dene See-er – Native, 40s-60s (voiceover) – Dene medicine man in the 1880s who sang the four see-er songs
•Brother Labine 1 / Dene Ore Carrier / Stevedore – 20s-30s – Prospector who discovers uranium / The Widow’s husband / Boat pilot that navigated the boats of ore
•Brother Labine 2 / The Miner / Stevedore – 20s-30s – Prospector who discovers uranium / Port Radium miner in the 1930s / Boat pilot that navigated the boats of ore

Please note: Ages are relative. Movement experience is encouraged, but not necessary. We will have a dialect coach for the Japanese and Slavey as well as for the Québécois and Icelandic accents.

The auditions will comprise of the following:

◦READINGS FROM THE SCRIPT – These will be emailed out to people in advance of their auditions.

◦CALL-BACKS (if required): Wednesday, December 12th between 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Location TBA.

•First Read: Sunday, December 16th, 2012, time & location TBA

•Rehearsals will begin Tuesday, January 15th, 2013. Rehearsals will be on Sunday afternoons, Tuesday & Wednesday evenings. We’ll be adding in a Monday or Thursday evening rehearsal starting the week of February 18th, and rehearsals may increase closer to performance, as required.

•Please bring any conflict dates you have to the audition. Headshots and résumés are recommended, but not required.

•Copies of the script are available for reading at Walterdale. Contact the Theatre Administrator at walterph@telus.net or 780.439.3058 to sign one out. Copies are also available at Theatre Alberta – please call ahead.

•Walterdale is a volunteer/member organization. We cannot engage Equity performers.

To book an audition, please contact Sarah Valois by e-mail at: sarah_valois@yahoo.com

(Drop-ins will be accommodated as time allows)

Retrospective - Introducing Walterdale's 54th Season

Wednesday afternoon marked the official launch of Walterdale's 54th Season, Retrospective.  I was happy to be a part of the event, as I introduced and sang a song from next season's musical, Anything Goes.  It was fun to be on Walterdale's stage to sing such a clever and upbeat song and great to see all the people who came out for the Launch. I also introduced a scene and song from Nine, the final show in this year's season.

Next season at Walterdale, we will be treated to the following pieces:

The Weir, by Conor McPherson

Directed by Anne Marie Szucs

On Stage: October 17-27, 2012

Auditions: July 8 & 9, 2012

An amateur production of

The Misanthrope by Molière, in a version by Martin Crimp

Directed by Janine Hodder

On Stage: December 5-15, 2012

Auditions: September 2 & 3, 2012

Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Mary-Ellen Perley

On Stage: February 6-16, 2013

Auditions: October 21 & 22, 2012

 

Burning Vision by Marie Clements

Directed by Sarah Van Tassel

On Stage: April 10-20, 2013

Auditions: December 9 & 10, 2012

From Cradle to Stage: An Evening of One-Acts New Works by Local Playwrights

Submission Deadline: September 14, 2012

On Stage: May 20-25, 2013

Auditions: February 10 & 11, 2013

Anything Goes, Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter

Book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse

Directed by Barbara Mah

On Stage: July 3-13, 2013

Auditions: March 3 & 4, 2013