Matt Reznek
James Lyndsay
Brooke Wedlock
Yuula Benivolski
It is time for the thirteenth PuSh International Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver - January 16th to February 5th. About ten years ago I stumbled into PuSh when I saw an innovative play at Performance Works on Granville Island and it was smart, edgy and exciting enough to wow even jaded New York audience. What drew me into the PuSh festival is its impulse to go further and do more with performing arts, casting aside ideas of genre, medium and convention. The shows are still accessible (not usually pretentious or inscrutable) and the best ones are moving, hilarious, transformative.
The anticipation reminds me of some of the very best performances I’ve seen at PuSh including Best Worst Play (2012), the 20 minute musical night of Veda Hille’s Craigslist Canata and Distant 2nd, Geoff Berner’s Steve Fonyo musical (2009), Bonanza (2011) Winnipeg Babysitter (2013). All are among the most profound/entertaining performances I’ve experienced.
Shows I will catch this year include Backstage in Biscuit Land (a theatre piece anchored by Tourette syndrome and the word ‘biscuit’) and the Turning Point ensemble playing excerpts from Frank Zappa and Edgard Varèse. My first show, on January 21st at the Fox Cabaret, is Things a Person is Supposed to Wonder, in which Bridget Moser will do I don’t know what! Stayed tuned to find out if it was funny or weird or both or neither.
If you’re looking for big shows, try dirtsong showcasing Australia’s Black Arm Band ensemble who specialize in Aboriginal music and languages. “Against a backdrop of stunning documentary, with driving percussion, didgeridoo, and deeply soulful vocals, the group performs songs in a dozen languages, including some now virtually extinct.”
What would happen if you tried to remember all the dances you ever danced? The show Wallflower asks that of four artists trained in various disciplines (one in dance). "Recalling romantic waltzes, solo dance parties, and impromptu groove sessions, the performers are accompanied by DJ and disco ball." February 1–3 at Performance Works. Watch this video because it looks very cool.
And if you like immersive theatre, try The City and the City at the Russian Hall, January 24th to February 5th, a play about two "split cities, where residents with distinct cultures occupy overlapping geographical spaces and are forbidden from seeing each other." What makes the play unique is audience interaction—if you relish taking a turn on stage, then this show could be a lot of fun.
I particularly love Club PuSh, where shows are sometimes more underground or experimental or still in development. It started out as curated nights of a few different projects of theatre, film, comedy, dance, usually mashed together and all for ten dollars. OK so the admission fee has gone up but it is still the best place to get a sampling of the type of barrier-breaking work PuSh is about. Some highlights: Visitors From Far Away to the State Machine (described as “profane space oddity, featuring two aliens on a journey to Earth… for their honeymoon.”) and Dynasty Handbag (“a manic, celebratory send-up of gender and performativity”).
If you haven’t experienced Human Library in past years at PuSh, then give it a try. January 21, 22, 28, 29 and February 4, 5 at the Central branch of the Vancouver library. It is free. Borrow a human book and learn something different. If you want to take advantage of the free shows (and why not!) then also attend a performance of Town Choir, conceived by the always-captivating arts-producing duo, Theatre Replacement. In this show various singer/songwriters type out their observations of the surrounding environment from cities across Canada and the Vancouver Youth Choir will transform them to song. Three shows. There are also some free films. So don’t say you didn’t have time to find out what to see or that it was too expensive!