the cultch Archives - Biz Books

The Biz Interview: Christine Quintana

Biz Books — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 04:09:40 +0000

Christine Quintana is a talented, multifaceted performer. An actor, playwright, and co-Artistic Producer of Delinquent Theatre, she was recently honoured with the Sidney Risk Prize for Outstanding Script by an Emerging Playwright for the play Selfie along with a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Outstanding Musical, Small Theatre for Stationary: A Recession-Era Musical.

As the lead in the upcoming Vancouver production of Heathers: The Musical – the first time in Canada – she’s helping to bring life to a staple of 1980s pop culture in a whole new way. We caught up with Christine Quintana to get the goods on how the themes of Heathers can resonate on stage.

________________________________

What is your involvement with Heathers: The Musical and how did that get started?

Our director David C. Jones approached me a few months ago to ask me if I was interested in playing Veronica in the musical version of Heathers. It was a lightning-quick meeting we both fit in between other meetings – so quick that I left thinking, did that just happen? But I’m so glad it did because here I am. Now I’m seeing my dang face on posters around town. Things happen fast sometimes!

What drew you to be a part of this production?

I have a terrible confession to make – I hadn’t actually seen Heathers. Not the movie, or the musical. But I knew about its cult classic status and I’d heard wonderful things about the musical. After I did a bit of research, I knew I wanted to be involved. It’s rare that you get a cast stacked with female leads, but that’s Heathers – Heather MacNamara, Heather Duke, Heather Chandler, Martha and Veronica all have incredible, meaty, rich material. The boys get to be the eye candy and comedic relief!

Recommended Reading

The Perfect Stage Crew
2nd Edition

Click a cover for more details

Empire of the Son

Ignite: Illuminating Theatre
For Young People

Can you share some of your creative process in preparing for the role – from the initial planning all the way to opening night?

I only watched the movie once – just to see the style and the iconic moments. I think with a show like this it’s important to nod to the origins, but the scenes and even plot points are different and I didn’t want to start getting attached to choices from the movie that no longer suit the musical.

Our rehearsal process has been very part-time over the last few months. I’m used to working in the traditional Equity process where you come together for two weeks, three at most and bang out the whole show working full-time. I’ve really enjoyed having a lot of time to let the material sink in, focus on one thing at a time. Without the pressure of having to turn out the shape of the show immediately because you head into tech in a week, there’s time to get to know the material well.

Right now, I’m focused on the guts of the show – going into those deep dark teenage feelings and mining the emotional truth of it. Once we get into runs, it’ll be time to fine tune the technical aspects of comedy – staying inside the show for the personal arc, but standing just outside enough to make those precise choices of timing and gesture that make the show as funny as it can be.

The preview performances will be essential to nailing down the rhythms of the show once we have an audience in the house responding – or not responding, as is sometimes the case – and making sure the audience doesn’t miss a beat. I can tell already that it’s going to be totally jarring to be in a moment that is a five alarm high stakes devastating situation for Veronica, and the audience might be laughing their asses off. But it’s only funny if it’s real for us – the comedy lies in the dichotomy between truthful moments and absurd situations in Heathers. Come opening night though, it’s time to put the script and my notes away and play for real.

What should audiences expect from this show?

Fierce singing, fierce dancing, and the sting of teenage angst that might hit a bit too close to home. Heathers: The Musical is hilarious and has killer music, but I think the real surprise for audiences will be the incredible cast. There are a lot of new faces on stage and I think people will be really blown away.

What are the three most important ingredients for a successful stage production?

I’m going to use the Heathers as my inspiration for this question:

Heather Chandler: Leadership.

It takes a lot of people to make this thing happen – we’ve got producer Lori Watt, director David C. Jones, stage manager Michael Brooks, musical director Steven Greenfield, choreographer Ken Overbey, and also lots more help even within the cast, like our dance captain Daren Dhyengco and music captain Steffanie Davis. Everyone has a unique job and important perspective to add to the production.

Heather Duke: Confidence.

I think in the performing arts, particularly in the theatre, we suffer from low self-confidence. Sometimes in Vancouver we feel like all the action is happening somewhere else or that theatre as an art form is somehow ‘less than’. We need to fight that, always – to believe that we’re worthy of audiences and that we’ve got something important to offer. We need to value our work and believe in its worth to our community.

Heather MacNamara: Vulnerability.

These two go hand in hand – it requires confidence to be vulnerable and vulnerability to be confident. Just the act of getting on stage or offering your art to the world requires tremendous vulnerability. In our working process we need to be open and generous with our scene partners and collaborators – that’s when the work gets good. It’s a lifelong practice to be comfortable with making yourself vulnerable, but it’s an essential ingredient for worthwhile art.

Are there any books or authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

I find this is a love-it-or-hate-it read, but I love True and False by David Mamet. I certainly don’t agree with the entire thing, but he nails some pithy, tweet-sized philosophies about how to approach work as an actor. Sometimes we can get so bogged down in our fears and distractions about the ‘industry’ – I gagged a bit just saying the word – and then also about our process that we lose the ability or focus to just get the f**k to work, as David Mamet would say it. There’s some great food for thought in there about putting your ego and fragility aside and just doing your damn job.

What is the most important lesson you have learned so far in your career?

Very little will come to you on its own – you’re responsible for your destiny as an artist. Whether that’s a large-scale thing like producing your own work or creating opportunities for yourself to perform, or as simple as being clear on what you want from a rehearsal day and setting yourself up to achieve that objective, it’s up to you. And hey, you can learn something from the Heathers on this one – that takes leadership, confidence, and vulnerability. But it’s worth it – the hardest thing in this business, especially as an actor, is feeling like you have no agency over yourself or your work. Taking charge is the only way to feel like you’re moving forward.

What other projects do you have coming up and where can people find out more about you online?

I’m the co-Artistic Producer of an indie theatre company called Delinquent Theatre which has a show coming up in the spring called Never The Last. We’ll share all the details on our website and Facebook page. I also write essays and other things on my personal website.

________________________________

Our thanks to Christine Quintana for speaking with us!

Heathers: The Musical runs January 6th to 17th, 2016 at The York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive in Vancouver, BC. For tickets, call the Cultch box office at 604-251-1363 or order online.

The post The Biz Interview: Christine Quintana appeared first on Biz Books.

The Biz Interview: David C. Jones

Biz Books — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 01:07:54 +0000

David C. Jones is man of many talents with directing, acting, writing, and filmmaking chief among them.

His newest project as a theatre director is Heathers: The Musical, an ambitious and musically-charged re-telling of the 1989 cult movie favourite, brought to Canada for the first time by …Gently with a Chainsaw Artists’ Collective.

We spoke to David C. Jones to find out more about Heathers: The Musical.

________________________________

What is your involvement with Heathers: The Musical and how did that get started?

Lori Watt acquired the rights for the first production in Canada and approached me to play the Father of JD and Ram. She mentioned she was still looking to confirm a director and I said I wanted to do it. For awhile I was going to act and direct but the scope of the show dictated that I should step out. That and I thought it would be wicked funny to see Nelson Wong in the role.

What drew you to be a part of this production?

This is based on one of my favourite movies. It’s darkly funny and spoke to me. I also had not directed a musical in a while.

Heathers: The Musical Contest

Biz Books — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:51:29 +0000

BizBooks.net is offering the chance to see the Heathers: The Musical in Vancouver.

Production Details

Heathers: The Musical is the darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer (Christine Quintana), a brainy, teenage misfist who never dreamed of getting in with the most popular and cruel clique at high school. But she did. She never dreamed of dating the dark and mysterious new kid at her school. But she did. And she certainly never dreamt of killing anyone. But she kind of did.

…Gently with a Chainsaw Artists’ Collective brings this outrageous musical based on the 1988 cult film which was written by Daniel Waters, and starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, to Canada. Adapted by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, Heathers: The Musical is a shockingly funny, heartfelt, homicidal show directed by David C. Jones. Equal parts social commentary and psycho thriller, Heathers: The Musical is guilt-free mayhem. Director David C. Jones has assembled a diverse cast of established talent and fresh new voices from Vancouver’s performing arts community.

Jessie Richardson Award winning actress Christine Quintana plays Veronica Sawyer, our misfit heroine who gets in with the wrong crowd, with recent Studio 58 graduate Kamyar Pazandeh as the brooding JD. The trio of terrorizing Heathers is Synthia Yusuf, Devon Busswood and Nhi Do. Playing against type – Colin Sheen and Hal Wesley Rogers play the brutish and dumb football bullies, while Steffanie Davis plays one of their victims. The adults are played by producer Lori Watt, Ken Overbey and Nelson Wong. Rounding out the cast of high school students and cliques are Quinn Cartwright, Daren Dyhengco, Vivian Full, Brent Hirose, Matt Montgomery, and Deanna Rayne.

David C. Jones directs this rompy musical comedy with Liz McLaughlin Assistant Directing. Sarah Mabberley recreates the high school scene of 1989 along with Sacha Picard’s 80’s inspired looks from Main Street’s F as in Frank Vintage clothing store and props by Quinn Cartwright. Gabriel Carter’s fight direction blends the humour and the homicidal urges of the actors with Ken Overbey’s choreography and lighting design by Michael Methot. Under Steven Greenfield’s musical direction, a live onstage band brings this musical to life with Sound Design by Kyra Soko. Stage Manager is Michael Brooks.

Heathers: The Musical runs January 6th to 17th, 2016 at The York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive in Vancouver, BC.

• Previews: January 6th & 7th, at 7:30 pm ($15)

• Opening Night: January 8th, at 7:30pm ($30)

• Matinees performances are at 2:00 pm January 9th, 10th, 16th and 17th ($25)

• Evening performances are at 7:30 pm January 8th to 9th ($30), 12th to 16th ($40)

For tickets, call the Cultch box office at 604-251-1363 or order online

Enter to see the Saturday, January 9th Evening Performance

Please send an e-mail to info@bizbooks.net and please include this information:

Your Name

Your E-mail Address

Your Phone Number

“Heathers: The Musical Contest” in the subject line

Contest closes on Monday, December 21st, 2015. Winners will be selected at random and will be contacted by e-mail.

The Biz Interview: Ron Reed – Director of “Doubt: A Parable”

Biz Books — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 06:36:14 +0000

In Vancouver’s theatre community, Ron Reed is best-known as the Founder of Pacific Theatre. When he’s not working behind the scenes as the Artistic Director, Ron is often a contributing to productions as an actor and writer. On Pacific Theatre’s newest production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt: A Parable, Ron is handling directing duties. He spoke with us in advance of the play’s opening to share some insights into the process.

What inspired you to take on this production?

When I read this script, long before I ever had the chance to see it, I knew it was pure, absolute essential Pacific Theatre material. John Patrick Shanley wrote it for us. He didn’t know that at the time, but he did.

I also knew it was one of the great scripts I had ever read. The subtleties, the economy, the complete mastery of the ebb and flow of our sympathies and understanding, the revelations about character and event, the carefully managed perceptions and misperceptions. Absolute mastery. In service of an important, powerful, utterly human story that simply had to be told. On our stage. By our artists.

It was just as clear to me that Erla Faye Forsyth had to play Sister Aloysius, one of the great original creations in all the literature for the stage. That Erla is precisely the actress to bring an audience the elusive and intricate balances embodied in this most complex and misunderstandable – and perhaps misunderstanding – of human beings. We need to dread her, but we need to love her – and it’s darn hard to find an actress who embodies both. Effortlessly. And we’ve got her. Think of the starch of Erla’s Miss Daisy, combined with the winsome charisma of her clown character in Lucia Frangione’s Holy Mo, and you’ve got a pretty amazing, and distinctive, Sister A.

Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for this production, from the early stages all the way to opening?

No bells and whistles, no extras, no clutter. Design-wise, to match the lean economy of the script with a spare, elegant, impassioned production. Clear, uncluttered attention on actors and text: truthful, direct, un-performed; characters absolutely connected to one another, dancing, boxing, interrogating.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Writing In Restaurants by David Mamet. For a vision of the necessity of live theatre. I have a great deal of difficulty with what Mamet says elsewhere about the practice of acting, but find his manifestos about the power of embodied storytelling endlessly invigorating.

Backwards And Forwards by David Ball. There is no better, clearer book about the irreducible mechanism of storytelling than this. Obviously essential for playwrights and dramaturgs, but equally so for actors and especially directors.

Story by Robert McKee. There is no more thorough, detailed book about the complexities of storytelling than this. There are important differences between telling stage stories and screen stories, of course – language predominates in theatre, image in film – but truly, nearly all the rest of it applies. (Well, except all that stuff about genre: marketing-driven Hollywood has niched its product in a way we theatre types can mostly disregard. Consider it “helpful problem-solving tips” rather than gospel.)

Playwrights John Patrick Shanley, Lanford Wilson, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Helen Edmundson, William Shakespeare.

What were the biggest challenges for you as a director in developing this production and how did you deal with them?

My job as director: keep the audience in doubt. Achieve every reversal in audience sympathy and judgment that Shanley wrote into this intricate, confounding story. It’s so easy to let the audience settle too easily into one perception or another – which is not the playwright’s intention. Quite the opposite.

What can you share about any future projects that are in development?

Once Doubt opens, I get back in my Artistic Director chair and polish up details on Pacific Theatre’s 2012-13 season, which we announce March 15. Then I’m up on my feet again, acting: I rejoin the cast of The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot at The Cultch in April, playing Butch Honeywell. After that, the thing I’m most excited about — I’m back in front of the keyboard again as playwright in May / June / July to start work on my first new script in a decade! My last three projects – A Bright Particular Star, You Still Can’t and Refuge Of Lies – were all about completing or reshaping earlier scripts I’d set aside. Since then, the fields had to lay fallow for a few years, due to the demands of running a theatre company. But now, three projects all think their time has come (in order of increasing difficulty): a stage adaptation of a film, a stage adaptation of a non-fiction book, and an original play about the waning friendship between two of my favourite literary figures. I’m borderline giddy to be getting back to writing – which I’d begun to thing might not ever happen again. Whew.

________________________________________

Doubt: A Parable opens at PacificTheatre.org on March 2nd, 2012. You can also check out Ron’s blogs: Soul Food Vancouver, Soul Food Movies, and Oblations.

The post The Biz Interview: Ron Reed – Director of “Doubt: A Parable” appeared first on Biz Books.