PuSh Blog

First look at week 1 from the curatorial department

December 11, 2013

Here at the PuSh Festival office, it’s not about a countdown to Christmas. It’s less than five weeks away to the start of the 10th Anniversary Festival.

PuSh Pass sales are going swiftly (get ‘em while we still have ‘em—they will sell out!), Assembly registrations are on track (on par with last year) and Youth Passport registrations are exceeding our expectations for the first year of our Youth Program (I almost wish I was still 24 years old).

It’s my first year here at PuSh, and just like when Christmas came around when I was 10 years old, I am giddy with excitement and enjoying every moment!

Here’s just a small sampling of what I’m looking forward to in Week #1 of the Festival:

Super Night Shot

Hands down, this is the show NOT TO BE MISSED. It’s going to be a gala party (with cake and ice cream, fitting for anyone’s 10th) along with an unforgettable performance from the Gob Squad Arts Collective, with Vancouver in the starring role. I don’t want to say too much because it’s so much better to let yourself be surprised and transported. This is the kind of show I always dreamed of being able to see at the Vancouver Playouse. Just come. Trust me. Or, trust Norman.

Gob Squad’s Kitchen will be at the Fei & Milton Wong, January 16-18. For anyone who still can’t get enough of the Gob Squad Arts Collective, come to the PuSh Assembly Case Study on January 17, presented with SFU School of the Contemporary Arts. Members of the company will be in conversation with Rob Kitsos. Find out more about the company, their practice, how they started as art college students in Nottingham. This event is part of the PuSh Assembly and is FREE.

Fantasy Interventions

Workshops are programmed as part of the Festival as a way for local practitioners to connect with visiting artists. Here in Vancouver, companies such as Neworld Theatre have produced and presented podplays (part of PuSh 2011). Fantasy Interventions is a rare opportunity to participate in a three-day workshop with Ant Hampton from the UK, about writing for site-specific performance and will culminate in a series of on-location presentations via headphones. We’ve priced the workshop to be super-accessible. At $90, it’s cheaper than a flight to the UK and no jet lag to boot.

Our partner for Fantasy Interventions is Boca del Lupo, who have been presenting their Micro Performance Series since 2010.

Ant Hampton was last in Vancouver with Etiquette at The Cultch’s Micro-Theatre Series and part of PuSh in 2010. For the 2014 Festival, Ant is in town for The Quiet Volume, a piece created with Tim Etchells and was originally commissioned as part of Ciudades Paralelas.

The Pixelated Revolution

Rabih Mroué is another artist that is no stranger to PuSh. This year, Rabih is a PuSh Artist-In-Residence at the Festival. Our focus with the Artist-In-Residence Program is not necessarily the creation of new work (what most people assume is part of a residency) but to be able to engage with the full breadth of an artist’s practice. In this case, Rabih is in town for an exhibition at the grunt gallery as well as to perform The Pixelated Revolution. It’s been a great pleasure to work with Glenn Alteen at the grunt to program events that cross over from visual arts to performing arts and back again.

The first PuSh Assembly Breakfast Series event is with Rabih Mroué and Glenn Alteen and will take place on January 17 at the False Creek Inn. The event is part of the PuSh Assembly and is FREE. We’re serving breakfast so space is limited. You can register for the Assembly and book your spot at the Breakfast Series here. Get your fill of eggs and art!

Stay tuned for more PuSh insider information on the blog, I’ll be posting what to look forward to in Week #2.

Joyce Rosario, Associate Curator
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

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