4 Opera adds theatre to its repertoire Marpole based Opera Mariposa kicks off new division with the play Master Class By CHANTELLE DEACON South Vancouver opera company Ae: features emerging talent has ecently expanded its repertoire to include theatre. Sopranos Robin Eder-Warren and Jacqueline Ko founded Opera Mariposa in 2012. This month, the company add- ed a theatre division that will present plays and musicals with operatic ele- ments. Eder-Warren, Mariposa’s man- aging director, is excited for the chang- es. She hopes the expansion will bring new talent and audiences to the com- pany. “We have very big dreams, with very big shows in mind,” said Eder- Warren. The first show under the theatre di- vision is the iconic play Master Class by Terrence McNally, which will be held Feb. 19 to 28 at Marpole United Church. Eder-Warren said that combin- ing opera and the- atre will bring great things. “Musical theatre is a really impor- tant thing for oper- atic singers to em- brace,” said Eder-Warren. “When the bridges CHRISTINA DENNEHY cross between mu- Opera Mari- sical theatre and posa actor and opera the produc- soprano tions are elevated enormously.” Christina Dennehy, first soprano for Opera Mariposa, is an actress in Mas- ter Class. She said she is excited about her future with the company. “Opera Mariposa has done a really good job at giving young artists the op- portunity to be in shows,” said Denne- hy, adding that it can be difficult to land an audition with other Vancouver com- panies. Kathryn Nickford, an opera singer herself, is a fan of the company’s pro- ductions. She said the shows are enter- taining and she appreciates hearing “lovely” voices she has never heard be- fore. Opera Mariposa’s focus on local, ris- ing talent is what sets them apart from other companies, said Eder-Warren. “The difference you get is local art- ists who are young, vibrant, passionate and end up giving consistently very personal performances,” said Eder- Warren. SUBMITTED photo Managing director of Opera Mari- posa, Robin Eder-Warren, performs. SUBMITTED photo The playwrights of FourPlay (L to R): Markian Tarasiuk, Bronywn Carradine, Elan Bertles, Carly Pokoradi and Kamyar Pazandeh. Females forefront in FourPlay Studio 58’s 11th annual theatre festival tells the stories of women By DANIEL DADI-CANTARINO tudio 58’s annual FourPlay the- atre festival at Langara College will showcase a strong female presence in production, perfor- mance, writing and directing. The festival, consisting of four one- act plays, runs from Feb. 3 to 14. Plays are The Train Carr, Numbers, The Classroom and Retail: The Musical. Plots include a story about a train trip Emily Carr took across Canada with her sister, and a play chronicling the experiences of a Canadian female com- batant in Afghanistan during the height of the War on Terror. Three out of the five playwrights, all the directors and a significant amount of production staff and actors are fe- male, giving this year’s festival a focus on telling the stories of women. Play- wrights are entirely Studio 58 alumni or students. “Tt’s no secret that there aren’t a lot of parts for women” said Elan Bertles, a 2015 graduate of the Studio 58 pro- gram and co-writer of the play The Train Carr. When writing the script Bertle said she was inspired by Carr’s journal en- tries and sketches of her trip, and her own relationship with her sister. She co-wrote the play with fellow Studio 58 alumni Carly Pokoradi. “We're really about writing for wom- en,” said Bertles. Samantha Pawliuk, a current Studio 58 acting student, is playing the role of Emily Carr. She said she was ecstatic to see female representation in an indus- try dominated by men. “T feel very proud of Elan and Carly,” she said “The fact that they have writ- ten a piece to support women in the in- dustry, that they’ve chosen to support their friends, themselves, their direc- tors, I think that is moving and inspir- ing.” With two shows already sold out, it may be indicative of audiences who are interested in representative produc- tions. Tickets are available online. 66 It’s no secret that there aren’t a lot of parts for women ELAN BERTLES CO-WRITER OF 7HE TRAIN CARR Oakridge hosts V FAMOUS Van Gogh works 1 Starry Night 2 Almond Blosson 3 Wheatfield under Thunderclouds 4 Sunflowers 5 Landscape at Twilight 6 The Bedroom 7 Fishing boats on the beach at Les Saintes-Maries-de- la-Mer Source: Van Gogh Museum Edition on Tour online Oakridge Centre plans to merge shopping with creativity by hosting an art contest and exhibit this month By REUBEN DONGALEN JR shoppers’ experiences and con- nect to the community by hosting a Van Gogh-inspired art show and con- test. Oakridge Centre will be one of sev- eral Canadian exhibition venues to showcase re-creations of masterpieces by the legendary Dutch artist using 3D printing technology. Nine works will be on display from Feb. 24 to March 27 as part of a travelling exhibit called the Van Gogh Museum Edition on Tour. Brenda Longland, marketing direc- tor for Oakridge Centre, said the mall is hoping to change its role in the com- munity. “Rather than just being a centre where people are shopping, it’s more about the experiences, and creating more of a community,” Longland said. Oo Centre hopes to change an Gogh-inspire Two art competitions are underway leading up to the exhibit, one for high- school students, and one for artists over 19. The contest closes Feb. 29 and asks entrants to submit Van Gogh in- spired artwork. Winners will receive gift cards for the centre. “My understanding of this contest is that all entries will become the prop- erty of Oakridge Centre. You can say, ‘hey, my art belongs to Oakridge Cen- tre,’ which is great for the CV,” said Emily May, a second year fine arts stu- dent at Langara College. May has created several Van Gogh- inspired pieces of art. She said she’s inspired by Van Gogh’s abstract cre- ations and his use of yellow to express happiness. “T personally think it’s great for Oakridge to have an event like this, so shoppers can have more of a cultural experience in a mall,” said Jeune Belle Bagunu, a regular shopper at Oakridge Centre. Longland called the partnership be- tween Oakridge and the art exhibit a perfect fit. “We have a history of being known for style and fashion. Art plays right into that, which made it a very natural mix,” she said. ed art REUBEN DONGALEN JR photo Langara fine arts student Emily May poses with her untitled Van Gogh inspired abstract painting.