"Tenor’ lends a laugh to crowd Audiences will be singing praises for Metro Theatre’s production of the comic farce “Lend Me a Tenor” By SIMONE PFEIFFER latest production, is pure comic gold. The farce, written by Ken Ludwig, is spirited to life by a talented cast of eight under the direction of Catherine Morrison. The play is set in 1934 in Cleveland. Tito Merelli (played by Joel D. Mont- grand,) a famous Italian opera singer, arrives in town to perform the lead role in Othello for the Cleveland Opera Company’s latest production. Steve Dotto plays Saunders, the “anal-retentive, explosive, always wor- rying company manager.” One of the play’s funniest scenes in- volves Saunders throwing a hysteri- cally energetic tirade, after learning that Merelli, lying motionless in the bedroom, will not be able to perform that evening as planned. Noting the complexity of staging a show with so many entrances and ex- its, Morrison praised her cast’s ability to master the dynamics of physical comedy. “All the actors were very good at that,” she said. Indeed, the physical comedy se- quences had many in the audience 6 6 howling with Li: Me a Tenor, Metro Theatre’s laughter during Friday _night’s preview show. P’m very Dotto said the script is what p roud of makes the play this cast... so much fun. We’ve got “Actors know . there’s a certain something magic to excel- special. We lent — scriptwrit- ° ing. Ken Ludwig Just have is a brilliant dia- to do it logue writer. Of ° . all the scripts J ustice. I’ve read, it’s the funniest one,” he said. The play was nominated for two Tony awards and a Laurence Olivier Award. Speaking over the phone prior to Friday evening’s preview, Dotto said he was nervous but excited. “[m very proud of this cast. I have high expectations. We’ve got some- thing special. We just have to do it jus- tice.” The gold and burgundy 1930s set was designed by Les Erskine, who also lit the stage in warm tones. Since the entire action took place in a hotel suite, the bedroom was separated visually from the living area by way of a raised floor, rather than a more typical line down the middle of the stage. She also made sure the actors used a lot of props and were in costume for much of the rehearsal period. In par- ticular, she insisted the women get used to their shoes by wearing them from the start. “When you’ve got sore feet, it’s very hard to emote,” she said. The play runs from Nov. 3 until Dec. 1st. STEVE DOTTO MICHELLE GAMAGE photo The clever sculpture uses an optical illusion to suggest that the tires stretch into the sky forever. Infinite Tires, by world-renowned Vancouver artist Douglas Coupland, was unveiled in Oct. DOUGLAS Coupland bio AS A NOVELIST Among his most widely- read novels are: Gen- eration X, Microserfs, Hey Nostradamus!, Eleanor Rigby and jPod VOICE OF A GENERATION Whether he coined the phrase is debatable, but thanks to Coupland, “Generation X” became the term to describe 20-somethings in the early 1990s. CANADIANA JUNKIE He penned the non-fiction book “Souvenir of Canada” (and its sequel,} as well as biographies of legendary Canadians Terry Fox and Marshall McLuhan Source: Wikipedia By TANYA HILL neouver visual artist, designer and writer Douglas Coupland unveiled his stunning sculpture, named “Infinite Tires” on Oct. 4 at the SW Marine Drive Canadian Tire. “Infinite Tires” is a nod to the fa- mous Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi’s “Endless Column.” Now, in- stead of modules of iron, we see an 18-metre-tall tower of stacked fiber- glass tires, each one made smaller in diametre to give the impression of ris- ing endlessly into the sky. “It’s abstract, it makes you think, what is this, are they real tires?” said Zack Wong, an employee at a nearby Best Buy. The sculpture, commissioned by Ca- nadian Tire, is located in a place syn- onymous not with high art, but with industry. Coupland wants to change that. “My installation at Canadian Tire’s Marine Drive shopping complex is a beacon, totem and signpost, designed to fascinate from both up close and far away,” Coupland said in a statement. Taking a mundane object like a tire and placing it in a context that changes its meaning is something Coupland has done before. Cities like Vancouver and Toronto and private companies like Canadian Tire and Malibu Investments Inc. have commissioned public artworks from Coupland in the past. His recent public artworks include the Terry Fox memorial, unveiled in Vancouver in 2011, and his Digital Orca in 2010. Vancouver has come a long way in the past few years when it comes to creating a city that is more interesting. “We are a very new city. I think there has in the past been a reserve to put funding into culture, maybe starting with the Olympics this has changed,” said Jenifer Papararo, founding mem- ber of the Instant Coffee art collective, and curator of the Vancouver Contem- porary Art Gallery. “The city in general has started to understand the importance of making a city an interesting place and also to engage the public intellectually,” she said. “Bringing art into public spaces is, even though a difficult endeavor, in- credibly important.” Iconic photog to speak at Langara Students anticipate a visit from the man behind some of National Geographic’s most famous photographs By BRONWYN SCOTT time shot to meet National Geo- graphic photographer Steve Mc- Curry. On Nov. 8 the man behind the lens of Afghan Girl, the powerful image of a teenaged Afghani orphan at a refugee camp in Pakistan, will speak on campus about his work as part of Langara’s Photography Masters series. McCurry’s influence as a photojour- nalist is beyond measure. He is “probably one of the leading contemporary journalists working to- day,” said photography instructor Jim Balderston, the event organizer. “The quality of his work is exceptional.” Students are eager to hear what the author of some of the world’s best pho- tographs has to say about the industry. “Tm really interested in doing that kind of travel photography .. . I would love to hear what he has to say as an established photographer,” said stu- dent Lily Ditchburn. “It’s always good to hear from professionals who have been able to make a career at this,” she said. “It gives you hope.” Photography student Shawna Wajz- er hoped to do her practicum with Mc- Curry but learned that he’s too busy. Afghan Girl is her favourite piece of his. She likes it for the depth it commu- nicates. “You can see who she is and it really ... brings out her character ...and you know that she’s not just some girl, she has a story,” said Wajzer. McCurry is a member of Magnum Photos, an international co-operative founded in 1947 that has offices in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo. When asked what it takes to reach McCurry’s level of expertise, Balder- ston said it’s about dedication, taking risks and being in the right place at the right time. McCurry’s tight schedule keeps him flying. He’ll be in Vancouver for the day of his talk, Nov. 8, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in room A130. For more informa- tion, or to purchase tickets, contact Jim Balderston at jbalderston@langara.be. ca. Tickets are $35 for students and $45 for non-students. LONG WEEKEND tips Remembrance parade * Remembrance Day ceremony at Memorial South Park, organized by South Vancouver Veteran’s Coun- cil, begins with a parade, followed by a memorial service at the Park’s cenotaph (near main entrance on 41st Avenue at Windsor Street) at 10:30am. T: might be your once-in-a-life- Record fair * Main St. Vinyl Record Fair on Nov. 10th from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Cam- brian Hall (215 E. 17th Ave.) Buy, sell, and trade vinyl] at this all-ages event with live music. Admission $2. Health fair « Vancouver Health Fair on Nov. 10th from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Vancou- ver Convention Centre (1055 Canada Place.)