4 THE DAILY VOICE, TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014 EDITOR AMY JONES | > ntertainment Story of a brothel owner George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession has modern relevance to today’s sex trade industry By KARLY BLATS ren’s Profession is coming to Van- couver in partnership with Wish Drop-in Centre and Pace Society, orga- nizations that give support for the sur- vival of sex workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. “[Mrs. Warren’s Profession] shows a woman who’s involved in sex work is just as human as everyone else,” said Kate Gibson, executive director at Wish Drop-in Centre. Three dollars from each ticket sold will be donated directly to each group. The play, written by George Bernard Shaw, was originally banned due to controversial dialogue about prostitu- tion and gender-inequality. The play frames the secret life of the rich and well-travelled Mrs. Warren, who hides her scandalous work as a prostitute and brothel owner from her daughter Vivie. By working in the sex trade industry, Mrs. Warren wants to provide her daughter with all the luxu- ries she could not afford. Langara’s Studio 58 graduate Linda Quibell, playing Mrs. “Kitty” Warren, said audiences can look forward to see- ing strong female roles on stage. She and daughter Vivie display an equally matched “give and take relationship.” Alley Theatre will be presenting the play at the Rickshaw Theatre on East Hastings Street and aims to highlight the modern relevance of the play. Director Marisa Smith is the artistic producer of Alley Theatre. She hopes audiences will be entertained, enlight- ened and inspired after seeing the show. Melissa Oei, playing Vivie Warren, is also a Langara grad. She said her time with Studio 58 was “super eye-opening” and her first real insight into profes- sional theater. Oei said the relevance of the play’s subject matter in today’s society is “al- most tragic.” She hopes audiences will leave questioning the show’s issues. Shows for audiences 19 and over run from April 22-27 at 8 p.m. All-age shows are on April 26 and 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. T= once-banned play Mrs. War- KAARINA VENALAINEN photo Mrs. Warren secretly runs a brothel in order to provide a privileged life of wealth for her daughter Vivie. SUBMITTED photo Vancouver artist C.R. Avery is turning the release of his book into a theatrical live performance. Poet set to surprise at Verses Festival Local artist features dancers and DJs in unique performance for release of new poetry book By MEGAN BOBETSIS urlesque meets modern dance meets poetry in C.R. Avery’s up- coming performance at the Verses Festival of Words on April 6. Avery is turning the release of his new poetry book Some Birds Walk for the Hell of It into a full-blown theatre production for the second day of this year’s festival. “Tt’s not a book release where people are eating wine and cheese and some- one reads for 20 minutes from their book,” said Avery. “It’s a two-act show.” Avery, a Vancouver artist, has writ- ten two other books of poetry, recorded over 15 albums and written and direct- ed six hip-hop operas. Avery has performed at the four- year-old spoken word Verses Festival in past years. “Tt’s fantastic to see the street come alive even more than it is,” he said. “It’s just a very inspiring time. There’s no sleeping involved for seven days.” The festival runs from April 5-12 in venues along Commercial Drive. Festival artistic director Jillian Christmas said the festival’s location is what makes it so unique. “It’s designed to be a community fes- tival and to bring people from across Canada to East Vancouver,” she said. Avery’s upcoming performance team includes world-famous burlesque danc- er Lola Frost, modern dancer Darcy McMurray and DJ Su Comandante. The performance is also scheduled to appear in Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon starting in May. Christmas said Avery’s poetic signif- icance spreads across not just Canada, but the world. “He’s really a jewel that we should appreciate,” she said. “He is unafraid to mingle harmonica and beat-boxing and hip hop styles, and really very well written and insightful and political po- etry.” The festival encompasses events in- cluding slam poetry and comedic acts, and new this year is a visual art display featuring four different artists. Also new is the venue Astorino’s where Avery will be performing. “Tm just really excited to get all of the poets in there because it’s a great big space inside. It’s got a great com- munity feel to it,” Christmas said. Forty poets will compete in this year’s Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championships, with the winner being determined on April 12. Find tickets for the festival at http://versesfestival.ca/wp/shop/ 66 He is un- afraid to mingle harmonica and beat- boxing and hip hop styles, and really very well writ- ten and insightful and politi- cal poetry JILLIAN CHRISTMAS Classical music lost on youth? Orchestral oldies don’t appeal to college students despite high school groups By ERIN BOE cal music is not their first choice for tunes to listen to. There is, however, interest in classi- cal music in high schools. Recently, a Vancouver high school orchestra came in first place in the U.S. National School Orchestra Competition in New York City. Made up of almost four dozen young string players from Vancouver’s Lord Byng Secondary School, the Senior Honour Orchestra not only took the first place championship, but won awards for best solo violinist and best string orchestra as well. Langara art his- tory student Shane Wu said he tends to play modern music on the key- board and doesn’t know much about classical music. F:: many Langara students, classi- “T know Mo- SHANE WU zart,” Wu said. “He Art history ? . student has the Moonlight Sonata. That’s probably the only [thing] I know.” Wu said the words “classical music” make him think of “old, but elegant.” Langara health sciences student Danica Hoff said she doen’t know much about classical music, only older com- posers that she learned about in ele- mentary school, naming Mozart and Beethoven. “Mozart and sym- phonies and older- type music [are not] not my type of music,” Hoff said. H o f f briefly mentioned she played the flute in elementary school. DANICA HOFF Vette Chamber Health sciences Music and West student Coast Chamber Music are both holding concerts in Vancouver in the upcoming week. Vetta Chamber Music presents Memorable Masterpieces in two con- certs. The concerts, on Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11, will feature the works of composers Claude Debussy, Johannes Brahms and Olivier Messi- aen. Feature pieces include Debussy’s Sonate pour violon et piano, Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A minor, Opus 114 and Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Both concerts will be at the West Point Grey United Church at 4595 West 8" Ave. To purchase tickets and more information, phone toll free: 1-866-863- 6250 or go online at www.vettamusic. com. West Coast Chamber Music pres- ents the Clarinet Trios, where popular West Coast musicians Michelle Ander- son, Susan Round, Holly Duff and Alan Crane will perform trios by Brahms and Ferdinand Ries as well as John Ire- land’s Fantasy-Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. The concert will take place Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. at the Unitarian Church at 949 West 49" Ave. For tickets and information phone 604-879-9959 or drop into Sikora’s Classical Records at 432 West Hastings St.