ONLINE WORKSHOP: Behind the Mask

BEHIND THE MASK:Kate Braidwood shares her step-by-step mask making process!

DATE: Tuesday, May 18, 2021

TIME: 7-8:30pm Pacific Daylight Time

LOCATION: Online

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make a mask?

Join us for an online demonstration with mask-making wizard Kate Braidwood of the WONDERHEADS!

Kate will be taking us through a step-by-step overview of her process as she demonstrates what techniques and materials she uses to create her masterpieces. This is a unique opportunity to learn tips and tricks from one of Canada’s best mask makers!

Please note, participants will not be physically making a mask during the workshop. Kate will be outlining her step-by-step process, and providing a material list. You will be given all the information you need to start making your own mask in the future!

Zoom

This workshop will be held on Zoom and an invite to join the workshop meeting will be sent to you via email on the day of the workshop.

Pricing

We know things are tight right now, but we want you to have access to this unique opportunity. Please pick the price point that works best for you.

$15 • $20 • $25 • $30

Space in this digital workshop is limited to ensure the best experience for our participants. There is not a waitlist for this workshop as it is first-come, first-serve. A credit card is required to register.

All workshop sales are final - no refunds at this time.

Questions

If you have any questions, concerns, or financial barriers please email Jessica at jessica@openp.it and she will be happy to assist.

Pricing options:

Select Pricing options $15 $20 $25 $30

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Why this workshop?

Photo by Andrew Barrett Photography

Open Pit Theatre and the WONDERHEADS are currently co-creating a brand new mask and puppetry show! The show is set to premiere at The Yukon Art Centre in May 2022. To see more photographs, and hear about the development of the show CLICK HERE.

Who is Kate?

Kate Braidwood, WONDERHEADS Co-Founding Artistic Director, is an actor, deviser, sound designer, director and mask maker. She has performed nationally and internationally, and her masks are used in WONDERHEADS’ own work as well as on stages and in classrooms around the world. Kate holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Victoria and an MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International where she trained as an actor-creator, studying the development of original, physically driven work created in ensemble. It was at Dell’Arte that her passion for mask was truly ignited and developed, during which time she trained in the Italian form of Commedia Dell’Arte, studied mask performance with Joan Schirle and Ronlin Foreman, studied mask design with Bruce Marrs and worked with Berlin-based mask company Familie Flöz. In 2009 she teamed up with fellow Dell’Arte graduate, Andrew Phoenix, to create the WONDERHEADS and has been busy touring their work since that time. Kate was named a 2015 Oregon Arts Commission Fellow, an initiative designed to recognize the achievements of outstanding Oregon artists.

A Time-Lapse Video of Kate Making a Mask!

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TOUR: Busted Up at the SPARK Festival!

Photo by Alistair Maitland Photography

Open Pit Theatre is very excited to announce that Busted Up: A Yukon Story will be making it’s southern debut in Victoria, BC at the SPARK Festival from March 10 - 14, 2020!

By Geneviève Doyon
Directed by Jessica Hickman
Original Music by Brooke Maxwell

Busted Up: A Yukon Story is set in Canada’s far north; home of 35,000 people, 200,000 caribou, 14 different First Nations and the beautiful midnight sun.

Six actors portray over 30 real-life Yukon characters who throughout the play share their stories of colonialism, natural resource extraction, racial discrimination and a deep love of the wild. The interactions of these characters evolve around relationships between indigenous people and settlers, the growing immigrant population, and the fast-paced changes Canada’s north is experiencing.

Open Pit Theatre spent 3 years developing Busted Up: A Yukon Story as part of The Yukon Verbatim Project, which consisted of gathering over 60 interviews from eight Yukon communities including Whitehorse.  The words you will hear are the exact words as transcribed during the interviews without any alterations or additions.  Each of the real-life characters featured in the play was consulted, invited to readings/shows, and ultimately gifted Open Pit Theatre the use of their words for this play.

Busted Up: A Yukon Story is approximately 70 minutes with no intermission.

Cast – Joel D. Montgrand, Kaitlyn Yott, Brenda Barnes, Caleb Gordon, Christine Quintana, and Lisa Goebel

Creative Team
DIRECTOR, CO-CREATOR, & TOUR PRODUCER – Jessica Hickman
CO-CREATOR, PLAYWRIGHT – Geneviève Doyon
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER – Brooke Maxwell
SET DESIGNER – Michel Gignac
COSTUME DESIGNER – Rosie Stuckless
LIGHTING DESIGNER – Brad Trenaman
STAGE MANAGER- Becca Jorgensen

RADIO SILENCE Development

Open Pit Theatre has joined forces with the WONDERHEADS to bring you a brand new northern mask and puppetry show called Radio Silence.

Here are a few shots of our lead characters Ruth & Poppy!

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Photographs by Andrew Barrett. Masks by Kate Braidwood.

We have been developing the show since 2019 and here are a few early shots of our progress…

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Last August, team WONDER-PIT completed our final development phase in Whitehorse. We spent three weeks participating in an @YAC residency at The Old Fire Hall, which concluded in an invited workshop presentation of the show.

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Set design by Andrew Phoenix, photographs by Erik Pinkerton.

Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare for the world premiere, and tour of Radio Silence!

Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Fund, and The Yukon Art Centre for their support of this project.

FUNDRAISER: 1920s Silent Film Night!

Bust out your 1920's outfits, give it a spooky twist if you'd like, and get ready for a unique multidisciplinary evening of films, music and more!

• Discover brilliant silent films from the early 1900s while kick-ass musicians improvise a live soundtrack before your eyes.

• The amazing Alistair Maitland will be capturing everyone's outfits with a 1920s horror photo-booth!

• We will be serving tasty drinks! You can win prizes from many local businesses including an Air North flight!

• All proceeds will go towards our upcoming tour of Busted Up: A Yukon Story!

Saturday, October 19th

The Old Fire Hall

Doors @ 7:30pm // Entertainment @ 8:00pm

Tickets $25 // 19+

The Trophy Hunt at The Victoria Fringe Festival!

Three unique characters irrevocably affected by the big business of Big Game Hunting share their stories of this controversial industry. 

Parker has waited his whole life for this trip. Jan grudgingly guides those who can afford it into the wild with the promise of glory. Soraya wishes they’d all just leave her alone and let her enjoy her vacation.

Based on the ‘rolling world premiere’ concept used by the National New Play Network in the U.S., separate teams of professional artists will interpret and present The Trophy Hunt in different ways at Fringe Festivals across the country this summer (Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria). Using mask, and theatre-in-the-round staging Open Pit Theatre contributes to this National Consortium of artists with an outdoor secret site-specific expedition through Fan Tan Alley into a hidden courtyard where human and animal worlds collide in the wilds of… downtown Victoria.

YOUR GUIDE FOR THE HUNT…

LOCATION: The Trophy Hunt begins at 539 Fisgard St. where you will find our Fringe pop-up tent nestled amongst the urban landscape of China Town. It is from here that our experienced guide will lead you through Fan Tan Alley to a secret hidden courtyard (generously donated by Robert Fung and The Salient Group!!!).

WEATHER: As on any other safari, you should be dressed for any weather. Umbrella’s may get awkward, so we suggest bringing a poncho instead - much better for viewing the wildlife and you will look great.

TERRAIN: The landscape is fairly level and is suitable for wheelchairs. You may come across stylish cushions placed on milk crates for low but optimal viewing of the wildlife.

PHOTOGRAPHS: We encourage the use of phones and photographs throughout the tour. Please document any wildlife you may come across, post it freely on the internet, and don’t forget to tag us at #trophyhuntfringe. Cardboard binoculars may be provided and a TripAdvisor review is always appreciated.

ADVISORIES: The trip lasts roughly 60 minutes, and you don’t get your money back if we don’t spot any wildlife…it’s like the whale boats. The content is strong and isn’t suitable for anyone under 12 years of age.

WHO’S WHO IN THE ZOO…

Celine Stubel

Jessica Hickman

David Radford

Geneviève Doyon

Christina Patterson

Celine Stubel and Jessica Hickman have come together to co-direct and co-produce The Trophy Hunt! Our performers are David Radford (Victoria, BC), Geneviève Doyon (Whitehorse, YT), and Christina Patterson (Victoria, BC). To read our performer bios CLICK HERE.

• Co-Director/Producer = Celine Stubel

• Co-Director/Producer/GUIDE = Jessica Hickman

• PARKER = Geneviève Doyon

• JAN = David Radford

• SORAYA = Christina Patterson

• Sound Design = David Radford

• Mask Making & Poster Design = Jessica Hickman

• Show Photography = Sam Blades

• Front of House Manager = Grace Fedorchuk

• Volunteer Extraordinaire = Tanya Hickman

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT…

“The Trophy Hunt is an exploration of wildness. I’ve become fascinated with wildness, and its associated danger. With how we use or subvert our own wildness within. With how we choose to interact with the truly natural world. And what happens when wildness is squeezed to the margins, when it’s cornered, and just might have to fight back.”

Trina Davies is a playwright based in Vancouver BC Canada. Trina’s award-winning plays include Shatter, Multi User Dungeon, The Auction,  The Bone Bridge and Waxworks. Her play The Romeo Initiative was a finalist for Canada’s top literary prize the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama 2012 and was the winner of the National Enbridge Prize for Established Artist. Her plays have been performed across Canada and in a number of other countries including the United States, Germany, Italy, and India. Her work has been translated into Italian and German. She has participated in artist residencies at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Banff Centre for the Arts, the Playwrights Theatre Centre and the Bella Vita Playwrights Retreat in Italy. She is currently working towards the world premieres of her plays Waxworks (to be revealed) and Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell (The Grand Theatre, 2018). She is also working on The Bone Bridge, recent winner of the Woodward International Playwrighting Prize, which had its academic premiere at the University of New Hampshire in October 2017.

OUR INCREDIBLE SPONSORS…

Did you know that Fan Tan Alley is private property? It is owned by Robert Fung and The Salient Group who have generously donated the use of the hidden courtyard to Open Pit Theatre free of charge. We cannot thank them enough for supporting the arts in Victoria, and helping to create a thriving city full of arts and culture.

The businesses of Fan Tan Alley have been extremely supportive of the show, especially JC eco Design and Sawyer Construction who have lent us their office common space to be used as the green room for our performers throughout the festival.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

***This is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association production under the Festival Policy.

VICTORIA Auditions for The Trophy Hunt!

Open Pit Theatre is holding auditions on Tuesday, July 23rd for our upcoming production of The Trophy Hunt to be performed at the 2019 Victoria Fringe Festival.

A rolling world premiere being performed in five Canadian cities, The Trophy Hunt is a dark comedy exploring who eats who in a world where everything is observed, everything a zoo. Three unique characters irrevocably affected by the business of Big Game Hunting share their stories in a hidden location in Fan Tan Alley.

This will be a world premiere by Trina Davies, author of The Romeo Initiative (finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award) and Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham (National Art Centre).

CASTING FOR THE ROLE OF JAN:

• An experienced hunting guide who grew up in Africa and provides guided hunting trips for tourists. Any gender. Any ethnicity. Age 25-50.

TIME COMMITMENT:

• Rehearsals = Two Mondays in August (6pm-10pm)

• Load-In/Tech/Preview Dress (10 hour days) = Monday August 19, and Wednesday August 21

• Fringe Festival dates = Thursday, August 22 - September 1 (Tuesday, August 27th off). Detailed show schedule available upon request.

DETAILS:

• Non-Equity.

  • That being said, we have two members of Equity who have requested permission to do the contract, so it is up to the artist who applies whether or not they would like to participate.

• Profit share.

  • All generated profit will be split evenly amongst the 3 performers, producer, and Front of House Manager. The fee should range from $800 - $1500 but there is no guarantee.

• Collaborative Environment.

  • The play is being co-directed by Jessica Hickman and Celine Stubel, but we are hoping to create a collaborative environment where everyone can feed in ideas and concepts.

  • It is guerrilla style theatre, so everyone will contribute evenly to setting up, tearing down, handing out flyers, advertising the show, spreading the word and generally helping in any way possible. We are looking for a team player who is eager to make this an incredible show!

HOW TO SUBMIT:

• Please send a resume and photo to Jessica Hickman at jessica@openp.it If you have any scheduling conflicts, please indicate them in your email. Jessica will then provide a link to sign up for the audition, and Jan’s monologue.

AUDITION DETAILS:

• Tuesday, August 23rd, 2019 @ The Canadian College of Performing Arts (1701 Elgin Rd)

• 10 minute slots available from 5pm-8pm

We hope to see you there!

~ Jessica & Celine

TOUR: Busted Up: A Yukon Story in CARCROSS - Oct 2, 2018

Open Pit Theatre and The Carcross Tagish First Nation Learning Centre are bringing Busted Up: A Yukon Story to Carcross, YT!  

Photo courtesy of Alistair Maitland Photography

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Carcross Tagish First Nation Learning Centre

7:30pm (doors at 7:00pm)

**Pay-What-You-Decide

Busted Up: A Yukon Story premiered in Whitehorse in 2017 as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations, and the Yukon Art Centre's 2017/18 season. 

Set right here in the Yukon, a plethora of real-life characters whose opinions and stories are as varied as their age and ethnic backgrounds reveal themselves: how they ended up in the territory, why they stayed, their beliefs, their roots and their fears.  

Throughout the play, the juxtaposed voices of these people gather and evolve around the relationships between aboriginal people and settlers, natural resource extractions, the growing immigrant population and the fast paced changes Canada's north is experiencing.  

The result is a powerful play full of humor, violence, absurdity, and tenderness.

Après avoir passé trois ans à récolter, transcrire et amalgamer des entrevues, la compagnie de Whitehorse Open Pit Theatre est prête à partager Busted Up: A Yukon Story.

Une variété de personnages avec des opinions et histoires aussi divergentes que leurs âges et leurs racines se dévoilent: comment se sont-ils retrouvés au Yukon, pourquoi sont-ils restés, leurs croyances et leurs peurs.

Au cours de la pièce, les voix juxtaposées de ses personnages se développent autour des thèmes criants d’actualité tels que les relations entre autochtones et non autochtones, extractions de ressources naturelles, la croissance de populations immigrantes et les changements qui percutent le nord canadien.

Le résultat est une pièce de théâtre pleine d’humour, de violence, d’absurde et de tendresse.

“…it simultaneously brought me to laughter and broke my heart.”

“ L’intersection des histoires des différents personnages tissent un portrait qui représente le Yukon que j’aime et j’habite, avec toutes ses complexités et ses contradictions.”

“Funny, poignant, silly, sombre. Phenomenal.”

Cette pièce fait partie du “Yukon Verbatim Project” au cours duquel plus de 60 entrevues ont été récoltées dans huit différentes communautés du Yukon, y compris Whitehorse. Nos 6 acteurs jouent plus de 20 personnages et n’utilisent que leurs mots exacts, tels que transcrits des entrevues. Aucun mot n’a été modifié ou ajouté au script.  

Merci d’encourager le théâtre local et Open Pit Theatre dans leur première mise en scène.

The play was created as part of The Yukon Verbatim Project, which consisted of gathering over 60 interviews from eight communities including Whitehorse. Our six actors will be playing over 20 real life Yukon characters and will use only their exact words as transcribed during the interviews. No words have been altered or added to the script!

Thank you for supporting local theatre, and Open Pit Theatre’s first big theatrical premiere. 

Busted Up: A Yukon Story was developed with support from the Yukon Arts Centre.  

TOUR: Busted Up: A Yukon Story in WHITEHORSE - Oct 3, 2018

Open Pit Theatre will be concluding the Busted Up: A Yukon Story 2018 tour in Whitehorse at The Yukon Art Centre! 

Photo courtesy of Alistair Maitland Photography

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Yukon Art Centre 

7:30pm (doors at 7:00pm)

**Pay-What-You-Decide

Busted Up: A Yukon Story premiered in Whitehorse in 2017 as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations, and the Yukon Art Centre's 2017/18 season. 

Set right here in the Yukon, a plethora of real-life characters whose opinions and stories are as varied as their age and ethnic backgrounds reveal themselves: how they ended up in the territory, why they stayed, their beliefs, their roots and their fears.  

Throughout the play, the juxtaposed voices of these people gather and evolve around the relationships between aboriginal people and settlers, natural resource extractions, the growing immigrant population and the fast paced changes Canada's north is experiencing.  

The result is a powerful play full of humor, violence, absurdity, and tenderness.

Après avoir passé trois ans à récolter, transcrire et amalgamer des entrevues, la compagnie de Whitehorse Open Pit Theatre est prête à partager Busted Up: A Yukon Story.

Une variété de personnages avec des opinions et histoires aussi divergentes que leurs âges et leurs racines se dévoilent: comment se sont-ils retrouvés au Yukon, pourquoi sont-ils restés, leurs croyances et leurs peurs.

Au cours de la pièce, les voix juxtaposées de ses personnages se développent autour des thèmes criants d’actualité tels que les relations entre autochtones et non autochtones, extractions de ressources naturelles, la croissance de populations immigrantes et les changements qui percutent le nord canadien.

Le résultat est une pièce de théâtre pleine d’humour, de violence, d’absurde et de tendresse.

“…it simultaneously brought me to laughter and broke my heart.”

“ L’intersection des histoires des différents personnages tissent un portrait qui représente le Yukon que j’aime et j’habite, avec toutes ses complexités et ses contradictions.”

“Funny, poignant, silly, sombre. Phenomenal.”

Cette pièce fait partie du “Yukon Verbatim Project” au cours duquel plus de 60 entrevues ont été récoltées dans huit différentes communautés du Yukon, y compris Whitehorse. Nos 6 acteurs jouent plus de 20 personnages et n’utilisent que leurs mots exacts, tels que transcrits des entrevues. Aucun mot n’a été modifié ou ajouté au script.  

Merci d’encourager le théâtre local et Open Pit Theatre dans leur première mise en scène.

The play was created as part of The Yukon Verbatim Project, which consisted of gathering over 60 interviews from eight communities including Whitehorse. Our six actors will be playing over 20 real life Yukon characters and will use only their exact words as transcribed during the interviews. No words have been altered or added to the script!

Thank you for supporting local theatre, and Open Pit Theatre’s first big theatrical premiere. 

Busted Up: A Yukon Story was developed with support from the Yukon Arts Centre.  

CALL FOR VIDEO SUBMISSIONS: Filipino Performer

Open Pit Theatre is requesting VIDEO SUBMISSIONS from Filipino performers of all ages and genders for our upcoming northern tour of Busted Up: A Yukon Story.  

Busted Up: A Yukon Story is a verbatim play set in Canada's north and features an ensemble of seven performers who each play a variety of characters.  The play premiered at The Yukon Art Centre in 2017, is touring the Yukon in 2018, and will be touring outside of the Territory in 2019/20. 

Please email a photo and resume to auditions@openp.it.  At which time, we will provide auditions sides and video instructions.   

The deadline for video submissions is July 1, 2018.  

The contract dates are:  September 16 - October 7, 2018.  Flights, shared accommodation, and per diems will be provided.  

We are seeking performers who are comfortable with a large amount of text, can play multiple characters, and are willing to explore heightened physicality. 

Click HERE for information about the show. 

TOUR: Busted Up: A Yukon Story in HAINES JUNCTION

Photo courtesy of Alistair Maitland Photography

Open Pit Theatre will be travelling to Haines Junction for one performance of Busted Up: A Yukon Story on Tuesday, September 26, 2017.  

The show is being performed at the St. Elias Convention Centre and begins at 7:30pm.

There is a $5.00/person admission fee. 

We hope to see you there!

After three years of gathering interviews, transcribing, and editing, Whitehorse’s Open Pit Theatre is ready to share Busted Up: A Yukon Story as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations, and the Yukon Art Centre's 2017/18 season. 

Set right here in the Yukon, a plethora of real-life characters whose opinions and stories are as varied as their age and ethnic backgrounds reveal themselves: how they ended up in the territory, why they stayed, their beliefs, their roots and their fears.  

Throughout the play, the juxtaposed voices of these people gather and evolve around the relationships between aboriginal people and settlers, natural resource extractions, the growing immigrant population and the fast paced changes Canada's north is experiencing.  

The result is a powerful play full of humor, violence, absurdity, and tenderness.

Après avoir passé trois ans à récolter, transcrire et amalgamer des entrevues, la compagnie de Whitehorse Open Pit Theatre est prête à partager Busted Up: A Yukon Story.

Une variété de personnages avec des opinions et histoires aussi divergentes que leurs âges et leurs racines se dévoilent: comment se sont-ils retrouvés au Yukon, pourquoi sont-ils restés, leurs croyances et leurs peurs.

Au cours de la pièce, les voix juxtaposées de ses personnages se développent autour des thèmes criants d’actualité tels que les relations entre autochtones et non autochtones, extractions de ressources naturelles, la croissance de populations immigrantes et les changements qui percutent le nord canadien.

Le résultat est une pièce de théâtre pleine d’humour, de violence, d’absurde et de tendresse.

“…it simultaneously brought me to laughter and broke my heart.”

“ L’intersection des histoires des différents personnages tissent un portrait qui représente le Yukon que j’aime et j’habite, avec toutes ses complexités et ses contradictions.”

“Funny, poignant, silly, sombre. Phenomenal.”

Cette pièce fait partie du “Yukon Verbatim Project” au cours duquel plus de 60 entrevues ont été récoltées dans huit différentes communautés du Yukon, y compris Whitehorse. Nos 6 acteurs jouent plus de 20 personnages et n’utilisent que leurs mots exacts, tels que transcrits des entrevues. Aucun mot n’a été modifié ou ajouté au script.  

Merci d’encourager le théâtre local et Open Pit Theatre dans leur première mise en scène.

The play was created as part of The Yukon Verbatim Project, which consisted of gathering over 60 interviews from eight communities including Whitehorse. Our six actors will be playing over 20 real life Yukon characters and will use only their exact words as transcribed during the interviews. No words have been altered or added to the script!

Thank you for supporting local theatre, and Open Pit Theatre’s first big theatrical premiere. 

Busted Up: A Yukon Story was developed with support from the Yukon Arts Centre.  

Thank you to our show sponsors: DRIVING FORCE, Canada Flooring, Duncan Sinclair, The UPS Store, Milestone Environmental Contracting, and Northern Vision Development

September 2017: Intro to Devising Theatre with Jessica Hickman

Are you interested in creating original theatre?

Have you ever been drawn to creating a new theatrical work for events such as Theatre in the Bush? Or the Homegrown Theatre Festival? Or Brave New Works? Or Nuit Blanche?

Unsure of how to begin?

In this three hour hands-on workshop, you will be introduced to a variety of approaches for devising original theatre.  Collectively we will explore each technique, discuss how to assess the work, and brainstorm ways that it could be expanded further. 

The instructor, Jessica Hickman, will be drawing on her training experiences with Frantic Assembly, the Movement Theatre Studio NYC, and the creators of Then She Fell (an award winning immersive theatre show in Brooklyn).  Jessica is the co-artistic director of Open Pit Theatre, is directing Busted Up: A Yukon Story, and teaches at The Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC. 

It will be a fun afternoon of theatrical playtime and who knows, you might walk away with an idea for your next piece!

Date: Sunday, September 17, 2017

Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Dojo Studio - Heart of Riverdale

Cost: $25.00 (Cash or Cheque @ the door)

*Absolutely no experience required.  

* No RSVP or registration required - just show up!  Doors open at 1:30pm.

 

PERFORMANCE: Busted Up: A Yukon Story - TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

After three years of gathering interviews, transcribing, and editing, Whitehorse’s Open Pit Theatre is ready to share Busted Up: A Yukon Story as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations, and the Yukon Art Centre's 2017/18 season. 

Set right here in the Yukon, a plethora of real-life characters whose opinions and stories are as varied as their age and ethnic backgrounds reveal themselves: how they ended up in the territory, why they stayed, their beliefs, their roots and their fears.  

Throughout the play, the juxtaposed voices of these people gather and evolve around the relationships between aboriginal people and settlers, natural resource extractions, the growing immigrant population and the fast paced changes Canada's north is experiencing.  

The result is a powerful play full of humor, violence, absurdity, and tenderness.

Après avoir passé trois ans à récolter, transcrire et amalgamer des entrevues, la compagnie de Whitehorse Open Pit Theatre est prête à partager Busted Up: A Yukon Story.

Une variété de personnages avec des opinions et histoires aussi divergentes que leurs âges et leurs racines se dévoilent: comment se sont-ils retrouvés au Yukon, pourquoi sont-ils restés, leurs croyances et leurs peurs.

Au cours de la pièce, les voix juxtaposées de ses personnages se développent autour des thèmes criants d’actualité tels que les relations entre autochtones et non autochtones, extractions de ressources naturelles, la croissance de populations immigrantes et les changements qui percutent le nord canadien.

Le résultat est une pièce de théâtre pleine d’humour, de violence, d’absurde et de tendresse.

“…it simultaneously brought me to laughter and broke my heart.”

“ L’intersection des histoires des différents personnages tissent un portrait qui représente le Yukon que j’aime et j’habite, avec toutes ses complexités et ses contradictions.”

“Funny, poignant, silly, sombre. Phenomenal.”

Cette pièce fait partie du “Yukon Verbatim Project” au cours duquel plus de 60 entrevues ont été récoltées dans huit différentes communautés du Yukon, y compris Whitehorse. Nos 6 acteurs jouent plus de 20 personnages et n’utilisent que leurs mots exacts, tels que transcrits des entrevues. Aucun mot n’a été modifié ou ajouté au script.  

Merci d’encourager le théâtre local et Open Pit Theatre dans leur première mise en scène.

The play was created as part of The Yukon Verbatim Project, which consisted of gathering over 60 interviews from eight communities including Whitehorse. Our six actors will be playing over 20 real life Yukon characters and will use only their exact words as transcribed during the interviews. No words have been altered or added to the script!

Thank you for supporting local theatre, and Open Pit Theatre’s first big theatrical premiere. 

Busted Up: A Yukon Story was developed with support from the Yukon Arts Centre.  

Thank you to our show sponsors: DRIVING FORCE, Canada Flooring, Duncan Sinclair, The UPS Store, Milestone Environmental Contracting, and Northern Vision Development

WORKSHOP: Intro to Devising Theatre with Jessica Hickman

Are you interested in creating original theatre?

Have you ever been drawn to creating a new theatrical work for events such as Theatre in the Bush? Or the Homegrown Theatre Festival? Or Brave New Works? Or Nuit Blanche?

Unsure of how to begin?

In this three hour hands-on workshop, you will be introduced to a variety of approaches for devising original theatre.  Collectively we will explore each technique, discuss how to assess the work, and brainstorm ways that it could be expanded further. 

The instructor, Jessica Hickman, will be drawing on her training experiences with Frantic Assembly, the Movement Theatre Studio NYC, and the creators of Then She Fell (an award winning immersive theatre show in Brooklyn).  Jessica is the co-artistic director of Open Pit Theatre, is directing Busted Up: A Yukon Story, and teaches at The Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, BC. 

It will be a fun afternoon of theatrical playtime and who knows, you might walk away with an idea for your next piece!

Date: Sunday, September 17, 2017

Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Dojo Studio - Heart of Riverdale

Cost: $25.00 (Cash or Cheque @ the door)

*Absolutely no experience required.  

* No RSVP or registration required - just show up!  Doors open at 1:30pm.

 

Emerging Theatre Director Opportunity

Do you know any young aspiring theatre directors?  

Someone who is a natural leader and may want to direct a play or musical in the future?

Open Pit Theatre is offering a youth mentorship opportunity (ages 16-25) for someone who would like to assist the director during rehearsals for Busted Up: A Yukon Story.  The successful candidate will have the opportunity to observe rehearsals, collaborate as required, have one-on-one sessions with the director to ask questions, and witness how a professional theatre contract works.  

The successful candidate will receive a small honorarium, and will be able to participate in a variety of ways, depending on what they would like to get out of the process.     

To apply, applicants should send an expression of interest to jessica@openp.it answering the following questions:

1. Who are you?  (Tell us about yourself). 
2. What interests you about this opportunity?
3. What would you be interested in learning from this opportunity?
4. What is your availability for the dates outlined below?  Busy?  Free?

The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 4, 2017.  

Here is an outline of the rehearsal and tech dates. The successful candidate will be able to participate as much or as little as they can based on their own availability (aka if you are in school etc) and will be chosen based on their expression of interest. 

Rehearsals = August 15 - September 8 (Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm)

Tech = Sept 9/10 (9am-5pm) & Sept 12/13/14 (1pm-10pm)

Opening Night = September 14

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email! 

Last round of interviews for Busted Up: A Yukon Story

Our playwright Geneviève will be at the Old Fire Hall in Whitehorse on April 10-13 to hold the last rounds of interviews for Busted Up: A Yukon Story. She is looking to chat to people about their relationship to land in the Yukon. If you've got a little bit of time and something to say, get in touch with her at genevieve@openp.it. Looking forward to hear from you! 

Vancouver/Victoria/Calgary AUDITION POSTING

Open Pit Theatre is now accepting actor submissions for the premiere production of Busted Up: A Yukon Story. The production is a part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations and will take place in Whitehorse, YT in September 2017.  

Busted Up: A Yukon Story is a verbatim play set in Canada's far north, and features over twenty real life Yukon characters whose opinions and stories are as varied as their age and ethnic backgrounds. Throughout the play, the juxtaposed voices of these people gather and evolve around the relationships between aboriginal people and settlers, natural resource extractions, the growing immigrant population and the fast paced changes Canada's north is experiencing.  The result is a powerful play full of humor, violence, absurdity, and tenderness.

• Contract dates: August 15th - September 24th, 2017
• Possible one-week extension: September 25th - October 1, 2017

We will be holding auditions in Vancouver, Victoria, and Calgary to find six actors to perform over twenty characters.  We encourage actors of Indigenous backgrounds, and those who self-identify as members of underrepresented communities to apply.  Our characters represent a large span in ages, therefore we also encourage actors of all ages to apply.  

Open Pit Theatre’s aesthetic is very physical, and therefore all actors must be comfortable experimenting and using movement as a means of storytelling.  This does not mean that you need to be a trained dancer.  We are seeking actors who are open to physical contact with other performers, and those who can handle a physically demanding rehearsal process.  All performers will play up to six different characters.  

VANCOUVER AUDITION:

• Deadline to submit = Monday, April 10 - 5:00pm
• Audition Day = Saturday April 15
• Callbacks = Sunday, April 16
• Audition Location = Carousel Theatre

VICTORIA AUDITION:

• Deadline to submit = Monday, April 17 - 5:00pm
• Audition & Callback Day = Sunday, April 23
• Audition & Callback Location = Metro Theatre

CALGARY AUDITION:

• Deadline to submit = Monday, April 24 - 5:00pm
• Audition Day = Saturday April 29
• Callbacks = Sunday, April 30
• Audition Location = Lunchbox Theatre

The auditions will be held by co-director Jessica Hickman and will be comprised of a 15-minute individual audition, followed by a 45-minute group movement audition.  

Submission Instructions:

• Please submit a resume and a recent photograph via email to Selene Vakharia (project producer) at selene@smrtpopups.com.  Please indicate your audition city and name in the subject line of your email. For example: VANCOUVER SUBMISSION - Jane Doe.   
• Equity and non-Equity artists are encouraged to submit.  We will be engaging all Equity artists under the D.O.T policy agreement. 

Thank you to all who submit, however only those selected will be invited to audition at this time.

Important Note: We are not accepting video submissions at this time.  

Whitehorse AUDITION POSTING - Call for Performers

Open Pit Theatre is accepting actor submissions for the premiere production of Busted Up: A Yukon Story in Whitehorse, YT.   The production is a part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations and will take place at The Old Fire Hall in September 2017.  This is a professional contract and compensation will reflect current industry and Equity standards.

• Contract dates: August 15th - September 24th, 2017 (six weeks with a possible one week extension)
• Contract rehearsal hours: 9am-5pm, Tuesday - Sunday

Busted Up: A Yukon Story is a verbatim play set in Canada's far north, and features over twenty real life Yukon characters whose opinions and stories are as varied as their age and ethnic backgrounds. Throughout the play, the juxtaposed voices of these people gather and evolve around the relationships between aboriginal people and settlers, natural resource extractions, the growing immigrant population and the fast paced changes Canada's north is experiencing.  The result is a powerful play full of humor, violence, absurdity, and tenderness.

We will be holding auditions in Whitehorse, Vancouver, and Victoria to find six actors to perform over twenty characters.  We encourage actors of Indigenous backgrounds, and those who self-identify as members of underrepresented communities to apply.  Our characters represent a large span in ages, therefore we also encourage actors of all ages to apply.  

Open Pit Theatre’s aesthetic is very physical, and therefore all actors must be comfortable experimenting and using movement as a means of storytelling.  This does not mean that you need to be a trained dancer.  We are seeking actors who are open to physical contact with other performers, and those who can handle a physically demanding rehearsal process.  

• Whitehorse Audition dates:  Saturday, March 25 & Sunday, March 26
• Whitehorse Callback date:  Sunday, April 1
• Whitehorse deadline to apply:  Wednesday, March 22 at 5:00pm

The Vancouver and Victoria auditions will take place mid-April.  Dates and times TBC.  

The auditions will be held by co-directors Jessica Hickman and Geneviève Doyon and will be comprised of a 15-minute individual audition, followed by a 45-minute group movement audition. 

Submission Instructions:

• Please submit a resume and a recent photograph via email to our producer Selene Vakharia at selene@smrtpopups.com.  

  • If you do not have a performance resume, then please outline your experience in the body of your email.

  • If you do not have a headshot, then please attach a photograph that currently looks like you.

• Please also include the following information in your email:

  • Your full availability on March 25, March 26 & April 1 so that we can attempt to schedule your audition slot within that time frame.

  • Please indicate if you are Equity or Non-Equity.

  • Please indicate your age (or age range if you prefer to not reveal the specific year)

  • Please indicate if you speak a language other than English.

Preparation:

Upon receipt of your submission, our producer will send you an audition side with 8-10 small character monologues from the play.  Please choose and prepare two of the offered monologues for your individual audition.  All of our actors will be playing characters of different ages and ethnicities, so please choose two contrasting characters.  

We have been working on this play for three years, and we are very excited to finally share it with our community! We hope to see you at the auditions!

For more information please visit our website at www.openp.it.  

If you have additional questions or concerns please email Selene at selene@smrtpopups.com

JOB POSTING: Producer

Open Pit Theatre is currently accepting applications for a Producer for the premiere of Busted Up: A Yukon Story as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The approximate dates of the contract will be from March 1, 2017 to October 1, 2017 with the time commitment increasing as we move towards opening.  

The Producer is responsible for realizing the visions of the Co-Artistic Directors within the overall budget and time constraints. This includes seeking sponsorships, budget management, artist liasoning, and overseeing additional hired production staff such as the production manager, and stage manager.  

In addition to management and financial skills, the Producer will have an overall knowledge of all production disciplines and how they interact during the production process.

Contract Dates:

March 1, 2017 to October 1, 2017 (working as required to achieve proposed project goals & timelines)

• Rehearsals: August 14 - September 14
• Whitehorse Performances: September 15 - 23
• Dawson City Performances (TBC): September 25 - 30

Qualifications and Required Skills

• experience and/or education in theatre management
• strong financial experience including management of large project budgets
• experience with developing and executing a sponsorship campaign
• knowledge of Equity contracts and negotiations
• experience booking flights, accommodation, and artist liasoning
• experience planning and booking a tour

To apply please submit a cover letter, resume, and salary expectations to Jessica Hickman at jessica@openp.it.  

The deadline for submissions is Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 12pm.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to send us an email.  We would be happy to talk more about the position and/or project if that is helpful.  It is going to be a very exciting project, and we are looking forward to building our team!