PuSh Play

Gabrielle Martin chats with Sammy Chien and Caroline MacCaull of Chimerik. They are presenting Inner Sublimity at the 2025 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Check out the show on February 7, 8 and 9 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.  Show Notes Gabrielle, Sammy and Caroline discuss:  What does it look like to transcend eastern and western philosophy in your work overall and in "Inner Sublim...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Julie Tenret of Focus and Sandrine Heyraud of Chaliwaté about their show Dimanche, which will be presented at the 2025 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Dimanche will be presented with our friends at the  Cultch on February 6, 7 and 8 at the Vancouver Playhouse , supported by Vancouver Civic Theatres. Show Notes Gabrielle, Julie and Sandrine discuss:  How do...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Gabriel Dharmoo, who is presenting Bijuriya at the 2025 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival on January 28 and 29 at the ANNEX, with Music on Main and the Indian Summer Festival and support from the Government of Quebec. Show Notes Gabrielle and Gabriel discuss:  How do we artfully engage with colonialism? What does it mean to have a transcultural perspective? Wh...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutas (Bert and Nasi) who are presenting L'Addition at the 2025 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. L'Addition, directed by Tim Etchells, will be performed at the Alliance Française Vancouver on January 25 and 26 in association with Here & Now, and supported by the consulat général de France à Vancouver. Show Notes Gabrielle, Bert and N...

Gabrielle Martin chats with the legendary Marie Chouinard. Marie's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Rite of Spring will be presented at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival on February 3 at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.  Show Notes Gabrielle and Marie discuss:  Can you describe the evolution of your artistic inquiry, especially since you started professional practice in 1978 and...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Nancy Tam, Daniel O'Shea, Conor Wylie of A Wake of Vultures. They are presenting two shows at the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival: K Body and Mind and Walking at Night by Myself. Both will be at the Scotiabank Dance Centre as a double feature on February 1 and 2. Show Notes Gabrielle, Nancy, Daniel and Conor discuss:  What is the glue that keeps the company...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Anne-Marie Ouellet, whose work, De glace / From Ice, will be presented at the 20th PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. You can catch her show from January 31 to February 2 at the Roundhouse in Vancouver, in association with Théâtre la Seizième and the Vancouver International Children's Festival . Show Notes Gabrielle and Anne-Marie discuss:  Why did you choose...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Andrea Peña, whose work, BOGOTÁ, will be presented at the 20th PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. You can catch her show on January 31 and February 1 at the Vancouver Playhouse , in association with New Works . Show Notes Gabrielle and Andrea discuss:  What does the choreographic practice require? What is the future of choreography from today forward? What doe...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Mirko Guio, whose work, All That Remains , will be presented at the 20th PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. You can catch All That Remains on January 23 and 24 at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts . Show Notes Gabrielle and Mirko discuss:  Where are you from and why is that important? What does it mean for your show, All That Remains, to be an "urgent call to c...

Gabrielle Martin chats with performance artist, experience maker and writer Ray Young . Ray is bringing two works to the 20th PuSh International Performing Arts Festival: Thirst Trap, which will be presented throughout the festival in conjunction with the frank theatre company ; and OUT, which will be presented on February 8 and 9 at Performance Works , in conjunction with the frank theatre compan...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Carmela Sison about Lasa ng Imperyo (A Taste of Empire), which will be presented during the 20th PuSh International Performing Arts Festival on January 30 - February 1 and February 4-8 at The NEST . In this episode, Gabrielle references a previous PuSh Play episode: Multilingual Creation: its dramaturgy and implications . Show Notes Gabrielle and Carmela discuss:  Why a...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Bettina Szabo of Petrikor Danse about Habitat , which will be presented at the 20th PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Check out the show at the Scotiabank Dance Centre on January 28 and 29. Show Notes Gabrielle and Bettina discuss:  What is the relevance of the Hermes metaphor and sculpture? What drew you initially to the sculpture and made you reach out to t...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Jaha Koo, the artist behind The History of Korean Western Theatre , which will be presented at the 2025 PuSh Festival. The History of Korean Western Theatre will be produced by CAMPO at The Roundhouse on January 23 and 24, 2025. Show Notes Gabrielle and Jaha discuss:  What is the role of drama and history in reclaiming the pre-colonial past? Why hamartia, or tragic erro...

Gabrielle Martin chats with  Châu Kim-Sanh , the artist behind Bleu Néon at the upcoming PuSh Festival, January 23 - February 9. Bleu Néon will be presented with Plastic Orchid Factory at Left of Main on January 28 and 29. Show Notes Gabrielle and Châu Kim-Sanh discuss:  How is mobility a social determinant of health, specifically for Indigenous peoples? Why the squat and what does it represent to...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Gabi Gonçalves, producer from Corpo Rastreado of Renata Carvalho's piece, Transpofagic Manifesto, at the 2025 PuSh Festival, January 23 - February 9. Transpofagic Manifesto will be presented with Latincouver at the Waterfront Theatre on February 7 and 8. A special film marathon of Renata Carvalho's work will also be shown at SFU during the Festival on February 9. To lis...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Tom Arthur Davis and Jiv Parasram, co-creators of SWIM by Pandemic Theatre and Theatre Conspiracy . SWIM will be presented at the upcoming PuSh Festival, January 23 - February 9 in Vancouver. SWIM runs from January 30 to February 2 at VanCity Culture Lab and is presented with Touchstone Theatre and The Cultch.  Show Notes Gabrielle, Tom and Jiv discuss:  What was the be...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim , co-directors of asses.masses . Show Notes Gabrielle, Patrick and Milton discuss:  How did your relationship with PuSh start? What are the importance of youth programs across various festivals? What is asses.masses and what was the process of creating it and bringing it to PuSh? What is the place for participatory work? What are the othe...

Gabrielle Martin chats with lighting designer, photographer, writer and performer Itai Erdal . Show Notes Gabrielle and Itai discuss:  How did your relationship with PuSh start? What inspires the effects and choices in your work? What is the world of international touring like? What was the genesis and process of How to Disappear Completely? What is Soldiers of Tomorrow and why does it need to be...

Gabrielle Martin chats with composer Njo Kong Kie. Show Notes Gabrielle and Njo Kong Kie discuss:  How did your relationship with PuSh start? What was the process of presenting work at PuSh? How do you interpret and react to the source material? How did you pivot to digital work during Covid? How does the work transition back to the live stage? How has your artistic practice grown over time? About...

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the audio quality for this episode is not at the usual standard for PuSh Play. Gabrielle Martin chats with Fay Nass, Artistic and Executive Director of  the frank theatre and Artistic Director of Aphotic Theatre . Show Notes Gabrielle and Fay discuss:  How did your relationship with PuSh start? How do we explore the relationship between form and content? What i...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Miriam Fernandes, co-artistic director of Toronto's why not theatre . Show Notes Gabrielle and Miriam discuss:  What was the process of creating Prince Hamlet and bringing it to Vancouver? What does it mean to create work with and for those hard of hearing? How do you take a huge show that isn't built to tour on tour? How did your relationship with PuSh start? What was...

Gabrielle Martin chats with performance artist Ralph Escamillan . Show Notes Gabrielle and Ralph discuss:  How did you come to know about PuSh and get a commission for Hinky Punk? How do you elevate the performer into the visually iconic? What is Hinky Punk? How do you embody aspects of queerness in one performer? How do you work with restriction? What role can costume play? What is the value of b...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Owen Underhill, Artistic Director of Turning Point Ensemble . Show Notes Gabrielle and Owen discuss:  How did your relationship with PuSh begin? Why was interdisciplinary work important? What was Norman Armour's role in the early stages of Turning Point Ensemble? How did the company evolve in terms of process, practice, points of interest and project choices from its in...

Gabrielle Martin chats with  Dana Gingras of Animals of Distinction . Show Notes Gabrielle and Dana discuss:  How did the relationship with PuSh start and develop? The personal meaning of Dana Gingras's work for Gabrielle How was "Monumental" a culmination of previous work? What does it mean to have a performing band's live energy in rehearsals? How did these collaborations evolve with artists in...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Sylvain Émard of Sylvain Émard Danse . Show Notes Gabrielle and Sylvain discuss:  How did your relationship with PuSh begin? What was the impact and legacy of the show, Le Grand Continental? How do you organize and prepare for a truly large project like Le Grand Continental? How does line dancing fit into the origins and creation of the show? How does a challenging proj...