PuSh Play

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the audio quality for this episode is not at the usual standard for PuSh Play. Gabrielle Martin chats with Josh Martin, Artistic Co-Director of  Company 605 . Show Notes Gabrielle and Josh discuss:  Collision between separate people, bodies and ideas How did the relationship with PuSh begin? What does it mean to be in the middle zone between emerging and landed...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Vancouver-based playwright, artistic director and author Marcus Youssef . Show Notes Gabrielle and Marcus discuss:  Questions of difference, belonging and dissent Dismantling systems of oppression Crime and Punishment in 2005 How did your relationship with PuSh start? How to bring vastly different perspectives, styles, forms, organizations, communities, agendas, etc. to...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Canadian singer-songwriter and longtime PuSh collaborator, Veda Hille . Show Notes Gabrielle and Veda discuss:  How did the relationship with PuSh begin in 2007? How did Theatre Replacement and Neworld help with this introduction? How does a company become a true ensemble over time? How did Twenty Minute Musicals come to be? How to be a theatre artist as well as a music...

Gabrielle Martin chats with David Pay, Artistic Director of Vancouver's Music on Main . Show Notes Gabrielle and David discuss:  How did David's relationship with Push start and develop over the years? How has Vancouver changed over the years?  "Terminal City Soundscape" in 2011: how did this project get realized for PuSh? Importance of improvisation to Music on Main's work Power of aesthetic beau...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Maiko Yamamoto and James Long, co-founders of Vancouver's Theatre Replacement . Show Notes Gabrielle, Maiko and James discuss:  How did Norman Armour supported the company, which started the same year that PuSh started its first series in 2003? How did Theatre Replacement emerge from Boca del Lupo? What are "Chamber Works"? How did crossing disciplines become key to the...

Gabrielle Martin chats with Tim Carlson, co-founder of Vancouver's Theatre Conspiracy . Show Notes Gabrielle and Tim discuss:  How did the relationship with PuSh begin? What was the "PuSh aesthetic" in the early days? How did Theatre Conspiracy's practice and questions evolve over the years? How did the surge of creative and entrepreneurial energy in 1990s Vancouver translate into an emerging perf...

Gabrielle Martin chats with David Hudgins and Kevin Kerr, co-founders of Vancouver's Electric Company Theatre . Show Notes Gabrielle, David and Kevin discuss:  The beginnings of Electric Company Theatre and its early collective model Why the fledgling theatre company had to "bite the bull by the horns" The function of interchangeable roles in the creative process The impetus behind early ECT shows...

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the audio quality for this episode is not at the usual standard for PuSh Play. Gabrielle chats with Julie-anne Saroyan, co-founder, artistic director and creative producer of Vancouver's  Small Stage , which broke through in the early PuSh Festivals. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin and Julie-anne discuss:  The origin of Small Stage The first few PuSh Festivals and...

Gabrielle chats with Sherry J. Yoon and Jay Dodge, Artistic Directors of Boca del Lupo , about their early productions at the PuSh Festival from 2006, and how they've witnessed change over the years. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin, Sherry and Jay discuss:  Collaboration as a core tenet of creativity Collision and confluence of difference Norman Armour's early influence and guidance of the work How Va...

Gabrielle chats about the early beginnings of PuSh with Camyar Chaichian, who helped create one of the shows from the first festival in 2005. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin and Camyar Chaichian (Neworld) talk about:  Norman Armour's influence in developing both PuSh and Vancouver's theatre scene The veritable artistic renaissance occurring in Vancouver at the time PuSh's role as a megaphone for local...

Inbal Ben Haim ( Episode 3 ) and Julia Taffe of Vancouver's Aeriosa Dance Society chat about the intersection of rock climbing and aerial/vertical dance. This episode is sponsored by the French Consulate in Vancouver as part of Paris 2024 . Sport climbing is one of the new disciplines of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin discusses a number of questions with Inbal a...

Diana Lopez Soto discusses how ecology and land can connect to art. See NOMADA at the 2024 PuSh Festival from Feb 1-3. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin discusses the upcoming PuSh co-commission, NOMADA, with creator Diana Lopez Soto. Gabrielle and Diana discuss how aerial dance contributes to NOMADA's dramaturgy, the research and development process behind this piece, how ecology and land can connect t...

Bruce Gladwin discusses how a disastrous first showing influenced the show's creation. See The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes at the 2024 PuSh Festival from Feb 1-3 at the York Theatre. Co-Presented with Neworld Theatre and The Cultch . Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with Bruce Gladwin, director and co-author of The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes. Gabrielle and Bruce discuss the sho...

Cherish Menzo discusses her work's consideration of the Black body in the context of post-humanism. See DARKMATTER at the 2024 PuSH Festival Jan 29-31. Co-Presented with SFU Woodward's Cultural Programs . Show Notes Gabrielle Martin discusses DARKMATTER with co-creator and choreographer Cherish Menzo. The show will be presented at the 2024 PuSh Festival from January 29-31 at the SFU Goldcorp Centr...

Jean Abreu and Naishi Wang discuss how language shapes and reflects identity. See Deciphers at the 2024 PuSh Festival from Jan 24-26 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Co-Presented with New Works . Show Notes Gabrielle, Naishi and Jean dive into the development of this piece and how it was influenced by language and digital technology. They also discuss how their work tackles loneliness, the migrant...

Guy Régis Jr. sits down with Cory Haas, Artistic Director of Théâtre la Seizième , to talk about L'Amour telle une cathédrale ensevelie , which will be presented as part of the PuSh Festival from February 3-4 at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Co-presented with Théâtre la Seizième and SFU Woodward's Cultural Programs. About the Show With staggering subtlety and lyricism, L'amour telle une ca...

Adam Tendler discusses the unorthodox inspiration for his collaborative composition. Show Notes David Pay, Artistic Director of PuSh partner  Music on Main , chats with Adam Tendler about Inheritances , which will be presented at the 2024 PuSh Festival from January 24-25 at Annex . Co-presented with  Music on Main . David and Adam ask the following questions and more: Does this piece honour the pa...

Vanessa Goodman and Simona Deaconescu chat about their show,  BLOT - Body Line of Thought , which will be presented at the 2024 PuSh Festival from January 22-23 at Left of Main . Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with Vanessa Goodman and Simona Deaconescu about their show, BLOT (Body Line of Thought) . They discuss how this unconventional performance developed through installations and iterations,...

Rakesh Sukesh discusses bringing Indian dance traditions to a European performing arts context. Show Notes Listen to Gabrielle Martin in conversation with Rakesh Sukesh about his show,  because i love the diversity (this micro-attitude, we all have it) . Gabrielle and Rakesh discuss topics including the philosophy of creating and moving through chaos, whether practice can be a source of healing, a...

David Mesiha and Gavan Cheema discuss the fluid boundary between witnessing and participating in performance. Same Difference runs Jan 24th-28th at PuSh Festival. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with project lead David Mesiha and dramaturg Gavan Cheema about their show,  Same Difference . They speak to a wide range of topics, including how audiences can best experience this mixed-media performan...

Basel Zaraa discusses his intimate, one-on-one storytelling practice. Dear Laila runs Jan 20th-Feb 3rd at PuSh Festival. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with Basel Zaraa about the installation  Dear Laila . They talk about how this intimate installation uses objects to connect with patrons; how we use art to deal with personal and collective trauma; and how we can show big events as experienced...

Milton Lim and Patrick Blankarn discuss the role of democracy in theatre. asses.masses runs Jan 20th-Feb 3rd at Push Festival. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin discusses  asses.masses with co-creators Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim. Their show, a performance that takes the form of a participatory video game. They talk about their collaboration, the democratization of theatre through participation, and...

Ben Target discusses his belief in entertaining an audience above all. LORENZO runs Jan 18th-20th at Push Festival. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with Ben Target, writer and performer of  LORENZO . They discuss how we treat the concept and theme of loss on stage, how Ben's work has evolved from Fringe Festivals and standup comedy to his broader theatrical work today, and Ben's mantra that "Ent...

Nellie Gossen discusses her playful interruption of consumer fashion processes. Returns runs Jan 7th-Feb 3rd at PuSh Festival. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with Nellie Gossen about her intriguing performative installation  Returns at the Dance Centre, which will be part of PuSh and showing for the duration of the 2024 Festival. Co-presented with  The Dance Centre . Gabrielle and Nellie ask: H...

Donna-Michelle St. Bernard discusses refusing to prioritize comfort over authenticity. Sound of the Beast runs Feb 20th-23rd at PuSh Festival. Show Notes Gabrielle Martin chats with Donna-Michelle St. Bernard's new work  Sound of the Beast . Donna-Michelle shares why people are creating work that looks more like itself and less like each other and her relationship with the people whose stories she...