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Ottawa Arts - Summer 2009

Summary: What's happening in Ottawa this summer? Jazz Festival, Blues Festival, Folk Festival Company of Fools, Toto Too Theatre Carnivale Lune Bleue Spoken Word Poetry, Indian Dance, Local Film And more!

Greetings arts enthusiasts!

I’m writing this before heading out on my Canada Day adventures. I predict getting trampled by a hoard of sugar-high pre-adolescents a mere few blocks away from my downtown apartment. And that’s the beauty of living in this glorious nation.

Provided I survive the next 24 hours, I plan on attending a number of great events through the months of July and August. I am combining the summer months for this newsletter because many of the big festivals and shows overlap from one to the next; plus it gives me a little break next month!

By the way, I am still working as the publicist for Eddie May Murder Mysteries and I will be posting anecdotes from performers past and present on my website. Check back every day for a new story! If you have one of your own, please feel free to email it over with a photo of yourself (preferably in Eddie May garb).

And now for your summer entertainment!

July 1 to 5
Jazz Festival
http://www.ottawajazzfestival.com/

Don’t miss Ottawa’s own People Project on Saturday, July 4, along with some of the best jazz musicians on the national and international scene. There are only a few days left of this jazzy festival, but still plenty to see!

July 3 to August 10
Company of Fools’ Much Ado About Nothing
http://fools.ca

A Company of Fools celebrates 20 years of performing zany Shakespeare in parks across Ottawa with a new production of the Bard’s Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Richard Gélinas, this Torchlight Shakespeare production features Fools favourites Scott Florence, Margo MacDonald (one of the original founders), AL Connors, and Emmanuelle Zeesman as the two sets of nutty lovers. One of my favourite lines from Benedick: “The world must be peopled!” The show is set in a different park every day, so check the online schedule to see when the Fools are visiting YOUR community.

July 7
A New Kind of Screening
http://www.july7.ca/

“’JULY 7′ is a new kind of screening featuring the short artistic films and videos of 11 Ottawa film makers and video artists. Between the featured videos and films, Media Artist Marc Adornato has produced numerous interludes of extremely rare historical footage of Ottawa, sprinkled with snapshots and snippets of videos by Salvador Dali, Matthew Barney, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Bas Jan Ader, remixed with an array of Youtube clips, all smashed together to the electronic beats of Ottawa’s own Dr. Lee, Montreal’s Girl Talk, and Ragtime legend Scott Joplin.”

July 8 to 19
BluesFest
http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/

Local talent at this diverse festival includes: Amanda Rheaume, Amos the Transparent, Ana Miura, Kyrie Kristmanson, Lindsay Ferguson, Marie-Josée Houle, Meredith Luce, and probably many more! In addition to the usual Bluesfest stages, there will be several acts happening in the Byward Market.

July 9 to 11
Sleeping Dog Theatre’s Portrait of an Unidentified Man
http://sleepingdog.ca/sdt08/welcome.html

I experienced this play about art forger Elmyr de Hory just after my first year of university; and it was when I first became acquainted with the extraordinary work of Pierre Brault. My friend and I were so enthralled by the performance that we couldn’t help quoting lines from the script afterward. This is still my favourite of his works. Catch this show at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre (call 613 236 5196) before it heads off to New Zealand! It seems the July 9 performance is already sold out.

July 14
Voices of Venus featuring Jessica Ruano
http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/voices-of-venus-featuring-me/

Hey, that’s me! I’m really excited about this show because it will be my first as a “feature” performer. I will be sharing poetry and short stories and … maybe even haikus! Voices of Venus is hosted by two lovely and talented ladies – Faye Estrella and Amazon Syren – and features a new female writer every month, along with a female-focussed open mic(helle). Show starts at 8pm (doors open at 7) at Umi Café.

July 15 to 18
Toto Too Gay and Lesbian Theatre’s Happy Birthday
http://tototoo.ca/

The craziest things happen on your birthday… With a queer twist, Toto Too Theatre explores the ups and downs of this celebratory day in the lives of several men. This is the second time that Toto Too has produced a work by playwright David Blue, the author of last summer’s blockbuster hit Memoirs of a Single Gay White Male. Catch my article about Happy Birthday and actor Nathan Ings in the next issue of Capital Xtra. Also, I’ll be hosting a talk-back with the author after the show!

July 23 to August 30
Carnivale Lune Bleue
http://carnivalelunebleue.com/

I had the utter pleasure of attending the Carnivale Lune Bleue last year in its infancy. This 1930s dream carnival was imagined and created by Wayne Van De Graaff and returns to Ottawa for a second year, this time in Hog’s Back Park. Prepare to be amazed by acrobats, masters of pain, creatures of incredible size… and enjoy the midway and all the rides, including an authentic ferris wheel from the era.

Read my write-up of last summer’s Carnivale on my website: http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2008/08/13/carnivale-lune-bleue-back-to-the-1930s/

August 6
The Pulse of Eternity
www.dalibasu.ca / www.sutradancetheatre.com

Electric dance duo Ramli Ibrahim of Malaysia and Dali Basu return to their native Ottawa after having studied various Indian classical dance forms in India, with a special focus on the Odissi classical style. Don’t miss this mesmerizing performance at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

August 8 to 9
Puppets Up! Festival in Almonte
http://puppetsup.ca/

I love puppets. They are such complicated creatures and so evocative. People talk about how Wall-E could put across so many emotions; just wait until you experience the power of puppets onstage. Stroll into Almonte over the weekend, and you’ll see incredible puppet shows from local artists, from Vancouver, from the UK, from Iceland, and more. There are lots of kids’ shows during the day and a puppet cabaret just for adults on Saturday evening.

Check out my write up from last year: http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/puppets-up/

Also here is an essay I wrote this year about puppets and deconstruction: http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/deconstructing-puppets/

August 21 to 23
Folk Festival
http://ottawafolk.org/

Local talent at this chill festival in Britannia Park includes: Junkyard Symphony, cellist Anne Davison, ukulele player James Hill, percussionist Jesse Stewart, sax and flute player Linsey Wellman, and – who could forget – Bruce Cockburn. Also, my friend Jah Youssouf from Mali is coming back to play for a second year! That is one musician you won’t want to miss.

Check out my write-up from last year: http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/ottawa-folk-festival-whats-the-vibe/

Enjoy your summer months, and please check my website www.jessicaruano.wordpress.com/blog for frequent updates! If I have missed anything, please feel free to post your event in my comments section.

Artistically yours,

Jessica

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