I just found out about this play - through, sigh, Facebook - and I have got to blow off whatever prior commitments I might have had to go see Death of a Chief at the NAC. Native Earth Performing Arts has taken Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and put a little Native on it. Awesome. Its run starts with a pay-what-you-can preview on Monday, February 18th at the NAC, at 8:00. I'm so there.
This is sampled from the announcement I saw:
"So what is Death of a Chief?
This original adaptation of Julius Caesar uses Shakespeare’s tragedy of authority, ambition and revenge to explore the nature and abuses of cultural and political leadership in First Nations communities today. Featuring an all Native cast, interweaving Shakespeare’s words with singing, drumming, and Aboriginal cultural imagery, Death of a Chief is a provocative and timely exploration of leadership and dissent."
I'm also going to be going to the Oneness Poetry Showcase on Wednesday at the East Africa Restaurant (great food, incidentally.) From 6:30 at 376 Rideau Street - $7 but if you can't afford it that's cool, pay what you can. Yummy East African food, Toronto's Leviathan doing spoken word, Brazilian rhythm from RommeL, live art from Jeneen Frei Njootli, and tunes from Capital Slam's DJ Bryan Parnell. How can you miss that?
The next day, Thursday the 21st, fellow Frederictonian Fred Doucette will be at the Library and Archives doing a reading for the Writers Festival on his experiences in Sarajevo during the horrific Bosnian conflict, and his battles with post traumatic stress disorder on returning. Fred now works as a support worker for PTSD sufferers. That starts at 7:30 - check out the Writers Festival website for details.
Friday brings you to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, for the opening night of If Cows Could Fly, which has been brought to Ottawa by Toronto's Artword Theatre. It'll be running through March 9th. Allan Merovitz wrote and stars in this Jewish-Canadian musical, which blends Yiddish songs, country-and-western ballads, as well as Klezmer and Ottawa Valley fiddle tunes to explore the history of a Jewish-Canadian family from the Ottawa valley.
A klezmer/country musical about Upper Canada? Count me in.
Also on Friday, and Saturday, at the Bronson Centre, at 7:30, there's a production of The Vagina Monologues, featuring women from the Ottawa community. The production is in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of V-day, a movement to stop violence against women. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and on sale at Venus Envy, the Ottawa Women's Credit Union, and Mother Tongue Books, and the proceeds go to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa.
And if you're not already on overload (I think I am!) on Saturday the 23rd, Irish storyteller Mike Burns will be spinning his tales at Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities. From 7:30 on, he'll be drawing on the culture and folktales of Ireland to mesmerize and transport his audience. Mike's a fabulous storyteller, and I'm really looking forward to this show. Tickets are $20, available at the door, or call Saint Brigid's at 613-244-7373.
And of course I'm going to be at the Dusty Owl this coming Sunday, the 17th - we'll be featuring Oni the Haitian Sensation this time around! 5:00 at Swizzles, which is at Queen and Kent, under the green awning.
*phew* That's a busy (and very multicultural) week...
