Victoria Tickets: ticketrocket.org / 250.5906291
Vancouver Tickets: theatre.ubc.ca / 604.8222678

Hello friends of Puente Theatre,

We’ve got some exciting news. In two weeks, Puente will premiere the world’s first fully-staged Mariachi opera. It’s called “El Jinete” (the Rider), starring Canada’s greatest Mariachi band, Los Dorados, with Alexandra Wever.

The show is inspired by the black & white Mariachi films from the Golden Era of Mexican cinema. It’s a chance to experience the world of Mariachi as many have never seen it – the bravura, the emotion, and the Mariachi code: that the entire point of life is to die for love. This isn’t the music played for tourists – this is the music of the Mexican soul.

The story is inspired by a famous song of the same name. It describes a lonely mariachi, mortally wounded, riding through the mountains in search of his beloved. Check it out here, as sung by the beloved Mexican icon Jorge Negrete: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFI2g0h5Q84

Our opera springs from those lyrics, to tell a tale of that mariachi crossing the Rio Grande into el Norte, to find his fate in the modern world. It’s a story full of magic, vengeance, and true love.

An amazing group of artists came together to make the show. It actually looks and feels like a black and white movie come to life, thanks to projection design by Jamie Nesbitt, lighting design by Itai Erdal, sound design by Chris Hind, and costume design by Florence Barrett, all award-winning designers based in Vancouver. The musical director is Alex Alegría, and the show was created, written, and directed by Puente’s own Mercedes Bátiz-Benét.

It’ll be playing at the Metro Studio for three performances only: April 26th to 28th, before travelling to Vancouver to play at UBC’s Frederic Wood Theatre from May 10th to 12th as part of the 5th International Mariachi Festival. Fridays and Saturdays the shows are at 8PM, and on Sundays at 2PM. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. In Victoria, they’re available at ticketrocket.org, or 250 590 6291. In Vancouver, they’re available at theatre.ubc.ca, or 604 822 2678. The show is in English and Spanish, with surtitles.

Don’t miss it. It’s going to be incredible.

https://www.facebook.com/events/239857049486868/

https://www.facebook.com/puentetheatre

Thursday, April 25 4:30-7:30pm 1252 Wharf Street

www.vicfilm.com 250-381-3032

The public is invited to drop in to tour the school, talk to the instructors, enjoy some refreshments, and watch or participate in one of our fun Open House Activities:

4:30 – 6:00pm ON-CAMERA AUDITION
Do you have what it takes to act in a TV commercial? Pick up a script, perform your audition and watch it played back on a big screen TV!
With Acting Technique & Screenwriting instructor Karen Lee Pickett.

6:30 – 7:30 CREATIVE MOVEMENT
Actors use their bodies as instruments of expression. Watch a live demonstration of creative movement and some short dance videos. With Creative Movement instructor Andrew Barrett, Artistic Director of Impulse Theatre.

4:30 -7:30 GREEN SCREEN & ANIMATION DEMOS
Wonder how actors appear to be floating in outer space, or soaring over the ocean? Try our mini-Green Screen and find out!
With Jeff Kluge, Cinematography Instructor. Watch some Maya 3D demos with the Animation/SFX Department.
* * * * *

PFMA is an accredited career training institute with two full- time, 9 month programs: ACTING FOR SCREEN and MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION.

If you are thinking of becoming a professional actor or film maker, PFMA is located in beautiful downtown Victoria and offers high-quality intensive training that prepares you to enter the exciting world of making movies: Lights, Camera, Action!

The ACTING FOR SCREEN Program is the only full-time training program in Victoria that is geared towards film acting. Courses include Acting Technique, Audition Technique, Business of Acting, Creative Movement, Voice, Improv, Professional Set and more. Acting students perform in several filmed projects over the year.

MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION trains budding directors in all aspects of film making: Screenwriting, Cinematography, Design, Production, Sound, Editing, Documentaries, the Independent Process, and more.

FACULTY
The ACTING FOR SCREEN Program Co-ordinator is Kirsten Van Ritzen, a professional actor, writer, television and theatre producer, with an extensive background teaching at post-secondary institutions.

The MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION Program Co-ordinator is Jeff Kluge. Jeff works in film as a camera assistant; he teaches cinematography, videography and sound design and holds B. Ed and BFA degrees.

Please contact us for further information!

Acting for Screen Program Co-ordinator Kirsten Van Ritzen acting@vicfilm.com

MPP Program Co-ordinator Jeff Kluge mailto:film@vicfilm.com

Registrar Meaghan Graham 250-381-3032

November 24 at 10:00am until November 25 at 6:00pm in EST
Visual Arts Mississuaga, 4170 Riverwood Park Lane
Mississauga, Ontario L5C 2S7

To learn more, visit www.SabihaImran.com
or
www.Facebook.com/sabihahimran.

Dates of Exhibit:
Friday, November 23, 2012 (By invitation only)
Start time: 7:00 pm

Saturday, November 24, 2012 and Sunday, November 25, 2012
Open from: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm each day

Jafry’s documentary on South Asian seniors will be shown by Omni TV on Nov. 18 & 25

Syed Ghulam Panjatan Jafry, a prominent broadcaster and producer of numerous
documentaries on varied subjects, added another feather to his cap with his latest interesting production. This time he produced an excellent and useful documentary portraying the life of South Asian Seniors in Canada. The hour long documentary entitled – On Their Own: The Trials of South Asian Seniors, is in five languages – English, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali and Gujarati with each documentary containing DV (descriptive video). All these documentaries will be presented on Omni TV.

The first documentary that will be in English will be shown on November 18, 2012 at 8 p.m.and the second documentary in Gujarati will go on air on November 25, 2012, also at 8 p.m.

This documentary was fully funded by the OMNI Ontario Independent Production Initiative, said Jafry Jawad Jafry and Richard Landau are the co-producers of the documentary.

“On Their Own: The Trials of South Asian Seniors”, examines the plight of senior immigrants of South Asian origins.”Through a focus on some elderly people surviving on their own, the documentary examines the loneliness, abandonment and fear that many of Canada’s immigrant seniors experience,”

Born in the city of Jaipur, , India, on April 15,1939, he established Jafry Communications in 1967, Toronto. Since then he produced 23 TV Series of more than 9000 TV programs and over 3136 one hour Radio programs. Jafry visited 26 Countries and 114 cities in Africa, Asia, Europe & North America. Since 1975 Jafry raised more than seven million dollars for religious & social organizations of Canada. His other achievements include:
- Established first Indian & Pakistani Theater in 1966.
- First Indian & Pakistani Radio Program- 1969
- First Indian & Pakistani Cable TV. program-1969
- First Indian & Pakistani TV Program on Network 1978
- First Canada Wide Live Broadcast from Mississauga, On., Canada, 1993
- First Indian & Pakistani Canada Wide Telethon on TV. 1993
- First Indian & Pakistani USA & CANADA wide Fund Raising for Hospital 1994
- First Indian & Pakistani, Canada & Great Britain TV Programs 1995
- First Shia Majlis on TV in Canada on Vision TV Network, June 08, 1996
- Printed more than 30 Show & Business Directories.
- Ramadan Evening Radio Program on CJRN RADIO 710 AM, BY IMAGE Group.
-Helped Largest number of Radio & TV Broadcasters in Establishment of their Broadcast Business.

Diwali is the festival of light, celebrated around the world by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.Diwali takes place between mid-October and mid-November each year and is an official holiday in India.

The Victoria Hindu Temple celebrated Diwali with a variety of performances at Farquahr Auditorium Saturday night.

Photos by Mohsin Abbas / Publisher, Diversity Reporter
See below for photo gallery or click here to see all the pics.

5th Annual Christmas Tree Light-up

Saturday, November 17
4 p.m. – 5:45 p.m., Centennial Square
Bring the family to the annual lighting of the giant sequoia tree and enjoy musical performances and free treats at “Taste of Downtown” in Centennial Square before the Island Farms Santa’s Light Parade. Sponsored by the Downtown Victoria Business Association and the City of Victoria.

Snow Day in Centennial Square!

Saturday, December 1
1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Centennial Square
Got mittens? We’ll provide the snow! Join us for Snow Day in Centennial Square! Check out cool ice and snow carving demos, enjoy snow-themed crafts and activities, interactive characters and tons of the white stuff! A DJ and live music, free treats and fun giveaways will ensure a winter wonderland for the whole family! Sponsored by the City of Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association.

3rd Annual Figgy Pudding Carolling Competition
Saturday, December 15
1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Bastion Square
Celebrate the holiday season with festive carollers competing in song on multiple stages at Bastion Square! Join us for awards for best singing and costumes, and a group sing-along at 3:15 p.m. Register your carolling group by Friday, November 23 and join us in festive song! Sponsored by the City of Victoria in partnership with CTV, CFAX 1070 and 107.3 KOOL FM.

Dress for the weather as events will happen rain, shine or snow! Free Admission. Please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Mustard Seed.

For more information, visit: www.victoria.ca

Vancouver, BC – The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) present the Vancouver debut of Punch Brothers on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 at 8pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Described as an ”alchemy of old-time music and contemporary sensibilities” by The New Yorker, the freewheeling five-member string band’s compositions apply a bold, progressive spin to bluegrass music.

“I first heard Punch Brothers in a crowded, underground music club in New York City and instantly knew I was witnessing something very special,” recalls Joyce Hinton, Co-Managing Director of the Chan Centre. “These young artists were achieving a level of sophistication and complexity I had never experienced with this type of music. What’s more, they were doing it with such charm and charisma that the massed crush of New Yorkers were stamping and cheering along with abandon.”

The group traces its origins to 2006, when singer and mandolin player Chris Thile gathered Gabe Witcher (violin), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Noam Pikelny (banjo) in an East Village apartment to provide backing on a solo project. The session led to the group’s formation and the release of their first album, Punch (2008), after which they were joined by bassist Paul Kowert. The full, five-member roster have since released a further two albums: Antifogmatic (2010) and Who’s Feeling Young Now (2012).

The band’s coming together and their process of collaboration is the subject of Mark Meatto’s recent documentary, How to Grow a Band, which screened in Vancouver as a part of the 2012 Vancouver International Film Festival. The group reached a different cinematic audience this summer, when their song Dark Days was used in the soundtrack for blockbuster film, The Hunger Games.

On October 1 of this year, the group earned an endorsement of the highest order when Chris Thile received the prestigious MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant.’ The $500,000 prize is annually awarded to 23 individuals, deemed to be geniuses within their respective fields, so that they may freely pursue their creative vision. Thile was one of two musicians to receive it (the other a classical flutist) and the youngest of all recipients at just 31 years old.

Describing their reason for selecting Thile, the MacArthur Foundation website states:

With a broad outlook that encompasses progressive bluegrass, classical, rock, and jazz, Thile is transcending the borders of conventionally circumscribed genres in compositions… [He] is creating a distinctly American canon for the mandolin and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike.

About The Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC

Since opening in the spring of 1997, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has earned an international reputation for its striking design and stellar acoustics. Artists, critics, and patrons alike are unanimous in their praise of the multi-faceted facility, winning it a place among North America’s premier performing arts venues.

Inside, the Chan Centre boasts three unique venues: the superb Chan Shun Concert Hall, the dramatic Telus Studio Theatre, and the intimate Royal Bank Cinema. All share a spectacular glass lobby that faces a mature evergreen forest and small outdoor patio.

From classical, jazz, and new music to opera, folk, and world music, the Chan Centre is a vital part of UBC campus life – a place where the artistic and academic disciplines integrate with one another to inspire new perspectives on life and culture. As such, the programming at the Chan Centre strives to enhance the values of the UBC community through its annual roster of dynamic artists and musical traditions. Past performers and guest speakers have included Yo-Yo Ma, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Renée Fleming, Zakir Hussain, Al Gore, Kronos Quartet, Meredith Monk, Muhammad Yunus, Mavis Staples, Ornette Coleman, Mariza, and Shirin Ebadi.

LISTING INFORMATION Punch Brothers
Dates: Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012 at 8pm
Ticket prices: $36-$72 (Student and senior discounts available)
Address: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
University of British Columbia
6265 Crescent Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Box Office: Ticketmaster – by phone 1.855.985.(ARTS) 2787 or
www.ticketmaster.ca.

The Chan Centre Ticket Office is open Tue-Sat, 12-5pm; Performance days, 12pm-intermission; Sun-Mon performance days the ticket office will open 2.5 hours before event start until intermission. Closed on statutory holidays.
Website: www.chancentre.com
www.ticketmaster.ca