jordanhall.ca

December 24, 2011

admin — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:41:41 +0000

A quick update for the New Year: Red is fresh off the presses at Signature Editions, in the anthology Out on a Limb (and just look at our gorgeous cover art!); Short and Sweet: Small Plays for Big Ideas, the Vancouver Fringe production that included The Possible Lives of Dolores Garcia Rodriguez) had an article in the December Issue of New Internationalist magazine (page 61); and Kayak is a “May Read” in the Samuel French 2012 Calendar! Meanwhile, I’m hard at work on Travelling Light after an amazing trip to Toronto to participate in Nightwood Theatre’s Groundswell Marketplace. I can’t say enough about what Nightwood is doing to support young women in the theatre industry, by the way. Those ladies rock my socks.

If you missed Travelling Light at the PTC AGM, don’t worry, I’ll be reading selections from the work-in-progress for the February installment of the Locution Reading Series.

Meanwhile, the screening of Love Sucks in Toronto went over well, playing to a packed house at the TIFF Lightbox, and Run Dry will be screening at VWIFF 2012 this March.

Finally, Christine has sent the final manuscript for The Enpipe Line in to Creekstone Press, so keep your eyes peeled for the launch party, and for the latest news on the opposition to the Northern Gateway Pipelines.

October 13, 2011

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:08:36 +0000

On the playwrighting front, The Possible Lives of Dolores Garcia Rodriguez, which I co-wrote with the marvellous Zoe Green for ACTivist Theatre Collective and Amnesty International, had a great run at the 2011 Vancouver Fringe Festival, along with plays by Trina Davies & Lucia Frangione. We had great reviews, packed houses and even had to put out extra seats for the crowd on closing weekend. And, in addition to Kayak being available from Samuel French, I’m excited to announce that Red is going to be published by Signature Editions for their “Out on a Limb” Collection, edited by Kit Brennan. And of course, this November and December I’ll be diving back into Travelling Light at PTC with the phenomenally talented Heidi Taylor.

In short film news, WIFTV has chosen Run Dry as one of its submissions for the 2011 WIFT International Showcase, which is a real honour for everyone involved. Love Sucks will be screening in Toronto sometime in November (I’ll keep you posted), and I’m just putting touches on the script for a third short, entitled Do Over which will be going into production in early 2012. I can hardly wait to have a reel up on the site.

Finally, In addition to my work as a mentor for Booming Ground, I’ve been working with Christine Leclerc and the stellar collective at the Enpipeline Project to get a collection of the wonderful poems that were submitted to site ready for publication in The Enpipe Line, forthcoming from Creekstone Press. All proceeds of the collection will be channeled into opposition to the Northern Gateway and Keystone XL pipelines, so get your copy fresh off the press!

June 2, 2011

admin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:18:58 +0000

Just a quick update before summer swallows me whole: First and foremost, Kayak is hot off the presses at Samuel French, complete with a gorgeous rippling water cover. This means that you can order your very own copy of Annie Iversen’s strange journey (complete with an introduction in which I rant about the election of Stephen Harper) right from the Samuel French online catalogue. Back in May I also did a public reading of “The Three Noahs” from Kayak for NeverMined at the Rhizome Cafe to help kick off the Mining Justice Week protests here in Vancouver, and was so impressed by the wonderful crowd, as well as fellow writers and performers Ray Hsu, Steven Collis and many others.

In short film news, Run Dry was one of the six official selections of the 2011 Crazy8s Competition, and much of March and April went into getting ready and filming it in 8 wild days between March 27 and April 3, and then taking it to the Gala Screening at the Vogue Theatre with the five other amazing official selections. With any luck I’ll have selections from both Run Dry and Love Sucks available on the website later this year.

This summer, in addition to getting down to brass electrons with Travelling Light at PTC, I’m collaborating with the marvellous Zoe Green and ACTivist Theatre Collective to create The Possible Lives of Dolores Garcia Rodriguez for Amnesty International at the 2011 Vancouver Fringe Festival and doing a little of the old dramaturgy for Tommy Taylor and The Original Norwegian on the G20 inspired You Should Have Stayed Home at the 2011 Summerworks Festival. Last but not least, I’ll be staying on as a mentor at Booming Ground for another year, helping emerging writers in Playwrighting, Screenwriting and Fiction.

February 1, 2011

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:59:55 +0000

Some big news for the (almost) beginning of 2011- Kayak has taken home not one, but two national playwrighting awards: The PGC’s Post-Secondary Playwrighting Contest and Samuel French’s 2010 Canadian Playwrights Contest. This, in addition to our Honourable Mentions for The Contra Guys Award for New Work and Rosemary’s Honorable Mention for The Spotlight Award for The Original Norwegian‘s stellar production at 2010 Summerworks Festival. Amazing.

In short film news, my funny little Twilight-fan satire, Love Sucks, is headed to production with Humber College’s School of Acting, while my post-apocalyptic fable, Run Dry, is now one of twelve finalists in Vancouver’s 2011 Crazy8′s Competition. Cross your fingers for us!

And in the digitalia: My poem for the Enpipe Line, The Wolf in The House is up, as is my review of Jessica Grant’s Come, Thou Tortoise (in which I continue my love affair with everything JG has ever written) on the PRISM website. The titles are linked- so go visit them.

August 18, 2010

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:19:03 +0000

Just back from The Original Norwegian‘s run of Kayak at the 2010 Summerworks Festival, featuring the wonderful Rosemary Dunsmore. Kayak was a NOW Magazine Critic’s Pick (NNNN), Lynn Slotkin called the play “thoughtful” and Rosemary’s performance “gripping, heartbreaking” on Here and Now, while Dave Deveau for Plank Magazine praised the play’s “stellar, insightful writing”.

And the most exciting part? If you’re in Winnipeg this September, you’ve got another chance to catch Kayak at Femfest 2010, in an exciting remount directed by Sarasvati Productions‘ own Hope McIntyre. Or you can drop into the Vancouver Public Library on September 20th, where I’ll be reading selections from Kayak and talking playwrighting and dramaturgy courtesy of a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and the PGC.

In dramaturgical news, this August to April, I’m working as a mentor for UBC’s Booming Ground program, offering one-on-one consultations for emerging writers along with fellow literary up-and-comers Sarah Tsiang and Krissy Darch; and in December Ginette Mohr’s Fish Face will be headed to The Cultch in Vancouver for a well-deserved encore.

Perhaps most exciting of all, I’ve been invited to join the Playwright’s Theatre Centre for their inaugural Associates Program. For the next three years I’ll be developing pieces with their support, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

June 7, 2010

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:01:14 +0000

April was a busy month, with Red premiering at UBC’s Brave New Play Rites Festival, in a lovely production directed by Zoe Green and featuring Claire Hesselgrave and Sean Tyson. Meanwhile, the always stalwart Phil Rickaby helmed the first production of The Second Last Man on Earth at Monkeyman Productions’ Banana Festival to an overwhelmingly positive response.

And there’s more to come, with a remount of Red at Up In The Air Theatre’s Walking Fish Festival in July; the North American premiere production of Kayak at the Summerworks Festival in August courtesy of The Original Norwegian, with my favourite partner in crime, Tommy Taylor, paddling the boat; and another production of Kayak in Winnipeg as part of Femfest 2010. And for those of you looking to get a taste of Kayak in Vancouver, I’ll be doing a public reading at the Vancouver Public Library on September 20th.

In dramaturgical news, The Belle of Winnipeg scored three Dora nominations! So you’ll have to keep your fingers crossed for us come June 28th; and Oyster’s Trial of Jeremy Hinzman had its first reading with the fine folks at Foundry Theatre.

February 25, 2010

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:39:02 +0000

It’s been an exciting few months on the playwrighting front: a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts allowed me to take Kayak to Women Playwright’s International in Mumbai; A new draft of Kayak had it’s first public reading with Tableau D’Hote Theatre in Montreal, and, in addition to being shortlisted for Femfest 2009, Kayak also made the shortlist for the Kernodle Playwrighting Competition, and won Best Adult Submission on the Bridge to a Cool Planet Lit Blog, which included a prize donated by Room to Read.

Upcoming in April 2010: Red (part of the postmodern fairytale cycle that began with Asleep at the Wheel) will be part of UBC’s Brave New Play Rites, and Monkeyman Productions will be doing production of The Second Last Man on Earth in Toronto.

In dramaturgical news, the premiere of The Belle of Winnipeg was terrific fun in TO; I’ll be producing the Brave New Play Rites Festival; and if you want to hear even more about the adventures of the Canadian Delegation at WPI Mumbai, then you can check out our articles in the next issue of Canplay.

September 15, 2009

admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:32:22 +0000

With the release of Prairie Fire, Vol. 30 No.2, June, 2007 is now on the shelves. Don’t forget to pick yourself up a copy of my Honourably Mentioned little poem, along with the other winners of the Bliss Carman National Poetry Contest.

In other news, Kayak has been invited to be part of Tableau D’Hôte Theatre‘s upcoming workshop series for New Canadian Works. Meanwhile, fundraising continues to see if Annie Iversen and her little boat will be paddling their way to WPI Mumbai.

Want to make a contribution to Kayak‘s WPI journey? Contact me at: playwrighting@jordanhall.ca.

In dramaturgical news: Ginette Mohr’s Fish Face got a five NNNNN Critic’s pick from NOW Magazine at the Toronto Fringe Festival this summer; and both Oyster Productions‘ upcoming piece on Jeremy Hinzman, and Adam Bradley’s The Banana Club will be read in First Draft’s 2009/2010 reading series. Meanwhile, The Belle of Winnipeg is set to silently storm Toronto this November…

February 28, 2009

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:00:00 +0000

March 25-28, catch the world premiere of Asleep at the Wheel, closing Week Three of the 2009 New Ideas Festival, directed by Tommy Taylor, starring Heather Allin, Cassandra Togneri, Malcolm Taylor and the always hilarious Devin Upham.

This June/July, pick up a copy of Prarie Fire, where my poem, June, 2007 will be published along with the other winners of the Bliss Carman National Poetry Contest. (June, 2007 received Honourable Mention.)

If you’re in Toronto, Ottawa or Edmonton this summer, be sure to catch Ginette Mohr’s fabulous Fish Face at the Toronto, Ottawa and Edmonton Fringes. (I was the dramaturg for Fish Face‘s debut at New Ideas in 2007.)

September 15, 2008

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:28:31 +0000

November 13th, be sure to Save the Date, because the fine folks from Keystone Theatre will be throwing a spectacular fundraiser at the Bloor Cinema: Duelling Tap-dancers, Mentalists, Parker & Seville, and a ballad or two from Brent Carver…

Pick up your advance tickets at www.keystonetheatre.net. But be quick, or the train’ll leave without you!

Nuit Blanche was a blast, consulting and performing in the lovely Antoinette di Michele’s alternate reality experiment, All-Nighter. In August, Asleep at the Wheel got a reading with the talented kids at Play Lab, and two old favourites, From Grace and Twenty-one Rants About Working in a Drugstore, have been picked up by the PGC’s Scripts for Schools catalogue.

Need a copy of Talk Thirty to Me? You can buy your very own from Playwright’s Canada Press.