EAST VANCOUVER YOUTH COOK UP COLLABORATIVE THEATRE/VIDEO PROJECT

From MISCELLANEOUS Productions, creators of e-race, What You Carry With You and THE REENA PROJECT: Outcasts & Angels, comes another interdisciplinary performance project involving a diverse group of at-risk/high risk Eastside youth: Stock Characters: The Cooking Show plays Nov. 9 - 10, 2007 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. A documentary film of the process of making this work is also in production.

Hilarious and hard-hitting, Stock Characters is a campy Iron Chef parody set in East Vancouver - but it's an apocalyptic East Van of the future. Using the framework of “a hardcore cooking contest at the end of the world,” Artistic Director Elaine Carol and a cast of young people ages 15 to 26 take a raw, honest look at the challenges facing youth in the community: poverty, racism and other forms of stereotyping, gang violence, addiction, abuse. Performed mostly in English, the script includes significant sections in Farsi, Punjabi and Spanish; it also incorporates music, dance and video. Stock Characters: The Cooking Show pushes boundaries both in its content and its aesthetics, but remains accessible: at once angry and hopeful, funny and frightening, beautiful and brutal.

The November 2007 performances of Stock Characters: The Cooking Show mark the culminating point of a three-year journey that, true to MISCELLANEOUS Productions’ tradition, has been as much about community development as it has been about the creation of a work of art. Building on workshops and outreach initiatives begun in spring 2005, a casting call in September 2006 drew youth from Eastside high schools, community centres and workplaces. Since then, under the guidance of Director/Writer Elaine Carol and other professional artists, the seven youth performers - Karine Behmard-Larue, Pinky Bining, Michael Cheng, Natalie Falk, Roberto Hidalgo, Dakota Prince and Herb Varley - have collaborated to develop and rehearse a compelling script based on true stories from the lives of East Vancouver youth.

Polished production values are contributed by an impressive slate of local arts professionals, including Ndidi Cascade (Hip Hop/R&B composer), Bonnie Soon & Jason Overy (World Music Composers), Kaoru Matsushita (New Music Composer), Jennifer Bishop (Choreographer), Marina Szijarto (Costume Designer), Adrian Muir (Lighting Designer), Yvan Morissette (Set Designer) and Jamie Nesbitt (Projection Designer). Esther Oh (Consulting Social Worker), Eric D. Wong (Diversity Consultant), Azin Sadr and Sarah Sawatsky (Assistant Directors) and Alison Jenkins (Stage Manager) have also helped to bring Stock Characters to the stage.

MISCELLANEOUS Productions, based in East Vancouver is an interdisciplinary arts organization that produces performances, media works, visual art exhibitions and publications fusing high art, community development and popular culture. MISCELLANEOUS Productions works with diverse professionals and non-professionals aged 13 - 70 years old (including at-risk, high risk and mainstream youth, adults and elders), that find their roots on 6 continents and speak more than 25 languages and dialects.

Media contact: Melanie Thompson, 604.224.6201 or melaniethompson@shaw.ca

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY: Nov. 9-10, 2007 – 8 PM at VECC
TICKETS: $12 plus service charges via Ticketmaster (604.280.3311) or at the door.

YOUTH: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

PUBLIC COMMUNITY FORUM/OPEN REHEARSAL of
Stock Characters: The Cooking Show

JUNE 6, 2007 from 6 PM - 8 PM

Britannia Secondary School - Music Room - Room 111
1001 Cotton Drive in East Vancouver

PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN OPEN REHEARSAL WITH A MODERATED AUDIENCE FEEDBACK SESSION OF MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTONS’ COMMUNITY-ENGAGED PERFORMANCE AND DOCUMENTARY VIDEO PROJECT:
Stock Characters: The Cooking Show

Stock Characters: The Cooking Show explores stereotyping, poverty, racism, violence, substance abuse, family distress, the politics of food and pleasures of cooking. The cast features an integrated group of very culturally diverse at-risk youth aged 14 – 25 years old.

This event is FREE. Youth are encouraged to attend. Everyone is welcome.

For information please contact MISCELLANEOUS Productions at:

telephone - 604.873.6522
e-mail – elaine-c@mdi.ca
website - www.miscellaneous-inc.org

Funders: Canada Council for the Arts – Inter-Arts and Music - Artists and Community Collaboration Fund, BC Arts Council - Arts-based Community Development, Canadian Heritage – Multiculturalism, BC Solicitor General & Public Safety – Safe Streets Safe Schools Fund, BC Anti-racism & Multiculturalism Program, BC Gaming, Vancity, TELUS Community Fund, Dr. George Tien INC., Spirit of BC Arts Fund and numerous generous donors. Sponsors: Broadway Youth Resource Centre, Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Britannia Community Centre and Britannia Secondary School.

Auditions & Interviews for Youth
AGED 14 – 27 for the live performance and documentary video:

Stock Characters: The Cooking Show

A new performance and video project exploring stereotyping, racism, violence, poverty, the politics of food and pleasures of cooking in East Vancouver.

MISCELLANEOUS Productions, creators and producers of THE REENA PROJECT / Outcasts & Angels , What You Carry With You…, e-race and MISCELLANEOUS Magazine, will be holding Auditions and Interviews for Youth aged 14 – 27 years old for our new live performance and documentary video project. Stock Characters: The Cooking Show, directed by professionals and offered as a free training program to youth will explore themes of stereotyping, poverty, racism, violence, peer pressure, substance abuse, the politics of food and pleasures of cooking.

Positions Available:

· Performers (wear shoes you can dance in!)

· Singers: prepare one verse and chorus of a
soul, R&B or pop song ·

· Video Production · Stage Crew ·

No Experience Necessary!!

Kensington Community Centre, Gray’s Park Hall

4850 St. Catherine’s Street (corner of 32nd Avenue), Vancouver

Wednesday, September 20, 2006: 4 PM – 9 PM
Friday, September 22, 2006: 4 PM – 9 PM
Friday, September 29, 2006*: 4 PM – 8 PM
*Call-backs only

For more information phone: 604 - 873 - 6522
E-mail: elaine-c@mdi.ca

Funded by MISCELLANEOUS Productions and funded by the Canada Council for the Arts – Inter-Arts – Artists & Community Collaboration Fund, BC Gaming Commission, BC Arts Council, Spirit of BC Arts Fund, City of Vancouver, BC Anti-racism & Multiculturalism Program, Dr. George Tien INC. and generous individuals. Sponsored by Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Imagica Productions and Kensington Community Centre – Gray’s Park Hall.

Details about Auditions and Rehearsals for Stock Characters: The Cooking Show will be held in mid-September 2006. Youth age 14 - 27 years old are eligible to audition.

In 2006 and 2007, we will be rehearsing on Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 PM - 8 PM throughout the school year and move to four 4-hour rehearsals per week in the summer months. Performances will be presented at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre in November 2007. A documentary of the process of making the performance will be produced and edited throughout 2006 - 2008.

Please see above for details about auditions and interviews for this original MISCELLANEOUS Productions' project.

MISCELLANEOUS Productions presents:

FREE Hip Hop Music and Theatre Workshop with Ndidi Cascade and Elaine Carol in Southeast Vancouver

Elaine Carol, Artistic Director and Ndidi Cascade, Composer-in-residence of MISCELLANEOUS Productions will lead participants through hip hop music, theatre, dance/movement and vocal exercises to further develop a new performance entitled Stock Characters: The Cooking Show. The themes, suggested by youth at previous workshops include stereotyping, violence, racism, poverty, the politics of food and pleasures of cooking.

FREE to youth age 14 - 27 interested in participating.

Bring a towel or yoga mat, comfortable shoes and clothing.

MISCELLANEOUS Productions are creators and producers of THE REENA PROJECT/ Outcasts & Angels (2001); What You Carry With You… (2003) and e-race (2005 and video adaptation 2006).

Four workshops will be held in Southeast Vancouver and two are open to ALL youth interested.

Friday, June 9 – Killarney Secondary School - 2:30 – 6:30 PM – for Killarney Secondary students only - call 604-713-5887 or e-mail - cdickie@vsb.bc.ca

Monday, June 12 – David Thompson Secondary School – 3:30 – 7:30 PM – for David Thompson Secondary students only – call 604-713-5886 or e-mail tcorcoran@vsb.bc.ca or visit the Community School Team office – Room #300

Monday, June 19 – Kensington Community Centre – 5175 Dumfries, Vancouver – 4 – 8 PM – OPEN TO ALL YOUTH – call 604-718-6200 or e-mail – cindy.crapper@vancouver.ca

Friday, July 14 – John Oliver Secondary School – 530 East 41st Avenue, Vancouver - 12:30 – 4:30 PM - OPEN TO ALL YOUTH – call 604-713-5883 or e-mail - cfuoco@vsb.bc.ca

For general information, please call 604-873-6522
or email - elaine-c@mdi.ca

City of Youth: World Urban Café

MISCELLANEOUS Productions will be participating as a presenter in the City of Youth: World Urban Café - in preparation for the World Urban Forum in Vancouver.

Date: Wed. Apr. 5, 2006 -- 6:00 pm

Location: UBC Robson Square HSBC Hall, 800 Robson Street [map]

This World Urban Café interactive forum using song, spoken word, dance and other creative forms will feature MISCELLANEOUS Productions’ Astley Auvinhann, Kaoru Matsushita and Joanna Chen, three youth who work in different capacities with the company. Artistic Director, Elaine Carol will serve as moderator and video/DVD clips of performances by the interdisciplinary, community arts organization will be screened. Rough cuts of clips of e-race (2005 – 2006), MISCELLANEOUS Productions’ latest work, will be highlighted.

This discussion and others will feature youth, and engage participants in an exploration of models of meaningful youth engagement in cities and of ways to turn ideas for a youth-friendly city into action.

Youth are busy engaging communities internationally through a participatory tool called the World Urban Cafés (WUCs) and World Urban Cafe JAM Sessions. The Cafés are an innovative series of dialogue and performance events leading up to and culminating in the World Urban Forum to be held in Vancouver in June 2006. The Café series is a project of the World Urban Forum and Youth Organizing Committee (WUFY), UN HABITAT, the HABITAT JAM, Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA) and the Canadian government.

This event is FREE for everyone!

e-race – preview of DVD clips and Youth Performer/Writer Panel Discussion:

*** *** ***
This preview of clips of the new DVD adaptation of MISCELLANEOUS Productions’ e-race and Youth Performer Panel Discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2 at 7 PM at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre (VECC) – 1895 Venables Street at Victoria. This event is sponsored by MISCELLANEOUS Productions, VECC Youth Week and explorASIAN 2006 – the 10th Anniversary of Vancouver Asian Heritage Month in May.

Director and collaborating Writer, Elaine Carol will show short clips of the DVD adaptation of MISCELLANEOUS Productions’ e-race, a hip hop musical exploring “speed” in young lives including street racing, drinking/drugging and driving, crystal meth, gangs, racism and “fast girls.”

Four youth performer/writers from Asian/Asian diasporic backgrounds will be featured on a panel that will examine the artists and community collaboration process to create the performance and DVD; how the piece worked to transcend stereotypes and specific issues for Asian youth who want to become professional artists and performers.

Youth featured on the panel will be: Astley Au, Emily Ra, Kascha Rolfe and Maxine Yu.

This event is 50 minutes long and will start promptly at 7 PM. For further information about this event, please contact Elaine at < elaine-c@mdi.ca > or phone 604-873-6522. For further information about VECC Youth Week, contact Youth Coordinator at phone 604-251-1363 and information about explorASIAN, contact Don Montgomery at < don@explorasian.org > or phone 604-488-0119.