Special Guest actor Shayne Coffin drops by to chat about upcoming roles in Elora Community Theatre’s Tom Sawyer this November and his debut in Galt Little Theatre’s Joyful Noise happening in December as part of A Christmas in Cambridge. Shane also speaks about some of his favorite roles, including Rainman in Guelph Little Theatre’s Frozen Dreams, by Ontario playwright Robert Ainsworth, and his future goals which include studying in New York!
He is currently The Elora Town Crier. But watch for him in many shows to come. – Coral FM.
This is an older chat but Rachel has taken the concept of Kaufman Arts Studio to the next level through the Kaufman Arts Initiative.
We have decided to take a ‘leap of faith,’ shifting our focus from a physical studio space to an incentive and vision beyond four walls.
The Kaufman Arts Studio will now be the Kaufman Arts Initiative; an incentive to promote and support both Professional and Emerging Artists. One of the fundamental principles for the Initiative will be working within the community, acting as a bridge between corporate, academic and artistic enterprises. We wish to mentor, support and fund artists, with a strong emphasis on training and development.
This will be an ever-evolving Project, as we still stand by our mandate to support this Community wholeheartedly with creative collaboration, support and yes- FUNDING! We want to hear your ideas for new, innovative study and creation, and will support all Artists and members of the Community who seek to become part of projects within a healthy, happy and creative spirit.
I would be happy to hear from you about collaboration or any ideas you have that would benefit our Community as we move forward with this amazing Project. Our Facebook page and Twitter address have not changed, so please follow us for all the exciting news! – Rachel.
On the show rachel speaks about the Robertson Davies play that the collective did as well.
Special Guest Waterloo Region Record Arts Writer Robert Reid, fresh from reviewing opening week productions at Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 60th Anniversary Season! joins me to wax theatre from Stratford to the Blyth Festival.
In Part 1 we discuss Bard’s productions Much Ado About Nothing, Cymbeline, and three count them THREE opening week musicals 42nd Street, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Pirates of Penzance, plus The Matchmaker, and new Canadian production, The War of 1812. We also discuss late season openings Shakespeare’s Henry V, Christopher Plummer’s new one man show A Word or Two, in addition to other Canadian theatre debuts MacHomer, Wanderlust, Hirsch, and The Best Brothers. Rob also brings in Grand River Blues Society CD Got Mojo 2, plus music from Fred Eaglesmith and MacHomer’s Rick Miller. We also speak about The Blyth Festival’s Season as well.
For those wanting to see Stratford shows here is Rob’s invaluable insight from his venerable Aisle Seat.
Steel Rail Sessions is Waterloo Region’s annual art party on a train.
Featuring local artists, musicians, art installations, interactive activities, great local food and craft beer on a historical train as it travels from Uptown Waterloo to Elmira and back. Each year we surprise our guest with a new and exciting experience that will entertain and push limits, all aboard the beautiful and rustic Waterloo Central Railway. I have done this and it was a lot of fun. Hilary drops by to chat about KW’s coolest Party in Motion. – Coral FM
A show from the entire ensemble, Listen, Leslie is anybody’s story.
Anybody who has ever struggled with control over their life.
Anybody who has ever doubted their fate.
Anybody who has ever forgotten to have fun.
Anybody who has ever been afraid to live.
Leslie, a young, strong-willed woman who has got her entire life planned out for her fails to realize that sometimes life is not that simple. Fate interferes with Leslie’s well planned life as she unravels into a maddening journey of acceptance and self-discovery.
Cast members Steph, Hailey, and Steve of Listen Leslie spoke about this collaborative theatre piece on Coral FM.
I was a co-presenter of this show at The Jazz Room
It’s Sex, Drugs and Spoken Word! Poetic Slam Dunkin, Blues Harpin, Hip Hoppin, Beat Boxin, Street Talkin Prose and Cons Troubadour For more info go to www.cravery.com
This is an on site chat I did with CR the first time he played The Jazz Room!
Iva Bittová (born 22 July 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer, and composer. She began her career as an actress in the mid-1970s, appearing in several Czech feature films, but switched to playing violin and singing in the early 1980s. She started recording in 1986 and by 1990 her unique vocal and instrumental technique gained her international recognition. Since then, she has performed regularly throughout Europe, the United States and Japan, and has released over eight solo albums. In addition to her musical career, Bittová has continued acting and still occasionally appears in feature films. In 2003 she played the part of Zena in Želary, a film nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Academy Awards.
I got this exclusive Canadian interview through my good pal legendary music promoter Gary Topp.
Asphalt Jungle Shorts is defined as The Intersection of Theatre and Reality. AND beginning tonight!! actors will lead the unsuspecting audience on an intriguing sojourn through the streets of downtown Kitchener – both physically and literally.
Flush Ink Productions Artistic Director Paddy Gillard Bentley speaks about Asphalt Jungle Shorts VIII, and its evolution. This includes the recent inaugural staging of AJS in Waterloo as the troupe performed through the nooks and cool little crannies, restos and pubs of the Uptown core. Paddy also spoke about Flush Ink’s Urban Theatre Festival Unhinged and intoxicating new novel The Unexploded Boer written by Erich Rautenbach.
For more info on AJS VIII and other Flush Ink shows including Unhinged, and She Speaks, go to Flush Ink. And because Flush Ink is “Theatre That Thinks Outside the Theater” I think it’s rather apropos that this chat was recorded live in the studio from my Edirol recorder’s digital mic, hence the edgier sound quality. So pump up the volume! – Cheers Coral FM
Rick Miller’s McHomer – a mash up of 50 Simpsons voices versus The Scottish Play – aka Macbeth! has audiences of all ages laughing from start to finish.
McHomer is currently playing at The Studio Theatre as part of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 60th Anniversary Season!
It’s there until Saturday May 26! It is fabulous! Go and see it!
And now … From his (recently autographed CD – heh heh) Rick Miller – Songs from My Shows, here is feature song Tragedy from McHomer and Queen’s Petrified Rock Anthem Bohemian Rhapsody – (also From McHomer) featuring 25 of the Most Annoying Voices in the Music Industry. AND … a special shout out to my nephew Michael, his wife Andrea, and daughter Princess Alecia – Three Beautiful People – Coral FM
People along Kitchener’s Iron Horse Trail for a number of Arts Events and Activites
The Iron Horse Trail, which connects UW with downtown Kitchener, will be the site of much conviviality with the Animate the Trailfestival Sunday, May 27 1-5 p.m. At either end of the Iron Horse Trail are two large, beautiful parks. Waterloo Park, located in between the city’s two universities, just south of University Ave. features sports field, picnic tables, a splash park, a duck pond, and a small zoo with llamas and peacocks and stuff. See that antique train? Yep, that’s where you catch it to go to the market. See that futuristic black building? Yes, that’s the Perimeter Institute. Sometimes, Stephen Hawking hangs out there. Cool, huh? Kitchener’s corresponding park is Victoria Park, a lovely expanse of gardens, water and bridges, with a really, really good playground (just in case you have a small philosopher with you). It’s yer classic Commonwealth park, complete with statue of Queen Victoria and cannons to play on.
I spoke with Waterloo Region Record columnist Martin De Groot about this new event.
Especially with Hollywood bringing the beloved “Chronicles of Narnia” to the big screen, most people are at least peripherally aware of C.S. Lewis as the creator of a beloved world of talking beasts and grand adventure. Some might even know the man behind the childrens’ books as a witty and erudite theologian and academic. Fewer still are aware of the man who found love late in life in a way that would ultimately challenge both his understanding of himself, and his faith in God.
Lewis’ deep entrenchment in the role of a quintessential Oxford don—the brilliant, slightly-absent-minded professor in the male-dominated academic world—is shaken by the unexpected arrival of an American fan. In her own way, Joy Gresham epitomizes everything that Lewis is not: brash and forward, prone to questioning everything, experienced in both love and loss. Their developing attraction to each other is a complex process that must work through his inability to understand the essence of intimate emotional connection, and through her experiences of deeply loving emotionally-unavailable men. Yet somehow these two unlikely soulmates manage to find those rare points of connection that allow love to root, and grow in such a way that when tragedy strikes, something transcendent and greater than either of them remains.
About Ten Bare Toes
We are an amateur theatre company based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario that performs for the sheer joy of entertaining an audience.
Anita Kilgour
Anita has been involved in community theatre for over 30 years as actor, director, stage manager, producer and many behind the scenes positions. She has worked with a number of theatre companies in the Kitchener-Waterloo area for the past 20 years – KWLT, Waterloo Stage, Upstage Productions and FASS at the University of Waterloo. She has produced a number of shows with Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre and thanks them for the opportunity to learn & find her courage to start producing her own plays. Directed for TenBareToes: The Odd Couple (April 2011), The Taming of the Shrew (July 2010); for KWLT: The Three Musketeers (July 2008), What the Butler Saw (2006) .
JUNO nominated and double Canadian Radio Award nominated singer – songwriter Wendy Lands’ newest release, ‘Mumble’ aches with a vulnerable intimacy – a jazzy undertow that sets her far apart from the pack as both a singer and a songwriter. ‘Mumble’ is made up of sparsely yet soulfully arranged songs filled with lyrical depth, a pop – jazz – rootsy sensibility and the kind of vocal stylings that raise goose bumps. Only when you hear ‘Mumble’ will you have truly heard Wendy Lands. Lands co-produced the 11 original songs with 3 of the 4 members that make up her band, Emmy winner Don Breithaupt, JUNO winner Greg Kavanagh and life-long collaborator – Jim Gillard. Each of them is heard in every breath, note, blast and refrain that is ‘Mumble’. In an age of Lady Gagas, their collective, restrained genius is like a seductive whisper piercing a world of screams…
I chatted with Wendy by phone before her concert at The Jazz Room. It was a great show.
JUNO nominated and double Canadian Radio Award nominated singer – songwriter Wendy Lands’ newest release, ‘Mumble’ aches with a vulnerable intimacy – a jazzy undertow that sets her far apart from the pack as both a singer and a songwriter.
‘Mumble’ is made up of sparsely yet soulfully arranged songs filled with lyrical depth, a pop – jazz – rootsy sensibility and the kind of vocal stylings that raise goose bumps. Only when you hear ‘Mumble’ will you have truly heard Wendy Lands
Lands co-produced the 11 original songs with 3 of the 4 members that make up her band, Emmy winner Don Breithaupt, JUNO winner Greg Kavanagh and life-long collaborator – Jim Gillard. Each of them is heard in every breath, note, blast and refrain that is ‘Mumble’. In an age of Lady Gagas, their collective, restrained genius is like a seductive whisper piercing a world of screams…
John Tutt of The Princess Cinemas visits Coral FM to chat about The 6th Annual Canada Films Days Festival at The Original Princess running from May 3 to May 10. This is a week of great Canadian films and a chance to meet directors, actors and co-producers at these screenings including Jennifer Baichwal and scorist Martin Tielli from Payback, Co Producer and Researcher Nancy Lang of The West Wind, Director Diane Whelan from 40 Days at Base Camp. And there is a very cool local connection as well with actor Paul Shull from Hard Core Logo 2!! For more info on The Princess Cinemas and the Canada Film Days Festival go to www.princesscinemas.com
Multi-talented actor / singer / arts innovator/ director Amanda Kind talks about http://www.wix.com/kwmpnews/rent coming to The Registry Theatre April 26 to May 5.
We also spoke about Amanda’s personal evolution from her acting and singing career, and becoming a musical instigator and mentor for KW Glee – to director! RENT marks Amanda’s directorial debut for Kitchener Waterloo Musical Productions.
RENT, set against the gritty Bohemian backdrop of New York’s East Village, chronicles a year in the life (1989-1990) of a group of friends. And in 2012, their challenges and triumphs continue to resonate with all audiences.
RENT’s about struggling as an artist, struggling to make ends meet, struggling with sexual identity, struggling with vices, or as many do these days, struggling with unexpected and crippling illness. But RENT is also about friendship, faith, the power of love and kick ass rock and roll as these street smart survivors rise up against the chaos and challenges in 525,600 minutes of Life’s Great Mess.
This is a wee chat I did with actor Charles Lawson who plays Jim McDonald on Coronation Street.
Charles Dawson is back on the Cobbles – as everyone’s favorite McBadass Jim McDonald.
Charles was here in Canada as part the of Coronation Street based Tales from The Street, a popular Q and A oriented show that toured across Canada also featuring Julia Howarth (Claire Peacock), Steve Arnold (Ashley Peacock) and Nick Cochrane (Andy McDonald). I spoke to Charles backstage at the University of Waterloo.
I also did Media Relations for this tour. And I happy to say U of W seems to be new home for these Coronation Street Q and A’s. Because Owen (Ian Pulesten-Davies) and Gary ( Mikey North) were at U of W a wee while back. I ran into them on King Street in downtown Kitchener, and they were both very nice chaps! – Coral FM
Ladies Sigh No More
Director: Tim Jackson
Author: Thomas Hischak
Lady Macbeth plays Monopoly with Juliet and shrewish Kate battles Cordelia at Trivial Pursuit. Ophelia cuts out paper flowers, and Desdemona sews handkerchiefs. Who is the mysterious man who seems to be so interested in the f…ate of these ladies? Is this an Elizabethan ladies club, or a literary loony bin?
Only Dr. Wells seems to know for sure as she tries to help some of Shakespeare’s heroines figure out their personal problems and bring closure to their theatrical lives. When Juliet is asked to reenact her tragic story, matters get out of hand and all of the ladies are caught up in the act.
Ladies Sigh No More was presented KWLT with Kelly Taylor
Kelly is now part of Daisy Productions in Toronto. To find out more check out Kelly’s Facebook page or Buddies in Bad Times Theatre – http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/
Kelly has a show called Onesies running Oct 23-25th at 7pm and a matinee on Oct 26th at 2pm. All shows at Buddies In Bad Times.
Coast Kids Hip Hop. 4 guys from the suburban streets in the lower mainland spreading their words and beliefs about life through hip hop music. With all members sharing a strong work ethic and the drive to succeed. Expect big things in the future from the ” Coast Kids “
This is a little feature on Coast Kids HipHop featuring vocalists Live to See Livsey and Grizz G. It’s a little wonky in vocal levels, but hell, turn it up! Check them out on Facebook under Coast Kids HipHop.
ColinMPhoto, GrizzG, Live To See Livsey, Young Casanova
I have been playing their music for a while now starting with Live to See Livsey’s Gwaddafalla, and Wise Wondering under their former moniker Byg Country. Now as the Coast Kids Live to See Livsey and Grizz G have more new trax including Today’s The Day, Stomping Grounds, and I Say What Up.
Here are more of their latest tracks via Soundcloud – Check It! Coral FM.
FEBRUARY 4 AT THE REGISTRY THEATRE AT 8 PM.
THE VOC SILENT FILM HARMONIC PERFORMS A LIVE IMPROVISED MUSIC SCORE TO 1929 BLACK AND SILENT FILM PANDORA’S BOX.
Pandora’s Box chronicles the rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose intoxicating eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her. This 1929 Black and White silent film classic directed by G.W. Pabst made international star Louise Brooks the ‘icon’ of the Jazz Age when she starred as Lulu, the hedonistic dancer and prostitute. Pandora’s Box is based on the plays of German playwright F. Wedekind
See www.registrytheatre.com for more info ticket prices and details.
Wordsworth Books Co-Owner David Worsley with acclaimed author Lauren B. Davis at the old Sound FM Studios.
Our Daily Bread written by Canadian born author Lauren B Davis was named one of the “Best of 2011” by The Globe and Mail and The Boston Globe. Thanks to Wordsworth Books, Lauren B Davis and WW’s co owner Dave Worsley, who came to Sound FM for a chat on Coral FM
I was thrilled to have award wining author Lauren B Davis here at Sound FM. Like page turner Our Daily Bread, Lauren’s latest book The Empty Room has garnered rave reviews. Yu can find more info about Lauren at her website http://laurenbdavis.com/books/
This is Lauren’s latest book.
This is Lauren’s latest book.
In this unforgettable work, acclaimed novelist Lauren B. Davis has created as searing, raw and powerful a portrayal of the chaos and pain of alcoholism as we have encountered in fiction. Told with compassion, insight and an irresistible gallows humour, The Empty Room takes us to the depths of addiction, only to find a revelation at its heart: the importance and grace of one person reaching out to another.
Coral, Dave Worsley, and Lauren B. Davis at the old Sound FM Studios
Here is my interview with Lauren B Davis at the old Sound FM Studios on Waterloo Street. Special thanks to Dave at Woodsworth Books. (Coral the Producer’s note – the vocals are a smidge distorted. Apologies).
The Jazz Room is a sizzling night club dedicated to the best in jazz music presentation. Home to the Grand River Jazz Society (GRJS), the club has a dual mandate—to support exceptional musicians from our own community and to invite talent from elsewhere for local audiences to hear.
Located at the Huether Hotel in Uptown Waterloo, the Jazz Room presents live music on Friday and Saturday nights on a continuous rotation of professional musicians.
Now in its third season, The Jazz Room is a hot commodity in Waterloo Region as it continues to bring in acclaimed Canadian jazz players and some of the hottest new players from the States including landmark jazz spot, Smalls in New York City.
Here is a podcast from Coral featuring Jazz Room instigator Stephen Preece and some of featured artists from this great new venue during its inaugural season.
Here is an excerpt from an interview I did recently backstage at Waterloo’s Starlight with Finny McConnell and Michael O’Grady from Canadian Celtic Punk / Paddy Rock Band The Mahones. They speak about their latest release The Black Irish, song Paint the Town Red being in the movie The Fighter, and more filmtrax to come!
It was a Great Night on the Lash – Slainte! Coral FM.
Well here it is. My first little podcast.
Thought I would post the little segment I sent out to Vancouver today.
It features a new Vancouver hip hop band called Byg Country, featuring Bobby B, and YourBoy TheKiid. CHECK IT. Coral FM
I am so happy, as I have now mastered Audacity! I featured a Vancouver hip hop band called Byg Country on Coral FM and have just sent them today’s Coral FM segment with their latest track Wise Wondering. I think that might have been their radio debut with this brand new track.
On today’s show I also featured the eclectic brilliance of Laurie Anderson who is coming to the Perimeter Institute Jan 19 with her show Pushing the Perimeters. check out www.perimeterinstitute.ca under Arts and Culture for Full Details.
HERE IS THE PLAYLIST FOR DEC 7 2011. Not sure where Dec 31 1969 is coming from. BUT I am sure one The Fabulous Tech Guys will assist me :)))
Lauren B. Davis was here in support of her latest novel Our Daily Bread. She, husband Ron,and Dave from Wordsworth Books dropped by the Sound FM studios, and I had a chance to interview Lauren about her latest novel Our Daily Bread. This is a potent and addictive read, based on Nova Scotia’s Goler Clan.
Lauren who lived in Nova Scotia at one time, said she had heard about them and the horrors on South Mountain. So after doing some research on the Golers she decided to write Our Daily Bread…
It is definitely one of my favorite books this year, and it is the kind of book that stays with you long after you have read the final few chapters.
It was great to have Lauren in the studios as my guest chatting about Our Daily Bread, her other award winning works including Radiant City, and The Stubborn Season, and her creative process.
Lauren is currently in Switzerland working on her next novel.
She sent me pics from our studio session. And I hope to make this a podcast soon.
I was thrilled when I heard recently that Our Daily Bread made The Globe and Mail’s Top 100 Books of 2011.
And writer to writer, Lauren has this to say about being in this profession of deadlines.
“Writing is like having a six hundred pound St Bernard in the house, and the weather is much like it is today, it’s raining and it is sleek and it is windy and it is dreadful. And all you really want to do is sit in the front of the fire and read your book, but there is a six hundred pound St Bernard that is standing there with its leash in its mouth demanding that you walk it. And the more you ignore it, the more likely it is to pee on your carpet and eat your couch. Ultimately it just becomes easier to walk the damn dog, than it does to ignore it, and that for me is the way writing is. It’s a nagging, it’s an urging..”
