Hip, Hapa and Interculturally Happening – May 11 to May 18

May 11, Thursday
Alice Mackay Room

Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
350 West Georgia Street.

DAVID SUZUKI

May 13, 7 pm,
St. Andrew’s Wesley Church.

Tix $10 at www.ticketweb.ca or at People’s Co-op
Bookstore,
 info 1-888-222-6608.

Scientist, environmentalist, and broadcaster launches his
new book, David Suzuki: The Autobiography, with a talk, multimedia
presentation, and book signing; proceeds to the David Suzuki Foundation. May
13, 7 pm, St. Andrew’s Wesley Church. Tix $10 at www.ticketweb.ca or
at People’s Co-op Bookstore, info 1-888-222-6608.

RICE ROCKETS & YACHT PEOPLE

To May 14, Wed.-Sat. at 8 pm (mats. Sat.-Sun. at 2 pm),
Gateway Theatre (6500 Gilbert Rd.,
Richmond)
Tix $24/22, info www.gatewaytheatre.com/

I
just saw this Simon Johnston’s
new drama about the clash of values between new Canadians and longtime
Caucasian
residents.  It's great! It turns stereotypes on its head, as well
as presenting contemporary issues facing Vancouver area residents
today.  Asian Canadians are no longer low income earners at the
bottom of the immigrant ladder, and sometimes they aren't even
immigrants = hence the term “yacht people.” “Rice rockets” is the term
used for souped up Honda Civics used for street racing in Richmond.

THE GULL: THE STEVESTON NOH PROJECT

To May 14, Wed.-Sat. at 8 pm (mats. Sat.-Sun. at 2 pm),
Plaza at Richmond City Hall (6911 No. 3 Rd.).
Tix $25 at Gateway Theatre box office, 604-270-1812,
info www.pangaea-arts.com/.

Daphne Marlatt is hot! and she's cool! 
Earlier in February she was made a member of the Order of Canada. 
She read in support of Joy Kogawa at Chapters, and she is recently a
contributor of a anthology of Lesbian writing.

Pangaea Arts presents Daphne Marlatt’s new play about
Japanese-Canadian fishermen returning to the coast after the internment.
Featuring Japanese Noh performers and Canadian theatre artists.

What Are You Anyways? Jeff Chiba Stearns - film maker
May 14th, 10:15am to 12:30 pm
Vancouver Museum
Workshop on Hapa Issues and animation

May 15th and 16th Sunday and Monday night 7:30, 9:30pm
at the Pacific Cinematheque with the movie FACE. 

Jeff is the award winning animator and film maker of "What Are you Anyways?"
a short film about growing up Hapa or "Half Japanese/Half Caucasian" in Kelowna BC

Filmmakers Workshop 
with award winning Director/Producer Bertha Bay-Sa Pan (NY, USA)
12:30pm to 2:30pm

Scriptwriting Workshop with Grace Chin & Kathy Leung (BC)
2:45pm to 4:45pm

Bertha Bay-Sa Pan's FACE - Western Canada Premiere
May 12-15

F A C E
Losing face. Finding soul.

a Bertha Bay-Sa Pan film starring Bai Ling – Treach – Kristy Wu

“Face”
– Winner of the Best Director Award at Urbanworld Film Festival, The
Critics Award for Best Director at CineVegas, an Open Palm nomination
from the Gotham Awards and the Premio Speciale Prize at Torino
International Women’s Film Festival.

Western Canada Premiere at explorASIAN 2006
Director in Attendance

May 12 – 7:30pm & 9:30pm
May 13 – 7:30pm & 9:30pm

May 14 – 7:30pm (followed by explorFILM: Asian Canadian Short Films at 9:30pm)
May 15 – 9:30pm (after explorFILM: Asian Canadian Short Films at 7:30pm)

Special members ticket prices in effect for this event!
Single Bill: $9.00 (students/seniors $7)
Double Bill: $12 (students/seniors $9)

Membership
in Pacific Cinémathèque or the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
required for this event. VAHMS memberships available at the door.

THE MIKADO (OR THE TOWN OF TITIPU)

May 21, 27-28 at 3:30 pm),

Surrey Arts Centre (13750 88th Ave.).
Tix $23.50/19.50 (preview $16.50),
info 604-501-5566.

The Fraser Valley Gilbert & Sullivan Society presents a
traditional version of one of the pair’s best-loved romantic-comedy operettas.
May 18-20 & 24-27 at 8 pm (preview May 17 at 8 pm; mats.

EVENING OF ROSES

May 12, 8 pm,

St. Mark’s-Trinity Church (W. 2nd & Larch).
Tix $15/10, info 604-873-1372.

Okay…. I am including this event because Karen-Lee-Morlang
is a friend of mine.  She accompanies
the the Vancouver City Singers conducted by Tom McPherson for a concert
celebrating love in its many forms.

OCEAN CROSSINGS

May 13, 8 pm,

Orpheum.


Tix and info 604-876-3434.

This sounds interesting…. Lots of Asian Canadian musical
performers, an Asian Canadian conductor with works inspired by Asian
influences.  Alexina Louie is a
Vancouver born composer now living in Toronto.

Ken Hsieh conducts the VSO, with guests Grace Lee (kayagum)
and Gui Lian Liu (pipa), in a concert of Eastern-inspired music by
Vivier/Rea, Simon Holt, Ray Zhuo, Grace Lee, and Alexina Louie.

DRUM ‘N’
DANCE II

May 13, 7:30 pm,

WISE Hall (1882 Adanac).


Tix $22 (plus service charge) at Highlife, Scratch, and Zulu
Records, info 604-408-8582,
www.caravanbc.org/.

Caravan World Rhythms and Vancouver Rhythm and Dance present
performances by Thione Diop’s Senegalese band Yeke Yeke, Pepe Danza’s Drum
Prayers, and dancer Jacky Essombe from Cameroon.

 

The author of Stanley Park's Secret
will explore the shared stories of Stanley Park's forgotten past. Early
Vancouver was an inhospitable place with the dominant society using
various means to segregate itself from racial groups it considered
inferior. One of the few locations where everyone could enter on a
basis of rough equality was Stanley Park.

NATALIE MACMASTER AND DONNELL LEAHY

May 17-18, 8 pm,

Orpheum Theatre.


Tix $38-60, info 604-876-3434.

Hmmm…. Cape Breton Scottish Canadian fiddlers meet the VSO
with Chinese-Canadian conductor.  I love
MacMaster’s work.
Juno-winning Canadian fiddlers perform with the VSO,
conducted by Ken Hsieh.

OKINAWA CULTURE EXTRAVAGANZA

May 12, 7:30-9:30 pm,
Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall
(475 Alexander).

Tix $10 adults/$40 group of five adults/$5 children/$20
group of five children, info 604-254-2551

Oklinawan culture is unique – not Japanese and not Chinese, even
though each country colonized it for periods of time.  The Kogawa family name came from Okinawa, as David
Kogawa has told me.

As part of its centennial celebrations, the Vancouver
Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall hosts a celebration of Okinawan
music and arts, featuring a performance by the traditionally attired Okinawan
Children’s Choir, plus a demonstration and sampling of bukubukuu-cha,
Okinawa’s traditional tea.

KAZUMI TSURUOKA & SAGEEV OORE

May 12-13, 8 pm,

Vancouver Elks Lodge (1–2177 W. 42nd).


Tix from $20 to $50 at the door, info
604-683-8240.
Singer-storyteller
Tsuruoka and pianist Oore use rhythm ‘n’ blues to tell the love story of a man
with cerebral palsy. Hmmm…. Sounds interesting.  Japanese story telling and Blues music?  Very folking… (Did you ever see the movie Mongolian Blues?”