Thank you for your support of ITSAZOO!  This has been by far our busiest and most successful year to date and we have generous donors like you to thank for that.

We began our season by presenting Death of a Clown at the University of Victoria.  Then in the spring we took Chairs: A Parable, a new work by Playwright in Residence Sebastien Archibald, on tour to Tofino, Nanaimo, Victoria and Nelson. Then we hit the ground running in Vancouver with another year of Bridge Mix followed by a new work at the Vancouver Fringe Festival called Stay Away From My Boat @$$hole.

A most heartfelt thank you to all who attended ITSAZOO performances, volunteered your time, came to our fund-raisers, worked on our productions, offered moral support and donated much needed funds.  You have all contributed to our ongoing success and we could not do what we do without you.

In the coming year, we have several new works in development. This summer, we will present Mojo by Jez Butterworth as a site-specific production at the ANZA Club. Mojo is a dark comedy that won the Laurence Olivier award in 1995. It’s an immersive and ambitious project that we really look forward to taking on and are sure you will enjoy.

However, in order for ITSAZOO’s innovative and ground-breaking work to continue we need your help. We need to raise $2000 for our upcoming season. If everyone who reads this donation request gives just $25 – $50 we will be well on our way to achieving our goal. We thank all of you who responded to our call last year and hope that you can match or increase your donation this year. For those who haven’t previously donated, please consider doing so.

We will issue tax receipts for all donations of $25 or more. We know you receive many requests from non-profits asking for funds at this time of year.  We hope that you will seriously consider donating to ITSAZOO.  Every dollar donated will help us reach our goal of bringing high quality and unique theatre to Vancouver.

You can donate online through CanadaHelps (www.canadahelps.org) or by mailing a cheque to ITSAZOO Productions (#10-410 West 12^th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V3).

Thank you for your ongoing support!

But to be honest we’re tired, really tired. The Co-Artistic Directors have had some great chats recently and we’ve decided it’s time to turn our focus to fundraising and development for the next few months. Big things are in the works for the spring and the summer. We’re going to take a bit of time away from production and come back with more rigor, creativity, energy and general awesomeness.

We want to thank all of you for your fantastic support. So many people put countless hours in to our shows these past 9 months and so many more people came out to see the shows. During Debts we asked every person who bought a ticket how they heard about the show. Guess what they said? The vast majority said “I love ITSAZOO, I see everything you do”. What!!? That was such a pleasant and wonderful surprise. We have a support network and a large group of people who see everything we do. That really feels good, what we’re doing is being seen and being appreciated.

It is with all of these feelings in mind that we are ready to rest, get rejuvenated, write, study, create, learn, fundraise and come back in the spring with some more fantastic ITSAZOO theatre.

After a fantastic night of 2 sold out opening night performances followed by too many celebratory drinksDebts is officially up and running. And tickets are selling super fast!

Here are some of the fantastic shots that were taken at the dress rehearsal by Adam Fedyck. I think they look like they’re from a movie.

Annie Darling terrified to go in to the house

The Scooby Doo Moment

Just straight up spooky shit

If you’re planning on seeing Debts be sure to book tickets soon as it will sell out quickly  http://brownpapertickets.com/ 

We have had many big problems to solve all along the way with Debts. How are we going to fit the audience in to these tiny spaces? How are we going to call a show on the move through a house? How are we going to transmit sound in to every room and outside? And on and on. With lots of creative thinking and loads of man hours we are finally finding concrete answers to those questions.
It’s a remarkable feeling to take a risk and trust that the impossible can be achieved. In my experience it always comes together in the last week. There truly is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when those handsfree walkie talkies finally work, the audience fits in to the tiny room and sound fills the house, seemingly out of nowhere.

PS Debts is selling fast with Oct 20 sold out and 22 almost full. If you want to be sure to see the show book in advance through Brown Paper Tickets (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/199800) as there will unlikely be tickets at the door.

-Mack Gordon

If you want more Mack in your life you can follow him on twitter @Mackgord

Up until now ITSAZOO has had a pretty concrete system when it came to producing shows.  Sebastien would write them, Chelsea would direct them and Colby, Sebastien and some of the other crew would act in them.  We have kept it very much in-house.  Debts is the first time that we have handed over the majority of the artistic control to other artists.

When we first decided to do this production Sebastien was in the midst of other things and couldn’t take on the task of writing it so we decided to ask Mack.  We felt he had the right voice as a writer for what we had in mind.  Then when it came time to stage the show I, Chelsea, had started the MFA program at UBC and couldn’t take on the job of directing the show so Mack stepped in and took on that job as well.  Since that time we have gathered an artistic team of people who we mostly haven’t worked with before.  It has been a great process for us to watch a thing that we have held so close be populated by a new community.

I am the production manager for the show and as such have been very much involved in the production but not in the fully immersive way I normally am.  I have been happy to relinquish some artistic control and gather a team of people we trust completely to create a show we are proud to call ITSAZOO.  We have grown as producers and have provided opportunities for others to grow as artists.  We have learned that choosing well and then trusting those you choose can lead to a whole new level of creation beyond what we could have envisioned.  We took a chance and are so glad we did.

Rehearsals and preparations for our most recent site-specific promenade show are underway.  Debts was written and directed by Mack Gordon and will be going up at the Roedde House Museum in the Westend from October 19-31.  We’re super excited about this one as we’ve never done anything quite like it before.  It’s a combination of the stories of Edgar Allen Poe, 80s slasher flicks, radio plays and haunted houses.  The best part is it’s for an audience for 15 so it’s going to be mega intimate. Really perfect for anyone who likes to be scared. I’ll tell you more about it and the production team as we approach but for now here are a few pictures, taken by Chris Kattner, to give you a sense of the tone of the show

A Dinnertime Intrusion

Suspicion regarding the direction of The Gas Heart production first surfaced with the announcement of the casting of local Theatre for Young Audiences (or TYA) favourite, Mackenzie Gordon. Gordon is best known for his performances in various TYA productions and was nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award for his work. “We should have known something was amiss when they cast Mack”, said Stillard, “I mean, he’s a good actor. But he’s TYA good. Don’t get me wrong, I like his work. I would probably never cast him in anything though. But he is good.”

Sebastien, Dave, Colby, Ryan and Chelsea aka The Producers

Two years ago Enlightenment Theatre and ITSAZOO started brainstorming the idea of an event that brought together many of the young emerging theatre companies in Vancouver.  we wanted to provide exposure, artistic opportunities and to share audiences but most importantly we wanted to create an event that cemented our community of emerging artists and fostered new relationships and connections.  Bridge Mix was our brain child and I am so proud of what has been created.  This was the second year of the event and it was by far the best one yet.

Parked by Delinquent Theatre

There are tons of young theatre artists in this city just trying to make a go of it.  There is very little opportunity and much of the time the only thing that keeps us going is our own perseverance and the support from those around us in the same position.  The more people around you the more likely you are to stick it out rather than giving up under the pressure and disappointment that comes with making a career in theatre.  Because of this event we now all have more people around us, our circle has grown and solidified.

Zom Rom Com by Spectral Theatre

The companies involved in Bridge Mix this year were made up of  truly amazing, creative, generous and determined individuals.  We had a wide range of participating artists involved from students, to recent grads, to locals, to individuals from far away.  We had people involved with a wide variety of skills and talents, each bringing something entirely different to the table.  We unified together in a parkade and brought great life to a dead space.

Lifeline by ITSAZOO

I feel very proud of what we accomplished with this show.  We are fighting against so many things including limited funding, exhaustion and lack of exposure, but this show did not feel like a struggle. It felt very hopeful. There are futures for the companies that were involved – they will have careers.  There were connections made between companies and audiences learned about companies they hadn’t heard of before and people who don’t normally attend theatre went to an event that they loved, encouraging them to view theatre in a new way. Those are no small accomplishments.  On a more personal note I feel so much more connected to the people around me. So much of the time my job consists of me sitting alone in front of a computer trying to get this theatre thing going. It can be lonely and isolating.  Bridge Mix reminded me that I am a part of a community and that we value each other.  When I sit alone at my computer it is in the pursuit of a larger goal, something we are all striving for together. I think we all feel a little bit more connected, a little bit more at home in the scene.  All of this is a bit corny but we so often spend a lot of time being negative and it’s important to celebrate the good times when they come.

Catch 22 by Enlightenment Theatre

So thank you to our co-producers, everyone who created a show, was in a show, saw the show, played music, gave money, or even joined us on the roof for a beer at the end of the night. All of you played a part in cementing a growing community that is the future of theatre in Vancouver. You have given me hope that this is only the beginning.

If you were involved in this production in any way or saw it and would like to provide feedback please feel free to comment or to email me, Chelsea, at info@itsazoo.org. Your positive feedback can be used to help us secure funding in future years and your criticism will help iron out the kinks.  Tell us what you thought!