The Virtual Stage
Encyclopedia
The Virtual Stage is a professional multimedia
theatre
company based out of Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Andy Thompson, The Virtual Stage focuses on the investigation of emerging technologies in theatre and often utilizes cinematic techniques
and elements of film
in its live productions.
The following year, the company produced its first full-length play with the acclaimed Canadian premiere of Don DeLillo
’s play Valparaiso
at the Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. This show was the first of three that the company produced as "The Virtual Stage Co-op" under the Canadian Actors' Equity Association
Equity Co-op guidelines.
In 2002, the company produced the world premiere of Andy Thompson's play The Birth of Freedom, directed by Alex Lazaridis Ferguson at Performance Works on Granville Island
. The Birth of Freedom went on to garner three nominations at Vancouver's Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards: Outstanding Original Play or Musical, Sydney Risk Award for Outstanding original Script by an Emerging Playwright and winning the company's first ever award with Outstanding Performance by an Actress In a Supporting Role (Colleen Wheeler).
In 2004, the company once again produced Valparaiso, directed by Craig Hall at Performance Works on Granville Island. This production was its last under the Equity Co-op framework.
After a year-long mentorship with the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
, The Virtual Stage produced the world premiere of Andy Thompson's science fiction comedy play SPANK! at the Roundhouse Community Centre in 2006. SPANK! went on to garner three nominations at Vancouver's Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards: Significant Artistic Achievement for Outstanding Technical Design, Outstanding Costume Design and winning for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress (Sasa Brown).
In 2008, The Virtual Stage co-produced a "live-cinematic interpretation" of Jean-Paul Sartre
’s No Exit
with Electric Company Theatre at the Centre for Digital Media
, directed by Kim Collier. The production was highly acclaimed, leading the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards small theatre category with eight nominations, winning for Outstanding Production and Critics’ Choice Innovation Award. The success spawned a Canadian tour of No Exit in the 2009-2010 theatre season, with productions in Kamloops (produced at the Sagebrush Theatre by Western Canadian Theatre
), Toronto
(presented by Nightwood Theatre
at the Buddies in Bad Times
theatre) and Calgary
at The High Performance Rodeo (presented by One Yellow Rabbit
and Theatre Calgary
).
The Virtual Stage made its US and international touring debut with No Exit at American Conservatory Theater
in San Francisco in 2011. Also in 2011, The Virtual Stage produced the world premiere of Andy Thompson's multi-media stage adaptation of George Orwell
’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
, co-produced by Langara College
's Studio 58
and directed by Ron Jenkins at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Later that year, The Virtual Stage entered the Film Racing Grand Prix, an international 100-hour filmmaking competition. Its entry in the race, a superhero spoof directed by Andy Thompson entitled Repair Man, was the top-ranking Canadian film of the competition, finishing third overall.
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
company based out of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Andy Thompson, The Virtual Stage focuses on the investigation of emerging technologies in theatre and often utilizes cinematic techniques
Cinematic techniques
- Basic Definitions of Terms :Aerial Shot:A shot taken from a crane, plane, or helicopter. Not necessarily a moving shot.Backlighting:The main source of light is behind the subject, silhouetting it, and directed toward the camera....
and elements of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
in its live productions.
History
Shortly after incorporating as The Virtual Stage Arts Society in 2000, the company created a short film entitled Game Over on the theme of violent children's entertainment.The following year, the company produced its first full-length play with the acclaimed Canadian premiere of Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
’s play Valparaiso
Valparaiso (play)
Valparaiso is Don DeLillo's second play, in which a man suddenly becomes famous following a mistake in the itinerary of an ordinary business trip which takes him to Valparaíso, Chile, instead of Valparaiso, Indiana....
at the Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. This show was the first of three that the company produced as "The Virtual Stage Co-op" under the Canadian Actors' Equity Association
Canadian Actors' Equity Association
Canadian Actors' Equity Association is an association of performers in English Canada who are engaged in live performances before paying audiences in theatre, opera and dance...
Equity Co-op guidelines.
In 2002, the company produced the world premiere of Andy Thompson's play The Birth of Freedom, directed by Alex Lazaridis Ferguson at Performance Works on Granville Island
Granville Island
Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in False Creek directly across from Downtown Vancouver's peninsula, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge....
. The Birth of Freedom went on to garner three nominations at Vancouver's Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards: Outstanding Original Play or Musical, Sydney Risk Award for Outstanding original Script by an Emerging Playwright and winning the company's first ever award with Outstanding Performance by an Actress In a Supporting Role (Colleen Wheeler).
In 2004, the company once again produced Valparaiso, directed by Craig Hall at Performance Works on Granville Island. This production was its last under the Equity Co-op framework.
After a year-long mentorship with the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company
The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company is a regional theatre company, producing plays since 1962. Its first production was The Hostage by Brendan Behan, which opened on October 2, 1963...
, The Virtual Stage produced the world premiere of Andy Thompson's science fiction comedy play SPANK! at the Roundhouse Community Centre in 2006. SPANK! went on to garner three nominations at Vancouver's Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards: Significant Artistic Achievement for Outstanding Technical Design, Outstanding Costume Design and winning for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress (Sasa Brown).
In 2008, The Virtual Stage co-produced a "live-cinematic interpretation" of Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
’s No Exit
No Exit
No Exit is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The original French title is Huis Clos, the French equivalent of the legal term in camera, referring to a private discussion behind closed doors; English translations have also been performed under the titles In Camera, No Way Out...
with Electric Company Theatre at the Centre for Digital Media
Centre for Digital Media
The Centre for Digital Media is a converted multimedia facility at the Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is mirrored in Second Life as a "Virtual" Centre for Digital Media. The Centre houses a Master's Degree program in Digital Media....
, directed by Kim Collier. The production was highly acclaimed, leading the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards small theatre category with eight nominations, winning for Outstanding Production and Critics’ Choice Innovation Award. The success spawned a Canadian tour of No Exit in the 2009-2010 theatre season, with productions in Kamloops (produced at the Sagebrush Theatre by Western Canadian Theatre
Western Canada Theatre
Western Canada Theatre is a professional theatre company located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1969 by Tom Kerr under the name Western Canada Youth Theatre....
), Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(presented by Nightwood Theatre
Nightwood theatre
Nightwood Theatre is Canada's oldest professional women’s theatre company. Based in Toronto, it was founded in 1979 by Cynthia Grant, Kim Renders, Mary Vingoe and Maureen White....
at the Buddies in Bad Times
Buddies in Bad Times
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company.Based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, Buddies in Bad Times is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical expression"....
theatre) and Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
at The High Performance Rodeo (presented by One Yellow Rabbit
One Yellow Rabbit
One Yellow Rabbit is an adult-oriented contemporary theatre company based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.One Yellow Rabbit began as a small troupe in 1982 and has grown into one of Canada's best-known theatrical voices at home and abroad. Blending elements such as drama, dance, poetry and monologue,...
and Theatre Calgary
Theatre Calgary production history
Theatre Calgary is theatre company in Calgary, Canada, established as a professional company in 1968. The following is a chronological list of the productions that have been staged since its inception as Musicians and Actors Club from 1964 to 1968, and Theatre Calgary from 1968...
).
The Virtual Stage made its US and international touring debut with No Exit at American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
in San Francisco in 2011. Also in 2011, The Virtual Stage produced the world premiere of Andy Thompson's multi-media stage adaptation of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, co-produced by Langara College
Langara College
Langara College is a public degree-granting college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which serves approximately 20,000 students annually through its university, career, and continuing studies programs...
's Studio 58
Studio 58
Studio 58 is an intensive theatre school located in Vancouver, British Columbia. A part of Langara College's Theatre Arts Program, the school offers professional theatre training for actors and production personnel. It is the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada...
and directed by Ron Jenkins at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Later that year, The Virtual Stage entered the Film Racing Grand Prix, an international 100-hour filmmaking competition. Its entry in the race, a superhero spoof directed by Andy Thompson entitled Repair Man, was the top-ranking Canadian film of the competition, finishing third overall.
See also
- Theatre of Canada
- List of Canadian plays
- Vancouver's Arts and Culture
- Avante Garde
External links
- The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards official website
- No Exit at Calgary's High Performance Rodeo
- No Exit at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater