GEORGIA STRAIGHT REVIEWS BRIEF ENCOUNTERS 17

Janet Smith (Georgia Straight arts editor) attended the opening night of Brief Encounters 17... and was far from disappointed! Read her glowing review on the Straight's website here.

Q & A WITH FANTASY STYLIST MYLES LAPHEN

When we first received photos featuring the remarkable work of fantasy stylist Myles Laphen (see above), we couldn’t help but gasp. For nearly thirty years, Myles has masterfully wielded his impressive arsenal of make-up, hairstyling, and costuming skills to transform and beautify performers in film, television, theatre, and fashion. In Brief Encounters 17, Myles emerges from his comfort zone behind the scenes to go somewhere he rarely goes: onto the stage! We were delighted to speak with Myles about his career highlights (including the final film of a certain Hollywood icon), his initial reaction to the invitation to participate in Brief Encounters, and his current collaboration with Flamenco dancer Rosario Ancer.

Q: Tell me a bit about the work you do.

MYLES: I am a hairstylist by profession. That’s what my job is, and I’ve done so much in the past thirty years in terms of theatre, film, and television. Over the past seven years, I’ve done quite a bit of costume work. As far as passion and direction, it’s always about the visual.

Q: What are some of your career highlights?

MYLES: I did the last movie that Bette Davis was ever in. I did hair and make-up for 21 Jump Street when I was in my twenties. I was hair and makeup supervisor for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. I’ve done Fashion Week for years, and I’ve done a lot of fashion shows and fundraisers. There’s so much.

Q: And now you’re doing Brief Encounters. What did you know about Brief Encounters before you were asked to participate?

MYLES: I didn’t really know much about it at all, to tell you the truth.

Q: So what did you say when Josh and Laura first asked you?

MYLES: My first response was, “No, absolutely not.” I’m not the person that’s out on stage generally. Usually I’m the person that’s running around backstage, putting things together, and other people are on stage. So my first response was, “No. Never. Not in a million years.”

Q: So what made you change your mind, then?

MYLES: I think it was, “Why not? What am I so afraid of?” This is allowing me to break through my boundaries.

Q: How has the process been going for you?

MYLES: It’s been great. My partner is a phenomenal woman. She’s very talented. The process has been easygoing. Rosario has allowed me to be expressive in what I do and she’s doing her bit, and the process has been fun. She’s been teaching me dance moves. That’s been pretty interesting.

Q: Without giving too much away, what can audiences expect from your collaboration?

MYLES: A visual extravaganza.

Q: You’re sound like you’re really taking a risk for yourself with this. Is a challenge for you?

MYLES: It is. It really is. I’m not particularly comfortable being on stage, but Rosario has made me confident. I think it’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it.

Q: What advice do you have for artists who are asked to participate in future Brief Encounters?

MYLES: It’s a great chance to go in and be as creative as you possibly can with very few limitations. Take a deep breath and jump off.

PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED FOR BRIEF ENCOUNTERS 17!

The pairings have been announced for Brief Encounters 17, thus beginning two weeks of intense artistic exploration and experimentation for the twelve collaborators.

As with the sixteen previous Brief Encounters, the twelve artists—representing a dozen genres—will receive only two weeks to create their interdisciplinary mash-ups. The outcomes from their efforts will premiere at Brief Encounters 17 (August 31-September 2 at Performance Works).

The pairings are:

contemporary dance artist Josh Martin + spoken word artist Prevail

contemporary dance artist Julia Carr + puppet theatre artist Maggie Winston

fantasy stylist Myles Laphen + flamenco dancer Rosario Ancer

landscape architect Pawel Gradowski + musician Paul Bray

singer/songwriter Dominique Fricot + theatre artist Anita Rochon

visual artist Meghan Currie + film and video artist Jeff Carter

Brief Encounters 17 runs August 31st to September 2nd at Performance Works on Granville Island (1218 Cartwright Street). Doors open at 7:15pm and the performance begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $22 in advance (online) or $25 at the door (cash only). Advance tickets can be purchased through the Brief Encounters web site at http://www.briefencounters.ca/.

Q & A WITH GUEST PROGRAMMERS LAURA BARRON & JOSH MCNORTON

We can’t think of a better way to cap off the cloudy summer of 2011 than with a new instalment of Brief Encounters! Brief Encounters 17 (August 31-September 2) has been programmed by guest programmers Laura Barron (a versatile flutist, writer, and yogi) and Josh McNorton (a musician, writer, director, producer, and designer). Their mission: to handpick an exciting line-up of com

pelling artists—and then pair them off into dynamic duos for two weeks of whirlwind artistic creation and interdisciplinary dialogue. The line-up will be announced soon (so watch this space), but in the meantime, read on for a peek behind the curation curtain:

Q: Tell me about your previous experiences) with Brief Encounters. What did it entail, and what did you learn from the experience?

LAURA: My first "encounter" with this incredible show came as an audience member. I had just moved back to Vancouver and I noticed a poster for Brief Encounters 12 at the Anza Club, which is a few blocks from my home. As a flutist, writer, and yogi, this production seemed right up my alley. I have always loved the magic that happens when creative minds intersect. The results are always exponential, especially when the artists come from very different disciplines. I thought that Brief Enc

ounters was the perfect illustration of this alchemy. So, from that first show on, I was hooked and I attended each instalment that I could.

JOSH: I first experienced BE in 2008 when my then-girlfriend, a contemporary dancer, took me to see the show at the Anza Club. I was floored

by the unique

concept and high-calibre performances, developed so

quickly. Since then, my career has taken me away from Vancouver for long stretches of time but I never forgot about Brief Encounters. I knew I was going to be involved someday.

Without a doubt, I have applied principles I gleaned from BE to my

original music and theatre projects, namely forcing artists from disparate disciplines to collaborate under very tight deadlines. I’ve found that interesting work emerges when artists, myself included, don’t have time to over-analyze creative decisions.

Q: Why did you step up to the plate and put yourself forward to co-curate Brief Encounters 17?

JOSH: I have been working closely with artists as a producer, direct

or, manager, and collaborator for years and curation has always fascinated me.

BE was an ideal project to try curating because of its manageable scale and relatively short timeline. Ironically,

when Katy and Mara interviewed me for the position, I had just been hired as the Curator-in-Residence at the Alberta College of Art and Design. To go from ACAD to Brief Encounters was an amazing progression towards what I hope becomes a long career as a curator.

LAURA: I think of myself as a collaborative artist, first and foremost. But really, I'm a "maker" at heart. In other words, I get jazzed making things happen. So, when Mara and Katy announced, at BE 15, that they would be hiring guest programmers for the coming season, my imagination immediately began running wild with ideas of artists that I would propose in my application for the position. This city is simply chock full of amazingly diverse talent, and as I began drafting my dream list, the possibilities seemed infinite. Luckily, I think they sensed my enthusiasm and I was thrilled to be invited to co-curate this show.

Q: What was the most challenging part of co-programming Brief Encounters 17—and how did you meet those challenges?

LAURA: The process ran quite smoothly. As for challenges, there were not many. Of course, as busy artists ourselves, we were in and out of town quite a bit while programming the artists. But that was no problem because of email and skype. So, perhaps patience was the only lesson that I had to learn, because finalizing just the right six pairs took longer than anticipated.

JOSH: Scheduling has definitely been the biggest challenge, as many artists are on tour or on vacation at the end of August. Fortunately, the show has a great reputation within the creative community in Vancouver, so some of the artists we approached were eager to shuffle their schedules in order to be involved. We were unabashed in asking all the people on our wish lists and I think we assembled an excellent group.

Q: What was it like to program with a partner (and thus have a brief-encounter-within-the-brief-encounter)? Had you ever worked with your co-programmer before this?

JOSH: I thrive on collaboration, so programming with Laura was a great opportunity to work with someone new towards a very specific goal that we both believe in. We’re both very flexible and communicative, so it’s been a breeze so far. I haven’t worked with a co-programmer before, per se, but this type of collaboration is not that different from experiences I’ve had in the past.

LAURA: My favourite working relationships have always been in 2's. So, I have had quite a bit of experience co-producing or curating events with partners. I ran a chamber music festival with a clarinet colleague in Arizona for 5 years, I've performed with the same pianist for 10, I've worked with my Vancouver-based duo, Forbidden Flutes, since 1998 and I've been married for 14 years (and, as many people know, that's its own kind of work of art!). Consequently, I've become accustomed to partnerships that have developed over many years. However, Josh and I had never worked together before, yet fortunately we had a very compatible vision for the show. And like that exponential effect that I was talking about, drawing upon our two networks of artistic connections and preferences only broadened our possibilities.

Q: Without giving too much away, tell me about the artists you’ve invited to perform in Brief Encounters 17. Where did you find them?

LAURA: Right away, Josh and I agreed on the disciplines that we hoped to see in the show. We both found some of the performing/non-performing artist pairs in past Brief Encounters quite effective. But we also wanted a good balance of mediums and unusual performing artist pairings as well. I think we approached our curating like chefs of modern cuisine. "How can we combine ingredients that have always been delicious on their own, but never been paired in quite this way before, to create a tantalizing meal?" We had both collaborated with or produced a wide array of artists in Vancouver. So, we certainly drew from some of our favourite colleagues. We were also thinking BIG, and made an effort to approach several high profile artists in their disciplines. We're thrilled with the results of our many weeks of inquiries and we can't wait to see how these artists surprise and amaze the audiences.

JOSH: Laura and I really did our homework and sought out artists from a great variety of disciplines. We were mindful to not rely too much on performative artists – dancers, musicians, actors – and we went outside of our personal networks to find really incredible people.

Q: What advice do you have for the artists heading into the whirlwind Brief Encounters process?

JOSH: Be open to your partner and harness the energy of a fresh collaboration. Go outside of your creative comfort zone. Take a risk and produce something vibrant.

LAURA: Trust your partner. Trust the process. Trust your imagination. And trust that the very concept that has driven Brief Encounters through sixteen great successes will be working for you here.

ANNOUNCING THE LINE-UP FOR BRIEF ENCOUNTERS 17

PRESS RELEASE: Twelve artists, six pairs, two weeks to create: Brief Encounters 17 caps off a cloudy Vancouver summer with three vibrant nights of multidisciplinary mash-ups.

As with the most recent Brief Encounters, the seventeenth edition (August 31st-September 2nd at Performance Works) has been programmed by a dynamic pair of guest programmers: Laura Barron (a renowned flutist, writer, and yogi) and Josh McNorton (a musician, writer, director, producer, and designer).

Though their backgrounds and artistic disciplines are vastly different, Barron and McNorton share attributes essential for any Brief Encounters guest programmer: both are well-connected to various sectors of the Vancouver arts community; both are natural born collaborators; and both have sat transfixed through previous editions of Brief Encounters and fantasized about how they would program the show if given the chance. “This city is simply chock full of amazingly diverse talent,” said Barron, one half of the Vancouver-based duo Forbidden Flutes since 1998. “As I began drafting my dream list, the possibilities seemed infinite.”

Since its inception six years ago, Brief Encounters (produced by Katy Harris-McLeod and Mara Branscombe of the Tomorrow Collective), has presented more than 180 artists over sixteen spectacular incarnations. Artists receive only two weeks to work with their assigned partner and hammer out their creative offering.

Previous participants have included a hair stylist, a floral artist, a marketing executive, and performers from all genres, and participants in Brief Encounters 17 include theatre artist Anita Rochon, singer/songwriter Dominique Fricot, film and video artist Jeff Carter, contemporary dance artist Josh Martin, contemporary dance artist Julia Carr, spoken word artist Prevail, puppet theatre artist Maggie Winston, visual artist Meghan Currie, fantasy stylist Myles Laphen, musician Paul Bray, landscape architect Pawel Gradowski, and flamenco dancer Rosario Ancer.

“We were unabashed in asking all the people on our wish lists and I think we assembled an excellent group,” said McNorton, who recently completed a contract as the curator-in-residence at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

The pairings for Brief Encounters 17 will be announced on August 17, 2011, on the Tomorrow Collective’s official blog (http://tomorrowcollective.blogspot.com).

Brief Encounters 17 runs August 31st to September 2nd at Performance Works on Granville Island (1218 Cartwright Street). Doors open at 7:15pm and the performance begins at 8:00pm. Tickets are $22 in advance or $25 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased through the Brief Encounters web site at http://www.briefencounters.ca/.

Q & A WITH ACTOR/WRITER/PUPPETEER TARA TRAVIS

Actor/writer/puppeteer Tara Travis (pictured above with Fluffy) thrives on collaboration—which makes her an ideal candidate for the Brief Encounters experience. Read on for insight into her colourful career (she was mentored by Fraggle Rock alumni!), her artistic motivations, and her Brief Encounters collaborator, electronic musician Ellis Sam.

Q: Briefly tell me about your work. What’s your artistic passion? Career highlights?

T: I'm a collaborative artist by nature. Organic creation is where I'm most comfortable. I've never been the sort to sit down at a computer and write a play. I love character-based creation; inventing really rich characters and then throwing them into a situation and seeing what they say...then eventually writing it down. My artistic passion is for performance and creation in all forms. As an actor, I enjoy the opportunity to work more traditionally: with existing text, building a character from that information, finding fresh impulses within a provided dialogue. My preference is for original work, however. I love the creation process, building things, being a part of every facet of the production. I also appreciate creative control...being able to fix something if it isn't working.

Career highlights? Hmm. I've loved everything I've ever done. I'm always just grateful to be working. The time I was scouted by producers for a PBS puppet show was pretty cool. I was mentored by Fraggle Rock alumni for a few seasons. They were amazingly generous and beautiful people. I'll never forget my time with them. I also love every time I get to step into creation with my dear friend and company partner, Ryan Gladstone. He invited me into his company (Monster Theatre) about four years ago, and we've been creating and touring original works together ever since. http://www.monstertheatre.com if you're curious. But like I said, my entire career has been a highlight. I just love any time I get to do what I do for a living. I thank my lucky stars every day.

Q: What did you say when Cris and Heather first asked you to participate in Brief Encounters?

T: Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! Brief Encounters is the answer to the question that plagues many of us in the arts: "How do we find new audiences?" As an audience member myself, I've gone on to attend a number of cultural events that I wouldn't have otherwise considered had it not been for my exposure via Brief Encounters. It's a beautiful format, and a revolutionary idea. I can't believe I get to be a part if it. I'm still pinching myself.

Q: What are you hoping to get out of the Brief Encounters process?

T: A new friend or two, insider's knowledge into a new artistic practice, and a piece of collaborative work that I'm proud of. Those things are already happening. I couldn't be happier!

Q: What are you most excited about re: Brief Encounters 16? Is there anything that you’re dreading?

T: I'm excited to see the work of the other pairings. I'm a huge fan of many of the artists involved, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the others. I'm dreading the time where I briefly doubt our creation. It happens to me every time I do something new. I'm so excited about it, and then there's this period of, "Oh, no. This is terrible. What was I thinking? I thought this was good. Oh, God. What am I going to do?" And then I get over it, and it usually turns out okay. I've come to accept that it's part of my creative process, but I still never enjoy it!

Q: Tell me about your Brief Encounters collaborator. Without giving too much away, what can Brief Encounters 16 audiences expect from this collaboration?

T: My collaborator is the incredibly multi-talented electronic musician, Ellis Sam. What people don't know is that he has an improvisation background, he's studied clown forms like bouffon... and he's got this subtle, whip-smart, wicked sense of humour about him. He also has a wisdom beyond his years. Brief Encounters 16 collaborators will see an electronic musician and a puppeteer-writer-actor performing an original piece in which their collective goal was to inform and explore each others' practices. Our seed of inspiration was the exploration of a shared fear...but the final product has wandered from that original concept.

Q: What advice do you have for artists who participate in future Brief Encounters?

T: Be open. Do your best not to decide what you want it to be when you go into the room for the first time. Ask your partner lots of questions. Learn as much about them as possible, and start from a common place. Oh, and don't forget to have fun.

Q & A WITH ALT-FOLK SINGER CHRISTA COUTURE

We’ve already heard from one half of this dynamic duo (actor Heather Doerksen); now find out what the other half of the equation—celebrated alt-folk singer Christa Couture—thinks about her upcoming Brief Encounters collaboration (including one compelling hint at the very end).

Q: Briefly tell me about your work. What’s your artistic passion? Career highlights?

C: I'm a singer-songwriter and usually reply "alt-folk" to the genre question. My passion is to sing and though I mostly accompany myself on the guitar, I truly LOVE playing piano. Music, song, the human voice - that's what really gets me going. One of my career highlights was performing at the Skydome for the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards and also performing at the Vancouver Folk Festival. This summer I'm booked to perform at The Winnipeg Folk Festival which has been a goal of mine for a long time so just being booked is already a highlight!

Q: What did you say when Cris and Heather first asked you to participate in Brief Encounters?

C: In an email to Cris my reply was "whaaa? me? I would love to!"

Q: What are you hoping to get out of the Brief Encounters process?

C: A new experience. And so far it has been! As a songwriter I've always created 100% alone - it's a rather private process really. Once a song is done, I'll practice and practice it until I'm ready to share it with an audience, other musicians or a producer. But in this Brief Encounters process, there isn't time for me to be so precious! I've really had to let that guard down and it's been both nerve wracking and a relief.

Q: What are you most excited about re: Brief Encounters 16?

C: I'm most excited to see what everyone else has created! I can't wait to see all the new work and collaborations.

Q: Tell me about your Brief Encounters collaborator. Without giving too much away, what can Brief Encounters 16 audiences expect from this collaboration?

C: My collaborator is actor Heather Doerksen. She has been so wonderful and fun to work with - totally receptive and open to any and all ideas and ready to try anything. Her versatility is incredible. Gratefully she's also a director and so she's been great at making sure we have enough time to explore, focus and rehearse. And she takes great notes, which has really helped during our brainstorming days. She's definitely keeping us grounded. She's great! As for what to expect from our collaboration, I can tell you one thing: red lipstick.