Tag Archives: theatre

REBEL BUBBIE BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE AT OPENING NIGHT OF TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL

Congratulations to Bruria Cooperman and her director Eva Almos on last night’s opening of Rebel Bubbie, Inc. at the Alumnae Theatre as part of this year’s annual Toronto Fringe Festival. The theatre was mostly populated by friends and family (and Bruria has a big family) who laughed throughout her 60-minute show recounting stories of her life and what it means to now be a “bubbie” (Jewish grandmother). Even as a first-timer at the Fringe, Bruria owned the stage and seemed very comfortable sharing her thoughts and experiences, never shying away from recounting some of the naughtier moments in her life.So here’s a little background on the show, the stories and the bubbie….  Hot off her scene-stealing appearance in the Adam Sandler film, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Bruria Cooperman is a semi-reformed, self-confessed renegade who wrote and stars in an unfiltered one-woman comedy, co-written with Almos.  As we learn, she was always in search of adventure, discovering that marriage won’t stop you from being arrested, banned from a casino, being taken into police custody in Yugoslavia for nudging a mule (!) or getting kicked-out of a bagel joint. From performing improv in NYC in the 60s & 70s, being at Woodstock, to drag racing, floating in a weightless space tube, authoring books – Rebel Bubbie has done it all…and only arrested twice (she holds up 3 fingers in a sly aside from the stage!) Cooperman has led a life of trail-blazing: she was part of the first generation of children born in Israel, post-Holocaust. From an early age, she exhibited an attitude of “Hey, look at me!” This adventurous child got into all manner of scrapes with her playmates and on her own. Always finding humour in the darkness, she wrote a book about children born to Holocaust survivors titled For This I Survived? Children of Survivors Beyond the Trauma (avail. on Amazon). When the curtain came down on last night’s show, Bruria was surrounded by well-wishers who embraced her and offered kudos and encouragement for the rest of the run.

And head of ACTRA Toronto, David Gale (pictured below L) also dropped in to congratulate Bruria on her show Emmy-nominated creator Eva also had friends come out to support the show (pictured below, R) and she was pleased to sit and relax after the show…The Toronto Fringe Festival runs over the next 10 days at various locations with numerous plays, musicals, puppetry and dance so check out their website for details Rebel Bubbie, Inc. show is 60-min. and all shows are staged at the Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkley Street, Toronto.
Info & Tickets: www.FringeToronto.com
Here are the dates and times:
Thursday, July 4th   6:00 pm  $10.00     Thurs July 11th   8:15 pm $15.00
Saturday, July 6th   12:30 pm $15.00      Friday July 12th  6:00 pm $15.00
Sunday July 7th      2:15 pm   $15.00       Sat. July 13th  3:15 pm $15.00
Wed. July 10th  6:00 pm   $15.00

Again, congrats to the one and only REBEL BUBBIE!

SEPTUAGENARIAN BRURIA COOPERMAN DEBUTS HER 1-WOMAN SHOW AT TORONTO FRINGE FESTIVAL: REBEL BUBBIE, INC.

Just 6-weeks until Toronto welcomes the annual theatrical Fringe Festival, offering a multitude of comedy and drama presentations by hundreds of actors, writers, directors and hard-working crews. Hot off her scene-stealing appearance in the Adam Sandler film, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, 75yr old Bruria Cooperman, a.k.a. Rebel Bubbie, a semi-reformed, self-confessed renegade, stars in an unfiltered one-woman comedy at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival. Always in search of adventure, Rebel Bubbie has discovered that marriage won’t stop you from being arrested, banned from a casino, or getting kicked-out of a bagel joint. From performing improv in NYC in the 60s & 70s, to directing and producing theatre, to drag racing (the 4-wheeled kind), floating in a weightless space tube, writing books – Rebel Bubbie has done it all! And only arrested twice! Cooperman has led a life of trail-blazing: she was part of the first generation of children born in Israel, post-Holocaust. From an early age, she exhibited an attitude of “Hey, look at me!” This adventurous child got into all manner of scrapes with her playmates and on her own. Always finding humour in the darkness, she wrote a book about children born to Holocaust survivors titled For This I Survived? Children of Survivors Beyond the Trauma (avail. on Amazon).Rebel Bubbie posts fun videos sharing her “Yiddish Word of the Day” on her YouTube channel – subscribe to: @RebelBubbie. Follow on Facebook & Instagram.

Definition: Traditionally, a bubbie (the Yiddish word for grandmother) wore floral housecoats, made chicken soup and gave you the biggest hug. Today’s bubbie still loves you, but wears designers suits, plays tennis and orders in.  Bruria’s co-writer, executive producer and director is Eva Almos (pictured below) who has found success as a writer/executive producer on both the East and West coast. A graduate of the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, Eva began her career as staff writer of multiple episodes of Duckman.  She won a CableACE Award and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode “Noir Gang.”  She has worked on numerous live action and animated series including The Wild Thornberrys, Pinky and the Brain and Invader Zim.Eva went on to develop and executive produce the animated series Carl Squared for Teletoon, developed Dave Darling-Head Case for Starburns Industries, and developed/wrote the popular TVO/PBS series Wild Kratts where she also plays fashion-designing villain Donita Donata.  I remember Eva as the voice of so many brilliant radio commercials in the 80s/90s – so good was she, that Eva became the go-to voice actor for every advertiser, but bigger things beckoned her in Hollywood…and the rest is tv history!I’m thrilled to be publicizing Rebel Bubbie, Inc. throughout the Toronto Fringe Fest period so watch for news on my social media throughout the next 6 weeks.

All 60-min. shows take place at the Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkley Street, Toronto
Thursday, July 4th   6:00 pm  $10.00
Saturday, July 6th   12:30 pm $15.00
Sunday July 7th       2:15 pm   $15.00
Wed. July 10th         6:00 pm  $15.00
Thurs July 11th        8:15 pm   $15.00
Friday July 12th      6:00 pm  $15.00
Sat. July 13th           3:15 pm   $15.00
Tickets: www.FringeToronto.com

ACTOR, ARTIST & POET PHILIP CAIRNS RELEASES BOOK OF POEMS ABOUT HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS….AND BED BUGS!!

Over the past five or six years, I’ve had the opportunity to promote plays, art shows or poetry readings by my friend and client PHILIP CAIRNS. He’s currently celebrating the release of his latest book HOLLYWOOD POEMS AND OTHER DIVERSIONS, now available from Amazon.ca. The first section of the book offers stream-of-consciousness narrative poems about Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Jayne Mansfield, Lee Grant, Anita Ekberg, Gloria Grahame and Canada’s own Jackie Burroughs. The author weaves biographical tidbits about these women into each poem, and includes snippets about his own life growing up as a gender-questioning, queer boy in Scarborough, then living as a struggling artist in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. The second half, “Bedbugs and Cockroaches” features satirical, comical stories and poems in which these itchy-scratchy critters come to life. They are like truth-telling cartoon characters, forcing the protagonist in each piece to face reality. The first half is mostly serious in tone and confessional while the second half will make you laugh out loud!coverPhilip has already garnered glowing kudos and thumbs-up from fellow writers and literary media, and I recently spoke with him and asked him to share his thoughts on completing the book during this past year of Covid.

What was the inspiration for your new book of poetry & prose, Hollywood Poems and Other Diversions?  It was David Bateman, my editor, who suggested the concept. He’s very familiar with my work through my public readings. We’ve also co-written short plays that were performed at various festivals. This book is 12 years’ worth of poems, written on the theme of the Golden Age of Hollywood, though not by any means the only poems I wrote during that period. I’ve been a movie freak since I was 9 years old. I was sleep-deprived all through my adolescence because I stayed up half the night watching classic films on the late show. As a teenager, I once saw 4 movies in one day with my best friend. I always identified with the actresses. I loved to get lost in a different world in the dark. I would often sit through a movie more than once. I once saw a double bill of a Robert Altman film and a Jane Fonda movie and I sat through both of them twice…8 hours of movies. I was in my late teens and seeing Bonnie and Clyde was a turning point for me; I came out of the theatre wanting to have sex with Warren Beatty and wanting to be Faye Dunaway. That was scary for a 14 year old. Many of the poems in my book are loving biographies of movie stars I love like Anita Ekberg, Gloria Grahame, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. And Canadian icons like Mary Pickford and someone who was supportive of my work, Jackie Burroughs. But interwoven in many of the narratives, there are incidents from my life growing up as a queer, gender-questioning person in Scarborough. The second section of the book is pure fun, the Bedbugs and Cockroaches chapter. These critters come to life and do tasks like raiding a jewellery box and hiding pills, and they comment on the action with razor sharp accuracy. They are satirical and fun pieces and mostly fictional. They usually get laughs – I used to perform these works live a fair amount. I love to hear an audience laugh. Bringing laughter into people’s lives is manna from heaven. This is such a challenging planet to live on. Economically, it’s like being a hamster on a wheel.IMG_4161Have you spent time in Hollywood and visited any of the homes of those legends about which you write?  I’ve never been to L.A. It seems kind of scary with all those back streets full of pup tents close to movie star mansions. I’ve been outside of Brad and Angelina’s former place in the French Quarter and I did go to the Cannes Film Festival a few years ago where I starred in a short film that played at the Short Film Corner. I went to lots of cocktail parties and met filmmakers from all over the world. It was surreal. I went to one queer party in a tent on the beach but that said, No Celebrities Allowed although it was hosted by a queer celebrity. When I left the party, there were fireworks over the water. We’d been to a screening of our movie that day as well. I think it was the happiest day of my life. I felt like Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief without her jewels and fine gowns.

As a young man, were you a big movie fan and if so, who was your favourite star and what was your favourite film?  Probably from 8 or 9 years old, I’ve loved movies. I was precocious. I was reading newspaper reviews of foreign films when I was 9 or 10. I wanted to be on TV from the age of 4 or 5. My favourites as a child were Hayley Mills and Annette Funicello. As a teenager, it was Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. In high school, I once asked my mother if she would write me a note for the office saying I had a dentist appointment. I told her I wanted to see a Marilyn Monroe movie on TV. You know what her response was? “Okay. You’ve been working hard at school and I know how much you like her so I’ll do it.” Wasn’t that cool? She and I didn’t always get along that well but that’s another story. My favourite film is The Wizard of Oz. Number two is 2001: A Space Odyssey. And Cabaret with Judy’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, is on my Top Ten list of fave movies. Judy Garland is my fave singer and her record, Judy at Carnegie Hall, is my favourite album. My second favourite album would be Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Notice a theme here? And of course, All About Eve is on my Top Ten list, as well. I think I have about 25 films on my top ten list. I love many of Robert Altman’s films. Watching James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden on the late show when I was 16 was a turning point. I sobbed in my bedroom the whole next day. I love Brando, Montgomery Clift, Geraldine Page, Maureen Stapleton, Lee Grant, Bette Davis. The list goes on. I work as a background performer in film and TV – I feel lucky that I get to be on set with famous actors and watch them work and be well paid to do it. My family isn’t impressed because being a background performer is the lowliest position on a film set. It was worse back in the 1970s when I started out. I’ve been at this a long time, plugging away in the underground trying to be heard. I don’t go to a lot of auditions these days. I would love a really juicy part in a film. The character would be someone who questions their gender. I lived the life of a gay male for decades, and now I don’t identify as male or female. For me, gender is totally irrelevant. What I have between my legs serves as a function and gives pleasure but does not define who I am. What difference does it make what gender I am? At the same time, I wish to be considered for male roles in film, TV and theatre.  Below, Philip performing poetry readings around Toronto.1799986_10151999725607129_1737786910_o readingsIn the second part of the book, you’ve written about bedbugs – those stories are so funny and biting (pun intended!) – what motivated you to explore those themes?  I suppose it was losing my bed to bedbugs. They kept spraying and spraying but they wouldn’t go away so I threw out my mattress and box spring. It was the only one I had ever bought as an adult. I have been sleeping on the floor every since. They are really horrid little creatures. I don’t know what made me give them voices. Weed, maybe? I can’t for the life of me recall. I love writing those pieces because the bedbugs and cockroaches can say things that people normally are too polite to say…like a little devil sitting on your shoulder. It’s almost like those pieces write themselves. I am just the channel or conduit. I think they work because audiences laugh and even request them.

Philip, you’re quite the renaissance man – a fine artist, a writer, poet and an actor for both film and theatre…what do you find more challenging or fulfilling?  I think I do all these things because I don’t like to be bored and I bore easily. What I found hardest was making a living. I always had to have another part time job to get by, and I would have to juggle things. Sometimes the Universe is kind. I was rehearsing a play and I got 2 TV commercials which shot at night so it meant not much sleep but I could still attend rehearsals. And then finding time to paint, write, draw. I’m pretty driven but I also need down time to recharge. Often, it’s marketing time that goes out the window. I’d rather get out the drawing book and coloured pencils than start submitting myself for film roles or my work to publications. I think I find painting the most relaxing even though I feel it is not my strongest talent or skill. Reading my poetry in public or sitting in the audience watching one of my plays is exhilarating and fulfilling when you really connect with an audience. You can feel it in the air. Total silence. No snoring. Ha!! Hearing a big, big belly laugh from an audience is indescribably wonderful.  I suffer from stage fright these days. I have a terror of forgetting my lines. But if I’m reading one of my poems, I’m fine. I have it right in front of me. I’ve been studying with the most wonderful acting teacher, Alan C. Peterson, which has taught me to tune out everything on a film set or on stage, and just focus on what is happening in a scene. That is all that is happening.  Below, Philip running lines as Julius Caesar and as a glammed up blonde for a recent indie filmRoadrunner Commercial Durango Miller’s Abortion is FunHas the isolation and quarantining throughout this past year of Covid affected your writing or ability to earn a living?   My income from film and TV has dropped considerably but then my expenses have dropped, too. I used to spend a fortune going out with friends and colleagues. Now, I make all my meals at home. But it has afforded me the time to assemble the book and edit and rewrite it which is much harder than the initial writing of a poem or story.  It’s a great feeling when you’re in the zone and it’s flowing out of you onto the page or screen. That usually happens with the first draft. Since the first lockdown, I’ve written a lot and done a lot of drawing and painting. I don’t like to watch more than one movie or TV show per day, if that. It’s been a time of deep, deep reflection. What is awful is that all the dumb, stupid things I’ve done in my life have come bubbling up to haunt me, perhaps to teach me a lesson or something. It has helped me to grow but has been quite painful to behold.head shot (2)

Below is a selection of Philip’s paintings that have been exhibited in Toronto galleries…Crystals on my Kitchen Table Terra_Multi-Gender Being From Another Solar SystemAbout the author: Philip Cairns writes poetry, performance-pieces, plays and short stories. His work has been published in Labour of Love, Resistance Poetry 2, Excalibur Monthly, Xtra! and The Body Politic. In Toronto, Philip has performed his own writing at “Plasticine Poetry” at The Central, A Space, The Art Bar, the Black Swan, the Gladstone Hotel, Glad Day Bookshop & the Theatre Centre. He was one of the organizers, and a frequent host for The Beautiful and the Damned Poetry Cabaret at The Central. He was MC for “Sexy Words” at Lula Lounge and “Bent Expressions” and “Smash Words” at Press Club. He performed in “Hard and Able #2” at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, on the TV series “William Shatner’s Weird or What” and in “The Judy Monologues” at the Toronto Fringe Festival and in a province-wide tour (winning the Best Actor award at the London One Act Festival). Philip has exhibited his acrylic paintings, watercolours and coloured pencil drawings in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Toronto and Edmonton, most recently at Urban Gallery, the Parliament Street Library and at Arcadia Art Gallery in Toronto.

Philip has a number of interviews coming up in May, including CIUT-FM radio’s Howl! show as well as on the Art Bar online poetry show May 11. Follow Philip on Facebook for all the news… Facebook.com/philip.cairns.16

HOLLYWOOD POEMS AND OTHER DIVERSIONS
By Philip Cairns
Purple Poet Press (April, 2021)
$17.89 – Soft-cover, 186 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8701703214
Available from Amazon.ca

CANADIAN ACTOR/WRITER/FILMMAKER BOBBY DEL RIO CONQUERS COVID PRODUCTION LOCK-DOWN BY CREATING MULTIPLE FUTURE PROJECTS FOR FILM & TV

Several years ago, I was thrilled to work on promotions and PR for filmmaker friend Bobby Del Rio‘s feature film The Market and I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the impact the film has had on so many of the actors involved, especially now that there is a distribution deal in place to take the film to viewers across the globe…and that my fave streaming platform, Amazon Prime, now offers it as part of their catalogue. One good thing about quarantining is that it’s given us plenty of time to watch tv and discover all manner of films, documentaries and tv series.   I reached out to Bobby to see how he’s dealing with the production “lock down” and was pleased to hear how well he has been handling these past 6 months both personally and professionally. This is what he told me….headshot bBobby, it’s been several years since we worked together on your feature film The Market, and you recently landed a distribution deal for the film so how did that come about and what countries can now view The Market?   Thank you for your help, Glenda. You were an important part of our team that helped us get here!
The distribution deal came about while talking to my friend Rebeka Herron about another project. When I mentioned I thought the unfortunate economic collapse was a very relevant time to release my feature film about a Wall Street conspiracy theory, she certainly agreed and offered to distribute the film through her Parallel Universe Pictures. They have been amazing to work with. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime in the US & UK. In Canada, we’re on Vimeo on Demand. The Market poster (2)From watching all your social media posts, I gather you’ve been very busy writing, directing, acting…can you share any news of upcoming film/tv releases?  I really appreciate the support, Glenda. I’ve been blessed to stay busy during a difficult time in our industry. My next project is The Kult, a web series I’m co-writing with Megan Laursen. We created it together, Megan is directing, I am playing one of the lead roles. We have assembled a brilliant cast of stage and screen veterans, and will be announcing production details in the coming months… We’re looking at early 2021, and I’m incredibly excited about it.
Megan Laursen is a 22-year old prodigy who has become my writing partner and main collaborator. She will be directing some of my feature screenplays, and I am attached to star in a few of her films. You will hear her name again and again, and it’s my true pleasure to work with such a talented artist at the beginning of her bright career. I am also working with filmmaker Paul Persic on a new feature film. Paul is actually our DOP for The Kult, and a talented director himself. He is yet another young, prodigious film talent that has an incredibly bright career ahead of him. Megan, Paul and myself have a really great synergy that is yielding a large number of film projects at a very high skill level. It’s humbling and exciting to work with (and learn from) artists half my age.

How have you navigated the Covid production shut down? Has this given you the time and space to focus on your writing?  While Covid has certainly created many challenges, it has also been a blessing in disguise for me. I learned how to edit, launched a couple of podcasts, polished some scripts and binged historically great television franchises like Lost and The Sopranos. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have never been so busy in my entire career! I have been offered lead roles in SEVEN different projects, and have many other projects in development as a writer.
While many of my projects are on hold from a production standpoint until after Covid is over, many are in pre-production. I anticipate an INCREDIBLY busy 2021 – starting around spring/summer. While the quarantine year has been challenging, I think it’s been a very important time for contemplation. I view our industry in a period of calm before the storm…

Back in 2017, you presented your play, Professionally Ethnic which was, in fact, written a decade earlier. Considering the timeliness of the subject of diversity in film & tv, do you have any plans to put the play on film? Due to many geopolitical events, my play Professionally Ethnic has certainly been getting attention. I have been working extensively with director Rouvan Silogix for an extended theatre run and also a film adaptation! While theatre has been hit harder than film during the pandemic, many discussions are ongoing. Since writing is a major part of my career, I have actually found myself MORE in demand as a writer. While many production challenges continue, development opportunities abound. Rouvan is one of my best friends, and a truly brilliant artist. While we don’t have official release dates on anything related to Professionally Ethnic yet, we have a few strong possibilities on the horizon for this particular project… My hope is that an analysis of race politics will bring us all closer together as human beings…EthnicYou were also a recurring character on the hit web-series My Roommate’s an Escort (2017-19) – did that experience inspire your own web-based creativity? How do you see the future of traditional network tv vs. web-based or streaming platforms for entertainment delivery?  Playing SAM in both seasons of My Roommate’s an Escort taught me a lot. While I was the creator & showrunner of IRL the Series (sold to Bell Media) before I worked for Katie & Trish as an actor, I certainly learned a lot from the Escort experience. It’s amazing how voraciously an audience is willing to consume a web series if you have the right product.roommateAs for traditional network tv vs web-based content, the lines have blurred. I personally do not see a difference between conventional television and shorter-form content. I think the viewer has shifted their thinking to that of patrons in an art gallery: While some canvasses are large and some are small, they are all ultimately still viewed as different paintings. I think that is how movies/tv shows/web series/streaming platforms/etc. are now seen: as simply different styles of content – all equally relevant, though unique in their own ways.
Ultimately, the audience is looking for a well-crafted story, told by skilled artists. I simply focus on telling my stories the best way I can with the resources available to me. That strategy has consistently yielded positive results for me my entire career. I do my best, and constantly seek to improve. Everything else is out of my control…

How can readers follow you on social media?  I have a very active Facebook account where I approve everyone. (This sometimes gets me in trouble. lol) and I also have a growing platform on Instagram (@bobbydelrio) and my Twitter handle is @Bobman

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Thanks, Bobby, and congrats on all the well-earned successes to date and your future gigs. I encourage readers to check out Bobby’s social media for news of upcoming projects and thank you all for supporting Canadian talent.

WHAT AN EXCITING, RED HOT OPENING NIGHT FOR THE SHIVER SHOW IN TORONTO

Congratulations to the performers and in particular, artistic directors KRISTINA KULIKOVA, ANTON AZANOV and CHANTAL FRY-SALETTI on last night’s opening of THE SHIVER SHOW at the Glenn Gould Studio theatre in Toronto.  So many hours of rehearsal and sweat-equity have gone into this stunning blending of dance, figure skating, circus arts, music and operatic singing, as well as beautiful costuming, hair and make-up.20180209_200247The brainchild of Kulkat Entertainment’s Kristina Kulikova, the Shiver Show blends 7 different disciplines of dance with figure skating, aerial circus arts, a little burlesque, video and some very talented musicians into this unique theatrical experience that had the audience on their feet more than once throughout the show!

Prior to showtime, several of the performers were interviewed backstage by Fairchild TV – here’s Kristina, Anton, opera singer Dina Shikhman and Kristina’s talented sister Elena Kulikova (singer/painter) chatting with the news crew.20180209_181430 20180209_180152 20180209_175745 20180209_180913Out in the lobby, one of the charming ballerinas entertained the crowd prior to the show with a very unusual performance….move over Edward Scissorhands!

One of my favourite routines was this stunning flamenco dance, accompanied by Dina singing Carmen.

And to close the show, all the performers came out to take their bows to a standing ovation…bravo!

Afterwards, the dancers schmoozed with the excited audience and I was thrilled to accompany Toronto’s leading online influencer, MoVernie, introducing him to all the performers, starting with Kristina herself.20180209_211130 20180209_210855 20180209_185927 20180209_210817There are 2 more shows today, Saturday Feb 10th at 4pm and 7:30pm – so there’s still time to catch THE SHIVER SHOW. Info and tickets available at: www.ShiverShow.ca  or call 1-888-407-4520

Thank you for supporting Canadian talent…and if you’re looking for the perfect entertainment for your corporate event, festival or gala, please contact Kristina to see how she can customize a show just for you. You can reach her via the website.DSC_8046

JOIN CIUT 89.5FM RADIO SPRING MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN WITH THE HOSTS OF “HOWL!”

Over the past three decades, I’ve had the privilege of working with the hosts of CIUT radio’s “Howl!” spoken word/music show (Tuesdays, live at 10-11pm) who have interviewed numerous clients of mine, supported events I’ve promoted and I’ve even appeared on-air myself chatting about life as an arts publicist.  Howl! is one of the few live media platforms available to local Toronto artists to promote their creations and performances, and as CIUT 89.5FM is holding it’s annual Spring membership drive May 8-14, I would like to encourage all my readers/followers to kindly support this amazing grassroots radio station.CIUT-30th-HelveticaNeueCondensed-WhiteOnBlackNancy Bullis and Valentino Assenza share hosting duties, alternating on-air duties each week. They have welcomed poets, authors, musicians, actors, theatre folk, songwriters – all sorts of entertainers who add to our city’s cultural landscape. Please join them Tues. May 9th between 10pm and 11pm and call-in or log on to the CIUT website to donate (details at end of this story)

Above - Valentino, Nancy & studio engineer Robert

Above L to R – Valentino, Nancy & studio engineer Robert

“It is an honour, a privilege and a sheer joy to prepare for and interview writers and artists in Canada of all genres to showcase their work on HOWL,” Nancy told me. “The radio is a great place for them to introduce new work and CIUT 89.5FM provides for this opportunity. A conduit is available here for, as you say, Glenda, “the grassroots promotions & media opps for emerging artists via HOWL!” Exactly! I think that society would be a dismal place without music, poetry, spoken word and the other arts to help us understand who we are and for artists of all kinds to express themselves. I’m a big believer in Kurt Vonnegut’s “canary in the coal mine theory of the arts.” It truly is my pleasure to be part of HOWL, CIUT 89.5FM since December 1999.” 

And Valentino added….  “For me, life is about words, and so I make HOWL! about words too.  Whether it’s a series of them that make up a novel or a cool poem, sound lyrics in a song, HOWL! is about words, and how powerful they are, and I like to expose the people that transcend words through their art.”

20150623_223457Above, Nancy interviews Grammy-nominated flutist and composer Ron Korb prior to his departure for LA and the Grammy red carpet. And below, she’s with Cuban jazz trumpeter and composer Alexis Baro whose CD launch was the following weekend.20160719_215957Before Nancy and Valentino took the helm at Howl!, the show was the sole domain of legendary poet, artist and musician Nik Beat (pictured below).  I remember working closely with Nik back when the CIUT studios were located in an old Edwardian house on St. George St…up 2 flights of rickety stairs, into the rafters.  Nik was one of the first people in the city to support poetry and spoken word performers and he and I just clicked when we first met at one of my Scribes & Muses! (or S&M for short…LOL) performances back in the late 80’s. I headed up an artists’ collective of writers, poets, musicians who performed live around the city – Nik was the only media host who gave us on-air time. Needless to say, I am indebted to Nik and Howl!/CIUT for the successes that came from those early days.NikSo to honour Nik and all those artists he helped over the years, and for Nancy & Valentino’s ongoing weekly showcase, please reach out and support the station which supports the artists. Thank you.

CIUT 89.5 FM SPRING 2017 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Presenting the Sound of Your City for 30 years
On Air Campaign Runs May 8-14
Your contributions and support have kept CIUT thriving for 30 years and we want to continue to be the sound of your city for another 30 + years!
Donations can be made right now by simply clicking on the Donation button on the website www.ciut.fm
Phone lines are open 6am-2am 416-946-7800 OR 1-888-204-8976
Show your support on this 30th anniversary because we can’t do it without you!
GOAL: $60,000 Total so far: $2,700