Tuesday, June 30, 2009

BiteTV pays a visit to Jurassic Park!

BiteTV's The Life of Brian stopped by the theatre last week to hang out at a rehearsal for our Jurassic Park show. The "Brian" is question is Brian Dunn, who plays Dr. Alan Grant in the show.

EYE WEEKLY says some very nice things about us

Screen Play

The Bloor Cinema joins the Fringe with their shadow-cast program, The Silver Stage


BY Chandler Levack

Day-glo dinosaurs and burlesque raptors — a raunchy version of a classic Spielberg spectacle,” is how director Alex Woodside sums up his revamp of Jurassic Park. While you might be expecting a similarly inclined approach to 2006’s Fringe hit Giant Killer Shark: The Musical, the Bloor Cinema’s Silver Stage lineup offers live theatrical performances occurring alongside 35mm screenings of such cult classics as David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Joss Whedon’s “Once More, With Feeling” (for non-nerds, the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) For traditionalists, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Repo! The Genetic Opera also get their due.

Inspired by past shadow-cast productions of Halloween mainstay Rocky Horror, of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 2008 by the Toronto Cyclists Union, and of Repo!, which sold out, Woodside, who also acts as the Bloor’s operations manager, wants to hearken back to the cinema’s vaudeville days, when it was called the Madison Theatre.


Read the rest of the article....

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Bloor Velvet — Concert on Theatre Marquee!

Robin Sharp, the director of our Blue Velvet shadowcast show, is the man responsible for blogTO's Toronto Portraits series profiling young local artists and musicians. He's now used his connections to round up an all-star band to perform the songs from Blue Velvet, live as part of the show. Calling themselves Anything That Moves, the band includes:

Carmen Elle (solo singer/songwriter, guitar and vocals for Donlands & Mortimer)

• Johnny Spence (keyboards for Donlands & Mortimer)

• Dorian Thornton (bassist for Spiral Beach)

• Jo Fallak (lead singer of Miss Scarlett)

Brandon Valdivia (drummer for Picastro)

• Katie Avery (violinist for Beneath the Ice)

Ryan G. Hinds (performance artist about town)


They're doing five full songs from the movie (Roy Orbison, etc.) as part of the show itself, plus a special set on the marquee of the Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor St. W.) at 7:00 on July 1st.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Silver Stage Press Photos

Blue Velvet
July 1st, 4th and 9th at 9:30
Facebook event



Jurassic Park
July 3rd, 7th and 11th at 9:30
Facebook Event



Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Once More, With Feeling"
July 2nd, 5th and 10th at 9:30
Facebook Event

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Bloor Cinema teaming up with Fringe Festival


For Immediate Release

Bloor Cinema teaming up with Fringe Festival

LIVE versions of Blue Velvet, Jurassic Park, Buffy from July 1-12


The Bloor is Toronto’s largest cinema. The Fringe is Toronto’s largest theatre festival. And now they’re partnering to bring you a new kind of event.

The Silver Stage, July 1-12 at the Fringe, will blur the line between theatre and film by taking the Rocky Horror "shadowcasting" experience to the next level. Shadowcasting is when a live ensemble recreates a movie on stage, while the film is playing behind them. The performers mirror and complement the action onscreen, using creative props and costumes to bring the movie to life. It's not simply mimicry, though; these shows take the films to whole new places.

The Silver Stage will run throughout the festival at the Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street West), with different movie-shows playing on alternating nights:

• JURASSIC PARK — Steven Spielberg’s classic adventure reimagined with dancing helicopters and day-glo dinosaurs. Directed by Alex Woodside. July 3, 7, 11

• BLUE VELVET — David Lynch’s surreal mystery brought to life with live music, campy excess, and some of Toronto’s hottest young actors and musicians. Directed by Robin Sharp. July 1, 4, 9

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING" — The triumphant musical episode of Joss Whedon’s cult horror-comedy comes out as a Broadway-style extravaganza. Directed by Justin Decloux. July 2, 5, 10

• REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA — The Bloor's resident Shadow Cats troupe revels in the Grand Guignol of Darren Lynn Bousman's gothic sci-fi rock opera. July 8

• THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW — The one that started it all closes out the festival, as performed by the Bloor's legendary Excited Mental State. July 12

All shows start at 9:30 p.m., with doors opening at 8:30. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased at www.fringetoronto.com (look for "THE SILVER STAGE") or via the Fringe Hotline (416-966-1062).

Media contacts
Jonathan Goldsbie, media@bloorcinema.com
Alex Woodside, alex@bloorcinema.com


Schedule

Wednesday July 1 — Blue Velvet
Thursday July 2 — Once More, With Feeling
Friday July 3 — Jurassic Park
Saturday July 4 — Blue Velvet
Sunday July 5 — Once More, With Feeling
Monday July 6 — (night off)
Tuesday July 7 — Jurassic Park
Wednesday July 8 — Repo! The Genetic Opera
Thursday July 9 — Blue Velvet
Friday July 10 — Once More, With Feeling
Saturday July 11 — Jurassic Park
Sunday July 12 — The Rocky Horror Picture Show

All start at 9:30 p.m.