Nom Nom Gnomes
Let’s fry, simmer, chop, steam, and eat a wonderful feast together!
Baba has sent a special package all the way from Japan, but what could be inside? One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be おいしい (delicious)! Join Momoka and her brother Taku as they sing, play and of course, EAT! Nom Nom Gnomes is an intergenerational AudioPLAY about family, food and what brings us together, even while we’re apart.
Created by Manami Hara & Kanon Hewitt.
Giselle Clarke-Trenaman – Stage Manager
Matt Horrigan – Sound Designer & Audio Technician
Cindy Mochizuki – Visual Designer
Featuring: June Fukumura, Brent Hirose and Jennifer Tong
Part of Carousel Theatre for Young People’s 2020/2021 season of audioplays
The Tragic Comedy of Macbeth
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is considered one of The Bard's greatest plays, and it is also one of his shortest. Originally written as a tribute to the newly crowned King James, it was written quite quickly and included elements like witches and ancestry to appeal to the king. This resulted in some aspects of the play that don't quite come together, and these frayed edges are threads the cast will pull upon to unravel the play and present it in a way never quite seen before. There's no better way to escape the incessant holiday cheer than to let off a little steam and laugh with one of Shakespeare's best (misunderstood?) monsters!
Directed by Bernard Cuffling
Performed and created by: Ali Froggatt, Brent Hirose, David C. Jones, Brigette May, Aidan Parker, Carly Pokoradi and Aidan Wright.
Performed in Dec of 2020 at the Jericho Arts Centre.
Berlin: The Last Cabaret
This political cabaret celebrates the subversive power of art and offers a warning to those who would take freedom for granted. 1934: As Nazism tightens its grip on Germany, a satirical cabaret troupe faces physical danger and a moral crisis. Members have disappeared under suspicious circumstances; the five that remain have to decide whether to bend to intimidation or perform their work uncensored. With death looming in the air, the risks couldn’t be higher—and yet the desperate need for expression is still there…
The Weimar era (1918-1933) was a time of cultural ferment in Germany. Steps were taken toward sexual freedom and progressive reform, and there was a spirit of liberation and innovation in the arts. Much of this was connected to the cabaret scene, and in this show, City Opera Vancouver pays loving homage: with five singers and a band, the group takes us back to a time when liberation came in conflict with fascism.
City Opera Vancouver in Association with Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre
Directed by Alan Corbishley
Music Direction by Roger Parton
Dramaturgy by Joanna Garfinkel
Featuring: Meaghan Chenosky, Dan Deorksen, Alen Dominguez, Brent Hirose and Julia Munčs
Performed as part of the 2020 PuSh Festival.
Fireflies
A sci-fi drama set in the conflict zone between the traditional and the futuristic. A multimedia exploration of body autonomy and non-binary identity in a dystopian future Japan.
Written by Kanon Hewitt
Directed by Tricia Trinh
Featuring: Mason Temple, Brent Hirose, Rae Takei, and Laara Ong.
Presented as part of the 2018 rEvolver Festival. Read more about the festival here.
SLEEPING BEAUTY DREAMS
Performed January & February 2018 at Presentation House Theatre.
An International Collaboration between Presentation House Theatre and Marionetas de la Esquina (Mexico City). Sleeping Beauty Dreams re-imagines the famous princess as an overprotected daughter looking for a way to break free of her castle walls in order to search for true love and her true self.
Directed by Lourdes Pérez Gay & Kim Selody. Featuring: Randi Edmundson, Brent Hirose, Tim Gosley, Linda A. Carson and Shizuka Kai.
Links: Presentation House / MyVancity Review
JAPANESE PROBLEM
In 1942, over 8,000 Canadians were detained in barns at Hastings Park. This is a small part of their story.
Performed Sepetember 2017 & 2018 Site Specifically at Hastings Park in Vancouver, B.C.
Toured to various parts of B.C., as well as an October 2018 run at Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto, ON.
Developed by collaborators Yoshié Bancroft, Joanna Garfinkel, Sindy Angel, Daniel Deorksen, Brent Hirose, and Nicole Yukiko with contributions from Laura Fukumotot, Carolyn Nakagawa, Cecile Roslin and. Muish Sharma.
Check out the official Japanese Problem website here.