9/27/2014 0 Comments Oktoberfest | BMO Centrecalgaryoktoberfest.comOktoberfest, in September?
I've never been to Oktoberfest before, and certainly not in September! I don't have a "bucket list", but if I did, one of the top things would be Oktoberfest in Munich, where it really originated! There's something amazing about German food, German beer, German music and German culture that makes it a very attractive goal to have! I've never been to a tasting event like this before. We had to purchase admission, and then little coupons we had to trade in for drinks. I think it's quite a common way to sample food and drink, but I've never been to an event, so I didn't know how much we should be spending! Beer samples, on average, were two tokens (i.e. $2.00), and food ranged from about $3 to $9, so we thought we'd get $40 each. Das Bier I guess in general, I usually like what I like when it comes to beer. I was certainly willing to try a lot of different things, and really enjoyed all of them - but in some ways, I already knew what I'd like and what I probably wouldn't. There were a few surprises and a few new brands for me to try when we're out next time. One thing that was very exciting was to try a new ToolShed brew that was uncasked right in front of us! It was a beer infused with maple bacon, and believe it or not, it was pretty fantastic! It didn't have a smokey flavour of other bacon-flavoured food and drink, but had a rich and dark flavour, accompanied by a dark beer - almost a stout. What an experience that was! Other favourites included a blueberry ale and a light crisp radler. Das Essen Apart from the Bier offerings, there were many different food choices from local vendors and restaurants. My favourites have to include the large salty pretzels, and the Schnitzel Lasagna! We now have a few more restaurants to try out - especially Wurst, which I've heard a lot of good things about! The pretzels were a hot commodity, and we were asked no less than five times where we got them! Die Musik One of my personal favourite parts was the Oom-Pah Oom-Pah of the live polka band! The German Knights Polka Band (aka the Dixie Knights) were awesome! They were better when they played, and didn't worry about trying to engage the audience in drinking games and shouts of Prost! Honestly, if it was just asking the audience to "cheers", it would be one thing - but it degraded into a long, elaborate and repetitive scenario each time; same jokes, same songs, same delay and eventual fizzle out of everyone's attention! Maybe if we'd all been a little drunker, the jokes would have gotten funnier! Maybe not. That being said, the music they played was very entertaining. It's lively and quick and all seems very familiar, even when it's Polka #72, which I'm sure I've never heard before - it really does sound familiar and nostalgic! Absolutely, without a doubt, we will be back for Oktoberfest 2015! It really was a very fun event! Auf Wiedersehen!
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Free Movie Date Night!
Because I filled out a survey with Third Street Theatre, we won tickets to go see "Hector & The Search for Happiness" at a special preview screening at Westhills Theatre! It was absolutely packed, as they always give away more tickets than they have space for, just to make sure there's a person in every single seat! The writing was clever, and Simon Pegg was perfect in the role of an unhappy psychiatrist who realizes he can't help his clients find happiness (or "ha penis") without being happy himself. He goes on an adventure around the world (China, Tibet, Africa, LA, and back to the UK), to determine what makes other people happy. He meets a lot of colourful characters along the way, and writes in his journal each time he learns something about human happiness (like some people think happiness comes with money and power, and sometimes not knowing the whole story leads to happiness). As time goes on, he continues his journey asking, asking, asking what makes other people happy - but the real question becomes - What makes Hector happy? There were some interesting quirks to this film - little bits of animation are infused into the live action, which take the audience to amazing locations all over the world. However, with 2014 technology, can we ever be sure it's not just BC and a green screen? Honestly, I think this was a great film - it left us with a really good feeling at the end - and I'm so glad we won tickets to this advance screening! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_and_the_Search_for_Happiness_(film) 9/24/2014 0 Comments Venus in Fur | ATPAmanda Lisman plays Vanda and Tim Campbell plays Thomas This was our very first show of the ATP season, and I can tell we're in for quite a ride! This was a quick cat-and-mouse production, but we were never sure who was the cat, and who was the mouse. In fact, the characters were trying to figure this out themselves the whole time. In this one-act play, a struggling actress comes in on a dark and stormy night to audition for a part she was destined to play. Once she convinces the playwright to let her read her lines, we were taken in and out of character for the next 90 minutes. The lines between character and actor were blurred on stage as the two actors played into the play-within-a-play. Focused on the qualities of power, attraction and masochistic desire, the play was - and wasn't - about sex and gender roles, power and masculinity, vulnerability and femininity,art and reality. The actors were quick to move between each role, and clearly demarcated the difference between the playwright and the main mail character; and the actress and the female lead. Or did they? Lines became blurred as we traveled through this emotional piece, and started to question how power and control (on and off stage) impact each of us in a different way. The characters revealed a lot about themselves through their reactions to the text-within-the-play, and what was autobiographical and what was fictional became less and less clear. The intense performances left me exhilarated, and provided a lot of thoughtful conversation in the days after the performance. For what's coming up next, check out: www.atplive.com. 9/20/2014 0 Comments Nuit BlancheTransform The NightQuite possibly one of the most random events we've ever been a part of - we quite literally stumbled into Nuit Blanche by accident! We were attending X (see here), and on our way to the theatre, we knew something was up. There were way too many cars in the parkade, and way too many people in the street. Sometimes, the Epcore Centre has a lot of different shows on (ATP, CPO, Theatre Calgary), and even on a night where those three large halls fill up, we don't see the traffic we saw tonight!
We went to our play, and afterwards thought we should explore what Nuit Blanche is.We really discovered some amazing, creative things within the heart of our city! There were performance artists, visual artists, musicians, costumes, food, artwork, and literally thousands of Calgarians out for the night! We ran into at least a dozen people we know, and it was so nice to see so many people out exploring our city! Some of the highlights included an audio installation in the small garden attached to the City Hall, where there were three sets of three speakers, all sending out different messages - words, music, chanting, chimes, it was hard to tell what was what. Depending on where you stood, and for how long, a slow and dramatic story began to be told in a few simple words. Lovers. Forget. Warriors. It was an incredible experience, and quite difficult to describe. It was memorable for its unique setting and sound. Inside the City Hall lobby was a series of large domes, containing artifacts of creation, and even a creator. There was, literally, a woman encapsulated within one of the domes, working on a project involving chocolate and a globe. Music was being played by a DJ, and there were a number of lights shining in and around the installation. It was quirky and unique, and when she looked up, I felt as if I were the one in the spotlight on display. I've never heard of an event quite like this, so I asked at the information booth. Calgary participated in 2012 (two years ago), but events like this have been happening for many years in other countries. Who knew? Now that we know about it, we'll be sure to plan it into our schedule whenever it comes back! For more information, check out: www.nuitblanchecalgary.ca. |
AuthorMonti Tanner (he/him) BEd, BA, MEd Archives
May 2023
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