Tourism, Culture and Recreation
April 28, 2009

Cultural Olympiad 2010 Lineup to Feature Fear
of Flight by Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador�s Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland � Fear of Flight is among the Canadian and international artistic works coming to Cultural Olympiad 2010 presented by Bell.

The Cultural Olympiad is a series of multi-disciplinary festivals and digital programs showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and popular culture. Launched in 2008, the program culminates with the 60-day Cultural Olympiad 2010 (January 22 to March 21, 2010), which begins before and continues throughout the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

�We are pleased to be a part of the Cultural Olympiad and are committed to ensuring our artists are well represented on the international stage,� said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. �This province boasts many exceptional, professional theatre companies, and we are delighted that Artistic Fraud was selected to represent Newfoundland and Labrador theatre at its creative best.�

Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland was formed in 1995, and has since emerged as one of Canada�s most innovative theatrical companies. Over the past 12 years, it has been developing a system of directing and performance called Kaleidography, which involves an inventive synchronization of lights and music. Since its inception, the company has created nine original works using this process including: Fear of Flight, Under Wraps, Belly Up, The Cheat and Emile�s Dream.

Artistic Fraud is among the first 20 projects announced today by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). The projects also include works by Robert Lepage, Alberta Ballet, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan. The third and final edition of the Cultural Olympiad festivals will start on January 22, 2010 and run throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, concluding on March 21. The extensive program will include more than 600 ticketed and free performances and exhibitions in 50 venues in Metro Vancouver and British Columbia�s Sea to Sky corridor.

With fewer than 300 days to go until the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, tickets to the first 20 projects are on sale now at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.

�With the incredible wealth of talent and outstanding value these shows have to offer, we expect them to sell out and encourage people to go online now and get their tickets,� said David Guscott, executive vice-president, celebrations and partnerships for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). �This is just the first installment of the hundreds of artists who will participate next year as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2010 lineup. In the coming months, we�ll add even more projects to our program with the support of the Government of Canada and the home provinces and territories of the performers.�

In July 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador announced it had signed a Contributing Province/Territory Program (CPTP) agreement with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). Through the CPTP, the province has invested $1.5 million to support Canadian athletes and the staging of the 2010 Winter Games, including the Cultural Olympiad, and is able to take advantage of a wide range of benefits and opportunities to promote the province internationally.

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BACKGROUNDER
First 20 Projects of Cultural Olympiad 2010

Fear of Flight � Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland
This music and movement spectacle tracks 14 nervous passengers on a bumpy transcontinental flight. The production by Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland combines monologues, choral text and movement � all performed by an ensemble of singing travellers.

The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu � Robert Lepage
Quebec�s Robert Lepage continues his internationally celebrated imaginative and innovative stagecraft with this sequel to his acclaimed series The Dragon�s Trilogy, set in modern China. It was co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Moon Water � Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
Lauded worldwide for its innovation and grace, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan�s Moon Water is a contemporary exploration of Tai Chi Tao Yin movement, an ancient Chi Kung exercise, set to Bach�s Six Suites for Solo Cello. It will be the troupe�s first performance in Vancouver since 1997.

NiX
Canada�s first theatre of ice and snow comes to Lost Lake in Whistler. NiX follows an arsonist through the fireworks at the end of the world. It features a flaming tuba, snowman death scene and an explosive love story. It was commissioned by Arts Partners in Creative Development.

Nunavut � Kronos Quartet featuring Tanya Tagaq
Performed by Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet and featuring Inuit vocalist Tanya Tagaq, the centrepiece of Nunavut is Tundra Songs � a new work by Canadian composer Derek Charke that paints a mesmerizing Arctic soundscape.

Michael Lin: A Modest Veil
Taipei-based artist Michael Lin will create a massive mural covering the Vancouver Art Gallery�s northern facade using the patterns and exuberant colours found in traditional Taiwanese fabric designs and decorative art. It will mark the first presentation of his work in Canada.

Where the Blood Mixes � Playhouse Theatre Company
Emerging Canadian playwright Kevin Loring goes beneath the surface of the Aboriginal residential school system and celebrates its survivors. It was co-commissioned by Arts Partners in Creative Development.

Joni Mitchell�s The Fiddle and The Drum � Alberta Ballet
This extended full-length ballet collaboration production of the dazzling ballet features four additional Joni Mitchell songs, illuminated by her latest artwork and the choreography of Alberta Ballet�s artistic director Jean Grand Ma�tre. It was commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Laurie Anderson: Two Sided Plays
Renowned multimedia artist Laurie Anderson will premiere her newest work, a compelling series of 10, two-character plays in which Anderson plays both roles defined through the use of audio and visual effects and set design. It was co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Nevermore � Catalyst Theatre
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the great master of the macabre, this whimsical, chilling musical fairytale by Edmonton�s Catalyst Theatre reveals the psychology of a man whose haunting writings continue to resonate.

Compagnie Marie Chouinard: World Premiere
This newly-commissioned group piece by Canada�s reigning queen of contemporary dance is based on the notion of time recaptured. For the first time, Marie Chouinard will create an accompanying vocal score. It was co-commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Nixon in China � Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera presents the Canadian premiere � and a new production � of John Adams�s modern masterpiece about U.S. President Richard Nixon�s historic 1972 visit to China. Canadian coloratura soprano Tracey Dahl, as Madame Mao, joins opera greats Robert Orth as Nixon and Alan Woodrow as Mao Tse-tung under the musical leadership of Maestro John DeMain who led the 1987 premiere of the opera.

Rain � Cirque �loize
Montreal�s Cirque �loize brings the wonder of childhood to vivid life in this amazing circus arts performance. The company expresses its innovative nature by combining circus arts with music, dance and theatre.

Mahler Symphony No. 8: Symphony of a Thousand � Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will give a rare live performance of Mahler�s monumental masterpiece, featuring hundreds of musicians, eight vocal soloists and three choirs, including soprano Measha Brueggergosman, the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.

Beyond Eden � Theatre Calgary
Written by Bruce Ruddell and starring John Mann, this spellbinding new rock musical was inspired by Wilson Duff and Bill Reid�s 1957 groundbreaking and controversial expedition to Haida Gwaii. Beyond Eden will have its world premiere during Cultural Olympiad 2010.

Elephant Wake � Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre�s production digs deep into the pain and anger of a man trying to come to terms with his own marginalized existence and the struggle to keep his culture, family and town relevant in Saskatchewan.

Tear the Curtain! � Electric Company Theatre
Murder, mayhem and movies take centre stage in this stylish new thriller from Vancouver�s innovative Electric Company Theatre. Inspired by the true history of the Stanley Theatre, which opened as a movie house in 1930, this multimedia spectacle offers a new twist to the classic whodunit.

Kidd Pivot: Dark Matters
Created by Kidd Pivot artistic director Crystal Pite, this new work brings together six dancers for a moving exploration of human significance in the wake of catastrophe and planetary frailty. It was co-commissioned by Arts Partners in Creative Development.

Juste pour Rire 2010
Encompassing three brilliant evenings of fun and laughter with la cr�me de la cr�me of Canada�s francophone comedians, this project features the hottest emerging and internationally acclaimed artists on the scene today. It was co-presented by Le Centre Culturel Francophone de Vancouver and the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Martha Wainwright and Jorane: Chanteuses modernes
Powerfully raw singer/songwriter Martha Wainwright and award-winning singer/cellist Jorane, known for her unique �cello rock,� weave their musical spell in an evening of emotionally frank and unforgettable songs.

The full slate of Cultural Olympiad 2010 events, along with ticket information, will be available online at www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad as soon as events are announced.

2009 04 28                             1:25 p.m.