The Imperial Theatre in Saint John, NB recently honoured its volunteers.

A few weeks ago, Imperial Theatre staff and board members gathered in Saint John to celebrate a wonderful group of people: our volunteers!

A vital part of Imperial Theatre’s family, our dedicated volunteers -ushers, envelope stuffers, ticket takers and those who answer the call for all the big and little tasks in between – truly make us great!

Imperial Theatre volunteers are the envy of theatres across the country, reputed for their professionalism, courteous service, hard work and, well, for being the nicest people around!

The next time you come to Imperial Theatre, thank the lovely people in the white shirts – because we couldn’t do it without them!

Become an Imperial Theatre volunteer!
Want to be part of an exciting, dynamic team of volunteers? Do you have a passion for the arts and are looking for a way to get involved? Become an Imperial Theatre Volunteer! We are currently accepting applications for Volunteers and Student Volunteers for our 2012-2013 season.

Volunteering is a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspirations of humankind – the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety and justice for all people … At the dawn of the new millennium, volunteering is an essential element of all societies. - The International Association of Volunteers

Wanted: Student Volunteers!
Are you a student between the ages of 15 and 25? Looking for a unique volunteering experience? Interested in the performing arts, but not sure how to get involved? Need to fulfill volunteer credits for school? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” Imperial Theatre is the place for you!

We’re currently recruiting volunteers for our budding Youth Corps program. From ticket takers to ushers and other behind the scenes work, Imperial Theatre is a unique and fun opportunity to get involved in the arts and your community. You’ll not only get to learn from some of the best and most respected volunteers in the city of Saint John, you’ll also gain jobs skills such as communication and time management skills, and at the end of the season, you’ll receive a signed reference letter from our Operations Manager — a valuable addition to your résumé or university applications.

With a commitment of just two shows a month, we will provide you with free CPR training and on-the-job guidance. You will also be able to purchase tickets to shows you are not working, at just $5 each (limit two per show), free admission to workshops — and more!

If you think you have what it takes, visit our website to download the Youth Corps application now! Questions? Don’t hesitate to call Lee at (506) 674-4100 or send an e-mail to lee@imperialtheatre.nb.ca

Now recruiting new volunteers for our 2011-2012 Season!
Imperial Theatre is always looking for new volunteers! If you want to be part of the best volunteer corps in the city, download an application form now. To apply, simply fill out the form and drop it off at Imperial Theatre Box Office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Monday to Friday). Those chosen for an interview will be contacted directly.

Don’t delay, sign up today and get ready for a red carpet ride to the arts! For more information visit www.imperialtheatre.nb.ca

To be eligible, applicants must be 18 years of age or older and may have published no more than three feature-length (1,500-plus word) pieces of writing in national or international magazines.

To apply, please submit one 1,500-word example of art writing, plus a 100-word biographical sketch, by June 1, 2012, at 5 pm EDT.

Submissions must be in English. Translations are accepted.

Submissions must be sent by mail only. Fax and email submissions will not be accepted. Postmarked submissions will not be accepted.

Send four (4) copies of one (1) writing sample and bio to:

Attention: Canadian Art Writing Prize
Canadian Art Foundation
215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 320
Toronto, ON M5T 2C7

Winners will be notified by July 20, 2012.

Past Winners

Véronique Leblanc is the winner of 2011 Canadian Art Foundation Writing Prize. Leblanc currently works as a researcher at Galerie de l’UQAM and also teaches art history at Université du Québec à Montréal and Université Laval. As a curator, she recently co-organized the exhibition “Artur Zmijewski: Scenarios of Dissidence” at Galerie de l’UQAM with Louise Déry. Upcoming projects include “The Geopolitics of Infinity,” featuring new works from Jean-Pierre Aubé and Patrick Beaulieu, at Sporobole in 2012. Her essays have been published in the journals ETC and Espace Sculpture.

The 2011 runners-up are Kelly Phillips of Vancouver and Stefan Hancherow of Toronto.

The 2011 jury—Canadian Art editor Richard Rhodes, Galerie de l’UQAM director Louise Déry and Presentation House Gallery director/curator Reid Shier—chose Leblanc’s submission from a competitive field of 34 applicants.

2010

Pandora Syperek is a writer, curator and artist currently undertaking a PhD in art history at University College London. Previously, she worked in the curatorial department at the Walter Phillips Gallery, where she co-curated the exhibition “Radio Free Banff” with Naomi Potter. She also coordinated the visual art residency program at the Banff Centre. As winner of this national competition, Syperek received $3,000 and wrote a feature story for Canadian Art on Brendan Fernandes.

The 2010 prize’s two runners-up were Vancouver’s Deirdre McAdams and Montreal’s Vency Yun.

2009

Sara Mameni, winner of the first Canadian Art Foundation Writing Prize, published an expanded version of her award-winning story on artist Denise Oleksijczuk and the making of her 2008 film Role. Mameni has been Education Coordinator at the Vancouver Art Gallery and is currently a doctoral student in contemporary art at the University of California at San Diego.

Runners-up for 2009 were Alissa Firth-Eagland and Kate Steinmann, both of Vancouver at the time of the win.

Past jury members have included Canadian Art editor Richard Rhodes, Illingworth Kerr Gallery director Wayne Baerwaldt, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia director Ray Cronin, Toronto critic Sarah Milroy and Calgary critic Nancy Tousley.

Send your Father's Day submissions to Bread 'n Molasses today!

Father’s Day is coming right up on June 17th and Bread ‘n Molasses is gearing up to explore our relationships with those special men in our lives —fathers!

Have you written a short piece of fiction that celebrates fatherhood or perhaps explores the complex relationship between a father and child? Or maybe you have some funny memories or your father that you’ve jotted down in a personal memoir or poem? Has being a father influenced your singing and song writing?  Perhaps you’ve recorded a song or brief video that you’d like to share? Or created a painting or series of photographs?

We’re currently accepting submissions of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, images, audio or video around the theme of “Father”. Submissions can be light and funny, complex and dark, or anywhere in between as long as they involve a father in some way. We’ll showcase a slew of your submissions on our website this Father’s Day, Sunday June 17th.

Submissions will be considered until June 14th and may be emailed to editor@breadnmolasses.com or uploaded using our online submission form.

Fiction or non-fiction stories should be no longer than 1500 words and 100 lines maximum for poems. Please include a brief author bio and photo. We will consider simultaneous submissions and reprints. Indicate that the work is being considered elsewhere or tell us where it was previously published. Copyright remains with all authors, photographers and artists.

Join us online at Bread ‘n Molasses this Father’s Day!

Rose Cousins

Organizers of Woodstock’s Dooryard Arts Festival say this year’s event – to be held between August 8th and 11th – will draw on talent from across North America.

The festival was founded by the River Valley Arts Alliance (RiVA) in 2009 as a way for the non-profit organization to offer artists and musicians with ties to the region an opportunity to showcase their talents. But in the intervening three years, the Dooryard Arts Festival has enjoyed a growing reputation outside of the area.

“We’ve never spent a lot on advertising relative to bigger festivals,” said Geoff Stairs, Dooryard co-founder and RiVA president. “What we’ve been really happy to see is the organic way that word about the festival has spread throughout the Maritimes.”

Stairs said the increased visibility has allowed organizers to approach artists from outside the immediate area to complement the week’s programming.

“We’re still focused on exposing local talent,” he continued, “but now we have a great opportunity to expose our own community to some of the things happening outside.”

Among the diverse musical headliners confirmed for the fourth annual festival are Perth-Andover native Matt Andersen, Boston-based folk musician Rose Cousins, Edmonton hip-hop artist Cadence Weapon, Fredericton-born tenor Derrick Paul Miller, and New Brunswick alt-music scene matriarch Julie Doiron.

Matt Anderson

Stairs said that keeping programming for the festival unfettered by a particular style or genre is an important consideration for the organizers.

“We try very hard to make Dooryard inclusive,” he said. “We want there to be something for almost everyone. Our only criterion is quality – and there’s no shortage of that.”

The early-August festival will also include exhibits by local and regional visual artists. Since year one, organizers have approached businesses in Woodstock’s downtown about offering up their spaces as temporary, walkthrough art galleries. The venues shuffle each year and add to the festival atmosphere in the small town.

Participating visual artists this year include comic book artist Adam Atherton, painter Donna Smallenberg, photographer Joël Culligan, painter Mallory Driscoll, and mixed-media artist and ArtsLink NB executive director Sara Griffin.

Repeat highlights this year will include a public workshop series directed by professional artists and the return of the festival’s popular Saturday marketplace. The open-air market features local artists, craftspeople, growers, and other organizations displaying their wares along Woodstock’s historic Queen Street.

A limited number of $65 early bird festival passes are on sale now via Ticketpro.ca. The passes will grant access to all ticketed events throughout the course of the week – a value of about $120. Once the early bird passes are sold out, regular passes will be available at a cost of $80.

For more information about the 2012 Dooryard Arts Festival, visit www.dooryardarts.net.

All these years later, Ron Turcotte continues to be idolized by fans of the Kentucky Derby and horse racing. When he attended the Derby in 2012, he signed autographs for four days straight, for hours at a time. Here, he is seen in conversation with an admirer. © 2012 National Film Board of Canada. All rights reserved.

Filming is presently underway in the United States on a documentary about jockey Ron Turcotte. Born in New Brunswick, Turcotte is considered one of the best jockeys of all time. He won 3,033 races and took the Triple Crown astride the famous Secretariat, the fastest thoroughbred the racing world has ever known.

His brilliant 18-year career came to an abrupt halt in 1978 when a tumble from his horse during a race in New York left him a paraplegic. Since then, he has returned to live in Canada with his wife.

Made by Phil Comeau, the film portrays Turcotte’s outstanding determination, talent and success. The film is produced by Jacques Turgeon (executive producer) and Maryse Chapdelaine of the National Film Board’s (NFB) Acadia Studio.

The Shoot

Filming is presently underway in Kentucky and will continue into summer 2012, with an expected wrap date of February 2013. Further details will be revealed by the NFB in fall 2012.

Phil Comeau

Jockeys and their horses get set for the big race! This photo was taken by the NFB film crew on May 2, 2012, during a morning run before the Kentucky Oaks & Derby. © 2012 National Film Board of Canada. All rights reserved.

Born in Nova Scotia, Phil Comeau has more than 100 productions to his name, including 51 television dramas, a feature film, two TV movies (France and the US) and 54 documentaries and docudramas. He was also the screenwriter on 60 of these works.

His feature-length documentary Frédéric Back: Grandeur nature (The Nature of Frédéric Back) won the People’s Choice Award at the 30th International Festival of Films on Art in Montreal, while his fiction feature Jerome’s Secret garnered 16 international awards. In 2011, he received the Order of Canada.

About the NFB

Canada’s public producer and distributor, the National Film Board of Canada creates interactive works, social-issue documentaries and auteur animation that provide the world with a unique Canadian perspective. The NFB is developing the entertainment forms of the future in groundbreaking interactive productions, while pioneering new directions in 3D stereoscopic film, community-based media, and more.

It works in collaboration with emerging and established filmmakers, digital media creators and co-producers in every region of Canada, with Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities, as well as partners around the world. Since the NFB’s founding in 1939, it has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 6 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies.

Over 2,000 NFB productions can be streamed online, at the Screening Room as well as via partnerships with the world’s leading video portals, while the NFB’s growing family of apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV delivers the experience of cinema to Canadians everywhere.

The Great-West Life and London Life team, featured above, present a cheque to Mélissa Cormier (second from left), Assistant Director and School-Youth Program Coordinator of the Frye Festival. For more information about the Frye Festival visit their website www.frye.ca.

While in residence, Halifax artist Kristen Atkins will be setting up an office-like installation to evaluate the question of online transparency in a non-digital environment. She will work on managing and investigating her own personal data for public consumption. The installation will evolve organically over the course of her time in Sackville.

Kristen Atkins is a fine arts graduate from Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB. Her artistic concentration involves contextual interruptions in public realm as a way to evaluate our experiences in contemporary environments. She has shown her work and performed in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, PEI and New Brunswick. Originally from Moncton, New Brunswick, Kristen works as an artist and at the Centre for Art Tapes in Halifax Nova Scotia.

Please drop by and say hello to Kristen.

My mother standing on the road with my dog as her five grandchildren walk to greet her on the Barnettville Road.

A mother and her first born
share a unique bond
formed early in the child’s life
and strengthened through time.

From the day of birth
ignorance is an overwhelming challenge
struggles happen daily
and victories are small and mostly silent.

It’s a time of learning
a time of firsts
the first feeding and dirty diaper
the first spanking and separation.

Mothers and daughters share a special bond
an unconditional love, trust and friendship
no friend or lover no matter how true
can ever duplicate or replace.

Daughters learn by example
and advice from their mothers
how to become strong
independent and kind women.

You may feel sometimes
that you’ve failed
you could have and should have
done more or done differently.

But Mom, never doubt this
by your example and
through your teaching
I have learned and grown.

You have raised your daughters
and they are strong
able to cope with life’s challenges
and survive life’s disappointments.

Your daughters are unafraid
to forge their own way in the world
alone if necessary
or beside a supportive man.

Your daughters have independent voices
and are strong enough to defend their views
even if and when it means
challenging and disagreeing with you.

Your daughters are open-minded enough
to listen and accept different opinions
and even if they don’t agree
to respect and learn and grow from them.

Your daughters are kind and unbiased enough
to give everyone equal opportunity
to prove themselves as friends
regardless of race and background.

You are my mother
I am your daughter
and also your first born
together we share both these bonds.

You and I, alone and together
share memories of true firsts
of tiny adventures
before there was anyone else.

And while I sometimes feel sorry
the others don’t have special memories
of having you all to themselves
I’m so happy that I do.

– Kellie Underhill, Miramichi NB

A grainy memory from one of the first Coughlan family reunions in Gray Rapids, NB.

Grammie’s Back
by Kellie Underhill

When I was a kid I would often go and stay all night or even a week at my grandparent’s house in Gray Rapids. This was my exotic summer vacation on the farm. The kitchen seemed really big to me then, though it must have only seemed that way because I was so small. This was before all the renovations, before any additional pieces were built-on. Back in the days of collies and outhouses.

I see Grammie at the sink doing dishes, looking out the window at the river and the cars passing on the road. I see her at the counter kneading a big pile of dough, her hands covered in flour to her elbows, her arms so strong as she whipped the bread into the pans. I see her at the refrigerator in the corner getting me a glass of milk from a bottle that Grandad and I walked to the bottom of the hill to pick up earlier that morning. I see her at the wood stove, adding a stick to the fire, heating the kettle, cooking the supper, baking the bread. I see her moving across the floor with a straw broom, sweeping vigorously, banishing the dirt to the outside.

I spent a lot of the time sitting in the kitchen, at the table waiting for meals to be laid, or on the cot by the window pretending to take a nap, staying out of Grammie’s way and watching her work. How many days have I spent staring at Grammie’s back? I see the back of a housedress, the kind you slip over your head with one button at the neck. I see broad shoulders, thickness through the hips and thighs, ankles that look swollen, apron strings tied in a big bow with ends dangling down her backside.

I remember sitting at the back of the kitchen table next to the wall in a seat not reserved for the people who lived there. That was important to me, not to steal Preston, Danny, or Marilyn’s favourite seat. My uncles and aunt, still children themselves, teens and tweens. Although the boys probably wouldn’t have cared where I sat, Marilyn might have teased me or invented terrible stories to scare me. She could be very creative when she was bored, once telling me that the black soot on our chimney meant the house was on fire and my parents would surely burn up. Meanwhile Preston coddled me and Danny pretty much stayed to himself. Nevertheless I would sit in a seat at the kitchen table that in my mind was reserved for guests.

I see Grammie setting the table. Plates, cutlery, glasses, mugs for tea … something my mother never did. At home we pulled the plates out of the cupboard, served the food at the stove and then delivered the steaming plates to the table. But Grammie always set the table, filling the centre with some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Stacks of sliced home-made bread, cold roast sliced thick, serving bowls filled with warmed-up potatoes, turnips and hot meat fried with onions.

There would also be plates filled with sugar cookies or slices of molasses cake or even a whole blueberry pie. Something sweet was an essential ending to any meal. I see a feast on the table and it’s only lunchtime, the same meal where at home I might have a peanut butter and jam sandwich with a glass of cherry kool-aid.

Grammie delivered the food to the table and I would be too shy to eat even though everything smelled so good and I was so hungry. Grandad would help me, transferring a little of this and a little of that to my plate, even as I blush and hang my head. Sometimes there’s company for dinner and sometimes it’s just the three of us — me, Grammie and Grandad. Regardless of who is there, the table is set properly.

Grandad and I eat. Grammie must eat too of course, sometime, but I can’t ever remember seeing her sit down at the table with us to do it. She never joined the table, never sat still, didn’t even speak much but quietly continued the business of the kitchen — cooking, tending the fire, baking, cleaning, keeping her family sustained.

The kitchen was the centre of that house, the heart of the universe as far as I was concerned, and she the source of its strength.

My grandmother, Grammie Coughlan, passed away on Sunday June 19th, Father’s Day. I’ll never be even half the woman she was in the kitchen or the force she was in her home.

Originally written June 24, 2005.

Kellie Underhill has been the Editor of Bread ‘n Molasses magazine since its launch in February of 2003. A member and former Board of Director of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick, her essays and fiction short stories have been published in numerous newspapers, magazines and reviews in Canada and Ireland.

Pauline's parents, Arthur and Nora Coughlan at Anne of Green Gables home in PEI before they became ill and needed home care.

By Pauline Underhill

One Saturday night in early July 2004 I went over to stay with Mom and Dad. It was a beautiful summer evening and I remember how bad I felt having to spend it inside instead of home on the deck (just a little of the guilt I feel now).

Anyway, for about the first hour or so Mom did nothing but complain about her loose tooth. She kept saying, “I don’t know how you expect me to eat anything with this old tooth!” It was really the only bottom tooth she had left and she kept trying to pull it out with her fingers.

Finally Dad said, “Do you want me to pull it?” Now Dad had been near death in April and I couldn’t imagine that he would have the strength to do much of anything, but when Mom said, “Yes, pull the damn thing!” he wasted no time getting to the kitchen.

I followed along behind him because he was unsteady on his feet and we were afraid he would fall. He went to the junk drawer in the kitchen and pulled out the pliers. I said, “Dad, you’re not really going to pull the tooth, are you?” He just nodded his head and smiled as he headed back to the big La-Z-boy chair where Mom was sitting.

I’m telling you, I was like an expectant father pacing around the kitchen.

He planted his feet on the floor and pulled. Mom screamed and moaned … and I paced. Mom’s protest must have got to Dad because he stopped and took the pliers out of her mouth. He handed her a Kleenex and she wiped at her face.

“Look at the blood! I know I’m going to bleed to death right here tonight!” she said.

“Well, do you want me to stop?” Dad asked.

“No, no, just pull the damn thing,” was her reply.

He started to pull on the tooth again and I started my pacing. Visions of the ambulance arriving to take Mom to the hospital ran through my mind. What kind of a caregiver would allow someone to use pliers to pull their own mother’s tooth? Not to mention what my sisters Donna and Valerie would say if anything happened.

Dad must have got his second wind because he gave one good pull and out came the pliers–tooth and all. I can still see the tiny roots that tooth had.

I said to Mom, “Quick! Pack it with Kleenex to stop the blood from running down your chin.”

Dad just scuffled along out to the garbage can and dropped the tooth. Then he scuffled along back in to his La-Z-boy and pushed it back to relax. He said to Mom, “Stop complaining now. It would have cost us a hundred dollars to have that done at the dentist office.”

I laughed and said, “The old guy still has it in him.”

About three weeks later I went back to do my Saturday night time again. We were sitting watching Lawrence Welk on TV when Mom said, “You know, one of Arthur’s teeth fell out this week.”

It gave new meaning to the Bible saying, “A tooth for a tooth.”

Written in the wee hours of the morning on June 18, 2005, while sitting with Mom at Miramichi Hospital. My mother, Nora Coughlan passed away on June 19, 2005.

Pauline Underhill of Barnettville, NB is the mother of four (Kellie, Sherry, Jennifer and Lee) and the grandmother of five (Paulina, Samuel, Jules, Abby and Anna). Both her parents, Arthur and Nora Coughlan of Gray Rapids, NB have passed away.