Internationally Acclaimed Japanese Play 'Godot Has Come' Comes to Montréal for 5 Special Performances Only

Godot Has Come - Poster

Infinithéâtre is known for incubating original Québec playwrights but this time, in association with a new arts centre in N.DG, Espace Knox, they host a world famous original by Japan's most prolific writer Minoru Betsuyaku. 

Godot Has Come pays a moving and vibrant tribute to Samuel Beckett by taking a layered and hilarious look at our overly occupied existence in modern times. 

• In an interview with The Irish Examiner, world renowned Japanese director, and director of Godot Has Come, K. Kiyama notes the play reflects "…society which has moved from being family and community based to individualistic and somewhat controlled by technology.". 
• The Berlin Deutsches Theatre says the play is "…a powerful, successful production…".
• Paris critique Dashiell Donello calls it "Suite joyeuse dans laquelle sa vision aiguisée ne laisse rien passer à la société actuelle.". 

Godot Has Come is Minoru Betsuyaku's deep dive into what it means to actually experience life – and whether, with our manic modern mentality, we can exceed indifference to exist in the moment.

Godot Has Come

Infinithéâtre's Artistic Director Guy Sprung notes "This is an excellent opportunity for us to continue our on-going dialogue with Japanese theatre. In 2014, Hanafuda Denki was a smash hit with audiences and we're equally excited about Godot Has Come. With comedy as a rich byproduct, the play examines the absurdity of life, of forgetting to wait for what we hope for whether it be a higher power, a break, or the tapestry of relationships we stake our very happiness on. It is not to be missed.".

The Plot: 

Evening. A telegraph post is on stage right. A bus stop sign and a bench are on stage left. 

Estragon in shabby black clothes and hat carrying a shoe is trying to put off another shoe. Vladimir in similar attire comes with a toy trumpet. Lucky with a chain around his neck and Pozzo holding the chain appear just like those in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. But two young female receptionists and an elderly woman with a knitting set join them here. 

Then a man named Godot with an umbrella arrives and abruptly introduces himself to the receptionists, saying “I am Godot.” His arrival is too abrupt to be recognized as Godot. Hereafter he tells Estragon and Vladimir that he is Godot every time he has a chance, but they never react as he has expected. Godot “has finally come” with no mistake but nothing changes with his arrival. There is no dramatic encounter. Only laughter bursts in a vacant sight. 

This is a slapstick comedy – much more comic than the original by Beckett. There lies Minoru Betsuyaku’s strong critical recognition of the present society in this bold challenge. 

Betsuyaku, who has established the Theatre of the Absurd in Japan, wrote this brilliant play as homage to Beckett. 

About The Author:
Minoru Betsuyaku is a leading playwright in the contemporary Japanese theatre. Influenced by writers such as Samuel Beckett and Franz Kafka, his absurd play The Elephant [Zo] (1962) dealing with Atomic bomb victims received a remarkable attention. 

He appeals to his audience in ways he uses the language vividly spoken by people of the lower middle class and develops absurd situations happening in our daily lives. He is known as the most prolific writer of our day; he not only wrote more than 130 plays but also produced children’s stories, essays, criticisms, etc. 

• 1966 Founded the Waseda Little Theater with Tadashi Suzuki. 
• 1968 Awarded the 13th “New Theatre” Kishida Kunio Drama Award for his play The Little Match Girl [Match-Uri no Shojo] and A Scene with a Red Bird [Akai Tori no Iru Fukei]. 
• 1970 Awarded the Kinokuniya Theater Award for A Town and a Blimp [Machi to Hikosen] and Alice in Wonderland [Fushigi no Kuni no Alice]. 
• 1987 Awarded the Yomiuri Literature Award for his collection of plays entitled The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country [Shokoku wo Henreki Suru Futari no Kishi no Monogatari] and Other Plays. 
• 2007 Awarded the Kinokukniya Theater Award for Godot Has Come [Yattekita Godot]. 
• 2008 Awarded the Tsuruya Nanboku Award for Godot Has Come [Yattekita Godot]. 
• 2009 Awarded the Asahi Award for his long-time activity as a leading playwright who has established the Theatre of the Absurd in Japan. 

About The Director: 
K. Kiyama (1942〜2013). Graduated from the Law School, Doshisha University. After working at Yomiuri Newspaper Company in Osaka, Theater Company Bungaku-za, Theater Company Shiki, he founded a theater producing company Office Kiyama in 1980 and has been producing about a hundred plays not only in Japan but also in other countries since then; he produced Kanadehon Hamlet in New York, London and Moscow, Barefoot Gen [Hadashi no Gen] in New York, Seoul and Poland, and The Terminal is Japan [Saishu Mokuteki-chi wa Nihon] in Seoul and Pusan. 

He has been working as a director since 2004. 

His directorial works are: 

• A Scene with a Red Bird [Akai Tori no Iru Fukei] (by Minoru Betsuyaku, produced in Seoul and New York) 
• It’ll Be a Long Way [Michi Tookaran] (by Kunio Kishida) 
• The Legend of the Noon [Shogo no Densetsu] (by Minoru Betsuyaku) 
• Sick [Byoki] (by Minoru Betsuyaku, produced in Moscow and Paris in 2010).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GODOT HAS COME AT ESPACE KNOX

Nov 28th – Dec 2nd, Tues-Sat. at 8:00 pm 

At Espace Knox, 6215 ave Godfrey, Montréal, QC H4B 1K3 

Regular: $30, Students/Seniors: $23, Groups: $20, Season 6-Packs (6 tickets for $120)

Box Office: 514 987-1774 ext. 104; Box-Office@Infinitheatre.com or Infinitheatre.com

(70 MINUTES IN JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH AND FRENCH SURTITLES)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Infinithéâtre: developing, producing, and brokering new Québec work.

• Infinithéâtre is generously supported by season sponsors: CN and Hydro-Québec
• Infinithéâtre also thanks our production sponsor Hôtel Le Cantlie Suites

Samuel Beckett (image via Wikipedia)

SOURCE: Infinithéâtre

French Holocaust Survivor Donates $500,000 to Aid American Wounded Veterans

Bernard Darty, 83, is compelled to support Wounded Warrior Project this Veterans Day in honor of his family’s 1944 rescue at Normandy.

At age 83, Paris-born Bernard Darty feels fortunate to enjoy time with his family and spend winters in Miami Beach nearly three-quarters of a century after escaping Nazi invaders in France as a child. 

Although he lost his mother to the Auschwitz concentration camp, today he is so moved with gratitude for the American troops who liberated him in Normandy in 1944 that he has made a significant donation of $500,000 to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) this Veterans Day to help U.S. veterans and their families—hoping to trigger a new movement of supporting American veterans.

"In giving this donation, I want to thank Americans with all my heart for rescuing us during the war," Darty said. "The gratitude I feel to these men is beyond words. They were saviors, doling out sweets to half-starved, war-worn children who had almost given up hope of freedom. That is why I want to support American veterans—and why I support America. I hope my donation inspires others to do the same."

• Darty's donation will support two key WWP programs: Warrior Care Network, which connects wounded veterans and their families with individualized mental health care, and the Independence Program, which works with warriors with moderate to severe brain injury, spinal cord injury, or other neurological conditions to ensure each wounded veteran can live as independently as possible.

"We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Darty for his generosity, which will enable us to reach even more veterans, particularly those most in need," said WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. "We serve the most critical needs of our nation's wounded heroes, including those who live with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Thanks to generous supporters like Mr. Darty, we provide them crucial support services free of charge, making a tremendous difference in the lives of wounded veterans of this generation and their families."

Holocaust story illuminates strong ties to America
Darty was born in 1934 to a Jewish family that had fled the pogroms in Poland for France, hoping for safety there. With the German invasion of France in 1940, however, the family was again at risk. 

An older brother was sent on the first convoy to Auschwitz, but fortunately survived. Darty's mother was not so lucky when, on July 16, 1942, the French police led a big round-up of Jews. At 6 am that morning, Darty recalls the police came to the family's apartment. Darty, age 7, was able to escape to an aunt's house that was considered safe, but his mother was sent to Auschwitz and likely died three weeks later. 

Darty spent the next few years living in foster homes on the outskirts of Paris, afraid and living on borrowed time. The day American troops came ashore at Normandy in June 1944, Darty finally felt the relief of freedom.

That was the beginning of his connections to America. Since then, he and his wife, also a Holocaust survivor, have wintered in South Florida ever since his retirement 26 years ago—to which he says, "I have had the chance to meet many American people who I am lucky enough to call my friends. First, Americans saved us, and then 50 years later they welcomed us."

• Darty hopes his donation will deepen that trans-Atlantic connection, inspiring other families throughout Europe to help American veterans in deference to the shared history of the Allied forces of World War II.

About Wounded Warrior Project

• Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) connects, serves, and empowers wounded warriors. 
• Read more here. 

SOURCE: Wounded Warrior Project

Teaser for New Documentary "The American Question" Challenges Americans To Question Whether They Are Part Of The Problem

Award Winning Director and co-creator of The American Question James Kicklighter

A year after the historically divisive 2016 elections, a new documentary is challenging Americans to stop blaming others and question how their own decisions and actions shape the contours of our society and our country. 

By asking questions about family, money, religion, civics and more, the film gets viewers to question whether the divisions in our society truly stem from group dynamics, or if we're all part of the problem as individuals.

A trailer for the film has now been released  to audiences worldwide.

The Trailer:

"The American Question," produced by Guy Seemann – a political veteran and entrepreneur who's lived all over the world and directed by James Kicklighter – a Hollywood filmmaker raised in rural Georgia, profiles dozens of Americans from across the political, economic and social spectrum in search of these answers, going far deeper than just getting people together to find some superficial common ground.

The film explores this question through the lens of history, deteriorating civic education and evolving culture rather than rehashing the 2016 election. 

• After conducting dozens of interviews of people from different walks of life all across the country, the creators believe something much bigger is at work, and that it has the potential to threaten the status of America as a superpower.

"We found that our divides had nothing to do with the election," Seemann said. "Fights spring up over core values which are supposed to unite us as a nation. Religion, speech, equality, opportunity -- these concepts kept coming up over and over again."

"This is a unique period in time, but the identity crisis we're feeling is part of a cyclical pattern in this country. After our nation unites to defeat a common enemy – the imperial British, slavery and secession or the Nazis, we tend to lose our cohesiveness. This time, though, we have to address this issue or our status as a cohesive entity – let alone a superpower – is under threat," he added.

Kicklighter continued, "there's a set of values that define what it means to be an American. I heard people from all corners of the country saying the other side did not have their interests in mind. A fascinating pattern unfolded about the broader culture here, and we are trying to figure out what's causing it and what it means."

"What's dangerous is when someone comes to a different set of conclusions based on their ideological perspective and pegs the other as an enemy simply because the other doesn't agree with their individualized ideology," Kicklighter said. "I hope The American Question helps people recognize that their neighbor is as American as they are. That's the starting point we need to get to," he said.

With entire communities in crisis due to this breakdown over America's core values, the filmmakers are looking to spark a national conversation to encourage viewers to rethink how they themselves approach their own life decisions as well as their perceived differences with their neighbors. 

• Seemann, Kicklighter and their national team want to enable them to reconcile over the shared values laid out in the founding documents which have helped the country overcome adversity since its founding.

Political Scientist, Producer and co-creator of the American Question Guy Seemann

SOURCE: The American Question

Related Video:

Nicki Minaj Stars In H&M's Magical Holiday Film

(PRNewsfoto/H&M)

The H&M's 2017 Holiday campaign film will star Nicki Minaj alongside Jesse Williams and John Turturro. Directed by Johan Renck, the film tells a story of a parallel fantasy world filled with memorable characters and a universal message of caring for one another.

A modern take on the classic fairytale, the film centres around a heroic little girl who tracks down the evil brother of Santa Claus in order to save the holiday season from his selfishness. 

(Image courtesy of H&M)

Nicki Minaj stars as the mother of the little girl as well as the fabulous fairy named the Wisest Thingy, while Jesse Williams plays the dual role of the father and the supernatural Fastest Fairy, and John Turturro takes on the part of both Santa Claus and the evil brother of Santa Claus.

"I love the film's over all empowering message. I love seeing this young girl become the champion that lives in all of us. There's always magic in the air during the Holidays," says Nicki Minaj 

"It's exciting to see our festive designs come to life together with such inspirational talents. They definitely added some extra magic to the film and we hope that our customers will love how the fashion is presented throughout the holiday season at H&M," says Pernilla Wohlfahrt, H&M's Head of Design and Creative Director.

(Image courtesy of H&M)

The Teaser Film:

• The full version of the Holiday film will go live on hm.com on November 28th.

SOURCE: H&M

Bonus Videos:

More Related Pictures:

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

(Image courtesy of H&M)

Ted Naifeh to Kickstarter Heroines Graphic Novel

The Heroines Cast

Ted Naifeh, creator of Princess Ugg and Courtney Crumrin, is set to launch a Kickstarter in partnership with Space Goat Publishing for his latest passion project, Heroines. 

The campaign will focus on the Heroines graphic novel -- a digest-size, perfect-bound collection of all eight issues of Heroines totaling over 200 pages of content. It will be published under Space Goat's Backpack Editions.

"All my life, I've been a fan of superheroes in one form or another," said creator Ted Naifeh. "And I've always wanted to explore the genre, to see if I could tease out something new. Working outside the mainstream and with readers directly on Kickstarter gives me the creative freedom to do just that."

Ted Naifeh's Heroines

Heroines tells the tale of Marcy Madison--fresh out of college, blessed with brains, boundless optimism, and a nifty superpower. Marcy's greatest ambition is to make the world a better place. And what better way to do that than become a superhero? But Marcy soon finds the world of superheroes an impenetrable boy's club, mired in pessimism, and more than ready to dismiss her. 

• Determined to blaze her own trail, she sets out to find like-minded heroines,fellow outsiders who want to do things their own way. But if there's one thing more dangerous than fighting evil, it's rocking the boat.

The story of Heroines is currently only half told. The crowdfunding campaign is to raise funds for the second story arc and the manufacturing of the graphic novel. 

(image via Fresh Comics) 

There are a variety of tiers for fans of Naifeh's work in this Kickstarter campaign, including the option for backers to receive signed copies of original #1s of Courtney Crumrin, Princess Ugg, and Heroines as well as cameos in the graphic novels--and even commissions available only for Kickstarter backers.


MORE ABOUT SPACE GOAT PRODUCTIONS:
Created in 2006, Space Goat Productions has 150 years of combined experience producing comic books, tabletop games, video games, commercial art, and concept design. 

They have worked on global brands and produced commercial art with Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Marvel Comics, DC Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Nike, Universal City, Penguin, Capstone, Scholastic, and more. 

Their new tabletop game division, Space Goat Play, launched with the Evil Dead 2, Terminator, and The Howling board games to critical acclaim. 

• For more information please visit spacegoatpublishing.com, merchgoat.com, and on Facebook at facebook.com/spacegoatpublishing

(image via Fresh Comics) 

MORE ABOUT TED NAIFEH:
Bursting onto the scene as co-creator/illustrator of goth romance comic Gloomcookie, Ted Naifeh is best known for Courtney Crumrin, the multi-volume horror-fantasy adventures of a tween curmudgeon witch and her warlock uncle. 

In 2014, Ted wrote and illustrated Princess Ugg, the adventure of a barbarian princess going to princess finishing school. 

• Courtney Crumrin has been nominated for several Eisners, and remains a popular mainstay on the shelves of discerning comics shops. 
• Princess Ugg has garnered much praise from the comics community and beyond.

SOURCE: Space Goat Productions