2007 Edmonton International Street Performers Festival Bios 2 Guys with Wood Physical Comics Ontario Phil LeConte and Colin Franks of “The Silly People” have teamed up with comedian Mike Wood, to bring you “2 Guys With Wood”. This visual spectacle is a new kind of comedy show that is fuelled by competition and greed. Mike Wood is president and CEO of “Wood Corp”, a fictional company that has somehow lost money in its latest quarter. Knowing that the company will go under, Mr. Wood needs to streamline the business and get rid of one of the Guys. Usually this type of downsizing happens in the mahogany boardrooms behind the closed doors of corporate Canada, but we believe everyone has the right to know just what goes on at conglomerate businesses. Using household items such as clothespins, antifreeze, hard-boiled eggs, pool noodles and a portable stove, the two Guys will compete for their jobs…and Mr. Wood‟s love and affection. You are sure to get a lesson in life, business…or at least some messy violence that usually ends in tears. Andy Zap Variety Artist Australia For eighteen years Andy Zap has been charming people all over the world with his ability to create an environment where anything is possible. Andy‟s unique performance includes everything from audience participation to fire dance, comedy and more. Andy performs with a fresh and vigorous edge that keeps his audience laughing right to the end. The Be Arthurs Musicians Edmonton The Be Arthurs are a ukulele cover band who formed in the summer of 2005 and entered into the "busking loop" at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. After much success at the Fringe, The Be Arthurs opened for a band... that was opening for a band... that was opening for band at a local hot spot in hometown Edmonton. They‟ve played gigs at opening night galas, fundraisers, variety shows and several live music venues around Edmonton. Recently, The Be Arthurs installed "pick ups" into their ukuleles so they could begin to go electric; they are in the midst of recording their first album; and they‟ve been working towards adding a third member to the band. The Be Arthurs are Ryan Parker on a Soprano "Greg Bennet" ukulele, Sheldon Elter on a matching Baritone "Greg Bennet" ukulele...and Bob Rasko on the “children‟s drum kit”. Chalk Chics Chalk Artists Ontario Val and Jo, the Chalk Chics, have been doing art together now for 29 years. As full-time employment, Valeria is an arts educator, and Jo contributes to cartoon TV programming. With all the television, video games and internet surfing... it seems the phrase "dying art" has reached an unfortunate fruition. Being big fans of street performance, both Val and Jo felt their chalk art would be a good way to bring art and culture back to kids (of all ages)... on the streets of the town. And so the Chalk Chics began... Cindy Lou‟s Facepainting Face Painter Whitecourt Cindy Lou Requa has painted thousands of decorations on thousands of children, spreading delight at festivals across Western Canada. Her warm manner is only one of her secrets to success. She has children of her own to practice on, but don‟t worry: she only uses the lick-thethumb clean-the-face trick on her own kids. Cirque Alexander
Clown Bowen Island “Cirque Alexander” is the creation of Paul Hooson, a former student of Marcel Marceau and fulltime clown since 1974. Originally founded in 1977 as a professional and bilingual theatre company for young audiences, “Cirque” combines street theatre, circus, magic, puppetry and music. “Alexander” himself is a mischievous and gracious silent clown in a European style, drawing one and all into a delightful world of fun and foolishness. Paul Hooson is also the founder of the "Doc Willikers" Therapeutic Clown Program at B.C.‟s Children‟s Hospital, Sunnyhill Health Centre and Canuck Place Hospice for Children in Vancouver. Canada's first Therapeutic Clown Doctor will be making visits to hospitals and care facilities with StreetFest‟s “Comedy Cares” program. Cory Mack Comedian Calgary A middle child who loves attention, Cory Mack has always had a knack for finding audiences from playing the piano in church, to singing telegrams, from improv classes to performing her unique brand of inclusive comedy for audiences at corporate shows, fundraisers, conventions, AGM‟s, weddings, festivals and communities across Western Canada. During the last five years, Cory has performed at the Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival; been featured on CBC Radio‟s Madly Off in All Directions with Lorne Elliott from Moose Jaw, Grande Prairie and Yellowknife; showcased her talents on CBC-TV‟s Western Alienation Comedy Hour; starred in her own half-hour Comedy Now special and been nominated for two Canadian Comedy Awards. Freshly Squeezed Hip Hop Dancers Edmonton "Freshly Squeezed" represents the hip-hop culture in its true essence. Showing love to all the elements of hip hop day in and day out is a must for this group of b-boys and b-girls. Not only do these dancers represent on the dance floor, but some of them also practice other elements such as emceeing, deejaying, and graff writing and their own cultural dance as well. The main focus of this crew is not only to be good on the dance floor, but to also be good and respectable people in everyday life. Freshly Squeezed is a down to earth and humble crew. Join them in the “Be Your Own Busker” workshops, where they look forward to educating and clearing up any misconceptions of the hip-hop culture, and to letting people know what hip hop truly stands for. PEACE, LOVE, UNITY & HAVING FUN! The Furry Eggs Musician USA Ed Stander is one of only 12 Angelica players in the world. No wonder - the instrument, a musical place setting of crystal glasses, was once thought to cause insanity. These days, listening to the strange and beautiful music of the Angelica is more likely to inspire awe. Don‟t miss “The Furry Eggs” as Ed Stander makes a return appearance to StreetFest. The Glories of Gloria Revue Clown Calgary Gloria‟s a triple threat: she can sing, dance and turn cartwheels. And if she doesn‟t know how to do something, she‟ll fake it. But when the world won‟t recognize her talent, what‟s a performer to do? Gloria‟s come up with her own solution. “A comedic genius” raves The Humboldt Beacon. Mooky, as Gloria, bumbles her way through a series of theatrical vignettes, puppetry and video segments while her dream of being a star becomes reality. The original class clown, Mooky earned her first pair of giant shoes at the tender age of 18. Since then she has employed her art to train new armies of clowns and tickle live and television audiences across North America. After stints in Cirque du Soleil, Mooky is happy to be back on the streets in Edmonton at StreetFest 2007.
Harvey and Idaho Kids‟ World Edmonton It's their fifth year back and Harvey and Idaho are ready to drop the drawbridge and open up Kid's World with tons of smiling faces! Heading up programming and development for Kid's World, Harvey brings his fifteen years experience working with children and a BFA degree in Drama to make a real castle bash out of this year. Outside of StreetFest, Harvey and Idaho stay very busy with their company Henry and Irving, creating sets and costumes, performing in theatre, and interior design and fashion show choreography/creative directing. As Co-Director of Kid‟s world, Idaho Bonnell also heads up Harvey and Irving‟s creative direction for numerous theatre projects, fundraisers and festivals. Harvey and Idaho have had the pleasure to be part of Night of Artists, The Comedy Arts Festival, and Interfear Arts Festival. Hokum W. Jeebs Eccentric Musician USA Hokum has been professionally playing music and entertaining for many, many years. He hasn‟t let formal training or changing public tastes get in the way of his relentless pursuit to find the common ground of history. Through thousands of shows performed from symphony halls to street corners, he has left in his wake a steady stream of giggles, grins and guffaws. Catch Hokum nightly at 10 p.m. at the big steps where he performs with our Troupe du Jour. Jacquie Paul Face Painter Rochfort Bridge Brush in hand and inspiration on side, Jacquie Paul returns with her special brand of magical face painting. Every face is an original work of art that you won‟t want to wash away. As a sculptor and visual artist, Jacquie‟s participation is sought after by festivals across the country. Show your true colours and enjoy a visual kaleidoscope you just won‟t forget. Lady Dolphin Face Painter Edmonton Lady Dolphin has been a “people painter” for over 10 years, sharing her creations at many festivals and special events. She has an extensive repertoire - Dolphins, Dalmatians, Fire Breathing Dragons, Butterflies, Wild Cats and much more. With a splash of colour, Lady Dolphin has a “porpoise” in life - to make magic. Join her in the “Be Your Own Busker” workshops to learn some basics of face painting yourself! Leapin‟ Louie Lichtenstein Cowboy Comedian USA Leapin‟ Louie Lichtenstein reels out a hilarious comedy cowboy show and literally ropes in the crowd. Generally considered the most explosive Lithuanian Jewish Cowboy Comedian ever to come out of Oregon, Louie combines a unique (and somewhat strange) comic character, high energy comedy, physical clowning, and a world class array of cowboy rope and whip tricks…plus a bit of music and acrobatics. Besides his 20 years of professional performing, Louie has organized and performed on four tours with Clowns Without Borders, entertaining communities hit hard by war and natural disasters in Mexico and Guatemala. Leapin‟ Louie has performed his show in 21 different countries around the world and is excited to be making his Edmonton debut at StreetFest 2007. Yee-haw! Lord Livingstone Living Statue New Zealand
Lord Livingstone is one of the most convincing living statues you will ever see. Even seagulls are fooled into landing on his hat. Watch as he plays out bizarre and spellbinding scenarios in slow motion: falling in love with women, giving toffees to children, shaking hands with passers-by, and posing with the audience for photographs… often with unexpected and hilarious results. Chris Devious has been performing as Lord Livingstone since 1988 in an array of settings including opal mining towns in the Australian Outback, American university campuses, dance parties in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, the winners circle at Flemington, orphanages in Romania, the wicket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and on the streets of cities around the world. Lurk Stilt Walker New Zealand Using mime, dance, his own catalogue of comic interactions and unique mannerisms, and 18 years of street theatre experience, Martin Ewen (Lurk) creates a structured improvisation that is refreshing, unique and extremely funny. Lurk is timeless, authentic street performance…involving a white faced eccentric pantomime character who creates a stage, an audience and atmosphere from the dynamics of a corner…or any structure that preserves an element of surprise and the pedestrian flow associated with it. Lurk is a favourite of young and old, and has performed in over 60 cities worldwide. Mario: Queen of the Circus Variety Artist USA A born showman and expert in circus artistry and theatrical comedy, Mario comes to the streets of Edmonton brimming with unbridled passion. While selflessly performing complex juggling tricks for his adoring audience, he is often overcome, forced to act out his unrequited love. His affection is known to reach such bombastic peaks that his favourite arena-rocking super group is a compulsory accompaniment. Mehndi Magic Henna Artist Calgary Sabrina Samuel helped introduce the beautiful art of mehndi to StreetFest several years ago and has seen the practice flourish into one of the most beautiful and popular trends in contemporary skin art. As an ancient tradition, mehndi ornamented Indian brides. Now, natural henna is the perfect summertime decoration. Mia‟s Facepainting Face Painter Red Deer Why should the clowns have all the fun? Visit Mia‟s Face Painting and be a kitten for a day, try out the tattoo you‟ve always wanted, or wear a superhero‟s mask. Watch Mia Palmer create colourful and intricate body art combining Western and Japanese techniques. Her artistry is limited only by your imagination. Michael Carl O‟Neil‟s “Klassic Komedy” Mime Artist Hamilton With a unique cast of mime characters, Michael Carl O'Neil presents "Klassic Komedy." His unique style of performing spontaneously entertains audiences through the art of mime with walkaround and installation performances. One of his philosophies is to create and bring classical characters, such as Charlie Chaplin's Canadian Tramp and the Living Statue Series, alive relating to today's world with "interactional" theatre. Performing throughout the world at various venues, theme parks and five-star hotels, and offering "mime/non-verbal communication" workshops, Michael Carl O‟Neil appears in major busker festivals throughout Canada, as well as Spain, New Zealand, Austria, England, and the Netherlands. Michael is pleased to return to the streets of Edmonton once again.
Mike Wood Comedy Engineer Toronto Mike Wood has some tight pants, a wit you could shave with, and a degree in engineering. He can outsmart a child, outtalk a senior citizen, and outperform any mutual fund. Expect a pasty, lanky, funny guy to crack wise and catch a catapulted cabbage with his head. Get ready to laugh, and prepare to see Mike do things you didn't think were thinkable. Need we say more? Mr. Bunk Physical Comedian / Puppeteer Montreal Jeff Achtem was born in British Columbia on a lake inhabited by a giant mythical serpent. Showbiz tendencies began at a tender young age. An intensely rehearsed magic show for his extended family at 5 years of age won him early praise. In 1995, Jeff was seduced by the bustling circus cabaret culture in Montreal, and he decided to spend the night. Over the next few years, he developed a unique character-driven comedic style. Jeff trained in Decroux corporeal mime techniques at Omnibus in Montreal, and later incorporated Le Coq techniques, pantomime and theatrical clown under veteran Cirque de Soleil clown, Rene Bazinet. As Mr. Bunk, Jeff has entertained hundreds of thousands of people around world. He performs regularly in arts festivals, variety theatres and cabarets throughout Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. Mr. Spin Juggler Australia Mr. Spin is a multi-award-winning juggler who has entertained large and enthusiastic audiences worldwide. With a ferocious energy & endearing, charismatic wit, Mr. Spin is one of Australia‟s finest jugglers. With a background in classical dance and inspired by Vaudeville greats Enrico Rastelli, Francis Brunn and Bobby May, Mr. Spin has focused on developing high-level skills, fluid movement and his own quirky style of comedy. Nigel Martin (alias Mr. Spin) can be seen under other guises performing internationally with the groups „Buzz‟, „Slack Taxi‟, and Australia's Lunar Circus. He performs a beautiful three-ball juggle, diabolo, Chinese devil-sticking, one ball manipulation and an eight ball juggle, mixed with madcap antics and a sense of fun…not to mention his grand finale involving a seven-foot unicycle, three baseball bats and a glass of water. O.J. Anderson Roving Artist USA O.J. Anderson is one of the old men of StreetFest – he made his debut at our festival in 1986. Over his 36-year career he has created puppet voices for Sesame Street; taught clowns for Ringling Bros. Circus; sung with the Michigan, Cleveland, and New York City Operas; and been nominated Top College Entertainer in the U.S. and Canada. Watch your backs (and what‟s on them). O.J. is back on the beat as the Fashion Cop at StreetFest 2007. P‟Wan Face Painter Thailand Her first visit to StreetFest in 1996 inspired P'Wan to transform her passion for Thai art into a talent for face painting. Traveling from her home across the ocean, P'Wan is delighted to bring her unique artistry to the Street Performers Festival. Add a smile to your summer skin with one of P'Wan's delicate designs. The Perils of Miss Judy Hula Hoops Australia
Miss Judy, hula-hoop virtuosa and writer of the 'True History of The Hula Hoop' presents The Perils of Miss Judy, a collection of her favorite hula-hoop stunts. Miss Judy is an official Australian Export and was the first Australian to study at the Moscow State Circus School. She loves receiving flowers and other presents. Pete Sweet Slackrope USA Performing circus level slackrope stunts high above the street, Pete swings, dances, and juggles fire all while perched on a tiny rope. Pete performs with the pizzazz of a matador, as though cowlicks and clip bowties are the epitome of style but what everyone remembers when they meet Pete is his innocent charm and his exuberant love of life. Pete Sweet has honed his skills for over a decade training at Belgium's Ecole Superior des Arts du Cirque, the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria, and a secret monastery in the Mountains of China. But Sweet doesn‟t stop at technical excellence. Committed to creating unique and engaging theatre, he incorporates character work, clowning and heart into every performance. The Plant Ladies Roving Foliage Edmonton In a world where everything is rushed, why not stop and smell the flowers? Local actresses Andrea House and Davina Stewart are the Plant Ladies. Like Mary Poppins times two, these gorgeous blossoms will delight the wee ones with their traveling garden and witty repartee. PopEyed Hand Balancing Australia Polish your hammers and sharpen your sickles Edmonton, because those Soviet strongmen, PopEyed are coming. With abs of steel and more gold medals than you can poke an iron curtain at, these hand balancing masters of equilibrium will have you see-sawing from fits of laughter to gasps at their amzing acrobatics. (WARNING: PopEyed take full responsibility for your jaw hitting the floor.) Pretzel Balloon Artist Edmonton Let Pretzel lead you on a balloon animal safari with his "airray" of "airtistic" creations. From intricate balloon animals to large-scale balloon installations, Stephen Dubetz–The Kingpin of the Balloon Gang–is back at StreetFest to deprive himself of oxygen for your amusement. Hyperventilation has never been so entertaining. Rob Williams Clown USA Rob Williams is like David Spade meets Penn and Teller. One man, snarky comments, and tricks that will make you laugh or look away depending on how you were raised. After many years touring the world with one of the best damn shows ever, The Flaming Idiots, Rob is now back with some strange tricks of his own. In a routine he performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and with which he made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, Rob will make a baloney sandwich using only his feet, and a volunteer from the audience will happily eat the world‟s only foot sandwich. Show Me Yours Variety Talent Show Calgary Mooky and Cory Mack are two comedians wanting to share the spotlight. In “Show Me Yours”, these two outrageously witty women host a talent show filled with audience members eager to
show off their own strange talents and tricks. Got something to “show off”? You‟ll have the chance to sign up ahead of time…or participate in some of the duo‟s more spontaneous requests. No two shows are alike…but every show will be sure to bring in the laughs. Silver Elvis Mime Toronto Head to toe in silver, in his holographic suit and silver hair, Peter Jarvis is the robotic movin‟ Elvis and is “so cool it hurts”. Get down and groove with “The King” as he returns to StreetFest. The Silly People Free-Style Comedians Kitchener/Waterloo Phil LeConte and Colin Franks are two guys from Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario who have a flair for “silliness”. They have been performing for over ten years and have worked in 11 different countries. With a perfect blend of quick wit, slapstick and random useless skills they create “freestyle comedy.” Balloons, juggling, circus skills, bubble-gum and a fire stunts…who could ask for anything more? And now you can learn The Silly People‟s tricks-of-the-trade at their exciting juggling, diabolo and spinning plate workshops. Improve your coordination and concentration as you learn to juggle up to five balls at a time. Then, practice the art of balance and timing as you learn to master the diabolo, a juggling tool that is also known as the Chinese yo-yo. Check out all of this and more at the “Be Your Own Busker” venue. Wheels in Motion German Wheel Morin Heights Martin and Dominique come together with 20 years experience to create a show with the perfect balance of skill and British comedy. This original blend offers a show never seen before on the streets. Dominique is one of the few female German Wheel artists in the world. Martin isn't. Dominique is beautiful and Martin...well you know. This combination makes this show a joy to watch and an original every time. Both have toured the world extensively performing at the most exclusive venues, festivals and galas. They have recently toured with Cirque Du Soleil and have opened North America's first Gymnastic Wheel Club: "Sur Sauts" in their home town of Morin Heights, Quebec. ZuZu the Clown Roving Clown Characters Edmonton A rainbow in a red nose, she lives in the moment with no past or future - constantly changing. From colourful ZuZu the clown to Mrs. Collywobbles the Cockney cleaning lady, local actress Jan Streader enchants children and charms adults with her gentle whimsy and wild enthusiasm. Catch her colourful antics on the Square at StreetFest 2007.