The Pearl Company

NEVERMORE: Dates: October 20 to 22 / 27 to 29 / and 31. Ticket price: $17. Doors 7:30pm, Show 8:00. Prepare to be thrilled, frightened, and enveloped by Nevermore, bringing audiences into the world of Edgar Allan Poe.  Based on some of Poe’s best scary stories, Nevermore is a theatrical way to celebrate Hallowe’en with a taste of the macabre… Created and Performed by: Cady Allen, Peter Gruner, and Ryan M. Sero, (Artistic Director, theatre artist: actor and writer). Produced by Make Art Theatre, an independent theatre company founded in, and based out of Hamilton Ontario. Founded in 2010 with the idea of producing works they would want to see on stage, they have evolved into a company that produces plays they believe their audience too will enjoy.  Plays to make you think and laugh; plays good for both the heart and mind. https://www.facebook.com/make.art.theatre/

Nara Farrell: 7 Weeks, 7 Chakras: $60.00 for 7 weeks. Starting September 6th. 7pm to 9:00. The inimitable Nara Farrell brings her own class to the stage, designed to blend together the energetic system of the body’s Chakras and the beautiful world of comedy. You may know Nara as part of the wildly funny comedy duo Erin and Nara but now she’s showing us another side!  Nara: “We will be looking at what comedy can do to help us see ourselves in a different light. 7 weeks, 7 Chakras. The idea? To unblock something. Or not. To have fun with yourself and have a good laugh using the tools of music, improv, character voices, costumes, and writing, to name but a few. We’ll be going from the ROOT to the CROWN and you’ll find new ways to enjoy YOU. Please join us.”

Amor Flamenco – An exploration of the heart: Saturday, October 15. Doors: 7:30 / 8pm start. $25 /$20 students/seniors/un(der)waged Join this troupe of talented flamenco artists as they take you on an emotional journey through the many facets of love, from mysterious strangers and budding romance, to moonlit encounters, raw emotion, heartbreak, and grief.  Amor Flamenco is a dynamic new production of flamenco dance and music, one of the world’s most passionate and complex art forms. The 7 member cast of dancers and musicians explore traditional and contemporary elements of flamenco’s explosive rhythms, percussive footwork, emotional dance, and spell binding music.
Cast: Angela Déiseach (co-artistic director, co-producer; dance), Larissa Vingilis-Jaremko (co-artistic director, co-producer; dance), Kiyo Asaoka (dance), Amilia Cervantes (violin) James Cosman (guitar), Shirlita Pili (voice), Gina Tantalo (voice). lalaflamenco.com

The Naked Ballerina: A three week series of dance, theatre, and music!
Two shows per night throughout. All shows start at 8:00pm. $20 /$15 students/seniors/un(der)waged.

Naked Ballerina: Sarah Murphy-Dyson: Every night throughout this impromptu run! “Discover the darkness behind the curtain, as the former Royal Winnipeg Ballet first soloist & Gemini Award winner brings you backstage into her world of blood, sweat and secrets. Illusions of perfection onstage and off are shattered as she seeks the courage to expose her truth to herself and the world.” Glenn Sumi, Now Magazine   “…a heartbreaking performance in this almost autobiographical story of a dancer coming to terms with the pain of being perfect. Murphy-Dyson’s script was compelling stuff and her stunning performance rocked The Pearl Company nightly.” Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator. What more is there to say?  The two quotes above say it all. This fabulously compelling story is an audience favourite and was named one of the top shows of 2015.

Back from the Brink: Aaron Berger: Friday, October 7. 8:00pm. $15 / $10 students/ seniors/ un(der)waged. Sharing stories can change the way we see and experience ourselves, others and the world. “Back from the Brink” is a play that tells the true life story of award winning speaker, Berger’s, healing journey back from a failed suicide attempt at the brink of Niagara Falls. Making peace with the past, singer/songwriter and actor, Berger is following his dream of inspiring others to see their interconnectedness. Link to video of personal story and this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYQY_8JyEic
Followed by Aaron Berger & The Blue Stars: “I think music is a way of life…. It colours and shapes the experiences of my life every day. I believe music has the power to open doors into the heart of the universe and that my songs are prayers for peace and understanding.”  The Blue Stars are: Aaron Berger, James Gizzie, Johnny Albers, Matthew James, Nathaniel Goold, T.J. Rogers… and you!  Aaron’s music is available to listen to and download here: www.aaronberger.bandcamp.com

Murphy-Dyson/Santucci: Pas de Deux: September 24, 30. October 1, 8.  An exceptional blend of choreography and improvisation from two major talents in their fields. Gary Santucci plays his original compositions for solo guitar; Sarah Murphy-Dyson dances. Sarah is known for both her dancing and acting chops! Gary Santucci (Flamenco, Classical & Jazz Guitar Artist) has become a consummate musician whose repertoire spans numerous genres. Among his awards is Best Classical Musician 1982 [Hamilton Wentworth Council of the Arts],  The City of Hamilton Arts Award for Music 2004, and together with Barbara Milne, The City of Hamilton Arts Award 2008 for Lifetime Achievement.  Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzKBk4LxbRU

Hammer Hoppers Presents: The Jump 5 Dance Band w BIG RUDE JAKE: Wednesday, September 14. Doors: 7:00/Lesson: 7:30/Show: 8:00. $15 / $10 with a MacSwing membership card…  Jake Hiebert (aka Big Rude Jake) is a lyricist, songwriter, singer, musician, bandleader and history buff with a diverse array of musical influences. Currently based in Hamilton, Ontario, Jake started in the mid 1990’s by forming a band that combined traditional jazz, jump blues, rockabilly, and punk. Since then he has toured Europe and the United States sharing his characteristic music and lyrics. Join us on the dance floor as we welcome The Jump 5 Dance Band ft BIG RUDE JAKE to get our dance year started off right. The Theme: Black and White (Back in Black). Hammer Hoppers offers dance instruction and socials for vintage swing dances, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Authentic Jazz, and Balboa.
7:30-8:00PM: Drop-In Beginner Lesson
8:00-11:00PM: The Jump 5 Dance Band w BIG RUDE JAKE
Listen to Jake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa1PBha7scs

Festitalia & The Pearl Company Present: Festa Della Chitarra. Friday, September 9.  Doors open 7:00 – Show @ 8:00 – 10:00 PM. Tickets 25.00. Performance at LiUNA Station.  Music of the golden age of Italian classical guitar.  Neapolitan favourites and popular classics spiced  with the passion of Flamenco.
The Gary Santucci Trio & musical guests:
Emanuela Hall – Flamenco Dance
Kaz Simaitis – Guitar
Jordan Abraham – Accordion
Tom Bigas – Percussion
Kirk Harber – Voice & Guitar
Tickets 25.00 Available for purchase at LiUNA Station, by calling.905 525 2410 or on- line at the Pearl Company www.thepearlcompany.ca   For more information call 905 524 0606.

FIN DE FIESTA FLAMENCO: AUDACIA: Saturday, August 27. 8:00pm. $20 /$15 students/seniors/un(der)waged. Direct from Seville, Spain: Fin de Fiesta Flamenco dance and music ensemble presents AUDACIA, a bold new production that explores the many sides of one of the world’s most passionate and intense art forms: flamenco. Though they come from different continents, Fin de Fiesta Flamenco’s core members make their home base in Seville Spain while calling the world home, and collaborating with artists from all over the planet. Flamenco’s gypsy roots in Andalusia are echoed in their vagabond life, “We’ve chosen to live a life of movement… following the dance and the music where it takes us,” says guitarist Dennis Duffin. Ancient rhythms meet avant-garde ideas and converge in an explosion of staccato guitar, haunting flute, stunning vocals and percussive footwork. To the south of Spain and back again, AUDACIA will leave you breathless, with the pulsing rhythms of flamenco beating in your heart. Fin de Fiesta Flamenco is Lia Grainger (artistic director, dance), Dennis Duffin (musical director, guitar), Lara Wong (flute), Alejandro Mendía (voice), Davide Sampaulo (percussion, for select performances) and Jessica Hana Deutsch (violin, for select performances). www.findefiestaflamenco.com  Fin de Fiesta Flamenco in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n12IrFQCoCM

(more…)

Bob Wegner – One Man Show: Saturday, August 13. Doors: 7:30. Show:
8:00 pm. $20.  Bob Wegner is a seasoned performer, songwriter, and composer. Career highlights include playing with Classic Albums Live, performing on Canadian Idol, and playing in several productions of the west end musical ‘We Will Rock You’ after auditioning for Queen’s Brian May. He also performs as a solo artist, with an extensive repertoire ranging from Indian classical music to Bach to flamenco, as well as many of his own compositions covering a broad range of genres. Bob’s one-man show is an evening of both great music and storytelling. This is a unique chance to catch this master at his best! http://www.bobwegner.ca     Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkonqO5LHXY

Staycation Shorts! Wednesday, August 17 – Saturday, 20. all@8:00. $20/$15 students/seniors/un(der)waged. Theatrical Tidbits for We Who Stay!  Six super cool shorts for maximum summer entertainment. All 6 plays performed each night.
“For Daw’s to Peck At”: from Make.Art.Theatre: “Ben has been promoted and given his first task in his new position: fire his oldest friend James.”  Written by: Ryan M. Sero. Directed by: Annalee Flint. Featuring: Tyler Brent & Sean Emberley.
Charly Chiarelli: Only the gods and goddesses know what I will contribute. But it will surely reflect a scintillating aspect of human experience – and there will be musical adornment. I’m toying with the subject of sanity. It would be crazy for folks to miss this event, replete with committed performers (or performers who should be committed).
Brenda Lennie: Respected local stand-up comedian, Brenda Lennie, shares her “Vacation Photo Album”, ably assisted by Jim Maxwell. Brenda’s known for her Wham Bam Comedy Jams and workshops.
Greg Moverley: The Audition. The Audition takes Shakespeare’s thoughts that “all the world’s a stage” to lofty heights as we get a behind the scenes look at an actor auditioning for the role of a lifetime.
Tony Di Casa: Dark Angels: Dark Angels is a dark, existential comedy that serves as a metaphor for life. It poses the ultimate questions that encapsulate the human experience. Written and directed by Tony DiCasa. The cast members are Victoria Kyoko, Olivia Prunean, Sarah Leach, and Tony DiCasa.
Gary Santucci: A Citizen’s Arrest. Based on a true story from early days at The Pearl.  Street Justice “of a kind” delivered by the Long Flowing Grey Haired Vigilante….

Henry Wagons: Friday, August 12. 8pm. $20/$15 students/seniors/ un(der)waged. Henry Wagons is an Australian singer/songwriter, musician, radio & TV personality and frontman of the critically acclaimed, raucous country-rockers, Wagons who have released six albums in Australia, and made their U.S. debut with 2011’s Rumble, Shake and Tumble. Henry is a true renaissance man, a charismatic raconteur, and an experienced broadcaster, having presented arts programs on every medium possible. The hirsute Melbourne singer-songwriter, is a showman with an eccentrically curated public identity: fan of psychedelic country sounds, Cormac McCarthy novels, and Las Vegas-era Elvis Presley, user of a gold-plated smartphone, and possessor of a larger-than-life personality. For 2016’s full-length solo debut After What I Did Last Night…, Henry Wagons traveled to Nashville to work with producer Skylar Wilson and some of the city’s most respected Americana musicians.   Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unrf_ffCN_4    http://www.wagonsmusic.com/

Big Johnny Blue & Strange Cargo: Saturday, August 6. 8:00pm, $15 / $10 students/seniors/wage-challenged….  Like the blues?  You’ll love them Big Johnny Blue style.  Big Johnny’s a Hamilton guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and founding member of The Hamilton Blues Society. He has written hundreds of songs, and played with countless local musicians over the years. He is committed to supporting local music and musicians, especially by supporting efforts to tell the story of Hamilton’s blues history, and the power of music to improve the life of every man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE8p_zRZeIs&index=1&list=PLB3320D903F7A1FCE        https://www.facebook.com/bigjohnnyblueandstrangecargo/

Garnet Rogers: Book Launch: Night Drive, An Evening of Music and Remembrance: Friday, August 5. Book Launch: 7 to 8:00pm – free. Concert: 8:30. $20 Admission/$10 if you have bought a book: “A brilliant songwriter. One of the major talents of our time.” — The Boston Globe  “The greatest interpreter and vocalist performing in the contemporary folk scene.” — Sing Out.  We know this, and we know that he was born in Hamilton to parents of Nova Scotian descent.  We also know that Garnet spent hours harmonizing with his brother, the late folk legend Stan Rogers and was on the road as a full-time working musician with Stan, until he died tragically in a plane crash. Since then, Garnet has established himself as a formidable solo artist. Now he has written about the journey.
NIGHT DRIVE – TRAVELS WITH MY BROTHER
“So, here it is folks. Stories about how Stan and I grew up together, discovered music together, and learned to play in a band and travel together. How the songs got written and recorded. What life was like on the road before there was an independent music scene.
And nearly every stupid, inexplicable and bizarre thing that could happen to a pair of young idiots who were naive enough to think they could play folk music for a living back in the mid- 70’s and early 80’s. The bar fights and the bike gangs, the police chases and the arrests. And a thousand gigs in every corner of North America. It’s all here. At least most of it…”
http://garnetrogers.com/    Listen:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHyTxGwAdnk

(more…)

Irinéa Maria Ribeiro with Luanda Jones! CANCELLED! Saturday, July 23. Door 7:30pm; Concert 8:00. $20/$15 students/seniors/un(der)waged. The music of Rio native, fixture in the Brazilian music scene, songwriter, producer, music director, guitarist, artistic director, and guitar and vocal teacher Irinéa Maria Ribeiro has been recorded by an enviable collection of influential artists and musicians. Now, Irinéa Maria launches an album, 55 years of a Song, where she shows us the different paths her songwriting has taken through her 55 ­year career, in this special concert with her daughter, well-known singer and Toronto resident Luanda Jones.  “This album, Lições de Vida ­ 55 ANOS  de Canções, is like a present to myself, being the first full ­length album that I have written and  performed myself in my 55­ year career. My songs.  My voice. I sat down with all of the amazing people involved and chose a diverse repertoire that touches on blues, samba, waltz, march, and bossa nova….” ( Rio de Janeiro, Brazil­  March 15th, 2016)
Emerging Brazilian singer/songwriter Luanda Jones has been captivating audiences for over a decade with her unique blend of suave, jazz inflected vocals and stylized guitar harmonies. Luanda colours the expansive, encyclopedic sonic shades of her cherished South American influences with an unforgettable vocal charm and entirely welcoming onstage personality. https://www.facebook.com/Irinéa­MRibeiro­126736297341377/  YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSL_SFhpK6E http://www.luandajones.com/

“Spirit of the Narrows”: One woman’s journey into the world of Aboriginal fiddling.: July 7 to 10 / 14 to 16. Seven performances only. $20/$15 Seniors/Students/Un(der)waged. All shows @8, July 10 Matinee @2:00.  This fascinating voyage is created and written by internationally respected, award-winning fiddler, Anne Lederman, and performed by Anne and Capucine Onn, As a young musician, Anne became fascinated with the unusual sound of Métis and First Nations fiddling in her home province of Manitoba.
Her journey to learn more introduced her to fiddlers such as Carl Grexton, Emile Spence, Teddy Boy Houle, and a host of others. Entering a world very different from her own, the play is her journey – from present to past, from one culture to another, also from one state of mind to another. It is the story of a uniquely Canadian music, of the people who created it, and who, against all odds, continue to play it. It embodies Ojibwa, Cree, Scottish, French, English, American, and Eastern European traditions, all played on a small box with four strings.
Anne has performed a solo version of the show from Wells B.C. to Aberdeen, Scotland, in theatres, classrooms, folk clubs, and Church basements. In 2004, the Blyth Festival invited her to adapt it to a two-person theatrical experience, which did so well they brought it back for a second season on 2005. The Pearl Company is delighted to present the show again in Hamilton. http://www.annelederman.com/

LYY: Wednesday, July 6, 8:00pm. $20 / $15 students/ seniors/ un(der)waged: Lyy is a Swedish band playing “Swedish folk music that will soothe your mind, captivate your heart, and rock your socks off!” With great voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle), guitar and percussion Lyy performs shows characterized by playful communication, heavy grooves, joy and humour. “A Lyy concert is the complete entertainment experience. They play beautiful traditional music, poke fun at themselves, and make friends in the process.” Tim O’Brien (USA)
Lyy’s repertoire consists of traditional music and self-penned material with a swinging flow, beautiful love songs, medieval ballads, and comical stories in a highly entertaining show; all arrangements performed with energy, precision and humour.
Lyy was formed in 2006 and their third album will be released in January 2016. Baltic Briefing chose the first album as “Best CD of the year” and Lyy has been nominated for the Swedish Folk music awards