Harbourfront Centre: Media Release

TORONTO, July 6, 2006 - Harbourfront Centre is taking care of business and working overtime in order to shine the spotlight on Winnipeg's wonderful arts community - lauded worldwide for its unique perspective and accomplished works!

From the surburban streets that spawned The Guess Who, Guy Maddin and The Royal Art Lodge.... Great-West Life: From the Peg (July 28 to July 30) presents a free weekend of amazing Winnipeg artists in music, dance, film, visual arts and more! For more festival information the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Great-West Life: From the Peg festival artists have received generous financial support from organizations like the Manitoba Arts Council (www.artscouncil.mb.ca), the Winnipeg Arts Council (www.winnipegarts.ca) and the Great-West Life Assurance Company.

MUSIC - Some of the city's best Rock and Urban artists converge onto the site at outdoor and indoor concerts. On Friday July 28 the festival begins with nationally known funksters Moses Mayes and internationally acclaimed Celtic Folksters The Duhks (2006 Juno Award winners). Friday concludes with a late night peformance by avant-Folk chamber Popstress Christine Fellows. Saturday July 29 begins with innovative Aboriginal Blues Rock by Eagle & Hawk soon followed by the Prarie Soul Collective and later by the dynamic Mood Ruff hip-hop duo! Saturday evening Rocks out Indie style with concerts by The Waking Eyes and icons The Weakerthans. No Winnipeg gathering would be complete without an infamous late night Winnipeg Social (featuring DJ OL' Dutch and The Wheatfield Souldiers playing classic Peg City tunes)!

Classical MUSIC and DANCE: Internationally acclaimed The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra make a very rare Toronto appearance at two concerts the afternoon of Sunday July 30. Founded in 1972 the orchestra has performed more than 300 concerts in Winnipeg and internationally as well as being regularly featured on CBC Radio. Joining the orchestra for the second performance at 4:30 p.m. are dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet performing The Leaves are Fading.

DANCE: Two of Winnipeg's best known dance companies perform. On July 29 & July 30 Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers (WCD) perform In a Different Light - an innovative work (choreographed by Sharon Moore) involving the audience interacting with musicians and dancers. On July 29 Royal Winnipeg Ballet primary dancers Tara Brithwhistle and Dmitri Dovgoselets perform the contemporary piece Belong. This classic award-winning pas de deux (choreography by Norbert Vesak) is a sensual, dramatic and intriguing work characterized by fluid, expressive movement.

FILM: The Winnipeg Film Group and Video Pool present four varied short film/video programmes over two days. Featuring 42 separate short works by 42 different filmmakers, these screenings highlight the central role the Winnipeg Film Group and Video Pool has played since 1974 in nurturing one of the world's most prolific and innovative film communities.

LITERARY: The Winnipeg International Writers Festival presents a selection of some of the diverse and talented writers who will appear on their stages this fall as part of their ten-year THIN AIR celebrations (Sept. 17 to 24). Join host Charlene Diehl (THIN AIR's artistic director, writer, editor, and performer) and Winnipeg-based authors Chandra Mayor (poet and editor), Ian Ross (playwright), and Margaret Sweatman (novelist, playwright, poet, and musician), as they read from their works on Saturday July 29, and discuss Winnipeg writers on Sunday July 30.

THEATRE and COMEDY: All day long on July 29 & 30 the Lesbian National Parks and Services insert a lesbian presence into the festival landscape. Since 1997 the uniformed Lesbian Rangers (Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan) have patrolled parklands in Canada, Australia, Japan and the U.S. challenging the general public’s ideas of tourism, recreation, and the “natural” environment. Equipped with informative brochures and well-researched knowledge, they are a visible homosexual presence in spaces where concepts of history and biology exclude all but a very few. This performance project has spawned the Handbook of The Junior Lesbian Ranger and the 270 page manual Lesbian National Parks and Services Field Guide to North America: Flora, Fauna and Survival Skills, a short film and a slide show that they will present at the festival.

Audiences will experience two performances over two days (July 29 & 30) of Open Prairie - an ambitious project (two guys perform 20 characters in an hour) that combines theatre, film and multimedia to give a unique perspective on the present farm situation in Canada today. First performed at the 2005 Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Open Prairie is written and performed by Dean Harder and David Dick. Improv comedy Winnipeg style will be performed by Merry's Men from The Gas Station Theatre at two one hour outdoor performances over two days (July 29 & 30).

VISUAL ARTS: The Urban Shaman Gallery presents contemporary Aboriginal Art from Manitoba. Featuring works from Shaun Morin, Roger Crait, Rosalie Favell, Ian August, K C Adams and Leah Fontaine. Curated by Steve Loft

All Great-West Life: From the Peg events are free admission and are located at 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Canada. For more information on the festival the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com

Harbourfront Centre Focus - The Power Of Place

Geography, history, memory all guide us as we struggle to find a sense of belonging and identity. They can direct us as clearly as a map or a compass. But does your heritage define you or does it make you part of a community? Do you belong to your neighbourhood or does it belong to you? What is your place in the world? Power of Place is part of an ongoing exploration of ideas-based programming at Harbourfront Centre, June through December 2006.

For more summer media information and festival releases visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com/wr/info/media.php

Media can also visit the Destination Winnipeg booth at the festival to receive a Winnipeg media package and learn more about all the exciting things happening in Winnipeg. Also visit their website at www.destinationwinnipeg.ca

Shane Gerard, 416-973-4655 or sgerard@harbourfrontcentre.com

Bill Bobek, 416-973-4428, wbobek@harbourfrontcentre.com

Wendy Vincent, 416-973-4518, wvincent@harbourfrontcentre.com

Literary Programme - Lindsey Love, 416-973-4147, llove@harbourfroncentre.com

Great-West Life: From the Peg

FREE complete event listings July 28 - 30, 2006

Friday, July 28, 2006

Visual Art – Urban Shaman Gallery presents an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal Art

(7 p.m. – 1 a.m. – Marilyn Brewer Community Space) Artist Website

Music – Moses Mayes (8 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage) Funked up hip-hop and soul.

Music – The Duhks - presented by Alexander Keiths (9:30 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage)

Winnipeg/Nashville band blends Irish fiddle tunes with diverse folk influences.

Music – Christine Fellows - Late Night Now - presented by Brahma (11 p.m. – Brigantine Room)

Winnipeg avant-folk Chamber-pop.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Performance Art – Lesbian Park Rangers followed by slideshow and lecture

(various times throughout the day – Ann Tindal Park, slideshow at 11 p.m. – Studio Theatre)

Visual Art – Urban Shaman Gallery presents an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal Art

(Noon – 12 a.m. – Marilyn Brewer Community Space)

Kids - Liliana De Irisarii facilitates a Bison Shadow Puppet kid's activity (1:00 p.m. - 5 p.m. – Kidzone Tent)

Film – Winnipeg Film Group/Video Pool - Program 1 Degraded Visions (1:30 p.m. – Studio Theatre)

Food – Natalie Hladun of Natalies Kitchen conducts a cooking class creating staples

of Manitoba cuisine – Perogies (2 p.m. – Lakeside Terrace Tent)

Music – Eagle and Hawk (2 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage)

Winnipeg modern blues rock with an Aboriginal spin.

Theatre –The Gas Station Theatre presents Merry’s Men (3 p.m. – Toronto Star Stage)

Film – Winnipeg Film Group/Video Pool – Program 2 Winnipeg Reality (3:30 p.m. – Studio Theatre)

Music – Prairie Soul Collective (3:30 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage)

Theatre – Open Prairie presented by InterVisceral Productions (4 p.m. – Brigantine Room) Artist Website

Literary – Winnipeg International Writers Festival (4:30 p.m. – Lakeside Terrace) Artist Website

Dance – Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (5 p.m. – Ann Tindal Park) Artist Website

Dance – Royal Winnipeg Ballet primary dancers Tara Brithwhistle and Dmitri Dovgoselets

perform contemporary dance piece Belong (6:30 p.m – Studio Theatre) Artist Website

Music – Mood Ruff (6:30 p.m. – Toronto Star Stage) Nationally known hip-hop duo. Artist Website

Music – The Waking Eyes (8 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage) Indie Rock Winnipeg style.

Music – The Weakerthans (9:30 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage) Artist Website

Winnipeg indie rock icons cross the boundaries of punk, alternative and rock genres. Artist Website

Music – Winnipeg Social # 9 featuring DJ OL' Dutch and The Wheatfield Souldiers

Late Night Now presented by Brahma (11 p.m. – Brigantine Room)

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Performance Art – Lesbian Park Rangers (various times throughout the day – Ann Tindal Park) Artist Website

Visual Art – Urban Shaman Gallery presents an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal Art

(1 p.m. – 6 p.m. – Marilyn Brewer Community Space) Artist Website Kids - Liliana De Irisarii facilitates a Bison Shadow Puppet kid's activity (1:00 p.m. - Kidzone Tent) Literary – Winnipeg International Writers Festival (2 p.m. – Lakeside Terrace) Artist Website

Theatre –The Gas Station Theatre presents Merry’s Men (2 p.m. – Toronto Star Stage) Artist Website

Theatre – Open Prairie presented by InterVisceral Productions (2 p.m. – Brigantine Room) Artist Website

Film – Winnipeg Film Group/Video Pool - Program 3 Where are We? (3 p.m. – Studio Theatre) - Website

Music – Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (3 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage) Artist Website

Food – Natalie Hladun of Natalies Kitchen conducts a cooking class creating staples

of Manitoba cuisine - Cabbage Rolls (3:30 p.m. – Lakeside Terrace Tent)

Music – Manitoba Chamber Orchestra with dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet performing

The Leaves are Fading (4:30 p.m. – Harbourfront Centre Concert Stage) - part of the Pepsi Concert Series

Film – Winnipeg Film Group/Video Pool – Program 4 Lost in Transcona (5 p.m. – Studio Theatre) - Website

Dance – Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (5:30 p.m. – Ann Tindal Park) Artist Website

World Cafe: July 28 to July 30

Vendors include: Mi Lindo; Four Seasons; Young Thailand; Jerk It Up; CoCo Banana;

Makkah; Shashlich; Churros Ricos Churros; One Love Corn; Tropical Food Hut

All Great-West Life: From the Peg events are free admission and are located at 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Canada. For more information on the festival the public can call 416-973-4000 or visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com