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Laugh, cry, groove at Chutzpah! Festival's 15th Anniversary

Awe-inspiring dance, insightful theatre, first-rate hilarious comedy and engaging music highlight the Chutzpah! Festival’s 15th Anniversary from February 19 to March 15. And Chutzpah! Plus March 26 – 28 and May 2!  

See video
Chutzpah! 2015 Festival Trailer

Over the course of almost one month, the city will overflow with a wide range of performances, spread over six Vancouver venues, including the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre, Red Room Ultra Bar, Electric Owl, Scotiabank Dance Centre, Wosk Auditorium at the JCC, and The Imperial.

Chutzpah!’s programming kicks off at the Red Room Ultra Bar with Israel’s Maria Kong in their North American premiere of BACKSTAGE, a multiple art experience that combines dance, a live rock band, theatre, video and interactive media technology. Dance continues throughout the festival with Vancouver’s own multi-faceted, award-winning choreographer/dancer Shay Kuebler, co-founder of the 605Collective, in his world premiere of GLORY performing with his stunning ensemble of six talented dancers; 2015/2016 international resident dance company BODYTRAFFIC returns to the festival with four Canadian premieres by renowned choreographers Kyle Abraham, Victor Quijada, Joshua L. Peugh and Chutzpah! favourite Richard Siegal'Namgis T'sasala Cultural Group from Alert Bay bring their traditional Kwakwaka'wakw dances for the first time to Chutzpah!; Idan Sharabi & Dancers (Israel) are back by popular demand with a much anticipated two part full-length work, and opening the evening is Vancouver’s Vanessa Goodman with a world premiere featuring some of Vancouver’s top dancers; and as part of Chutzpah! Plus, BC choreographer, performer, writer, painter Serge Bennethan’s world premiere of Monsieur Auburtin, co-presented with The Dance Centre. 

Internationally-celebrated music gets underway with “Israel’s top reggae band” Zvuloon Dub System, whose sound seamlessly fuses influences from a variety of music styles – Ethiopian jazz, rare grooves from the 70s, American soul, funk and jazz (Israel). Opening for Zvuloon Dub System is Brooklyn’s up-and-coming band Twin Wave – hailed by critics as a supremely clever combination of psych-pop, rock and soul; in their Vancouver premiere, the eclectic Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird with their accordion charged unique Klezmer mix of punk, folk,  and cabaret (Germany); a world premiere by Paul Alexander with the Borealis String Quartet, Eric Wilson and Boris Sichon (BC); returning after their exhilarating  sold-out performance at the 2010 Festival, the incomparable Les Yeux Noirs (France), co-presented with Caravan World Rhythms; the distinctive Diwan Saz, a multicultural Jewish, Muslim, Bedouin, Arab group of world musicians performing ancient music from Central Asia, Turkey, Persia, and the Holy Land; and Chutzpah!PLUS’ music concert featuring  singer-songwriter sensation, Ester Rada blending Ethiopian-Jazz, Urban-funk, Neo-Soul and R&B (Israel). 

Chutzpah!’s comedy and theatre lineup is always at its best. Comedian, actor, writer Wendy Hammers performs RIPE , described by The Examiner as contagious, refreshing and timeless(USA); You’re Funny, But You Don’t Look Jewish featuring three hilarious South Asian, Italian and Vietnamese American-Jewish comedians (USA);Kafka and Son  - adapted from Franz Kafka’s Letter to His Father, performed by the remarkable Alon Nashman (ON); physical theatre in the round, MARATHON, a soul-searching metaphor on the Israeli lifestyle (Israel); and a multi-show run of emerging Canadian playwright Tamara Micner’s What You’re Missing directed by John Cooper (BC).

For more information and tickets visit www.chutzpahfestival.com or call 604-257-5145

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