News

• February 3, 2009
  Cowichan River Paint Splash
  

  Summer fun along the banks of the Cowichan River

  Saturday, August 15, 2009
  10:30am - 4:30pm
  Cowichan Valley, Duncan, BC

  

  This is our second annual PAINT SPLASH.

  What is it? It is a chance to hone your painting skills or for first timers a great way to learn to paint at reasonable cost under the guidance of painting instructor Kate Carson. Kate and Michelle Miller opened their art school last year and Kate is on board with the "Paint Splash" once again for this year’s fun. All inclusive: paints, easel, brushes, that to which paint upon. On the grass under a huge tent (so as not to burn our sensitive skin), a stone’s throw from the Cowichan River (to dip in at our leisure). With sit down lunch and vino! If this is something you are interested in please send us an email or call Lori at 250-360-2596.

  “What a magnificent and inspirational day of fun and laughter. It was the highlight of my summer!!! We picniced on scumptious food, drank champagne and wine, ate chocolate, dipped in the crystal clear Cowichan river to cool off from the summer’s heat, drew and painted using the beautiful setting as our inspiration. Thank you, Lori, for the fabulous fun-filled day on the Cowichan River.” — Kate Carson, 2008 Cowichan River art workshop participant

  “Lori has the rare talent of being able to combine the right amount of preparation, inventiveness, style, insight and spontaneity to bring out people’s purest selves. The magic and dynamic energy present at Lori’s productions take each event somewhere truly original.

  I’ve attended two Stage Mother productions. The first, an unforgettable women’s retreat — I met incredible women, and together we shared and created a day and night of pure fun, laughter and excitement. The second event, a day of painting, great food, sunshine and swimming along the Cowichan River. It was a wonderful group and a beautiful location!

  With Lori at the helm, you never know what’s going to transpire, but I can assure you, it will be one hell of a journey—always fun, engaging, memorable and best of all… authentic. She’s the real thing, and I look forward to the next event!” — Christi Howes, Editor

• January 24, 2008
  Calling All Kids! 6-week arts workshop
  
  • Paint. Act. Teach. Sing. Play. Sweat. Write. Learn.
  • Stage Mother presents six weeks of fun and activity for kids ages 5 - 15 years.
  • You bring clothes to move in and a blanket, Stage Mother provides inspiration and all materials.
  • Dates:
    April 15 • 6-7:30
    April 23 • 6-7:30
    April 29 & 30 • 6-7:30
    May 6 & 7 • 6-7:30
  • Location: Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad Street
  • Cost: $25
  • Register now:
    Amanda 250-380-1280 or Lori Shreenan 250-360-2596

  Lori is the best teacher I have ever had. — Stanley Visheck (5 years)

  I loved doing the skits! Oh! and I liked the treats. — Tyler Taporowski (10 years)

  I want to do that again! — Eugenie Visheck (12 years)

• October 28, 2007
  24 Hour Play Project: When all else fails, try bribery
  
  • Producer/hairstylist Lori Shreenan has discovered the best way to enlist participants for her 24 Hour Play Project. Bribery.
  • Many of Victoria's arty types patronize her funky Pandora Avenue flat, where Shreenan operates a tiny hair-dressing salon complete with 1950s-style beehive hair-dryer.
  • "So I'll say, 'Do you want a good haircut, or a great haircut,' " said Shreenan. Those opting for the latter must declare their willingness to participate in the 24 Hour Play Project, as an actor, director, writer, designer or musician.
  • Here's how the annual event works: About 35 participants initially meet 24 hours before show-time. Overnight, writers create a 15-minute playlet inspired by phrases randomly selected from a hat (this year's collection was culled by Shreenan, who interviewed Fan Tan Alley merchants and asked for commonly overheard sentences).
  • At 9 a.m. today the plays are handed over to directors, who then rehearse them for the 8 p.m. curtain.
  • The idea was originally exported from New York City to Victoria by Theatre SKAM in 1997. When the theatre company lost interest seven years ago, Shreenan took over as producer.
  • "I thought it was a blast," said Shreenan, who has also acted and directed for 24 Hour Play Project. Despite the pressure-cooker deadline -- or perhaps because of it -- many of the mini-productions are high quality, she insists.
  • One of her favourites was about a man and woman who were "thrown on stage" naked. They rendezvoused at a bowl of water representing a lake and clad themselves in pieces of fabric. And then they danced about.
  • "It was beautiful," Shreenan said.
  • The four playwrights enlisted this year are author Ross Crockford, Victoria film commissioner Rod Hardy, writer Clint Hutzulak and Belfry Theatre artistic associate Erin Macklem. Crockford, a first-timer, agreed to join out of curiosity. He has never had a play performed -- the last one he wrote was in junior high.
  • "It was terrible," he said. "It was like an airplane hijacking or something."
  • One of this year's actors, Lynda Raino, has participated several times in the past. She loves the randomness and excitement of the 24 Hour Play Project. One of her favourite plays was about people in a plane crash who don't immediately realize they have all died.
  • "It's like, oh my God, here's our story," said Raino. "You're hearing it for the first time. It's gruelling and intense, but extremely exhilarating."
  • Shreenan says her passion for the 24 Hour Play Project likely stems from a childhood penchant for performing. As well, theatre might be in her genes. She recently discovered her grandmother's cousin was Robert Coote, the English actor who played Col. Pickering in the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.
  • "The shows [in the 24 Hour Play Project] are amazing," added Shreenan. "I'm not kidding. It's some of the best theatre I've ever seen."
  • — © 2007 Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist (Victoria)
    
• October 26, 2007
  24 hours to play with on stage
  
  • Saturday night should be an interesting time for a few local authors, and it’s got nothing to do with Halloween.
  • The 24 Hour Play project will hit the Victoria Event Centre Sunday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. The Fan Tan Alley Merchants inspired edition will see local author Ross Crockford, B.C. Film Commissioner Rod Hardie, award-winning writer Clint Hutzulak and the Belfry’s Erin Macklen writing a script for a play taking the stage the next day.
  • The writers have until 8 a.m. the next day when the scripts are then passed onto four teams of actors, a set designer, a director and musical consultant. Later that night the plays will make their hasty debuts. Hardie said organizer Lori Shreenan of Stage Mother Productions is the real brains behind the show
  • “I’ve known Lori for a long time,” said Hardie. “She’s got such vast experience as an actress, singer, performer and director plus she is the most naturally enthusiastic person I know. Her positive attitude towards the arts in Victoria is contagious. The 24 Hour Play project is the perfect way to showcase the incredible pool of talent at our fingertips.”
  • Actors taking part are Gina Macintosh, Lynda Raino, John Boehme, Kim Tuson, Paul Belanger, Michael Gouge, Heather Magdanz, Lori Shreenan and Diana Neilson.
  • Set designers are restaurateur Peter Zambrie, luthier Brock Radelet, architect John Shields and documentary filmmakers Caroline Chamberlayne and Simon Game. Directors are Vancouver’s Danniella Sorenntino, Intrepid Theatre’s Nathan Med, artist Ariel O’Sullivan and Sean Cowie.
  • Musicians on stand-by are Craig Vishek, Clay George and Hank Pine.
  — © 2007 Patrick Blennerhassett, Saanich News
• October 24, 2007
  Lori Shreenan: Producer, Performer, Singer, Hairstylist To The Island's Stars Maven Behind The 24 Hour Play Project
  
  • She need not go further than her barber chair to capture the attention of some of Victoria's finest artists. Lori Shreenan has been crowned "hairstylist to the stars". When she has a bright idea she often dips into her client pool for some pretty hefty talent.
  • How does she get them all to go for it? Well she says, flashing her shears and laughing " I say — do you want a good haircut or a great haircut." More often than not they take the chippy clipper's ability to put her finger on the coolest project of the moment and say "yes".
  • This is Shreenan's seventh year producing the popular Play Project. Right from the start she felt something was missing. Something the talent pool in Victoria could add to the concept, which first sprang up in New York City.
  • In that first year she introduced two new components to the mix, set design and music. "This unique addition intensifies the challenge and makes for a more interesting and visually excited audience" she observed.
  • This year's set designers Peter Zambri, John Shields, Carolyn Chamberlayne, Brock Radelet and Simon Game are all first timers. They will have to decide whether or not to go it alone, each being responsible for one play — or hook up as a team and apply their talents to all four plays. The set design component to the 24 Hour Play Project is like a crazy scavenger hunt. They have to beg borrow or steal and have only five hours to get sets together.
  • The musical aspect is not always used with the exception of one stalwart participant, Clint Hutzulak. "I believe Clint has gone the extra mile and had music composed for three of the seven plays he has penned" said Lori.
  • Never the less, there have always been magnanimous musicians on standby and always will be, if Shreenan cuts their hair, that is.
  • This year's inspirations are from local Fan Tan Alley business owners. Living in Chinatown, Shreenan went to her neighbours and asked 'What are some things you hear over and over again?"
  • They all wrote down phrases and stories. Some turned out to be common experiences. These were the ones chosen to provide the theme.
  • We can't tell you what they are. Writers Ross Crockford, Clint Hutzulak, Erin Macklin and Rod Hardie do not see the inspiration for their plays until the night before at the stroke of 11 pm. They then must write all night and produce a script for a 20 minute play in 8 hours.
  • The following morning October 28 at 9 am the fresh new plays are then passed on to four directors, Ariel O'Sullivan, Danniella Sorentino, Nathan Med and Sean Cowie and to the actors, Paul Belanger, Justin Carter, Pam Tobin, Diana Nielson, Kim Tuson, Lori Shreenan, Heather Magdanz, Mathew Payne, Laura Harris, Barbara Poggemiller, Micheal Gouge, Lynda Raino, Ryan Levis, John Boehme and Gina Mackintosh.
  • They rehearse all day until about an hour before the show. "A community has pooled its resources to bring the written word to life through unpredictable mediums, blind faith and very little time. To witness the result of such hard work and ingenuity is an inspiration", said Shreenan.
  • This energetic gal has a lot more up her sleeve and says the Play Project is just the tip of her iceberg of creative ideas to entertain Victorians.
  • She started StageMother three years ago and uses the template of the Play Project as the backbone for the company. "Basically, I saw the fear and then the joy people felt after having done the Play Project. It is like jumping out of a plane. It is quite the challenge and it takes guts to put yourself out there. I created StageMother to give everyone with a good sense of fun and not a lot of time an opportunity to experience the fear of flying with like minded people, and to reap the rewards of being truly creative and applauded for their efforts".
  • — © 2007 Joan Athey

About Lori Shreenan

she loves to sing travel and eat
produce play projects and go on retreat
she has realized her mission
to inspire dreams to fruition
she will give you a nudge
but only when is needed
unleash that potential and feed it
she will motivate and ignite
that fearless light
she promises not to smother
but after all she is Stage Mother
fueling your fun cells is her reality
to set the scene to your toatality

Lori's compiled life experience:
HB Actors Studio NYC
Wellness facilitator
Youth and Society Research Project, UVic
Owner and operator of SWANK (a hair shop)
Hospitality industry at home and internationally

Producer and Vocalist:
24 Hour Play Project
Mowtown In Your Town
Led Zepplin Tribute
CCR Revival
Ladies of Rock
Founder of Stage Mother: eat, drink, live

Lori Shreenan was born on beautiful Vancouver Island B.C.
"A True Island Girl"