(exp)lore Podcast | Episode 8: The Overview Effect

(exp)lore

A DIGITAL AUDIO THEATRE EXPERIENCE

(exp)lore is a fiction anthology podcast to be enjoyed in the community while social distancing. These site-specific stories take an imaginative dive into the past and future of Calgary’s inner city. Each episode immerses the audience in a rich audio play while they explore the world through a new lens.

Episode 8: The Overview Effect

by Constantine X. Anastasakis

Adam had a hard enough time managing his anxiety during the pandemic-mandated lockdowns, but now, in the aftermath of the restrictions, he has found readjusting to be an equally overwhelming task. After a detour leads Adam into a strange encounter with Isaac—an enigmatic, albeit charming drifter—he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about human existence, the universe, and our place in it.

episode location:

Family of Man Statues, downtown, Calgary SE

You should be listening to this episode at the “Family of Man” statues, a public art piece in downtown Calgary. It is located at 515-577 1 St SE, Calgary, AB.

HINT: Stand among the giants.

Episode Personnel

Constantine X. Anastasakis is a Calgary-based actor, playwright, and director, holding a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing (‘14) and an MFA in Directing (‘19) from the University of Calgary. Selected Playwrighting Credits: Co-writer with Christine Brubaker on Henry G20 (Luminato, The Bentway); Imperfect Symmetry (Jupiter Theatre, staged reading), Opaque, All Roads Diverge (Search Tower Company); Quarantine (Peripheral Theatre Co.)

Andrew G. Cooper is a Canadian director, playwright, and now podcast creator and producer. As a director and theatre artist, Andrew’s focus is on the creation of new works with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary art and storytelling through non-verbal mediums such as movement, puppetry, mask, and stage combat. Andrew is the Artistic Producer of Jupiter Theatre in Calgary, Alberta and a lover of speculative fiction. They’re so excited to jump into the world of podcasts and explore this new medium.

Kyle is overjoyed to be part of this fantastic opportunity to combine his traditional community theatre experience over the last six years (principally with Morpheus Theatre in Calgary – Princess Ida, HMS Pinafore, Iolanthe, Pirates of Penzance) with his podcasting and voice acting experiences (Tavern Tales, Tavern Tales Junior, The Glass Appeal, Flight Risk, Fan Girls). Kyle is relatively new to the whole acting thing, but is always up for every challenge.

Constantine X. Anastasakis

Writer

Andrew G. Cooper

Director

Kyle Gould

Adam

Originally from Montreal, Valerie is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and has an MFA from the University of Alberta. She is an award-winning Actor, Director and Instructor with over 30 years’ experience on Stage and in Film and Television. In 2014 Valerie was awarded the Alberta Graduate Teaching Award from the University of Alberta and the Gina Wilkinson Prize from the Shaw Festival in 2015.

David is a resident actor, director and instructor with Rosebud Theatre and Rosebud School of the Arts. In the audio world he has voiced several video game characters and commercials. Favourite theatre roles include: Daddy Murphy in Bright Star, Toad and Dragon in A Wind in the Willows Christmas, the title role in Macbeth (Chemainus Theatre Festival); Octavius Caesar in Antony and Cleopatra and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival).

Valerie Planche
Urulsa

David Snider

Isaac

Project Personnel

Andrew G. Cooper

Skylar Desjardins

Alixandra Cowman

Jonathan Lewis

Kyle Marshall

Creator/Producer

Production and Technical Director

Sound Designer

Composer

Audio Engineer

Thank You

(exp)lore

A DIGITAL AUDIO THEATRE EXPERIENCE

(EXP)LORE YOUR WORLD. Experience lore.

Episode 7: Master Oogam's Blessing

by Dale Lee Kwong

A Chinese mystic reveals a fairy tale from across the sea and a story closer to home. Follow twins Miss Yin and Master Yang from China through their home in Calgary’s Chinatown.

episode location:

CHINATOWN, DOWNTOWN, Calgary SW

Stop 1

Stop 2

Stop 10

Stop 1

1/10

This episode is a walking tour. You should start listening to this episode at the Fu Lions in Sien Lok Park in the Chinatown district of downtown Calgary. These are located at the intersection of Riverfront Avenue and 1st Street SW.

HINT: Listen carefully to the instructions. Read along if you have to. Feel free to pause as needed.

WALKING TOUR ROUTE

Note: The walking tour route is completely wheelchair accessible, and has limited seating at most stops.

STARTING POINT:

The starting point is the intersection of Riverfront Avenue and 1st Street, SW. On the north side of the street, stand between the Fu Lions at the park entrance

1 – FU LIONS at SIEN LOK PARK (North side)

From the Fu Lions, turn and face the river. Use the pathway between the Fu Lions to walk toward the river. Your destination is the viewing area with Asian-style red and green railings. You can’t miss it, as you’ll walk straight into them.

2 – VIEWING AREA by BOW RIVER

From the viewing station, turn around from the river and face Sien Lok Park. Take the stairs between the benches to the sculpture up ahead. In the podcast it’s referred to as The Dragon and Phoenix sculpture. A dedication plaque and benches face the sculpture which is officially called “The Wall of Names”.

3 – THE WALL OF NAMES

From the sculpture, turn away from the river, and take the curvy path toward downtown. When you come to the pedestrian roundabout, take a left and follow it to the semi-circle of benches and granite marker. This is the entrance area to the 15-ton granite sculpture in the centre of Sien Lok Park.

4 – IN SEARCH OF GOLD MOUNTAIN - entrance

From the entrance area, turn back towards the river ahead to the sculpture and surrounding area. This is “In Search of Gold Mountain” by artist Chu Honsun.

5 – IN SEARCH OF GOLD MOUNTAIN - sculpture

To get to the next stop, face the river. Look toward your right until you see history boards. Walk to this location, these board commemorate The Centre Street Bridge Centennial.

6 – BILLBOARDS for CENTRE STREET BRIDGE

From the Centre Street Centennial boards, please head toward the Centre Street Bridge. Just below the lion you’ll see a zigzag ramp between the evergreens. Use it to get to the bridge, and walk towards the intersection of Centre Street and 2nd Avenue. Do not cross the street. Instead look for your destination, the Brick Gate on the NW corner of the intersection.

7 – BRICK GATE of CHINATOWN

From the Brick Gate, the story continues on the south side of Sien Lok Park. To get there… turn away from the brick gate and face the river again. Walk down the path beside the red railing, and turn left when you come to the building. Look for the Fu Lions on the west-facing side of The Calgary Chinatown Seniors Centre. Feel free to climb the stairs for an overview of the Park. Wander west through the park to the next stop.

8 – SIEN LOK PARK (South side)

The next destination is Wai Kwan Manor. You can get there by starting on SE corner opposite the Fu Lions where our tour began on Riverfront Ave. Walk straight (south) along 1st Street, to 2nd Avenue. Wai Kwan Manor is the 15-storey building on the SE corner of the intersection.

9 – WAI KWAN MANOR

From Wai Kwan Manor, imagine you are travelling through a worm hole. The future lies about halfway down the block on 2nd Avenue. Walk toward Centre Street until you are across the street from the Chinese United Church. Stop at the taxi zone, its before the fire hydrant. If you need to sit, be careful as you cross the street to benches in front of the Church. Check out the commemorative plaques while you’re there.

10 – TAXI ZONE across from CHINESE UNITED CHURCH

The last stop is a large, empty parking lot. It is the last large parcel of land to be developed in Chinatown. Take a photo of the mural before it’s gone. There’s a robot drinking bubble tea in the middle.

If you'd like to know more about Calgary's Chinatown or how you can support, you can find out more:

Calgary Chinatown - https://www.visitcalgarychinatown.com/

City of Calgary, Tomorrow’s Chinatown project - https://engage.calgary.ca/tomorrows-chinatown

Sien Lok Society of Calgary - https://www.sienlok.org

Note: The poem “On the Benches at Sien Lok Park” is published in “The Calgary Project: A City Map in Verse and Visual” House of Blue Skies, 2014. Available from your favourite independent bookstore.

Episode Personnel

Chantelle Han is a Calgarian actor and director now based in Toronto. She is honoured to join Jupiter Theatre in bringing Dale’s Chinatown tales to life via podcast. Next she will be directing Kiana Wu’s play, The Strid as part of Downstage Theatre’s STAGE IT Festival in Spring 2021. She is best known for her work as an actor in theatre, film and television. Recently, she won a Stinger Award for Best Long Form Performance as a lead in the feature film, Circle of Steel and soon you can watch her in a recurring role on season 2 of Netflix’s Black Summer.

Chantelle Han

Director

Dale Lee Kwong is a Calgary based poet, playwright, and essayist. A native Calgarian, she is third-generation Chinese-Canadian. Her work explores Chinese-Canadian history, diversity & inclusion, adoption, and LGBTQ issues. She is passionate about Calgary’s Chinatown, and was a frequent host of Chinatown walking tours pre-Covid.

Dale Lee Kwong

Writer/Tour Guide

Mike is a Treaty 7-based theatre artist and photographer. He has worked as a co-creator in devised theatre creation ensembles with Downstage, Theatre Junction, and Ghost River Theatre; an acting ensemble member at the Banff Centre Playwrights Lab workshopping new plays from around the world; and as an actor at Vertigo Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, and Theatre Calgary. Mike also works as a documentary photographer for arts and culture organizations, events, and independent artists. He lives with his loves, Di, his son Aiden, and their cat babies, Frankie and Prismo.

Mike Tan

Master Oogam