Every breath you take, GM, Sting is watching you from 'The Last Ship'

By Will McGuirk

The hockey rink at the core of Oshawa is no longer called the GM Centre. Its called the Tribute Communities Centre and it is the idea of community which singer/actor and playwright, Sting says in an interview with Q’s Tom Power, is missing from economic theory.

Sting and the cast of The Last Ship came to the TTC on Thursday, Feb 14, to pay tribute to GM workers and the ongoing fight to have the corporation rethink their intention as announced to close the plant at the end of 2019. The lunch hour event was hosted by UNIFOR.

“The Last Ship” is inspired by the closing of shipyards in Sting’s hometown of Wallsend, UK, and that action’s devastating effects on the surrounding population, leaving thousands without work, without purpose and without community. The songs in the play have a distinctly Celtic feel, melding the choral range of Welsh miners with the resounding stomp of workers on the march. Hard work demands hard celebrations and the tunes rocked the stage, with foot stomping and cheering and a minimum backup of a piano and a guitar; “The Last Ship” sails along on the waves of a kitchen party.

Centre: Jerry Diaz and Sting, Cast members on ends - photo by Will McGuirk

At a press conference I asked Sting about the role the arts plays in the recovery of a community. He had left his town after working a variety of jobs, eventually becoming a singer with The Police and the Sting known around the world. His creativity enabled him to thrive outside the factory system but it is his creativity and his songs, which help people within the factory system to survive.

In response to the question Sting replied, “I think it should be a choice, whether or not to leave your community, to be an exile. Thats what I did, thats my choice but in this case there may not be a choice. If the industry shuts down, what do you do, where do you go? I don’t know the answer but you deserve a choice. You deserve to be looked after better by the company that you have supported. Its very simple. Its a social contract which should be observed You deserve to be treated better,”

Its something we at Slowcity.ca believe in too. We believe too the arts are part of the recovery for this city. The creative community is part of this, creativity will be required for this city as a whole to come with a new way of being, a new purpose, a new reality and the answer includes too all those slated to lose their jobs, should it come to that. T“The Last Ship” is the vessel for that message. The play is a salve for those all over who see stormy seas ahead but “The Last Ship” is also a sign of hope, of caring, of sharing the struggle.

All aboard the good ship Hope

The Last Ship is currently on at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto until Mar 24 2019.

Scarborough Music Theatre presents Next To Normal - review by Joe Szek

By Joe Szek

Vocally, I found this six member cast stunning in many of their musical moments as this is tough stuff to sing. Miguel Malaco's work as Music Director with the performers and with the orchestra members must be applauded. Part rock, sometimes operatic in nature, the music and lyrics overlap periodically and it's important to hear the words. Thankfully, the body mics allowed us to hear the lyrics. For me, 'I Miss the Mountains', 'Just Another Day', 'Make Up Your Mind/Catch Me I'm Falling' were stellar. I found I had teared up at the end where I heard the final song 'Light' as this ensemble nailed the vocals here. Even in any of our darkest moments, any kind of light can begin a healing process.

Read more at Inside Looking In here ->

Make it sew! FRÈRE Du NORD clothing company is bringing manufacturing back to Downtown Oshawa

By Will McGuirk

South Oshawa based FRÈRE DU NORD is going even more Nord, bringing manufacturing back to the motor city’s core

The clothing company, co-founded by Milena Holmes (soeur du Nord?) and her brother, Duey Vlajic, will be moving in the Spring to new digs in the city's downtown.

Milena and Duey have been successfully designing, patterning and making clothing for two years but see the move to the core as a way of pursuing the retail side of the business.

Originally from Kingston, the D.I.Y. duo say it was only in Oshawa they could realise their childhood dream of fashioning clothes together. Milena has an engineering background and Duey’s is in fine arts and design, both were in Toronto but it was in Oshawa where they first entertained the idea of actually making stuff in Canada, in Oshawa it became possible.

“I didn’t realise you could manufacture in Canada until I moved to Oshawa,” says Milena. “Growing up in Kingston, that city is very particular; hospital, prison, university. . . Toronto, the rent’s are so high, its unsustainable and it wasn’t until we came here that I was exposed to people who are very happy to make things. That’s the culture here.

L-R: Duey Vlajic and Milena Holmes. Photo by Katie Mutton

Oshawa has been a centre of manufacturing since its beginnings, It hasn’t all been GM however; it was once known as the Manchester of North America because of the many industries located here. Most of the large manufacturing businesses have closed but the history, the culture of making, as well as the infrastructure of industrial parks and old buildings, is attractive to a new generation of makers.

These two Gen DIY reps are making it their business to makeover the downtown too. They have purchased the former Corner Pocket building at Prince and Bond with plans to open a retail/ manufacturing space, apartments above and artists studios in the basement.

We live in this community, we have to invest in it, there is no other reason,” says Milena. Made in Oshawa being part of the brand is very important because of its manufacturing history. We are new here but we want to continue that tradition. We are here and the downtown needs a lot of help. Businesses have a done a lot of good things in past years and this is our part. We have friends already in business downtown and every year we just need more people to invest.”

Downtown barber shop Johnny Cuts were among the first friends to seek out the company to collaborate on a limited edition customised sweatshirt.

“We do a lot of custom work for our customers and we have clients who are repeat. Once we have your sizing on file it’s easy to print and run off. Designer, patternmaker, manufacturer and retailer that’s our strength,” says Milena

Sweatshirts, sweatpants and hoodies are their focus products as the fabric is one they can find easily and locally. Thread is from Montreal, the dying of material done in Ajax. The heavyweight 100% cotton fabric is knitted in Toronto, napped on the inside, sueded on the outside. Everything but the heavy duty hoodie zipper (only available from China) is sourced in Canada.

“And the way Duey designed it,” says Milena, “it has doublined shoulders, double lined hood, for warmth and structure. Everything is topstitched so they are very durable. The idea is this is a hoodie you are going to pass on your kids because it’s going to last.

Photo by Katie Mutton

“When I design I use a 5 F principle, which is fabric, fit, form, function, future,” says Duey. "Fabric is number one, it’s the first thing you do, touch that garment. We sourced the best possible fabric we could. Next is Fit - you try it on and you see how it feels on you. We usually going for a tailored fit similar that you would find in suits or trousers. After that you look in the mirror; Form - does it look good on me? Depending on the style the form changes but I usually go for a broader shoulder. Function, what do I need this garment to do? When and where am I wearing it? Everyone has a cell phone, so many of the garments have cell phone pockets. Some garments are double layered for warmth and most pockets are lined for comfort. When you combine all these design principles it would hopefully lead you to think about the garment in the long term and what does the Future hold; I’m going to have this for the rest of my life."

The personal care in each garment carries through to the personal care FRÈRE DU NORD has for its employees. FDN is not your grandfather’s factory, instead it’s more like a quilting bee.

“Every garment is made by one person start to finish,” says Milena, “It’s not good for a sewing operator to be sitting at a machine eight hours a day doing one repetitive motion. It’s one of the reasons we wanted to get into this, as well as loving to make clothes we love giving people a safe happy environment to do meaningful work in. It’s very rewarding to do this and a lot of employees in this trade are women so its rewarding for me to provide a safe place and fair pay.”

The company has hired three part-time seamstresses but from Aug to December its full-time. FDN also provides a cut and sew service with many Toronto brands coming in for brand development. They also provide short runs for other start-ups.

“Besides making our own brand of clothing which we are very passionate about we are also very passionate about enabling others to make their own brand with world standard quality. We don’t see them as competition. We think it a very important thing to have a rich diverse selection of Canadian made clothing,” Milena says.

Non-competitive, collaborative, considerate, kindness in commerce, sounds as close to being all Canadian as you can get.

freredunord.com/

Joe Szek: Preview review of 'Office Hours' at the Oshawa Little Theatre

By Joe Szek

The American theatre has the work of the late Neil Simon who writes about the individual facing obstacles of life and who usually responds in some kind of comedic or poignant manner. 'The Odd Couple', 'Rumours' and 'The Sunshine Boys' are three titles that come to my mind.

Thankfully, we Canadians have playwright Norm Foster who does the same. Often times the characters in his plays may appear to have it all together, may appear to be falling apart, or may appear to have a sarcastic edge to them. Underneath this veneer, in some manner, these are people who are trying to ensure they are surviving whatever is thrown at them. Mr. Foster reveals it is through our human weaknesses that we find strength in our connections to other persons in so many ways.

Read more here at Inside Looking In ->

Joe follows his heart to 'Palmer Park' ; previews new Borelians play

By Joe Szek

A Valentine’s gift will arrive for Port Perry and all of Durham Region on February 14th in the world premiere of ‘Palmer Park’ written by Sunderland, Ontario’s Graeme Powell.

Producer Kyle Brough calls ‘Palmer Park’ a love letter to Port Perry. The story involves Kathryn De Lancie who has spent decades living a glamourous Hollywood life in a whirlwind of leading roles while winning rave reviews in world wide press. Even with all this adulatory fame and attention, Ms. De Lancie has never forgotten her small-town roots and returns home to shoot on location. The town of Port Perry has never seen the likes of all this excitement. Will the local folk catch a glimpse of the town’s prodigal daughter or will Kathryn hide from her past the way she has for years?

Read more at Inside Looking In ->