It’s so nice to have a filmmaker and editor in the family. I’m grateful to my bro Matt, of Unveil Studios, who does such quick and professional work. He made this trailer go a mile with footage captured during a rehearsal of the World Premiere in a space that required much improvisation.

Watching this footage excites me. We’re putting so much work to get the tour on its legs, that I often forget about the story. Seeing this trailer reminds me of the play itself, the moments that come alive, the journey of Jason and 18. What a thrill to see your work find breath, life, animation through talented actors.

I’m proud to share with you this short trailer, and eager to invite you to see the play as it goes on tour.

Enjoy!

Check out this new video about the 2012 tour. Alida Lowe talks about the impact She Has A Name will have in communities to promote the arts and justice across Canada.

Burnt Thicket Theatre gives reading of She Has A Name at MRU human trafficking event

Theatre Company reaches halfway point in bid to raise funds to take critically acclaimed play across Canada in 2012

Calgary, Alberta (February 01, 2012) – Burnt Thicket Theatre (BTT) is proud to present a reading from She Has A Name at Mount Royal University’s “They Have a Name” event on February 16, an evening focused on the disturbing topic of human trafficking.  Cast members from the 2011 world premiere, (Cari Russell and Glenda Warkentin), will join director Stephen Waldschmidt in a staged reading of the first act of Andrew Kooman’s critically acclaimed play. BTT and Raise Their Voice are planning a six-month cross-Canada tour later this year.

The February 16 event features Yvon Dandurand, a leading international expert in the modern slave trade and criminal justice, who will bring his keynote address, along with a book signing by John Winterdyk, Director of Mount Royal University’s Centre for Criminology & Justice Research, who co-edited the recently published Human Trafficking: Exploring the International Nature, Concerns, and Complexities. “They Have a Name” is an event sponsored by the Faculty of Continuing Education, and the presentations will be followed by an informal reception.

The 2012 Tour of She Has A Name has a unique role to play in shaping Canada’s culture and Canadians’ response to the global industry of sex trafficking. “She Has a Name is a powerful piece of theatre that will shock and motivate Canadians from Halifax to Victoria to take action,” says Waldschmidt. “I’m also grateful to report that we’re halfway to our goal of fundraising $120,000 by February 29 in order to get the show on the road.”

Burnt Thicket Theatre and Raise Their Voice are soliciting sponsorship from corporations, small businesses, non-profit and religious organizations, as well as donations from the private sector.

WHAT: “They Have a Name – Human Trafficking” WHEN: February 16, 2012, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM WHERE: EC 1050 in the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary COST: Regular Rate: $35+GST (CRN 31024) Nonprofit Rate: $30+GST (CRN 31025) MRU Alumni/Faculty/Staff Rate: $25+GST (CRN 31027) Student Rate: $15+GST (CRN 31026)   HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension Registration Services: (403) 440-3833 or www.mtroyal.ca/conted/register Toll-free 1-877-287-8001 Please quote Course Registration Number (CRN) Event website:http://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/ContinuingEducation/TheyHaveAName/index.htm

I like Steve!  I’m so glad he’s part of the team bringing She Has A Name across the country.

Here’s a video from Steve in which he shares his perspective on the significance of the upcoming national tour. Take a look!

I was thrilled to learn last week that She Has A Name was selected to be in the 25th Victoria Fringe Festival, August 25 – September 4, 2012.

The tour is becoming more and more real.  It’s an incredible experience, really.  Stepping out on that limb to bring it to life, with an amazing team of talented people who believe in the story and all that it means.  We’re excited about producing powerful and meaningful theatre.

We’ve set a critical deadline to raise $120,ooo by February 29.  We see this as a must-meet funding goal by this deadline.  If we don’t reach it, we can’t move forward.  I’m pleased to report that we have raised $55,000 toward that goal.  We’re nearly half way there.  I’m amazed, but not surprised, at the generous and incredible support of audiences, friends, family who are believing with us and working alongside us to make the tour a reality:

Insert the thermometer graphic here. No, we are not the United Way.  But we have our own graphic.  Look at us go!

Thanks for walking with us, believing in me, and championing this play.  I can’t wait!  What a Spring, Summer and Fall it will be.

This is how the tour is shaping up (stars beside the place and date indicate we’re pretty darn sure we’ll be there – for sure at the Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary and Victoria Fringes!):

Lethbridge | May 23 – 27*

Saskatoon | May 30 – June  3

Ottawa | June 6 – June 10

Montreal | June 14 – 24*

Halifax | July 3 – 8

Winnipeg | July 18 – 29*

Calgary | August 3 – 11*

Edmonton | August 16 – 26

Victoria | August 24 – September 3*

Vancouver | September 6 – 16

Kelowna | September 17 – 30

Red Deer | October 1 – 6*

It’s that time again, for a year in review.  I have so much to be thankful for and so much to reflect upon.

Click the image below to get a small glimpse of my 2011 (PDF-style).

If you have a reflection on your year, please send it my way!

Much grace to you in 2012.

If you want to go all retro, here’s some past years in review: 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |

Thematman put together this promo for the She Has A Name tour.  Looking forward to uploading more interviews with the creative team and some actors in the upcoming weeks.

We’re looking for different ways to make the tour a reality.  If you have ideas, connections, or resources that would help, please drop me a line!

You can learn all about the tour here.

© 2011 Andrew Kooman

View more magnetic poetry here

© 2011 Andrew Kooman

View more magnetic poetry here.

My friend Joel of E for Everyone fame is a talented musician and filmmaker.  I miss seeing him in Red Deer!  It was fun to work with him on this video for Breakthrough Urban Ministries.  The part I played was very minor, but ’twas fun to work with a friend for an important cause.

Here’s Joel’s talent at work:

Here’s a bit of background about the video from Joel’s website:

On October 28th Breakthrough Urban Ministries hosted their annual benefit dinner where they welcomed 1700+ guests to learn more about how they serve the people of East Garfield Park and how they can partner with them. For the benefit dinner, Breakthrough asked me to put together a feature that would explain the different aspects of Breakthrough and the many ways in which they serve their community.

To do this I used a variety of motion graphics and real video. I have long admired graphics that fit into video as if its a part of the landscape and so I wanted to approach this project in that way. As I went through the script and did the storyboarding, I knew which shots would involve text and framed them so I would have a spot the text could sit. However as I brought them into After Effects and began working on them, I realized some shots work for this kind of thing, and some don’t. I found that what helps the most to make text look “natural” is two things: either have camera movement and the text staying in place relative to the camera, or have parts of the text be blocked out by people or objects that are in between the text and the camera. Ultimately I’m quite happy with how this came out! A fun project to work on for sure and for an organization that my wife and I both believe in so much!

The voiceover narration was done by Mike Dawson, a really professional, classy voice artist, and really talented guy who added a lot to the project. Andrew Kooman compiled the statistics and data and wrote an excellent script conveying the heart of Breakthrough. It was a team effort, of which I was glad to be a part of!

I used After Effects for the motion graphics and assembled it all in Final Cut Pro. The video was shot with a Canon 5D Mark 2. Recorded the narration with an H4N.