Robin Sharp

Action

2012-01-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

Cigarettes For Christmas

2011-12-04T17:27:00.001-08:00

Here is a music video I made last December; it's been wandering around online since the spring but this is the first time I've put it on my website and YouTube channel.

Trixie Dixon is the main character from my musical 'Daughter of the Dust' and here is one of her holiday hits, just in time for Christmas. If you haven't seen it yet, take a drag.

Trixie Dixon to sing at Steers & Queers

2011-11-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

There's a great event held at the Dakota Tavern called Steers & Queers, which is a gay country and western themed party. I was invited to perform a few songs this month as Trixie Dixon, my character from the musical Daughter of the Dust.

It's happening this Thursday, November 10th (all the info is here). it should be a lot of fun; local theatre scene darlings Johnnie Walker and Morgan Norwich are hosting as rival Reba McEntire impersonators just to give you an idea about the type of night it's going to be. Grab some western gear and come on down.

'Daughter' Review and Post-Show Breakdown

2011-09-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came out to our musical 'Daughter of the Dust' at the end of August in Toronto. It couldn't have gone any better as far as I'm concerned; half of our performances were sold out and we played to enthusiastic audiences each night.

Keep in mind we organized a short run because it was a workshop production of the show, the team and I will be remounting it in 2012 and we'll try to make it even bigger and better.

We were reviewed by Mooney on Theatre, a respected and prolific theatre blog in Toronto, who called our show a "country music masterpiece" and said that "it deserves to be seen by a lot of people". You can check out the entire in depth write-up here.

Daughter Poster

2011-08-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Take a look, you may see it around town...

Daughter of the Dust - Coming Soon

2011-08-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

So...First off I want to thank everyone who came out to support 'The Bright Idea' at the 2011 Fringe festival, it was a great success and it's all due to your patronage and good word of mouth.

Next up...there's a stage musical I've been working on for a while (I'm writing and appearing in it), and our first production of it is in rehearsals right now. It's called 'Daughter of the Dust', it's a drag/country musical, and yes, that's me in the photo.

It goes up in Toronto from August 24th to 29th at the Bread & Circus (in Kensington Market.) Check out the facebook page for more information...I'll post some more content from the show here soon.

The Bright Idea 2011 Poster

2011-06-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

;-)

The Bright Idea - FringeKids 2011

2011-06-06T13:45:00.006-07:00

I'm directing a kids play called The Bright Idea for the 2011 Fringe Festival in Toronto, the first one since the Blue Velvet Shadowcast in 2009 (which was not for children so much.)

The story is about two sisters, one young and one a bit older, who are visited by a shadowman one night when they are making shadow puppets on the wall. His name is Sean and he wants to go back to Shadowland; the two girls are tasked with helping him get home. There's definitely a touch of The Wizard Of Oz running through the production.

The witty script is by Jillian Larkin (who is also in the cast.) We also have Aidan Black-Allen as the the older sister (from Lick Her), Kelly Preeper as the younger sister (children's theatre veteran and comedienne) and Kris Kadas as the shadow (from the Blue Velvet and Jurassic Park Shadowcast.)

Our facebook event page is online, and I'm posting some behind the scenes shots here from one of our recent rehearsals in a park (without costumes or make-up.)

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids.

Showtimes:
Thurs. July 7th @ 5:45pm
Fri. July 8th @ 8pm
Sat. July 9th @ 2:30pm
Mon. July 11th @ 1:15pm
Wed. July 13th @ 6:15pm
Thurs. July 14th @ 4pm
Sat. July 16th @ 1pm
Sun. July 17th @ 7pm

Toronto Underground Cinema 'Hootenanny' Photos

2011-03-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

I was asked to photograph a variety show event at the TUC this past Saturday, organized by my friend and 'Blue Velvet' collaborator Kris Kadas. Twas happening.

Nathan Jesionka, lead vocalist of The Commandeers.

Singer from Hollow Grams.

New Photo: Christie Pits, edge of Spring

2011-03-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was in Christie Pits with my pal Helen Kotsonis earlier in the week...it's nearly Spring, they tell me.

The photo looks a bit like it was taken on a fall day in the country, but it was noon and under the melted snow bit of Autumn colour was left behind.

My father, then & NOW

2011-02-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

My father on the cover of Now magazine, October 1981. Sitting in the seats of the Bloor Cinema balcony, hilariously enough.

I wonder if my keychain commercial was playing there that day...?

Commercial Appeal

2011-02-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

This is a commercial I made for the Bloor Cinema in the summer. As of January 2011 the cinema has been presenting it before regular screenings, to sell a unique keychain the owner of the theatre invented.

It's exciting that it's playing every night to new diverse crowds, and my spies in the theatre tell me that it's been getting a good reception there. For the curious the keychains cost two dollars (Canadian) at the Bloor and yes, they're quite useful. I've had one for years.

Happy New Years 2011

2011-01-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

Here's to a new, exciting year of our lives

All my love
RRRobin

Diamond Rings / Daytrotter

2010-12-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

'Diamond Rings' (solo indie pop sensation) has been in the news recently for releasing his long awaited debut album, 'Special Affections'.

One of my photos of him was used this week as a template for an illustration of 'Diamond Rings' on Daytrotter (a top independent music blog). Talk about indie cred, huh? I bought his LP today on vinyl in Toronto, it sounds great.

Autumn Skyline

2010-12-03T20:39:00.001-08:00

Take a look at some more photos in the newly improved photo section.

New Maze: Jack of Hearts

2010-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Play your hand carefully...

New Maze: New Love

2010-08-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

There will be some exciting things happening with my film and theatre work in the fall, and I'll keep everyone updated on this site. For now enjoy the slow August nights and keep looking for love wherever you can find it.

New Maze: Summer

2010-08-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Feel the heat.

My Prom Photos

2010-06-25T23:36:00.000-07:00

Prom season is upon us, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to embarrass myself by posting a couple of my prom photos.

As atypical as my high school was (it was an arts school in the suburbs, with something like 80% female students) my prom night felt very traditional. I bought a corsage for my date, we took a limo to a ballroom, the graduating class danced till midnight. Then we all traveled to the University of Toronto, where the prom committee had rented a frat house for the night, and all us kids got drunk on coolers. Classic, classic.

My date was named Adrienne, we were friends. She does make quite a fetching prom date though, wouldn't you say?

'She Done Him Wrong'...Mae West is the Best

2010-06-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sure, that Mae West name gets thrown around here and there in pop culture, but if you aren't a gay man in his 50's or a film studies major, chances are you've never seen one of her films. You are missing out.

She wrote, she starred and she sang in her films. Her sexy one liners are a thing of legend. This is her first and most famous film, 1933's 'She Done Him Wrong'. Not only was it a massive success with depression addled American audiences, it was also nominated for best picture that year and celebrated as a cinematic achievement of pure entertainment. If that isn't enough it's the film that launched Cary Grant's career.

At 66 minutes, it's a lot shorter than the feature films we're used to watching now, but it sure packs a punch. Try not to fall in love with her.

Back in Toro

2010-06-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Toronto from my time in London, and I'm hitting the ground running. I'm on the phone, getting things done, taking no prisoners ;-)

It's good to be back.

Wonders of Berlin

2010-05-31T15:57:00.000-07:00

I spent last week in Berlin with my sister; we took way too many pictures. What a glorious city, it's very liberating there. So many artists, so much green space and an incredibly non-judgmental atmosphere.

The Jewish Memorial, an unforgettable monument.

There is monumental, vibrant graffiti all across the city. This is a famous piece that was created in two days by one man and a lot of paint.

A rare photograph of me where I'm not posing at all!

The airlift memorial. This is a city with constant reminders of the cold war, and divisions of the past.

The Canadian War Memorial in London

2010-05-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

In Green Park, next to Buckingham Palace.

Photo by Dan Cloake

There's a New Rep Cinema Opening in Toronto!

2010-04-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Toronto Underground Cinema (or the TUC for short) is a new rep cinema that's opening up in May in the Chinatown/Queen Street area of Toronto (186 Spadina Avenue). It's the site of the former 'Golden Classics' theatre, which was closed in 1994. The space has been sitting there empty for about sixteen years.

There have been a number of media stories about it this past week and I've been following them carefully; the new managers of the theatre are friends and old colleagues of mine.

Alex Woodside and Nigel Agnew, two of the three fellows running the new rep palace, were managers at the Bloor with me. We collaborated on three short films there the spring of 2006, titled 'The Popcorn Trilogy'. Alex was the producer and Nigel starred as a cinema manager named Nigel (eerie.)

If the new cinema is run anything like the fictional 'Bloor' was run in our trilogy, I think you should get in line at the door and submit your applications to work there immediately. With Nigel in charge, sexy & exciting things happen (watch for yourself...)

Photos courtesy of Alex Woodside

Hotel Window

2010-03-25T09:00:00.001-07:00

This is a view from my window right now; I'm living at a hotel in London.

I've been working some new projects over here (a play, collection of songs...) and I'm trying to pick up some new things about British culture and history in the process. Of course I'm still involved in the closing stages of post-production for the Bloor Cinema feature film that I've been working on for the past few years. I know we've been holding back but you can count on a lot more information about that coming up soon, I'm very excited about it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Spring weather. Remember you can always keep up with me and my shenanigans on twitter.

A Robin Day in Londontown

2010-03-19T14:23:00.001-07:00

Here are some new photos of me from London taken by my sister/photographer Bronwen Sharp.

My YouTube Favourites: Part 3

2010-02-26T03:08:00.000-08:00

YouTube is kind of like a thrift store. You go back every week, scouring rack after rack of shoddy old videos...and every once in a while you find something incredible.

1. Raptor Devours Cheerleader
Oh no he didn't!

2. Timothy Dalton and Mae West in "Sextette"
Have you ever seen James Bond actor Timothy Dalton sing 70's pop hit 'Love Will Keep Us Together' to an 85-year-old Mae West? It's pretty erotic.

3. Siskel & Ebert '80s Outtakes
They are so nasty to each other...more barbs than a mall in Florida. It was a bizarre love/hate relationship between hosts that will confound and amaze for millennia.

Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of my YouTube Favourites.

The New Design

2010-02-25T03:31:00.000-08:00

You've probably noticed some design changes to the site recently; it's the work of the talented Victoria Dobbs (follow her on twitter, yo.) I think the new layout is a lot easier to navigate.

You should also check out the newly updated journalism and press sections. The journalism section has all the 'Toronto Portraits' columns and various posts I've written for blogTO over the years. The press section features some TV, newspaper and radio coverage of my film and theatre productions.

25 Things You Should Know About London

2010-02-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

• It's a fashion capital; you better step up your style the second you get off the plane.

• People will be friendly because they like your shirt or cold because they don't like your hat.

• Nobody has basements here.

• "Are you going on?" means "are you going to another pub after this one?"

• "To be honest with you..." means absolutely nothing, because people say it before everything.

• "Bits and bobs" means a collection of insignificant objects, as in "her place is a mess; she's got bits and bobs all over her floor."

• To "nick" something means to steal something, and people steal often enough. Keep your friends close and your wallet closer.

• Everyone drinks twice as much as in North America.

• Everyone eats twice as much chocolate as they do in North America.

• Someone could make a fortune selling something called 'Cadbury Lager'.

• Always sit on the second floor of the double decker buses, at the front. It's a lot like a ride.

• The sun is rarely seen. It's like Bespin: a cloud city.

• It's somewhat class obsessed. The Queen is the poshest of them all; the structure starts at her and moves it ways down.

• You can tell someones class from just about anything; like what grocery store they go to. 'Waitrose' is posh, 'Iceland' is not.

• Xenophobia is institutionalized here. It seems like you need proof of residence and a UK passport to buy a loaf of bread.

• Michael Jackson is alive and well in every Londoners heart.

• You can drink in public. On the streets, in the park.

• There are casinos and casino games all over the place. Like a wet Nevada.

• You don't tip bartenders here, which I find odd. With the binge drinkers they have a lot to deal with.

• Remember, there's no such thing as a bathroom or a restroom over here. A toilet is called a toilet.

• All the shops close at 6pm. Most pubs close at 11pm. People tend to fall asleep at about 11:30. A night city London is not.

• No one can afford to eat in restaurants, so to replace them they have grocery stores everywhere selling pre-made sandwiches.

• Everyone is about three years behind, internet wise (which is surely a good thing.) People are still excited about facebook here.

• There are hardly any public trash cans due to bombing fears, though I don't see garbage littered everywhere. I don't really understand where it all goes.

• Above all else, people are scared of snow. Even an inch.

Signs of London (Missing Letters...)

2010-02-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Alright, here's my new hobby: photoshopping letters out of public signs. I probably have too much time on my hands...

Everyone gets worn out.

Thanks for reminding me.

They're so open minded in Britain.

Short fuse.

That sounds tricky.

Annex Gleaner interview about 'The Bloor'

2010-02-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

I sat down with Matt James from The Gleaner recently to talk about the Bloor Cinema and the documentary Peter Kuplowsky and I made about the theatre in 2005. I've been reading the Gleaner since I was a kid so I was really flattered when they gave me a call.

You can find the article in the winter edition of the paper or check it out online here.

Water Main Bursts; London Canal Now Rivals Venice

2010-02-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

A water main burst next to the building I'm staying in on Saturday and we didn't have cold water for a while (better then missing hot water by a mile though, right?) I can't say I've ever actually seen one of these go so it was kind of interesting, the opposite of that fire I saw two weeks ago.

I walked by at around 1pm on Saturday just after it broke...I strolled by again at 6pm the situation hadn't changed. There were plenty of elderly British people standing by the new shoreline, going on about the 'cheek' the municipal services.

Wonders of London

2010-01-30T13:28:00.001-08:00

Trash Talk: Photos from the Exhibit

2010-01-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

The inaugural 'Trash Talk' exhibit, presented by Created Independently, was on from November 21st to December 21st, 2009.

Basically myself and three other people sifted through other peoples trash and presented the best stuff as an art exhibit, with recorded interviews on headsets as well (not pictured.)

If you missed it, here's a look...

A Will and a wedding invitation.

A whole lot of fake money (I think it's fake, anyway...unless late nineties rappers had their own mints.)

Jessica Chan, an arts blogger, also took a choice photo of the exhibit that's on her flickr photostream.

Sights of London

2010-01-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

My blog has suddenly gone international.

I'm staying in London for a while to trade a Canadian winter with a balmy, though constantly raining, one in England. I'm going to be working on some new writing projects over here.

I had a walk around town this afternoon and I thought I'd share some photos.

They don't beat around the bush with business names over here.

See what I mean?

Who's Frank?

What's he doing to that little person?

Gangster rap is hot over here too.

Some shoe, huh? I can't wait to see this 'Priscilla' woman on display. I wonder if she's chained up like Kong...

Toronto landmark Honest Ed's goes up in flames

2010-01-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well this is one way to start a new decade on the blog; with a bang.

I was walking my friend Daniel home from a bar yesterday at just past 1 AM when we happened upon fire trucks and caution tape circling discount palace Honest Ed's (Bathurst and Bloor). I happened to have had my camera with me (I don't take it everywhere; it's pretty heavy) and my blogTO business card, and that was enough to get us close to the smoldering remnants of the just distinguished fire. It sounds as if it's a crisis averted, which is good news; it was mainly old TV's and the Christian knick-knack section went up in flames in the end.

My lead photo was used in a blogTO post about the flames this morning. Click on the images for larger versions.

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

with love,
Robin

blogTO Post: Toronto Portraits in Review

2009-12-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

I'm putting my blogTO column, 'The Toronto Portraits', aside for now because I'll be travelling abroad soon (more on that later). Don't fret though, I'll still be taking plenty of new, exciting photos and posting them here.

I've done 37 Toronto Portraits, which means 37 interviews and photoshoots over the past year and half or so of young, emerging artists in Toronto.

I've picked some of my favourites and included behind the scenes anecdotes; you can check them out here.

blogTO Post: What's going down with The Annex?

2009-12-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

The Annex, my neighbourhood in Toronto for just under two decades, has been going under some big changes in the last few years. It's becoming a mini club district for 18-20 year old kids; it's being overrun with trashy bars, street meat and crime.

Am I being overly dramatic about the changes it's undergone? Possibly, I'm known for that. You can check it out here.

The Fog of Toronto

2009-11-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

I took these a week ago on my way back after the Mike Ross photoshoot. Our fog isn't usually purple, but isn't it nicer this way? Double click to see the large versions.

blogTO Post: F--- The Internet

2009-11-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

There's a hot new dance night going on at Clinton's Tavern in Toronto once a month called 'FUCKtheINTERNET'. They feature dance/pop/hip-hop from 1975-1995; it should be quite good. You can read more about it here.

blogTO Post: 'Toronto Portrait' of Mike Ross

2009-11-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

This is Mike Ross; he's heading up a hot new musical at Soulpepper called 'The Civil Elegies'. It's based on a 1960's book of poetry by Dennis Lee about Toronto. You can read about him here.

Trash Talk: The Art of Other People's Garbage

2009-11-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

I'm involved in an exhibit this Saturday at Labspace studio in Toronto (the corner of Pape and Queen) called 'Trash Talk'. Basically myself and three other artists dived into people's trash in The Annex this autumn to find items that tell stories about the people of the neighbourhood.

We found some pretty lascivious things; it's amazing what kind of legal documents people will leave on the curb without thinking of shredding them. Not that we're interested in invading people's privacy of course; all intimate details have been redacted.

We took the best three objects we found and conducted interviews with regular people, asking them for their take on the trash's significance. This is a show about the voyeurism of sorting through things that strangers have thrown away.

You'll have a chance to see the objects in person, listen to the interviews we conducted and make your own judgements about why these things were thrown away and by whom.

The show runs from Saturday, November 21st to December 21st. The opening night reception is on Saturday from 8AM to 1AM; the main exhibit is called 'Monosaic' and 'Trash Talk' is an extra installation. The facebook group for 'Trash Talk' is here.

The Bloor: a Documentary about a Toronto Landmark

2009-11-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

'The Bloor', a documentary I directed with Peter Kuplowsky about the history of the Bloor Cinema in Toronto, is finally available online.

It won a couple of awards at film festivals, it got me an interview on CBC Radio with Matt Galloway; not bad considering Peter and I were teenagers when we made it.

Part 1

Part 2

Elizabeth Do at Now Magazine has just written a piece about the documentary; you can check that out here.

Canadian Talent Farm

2009-11-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

So this new website named Canadian Talent Farm invited me to join their roster of artists; it's an initiative to help Canadian artists get more exposure for their work. I think they found me on flickr.

I'm in the Toronto section, under photography; you can check it out here.

blogTO Post: Rendezvous With Madness

2009-11-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival started this week and I got an interview with the creative director/founder. You can read it here.

'Diamond Rings' photoshoot and blogTO post

2009-10-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

I met up with musician John O (lead singer of The D'Urbervilles) in Montreal to interview him about his solo project, Diamond Rings. We did a photoshoot afterwards in an industrial section of the city.

If you don't know about him yet, check out the article; he's a real talent. The photos turned out pretty well too...

blogTO Post: Brides in Pop Montreal

2009-10-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Brides, Toronto-based experimental/pop/indie rockers, played a knockout show at Casa Del Popolo this year for Pop Montreal. You can read about them here.

blogTO Post: Pop Montreal's 'The Happiness Project'

2009-10-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

My pal Helen and I went to check out 'The Happiness Project' at Pop Montreal yesterday. An installation piece curated by Toronto arts group Artist Bloc, I thought it was a unique and exciting way of touring a album. You can read about it here.

blogTO Post: 'Toronto Portrait' of Daniel Karasik

2009-09-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is Daniel Karasik; he's a talented young playwright whose recent work has been staged in New York, Germany, and of course Toronto. You can read about him here.

Super Nintendo Electro Pop Song

2009-09-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

I've haven't updated my video game system since 1990's Super Nintendo. As far as I'm concerned it's all been downhill from there.

Recently as I was loading 'Super Mario World' something odd happened; the screen went blank and the system began playing an electro pop song (very Crystal Castles-esque.) I recorded it with my laptop for posterity sake.

Anyone want to remix this?

blogTO post: 'The Zoo Story' hits Toronto parks

2009-09-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

I wrote about a production of 'The Zoo Story' that traveled from park to park in Toronto, staging the play on real public benches. You can read more about it here.

blogTO Post: Documentary About Pages Bookstore

2009-09-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Pages Bookstore closed at the end of August, and the owner's daughter is producing a documentary about the Queen St. landmark. You can read about it here.

blogTO Post: Sodom at Christie Pits

2009-09-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a new post with a political bent (which is pretty unusual for me.) I tracked down a couple Christie Pits poolhoppers and asked them what they think about the current late night swim laws in Toronto.

You can check it out here.

blogTO Post: 8 Girls Without Boyfriends

2009-08-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

'8 Girls without Boyfriends' is a new play produced by Nobody's Business Theatre in Toronto. You can read 8 reasons to go out and see it this weekend here.

blogTO Post: 'Toronto Portrait' of Keith Hamilton

2009-08-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is Keith Hamilton; he helped turn a Portuguese seafood restaurant called 'The Boat' into one of the hippest music venues in Toronto. You can read about him here.

blogTO Post: Closing of the Oxford Hotel

2009-08-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

There's a house I visit sometimes to see live music; they host shows with traveling musicians in their backyard and kitchen. Everyone is moving out though, and the shows will end this week. It's the end of an era...

Read all about the closing of the Oxford Hotel here (with two interviews! I've outdone myself in journalistic prowess...)

My father's photography on 'Feature Shoot'

2009-08-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

There's a pretty amusing blog post about my father, Liam Sharp, on 'FeatureShoot.com'. They interviewed him about a series of drag queen portraits he took in Toronto.

New Maze: Winter in Toronto

2009-08-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

I made this one last winter; it's a good reminder of what a lack of UV rays and decent weather can do to the soul. This is about as dark and confessional as mazes get I imagine.

You can check out 'Winter in Toronto' and my other mazes on my flickr page here.

My YouTube Favourites: Part 2

2009-08-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

YouTube is kind of like a thrift store. You go back every week, scouring rack after rack of shoddy old videos...and every once in a while you find something incredible.

1. Leonard Nimoy's 'Ballad of Bilbo Baggins'
I've become a bit of Trekkie since the new movie came out. I've watched all the films, the entire original series and countless 'Voyager' clips on YouTube.

This is Leonard Nimoy, circa 1967, singing his heart out on television about his man-crush on Bilbo Baggins.

Yes, that Bilbo Baggins. From 'The Hobbit'.

2. RetroBites: Keanu Reeves
Once upon a time Keanu Reeves was a struggling young actor trying to make a name for himself in Toronto.

Here he is in 1984, covering a Teddy Bear convention for CBC. I've got to "go down to the bears-only cafe and talk bearsness" with him in Los Angeles sometime.

3. Patsy Cline - Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray
The song is amazing. The singer is amazing. The tacky cafe set and titular burning cigarettes? They push the whole thing into sublime.

Check out Part 1 of my YouTube Favourites here.

Photos: Costumes of the 'Jurassic Park' Shadowcast

2009-07-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

Alex Woodside, director of the Fringe Festival's 2009 'Jurassic Park' shadowcast, asked me to do some publicity photos for his show. Hold on to your butts...

We need extras for Bloor Cinema Feature on Friday, July 24th

2009-07-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

It's back on!

We are filming a wild, illegal party scene at the Bloor Cinema this Friday (July 24th, 2009), and we want you to be there.

The feature film I'm directing is best described as a Christian sex comedy. It was produced in association with the Bloor and it will premiere there in early 2010.

We are looking for youthful looking people, ages 15-29. You should dress as hipster-esque as possible; American Apparel, Valu-Village, plaid shirts...tight fitting, solid coloured clothes are a plus. Please avoid wearing anything with a logo.

Call time is noon (aka 12pm); we aren't serving lunch but we will have coffee, fruit, bagels and stuff like that on set.

We will be going as late as 3pm but most of you will be wrapped before then.

Click here for the facebook event.

Update: The shoot went very well; my sincere thanks to everyone who came out.

blogTO Post: 'Toronto Portrait' of Alex Fischer

2009-07-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

This is Alex Fischer, a 23-year-old abstract digital painter who's quickly gaining momentum in the Toronto art world. You can read about him here.

Photos: Blue Velvet Band on the Marquee

2009-07-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

'Anything that Moves', the band that accompanied songs live from our Fringe show Blue Velvet, played a set on the marquee of the Bloor not once but twice; opening and closing night. Here are some pictures!

• Carmen Elle (solo singer/songwriter, guitar and vocals for Donlands & Mortimer)
• Johnny Spence (keyboards for Donlands & Mortimer)
• Dorian Thornton (bassist for Spiral Beach)
• Jo Fallak (lead singer of Miss Scarlett)
• Brandon Valdivia (drummer for Picastro)
• Katie Avery (violinist for Beneath the Ice)
• Ryan G. Hinds (performance artist about town)

(Through the window of the women's washroom)

Silver Stage in Eye Weekly

2009-07-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

The marvelous Chandler Levack wrote about Blue Velvet this week in Eye Weekly which is pretty exciting; they even printed a couple of my pictures (press shots for the shows.)

You can check out what she had to say here.

Update:
Eye Weekly has given the show a four star review!

"A real band adds an exciting element to the shadow-cast presentation of Blue Velvet: almost all the songs on the soundtrack are performed live. The cast employ a range of unusual props, including bubbles and a pogo stick, to reflect (invert?) the sexy bits. This steamy, silly exercise extends the life of the classic ’80s film with profundity and passion. As Jeffrey and Dorothy, Furey and Fallak are hot, and the rest of the cast — including the fun-to-watch Ryan Hinds — are fabulous."

blogTO Post: Shuffle Demons go for a World Record

2009-06-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

I wrote a post about the Shuffle Demons; a brass pop band famous for a song called 'Spadina Bus' in 1986.

They're still together (after 25 years) and they are trying to get 950 sax players rounded up this week to break a world record for the biggest sax ensemble.

You can read more about them here.

Bloor Cinema Maze: July Flyer

2009-06-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, I've been tied up with all this Fringe stuff for the past couple of weeks...it's only a few days away!

I did have the time to put together this maze/ad for Bloor paper though; if you solve it and send it in we'll give you two free tickets to any upcoming Bloor Cinema show.

Blue Velvet Cast Photos

2009-06-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

We've put up a facebook event page and a Silver Stage website now as the Fringe Festival gets rolling in two weeks.

I've done portraits of the cast and added them to the facebook event; we do have some attractive people involved so take a look if you get a chance (they were all photographed in the alley behind the Bloor Cinema.) This picture is of Jo Fallak, who plays mysterious 'Dorothy Vallens' in the show.

blogTO Post: Owen Pallett Interview

2009-06-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Owen Pallett this week about a show he's doing at Dundas Square for the Luminato/North by Northwest festivals in Toronto.

He's accompanying a 90-year-old German horror film with live music; similar to the way we'll be accompanying "Blue Velvet" with live music at the Bloor.

He even told me about working with Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) and Gus Van Sant (Milk) on new film scores.

You can check it out here.

My Grandfather's Portrait of John and Yoko

2009-06-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

There's an exhibit going on in Montreal right now called 'Imagine'; it's about the 1969 'bed-in' that took place there. I saw a poster for it the other day in the window of a store and the image they chose caught my attention.

Ivor Sharp was shooting for Time Magazine when he took the photo; he hit it off with John (a fellow Englishmen) and was invited to do a private photo session with John and Yoko in their hotel room. There were thousands of pictures taken during the Montreal 'bed-in' but the intimacy of Ivor's made them stand out against the others.

Of course those 1969 portraits were only one part of a long, storied career for Ivor in this country; he eventually became the most sought after commercial photographer in Canada by the 1980's. He founded Capic, an association to protect photographer’s rights, which is still going strong today. Alas, in 1989, on the verge of selling his studio in downtown Toronto and moving to the countryside, he collapsed and died of a stroke. He was sixty-one years old.

No matter how well crafted his Coca-Cola billboards were however he'll always be remembered for that one picture. The one time he caught history by the neck for a quarter of a second.

The 'Imagine' exhibit is going on in Montreal until June 20th; admission is free.

Your first image of the Fringe Festival's 'Blue Velvet'...

2009-06-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Anthony Furey as Jeffrey Beaumont...Jo Fallak as Dorothy Vallens...

blogTO Post: Fashion Tips close Pitter Patter Fest

2009-06-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Fashion Tips, "your new favourite band" (as their slogan goes) are a fantastic party rock group based in downtown Toronto.

I caught them last Sunday in Kensington Market as they closed the Pitter Patter Music Festival. You can read all about them (including a ridiculous interview in the back of a van) here.

Bloor Cinema Maze: June Flyer

2009-05-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Bloor Cinema asked me to design a hot little maze for them to welcome the summer weather. You can find this little number on the back of their June flyer, out now in Toronto.

Pick one up on the street (available at the Bloor, the Reference Library, Future's Bakery, Sonic Boom, etc) or download it here, print it out and try it on your own.

'Silver Stage' poster by Victoria Dobbs!

2009-05-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a preview of the gorgeous, hand-crafted poster for the 'Silver Stage' series, designed by Victoria Dobbs.

My show Blue Velvet is going on at 9:30 on July 1st, 4th and 9th at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto. Mark your calendars!

Globe & Mail: Blue Velvet is a 'hot ticket'

2009-05-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Rehearsals are going well for Blue Velvet, the Fringe show I'm directing for the Bloor Cinema. Here's what Jennie Punter of the Globe had to say about the project:

"Inspired by success with shadow-cast screenings of cult fave The Rocky Horror Picture Show and newcomer Repo The Genetic Opera, the Bloor's energetic staff is mounting new shadow-cast productions of Jurassic Park, Blue Velvet and Once More, With Feeling (the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer). "We watched the process of the people developing the Repo show and saw how much fun they were having," says the Bloor's Alex Woodside. The curtain rises on all three shows during the Fringe Festival."

You can read the rest of her 'hot ticket' picks for the summer here.

200,000+ Views for 'The Boyfriend'

2009-05-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

'The Boyfriend' is a one minute film I wrote and directed for the One Minute Film Festival a couple of years ago.

I didn't expect anything to come out of it when I put it on my YouTube channel in 2007, but it managed to surpass 200,000 views this week.

New Maze: Young Galaxy

2009-05-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

I know 'Young Galaxy' is also the name of a band in Montreal but that's just how it goes. I was going to call it 'Raw Galaxy' but that didn't feel right.

You can check out 'Young Galaxy' and my other mazes on my flickr page here.

Bloor Cinema Maze: May Flyer

2009-04-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

The Bloor Cinema flyer has expanded from eight to twelve pages recently and they were looking for new content. They asked me to design a maze for them.

The May flyer is out in Toronto now. Pick one up on the street to try the maze or download it here (it's super easy, I swear.)

blogTO Post: 'Toronto Portrait' of Adam Garnet Jones

2009-04-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

Adam Garnet Jones, one of the top young filmmakers in Canada. Check it out.

I also asked Adam to share some of his favourite directors in the country...

Here is a list of Canadian filmmakers who I love. Interestingly, only half of those listed have made feature-length films, and only one of those has made a film that ran in movie-theatres. So far, only Alanis has achieved 'national treasure' status.

in no particular order:
Shane Belcourt
Richard Fung
Jeff Barnaby
Tracy Deer
Alanis Obomsawin
Mike Hoolboom
Aleesa Cohene
Kevin Lee Burton

Are Cinemas Looking Brighter in the Dark?

2009-04-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

I was quoted today in this Toronto Star article by Bruce Demara about how popular film-going has become during the recession.

Recessions and depressions have always been good for the box office; history is repeating itself once more.

My YouTube Favourites

2009-04-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

YouTube is kind of like a thrift store. You go back every week, scouring rack after rack of shoddy old videos...and every once in a while you find something incredible.

1. The Fall of Farfur
Have you ever wondered what a Hamas Children's show looks like? Mickey Mouse clone...check. Murderous Isreali man...check. WAY too much headroom...checkmate.

2. very creepy, disturbing children's cartoon, banned from TV
This children's show clip is supposedly 'banned from TV'; I'm not sure if I buy that (though I don't really watch TV anymore so I'd have a hard time knowing.) One thing is clear...it's very, very wrong.

3. News Bloopers: Anchor vs. Reporter
The title kind of says it all. You have to stick it out to the end, but boy does it deliver.

New Maze: Broken Projector

2009-04-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates this past week; my computer has been on the fritz...they assure me it'll be up and running by tomorrow.

I'll be announcing a new weekly feature on 'robinsharp.com' soon; until then check out 'Broken Projector' and my other mazes here.

blogTO Post: Hamilton Bound!

2009-04-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

I've tried my hand at travel journalism this week by writing about my trip to exotic Hamilton, Ontario...

You can read all about it here.

Open Casting Call: Fringe Festival Show

2009-03-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

I'm directing a shadow cast production of the film Blue Velvet at the Bloor Cinema for the upcoming Fringe Festival in Toronto (July 1st - 12th).

If you've ever seen Rocky Horror at the Bloor you'll know what a shadow cast is...basically it's a group of performers who recreate scenes from a film as it plays behind them.

David Lynch's 1986 classic is ideal for this kind of reinterpretation; there will be a live music element in the show as well for an extra kick (the film features a troubled nightclub singer.)

Anyone interested in being part of any three of the Fringe shadow cast productions (Blue Velvet, Jurassic Park or Once More With Feeling) should come down to the Bloor next Saturday (April 4th) at 10 a.m.

Update:
The facebook event page

blogTO Post: Dance Yourself to Death

2009-03-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be able to do some new 'Toronto Portraits' soon because I finally got my camera fixed this week. I'm excited.

Until then here's a quick music post about one of my favourite pop bands in the city, 'Dance Yourself to Death'. They released their first full length album the other night at the Rivoli.

Different Robin Sharp: Bean Label Collector

2009-03-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

There are many people named 'Robin Sharp' in the world.

Since I'm the only Robin Sharp who runs 'robinsharp.com', I believe it's my duty to give some attention to others with my namesake every once and while.

Today's entry is about a gentleman in England nicknamed 'Mr. Bean'; he is the proud owner of 350 bean tin labels (some from as far as 'New Zealand'!)

You can read about him here.

Update:
Robin has gotten back to us in the comments section.

Is 'The Paradise' lost?

2009-03-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was quoted today in this Globe article by Lisan Jutras about the future of the Paradise Cinema in Toronto. I hope it reopens; I hear they have a mini balcony that's kind of cool.

My Greatest Achievement

2009-03-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

Eat your heart out.

New Maze: Blue Dawn

2009-03-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Check out 'Blue Dawn' and my other mazes here.

Runaway Cinema Party II a big success

2009-03-14T15:10:00.001-07:00

I want to thank everyone who came out for the 'Runaway Cinema Party II' last night. Beautiful people, good music and a lot of stage dancing...

blogTO Post: 'Toronto Portrait' of Nils Edenloff

2009-03-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Nils Edenloff, lead singer of the fantastic local band 'The Rural Alberta Advantage'. Check it out.

Michael Cera! Kevin Smith! Edgar Wright!

2009-03-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

There have been some pretty cool people hanging out at the Bloor Cinema in the past couple of months.

It's kind of ridiculous, but we asked them to sign a giant film reel in the office. There are four signatures so far...

Kevin Smith

"To the good folks at the Bloor, I got six contact highs. Many thanks."

Jason Mewes
"Bloor, I eat ass! Snoogans..."

Edgar Wright
(Director, 'Shaun of the Dead')
"The Bloor rocks"

Michael Cera
"This place isn't half as bad as Edgar made it sound."

Runaway Cinema Party II

2009-02-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

We're throwing a huge party at the Bloor Cinema called "The Runaway Cinema Party II" (Friday March 13th, 11:45 PM - 3 AM.)

As the title suggests, it's a sequel; the first one in the Fall did really well and raised a bunch of money for the feature film I'm working on (it's called 'Runaway Cinema'...it's in post production.) There is NO COVER this time; we're raising money solely through bar sales and popcorn...it's a 19+ event.

There will be a DJ playing top 40 and retro dance music as well as old film montages playing on the screen. It's always a blast partying at the cinema (even after working there for so many years...) so if you're free on March 13th, round midnight, please drop by and say hello!

Check out the event page on facebook...

blogTO Post: Dooney's closed for good?

2009-02-26T13:44:00.002-08:00

I wrote this blogTO post about a famous Toronto cafe called 'Dooney's'; it seems like they've closed their doors for good.

The return of robinsharp.com

2009-02-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

RobinSharp.com is back in a new format. I'll be posting new blogTO articles, videos, mazes...anything and everything on this new web 2.0 blog format.

We're still building up the site now but please take a look at our youtube, flickr and blogTO links on the side panel.

yours
RRRobin