Joanna Gaskell, left, as Edda and Edwin Perez, right, as Fernando in Standard Action episode 0. (Screenshot courtesy mightyjoanna productions and Phasefire films.)

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Joanna Gaskell, a Vancouver actor and self-professed geek, is the creator/writer/producer of the new webseries Standard Action, which takes place in a fantasy world not unlike that of Dungeons & Dragons. It centres around Edda, who is rather bloodthirsty; Fernando, a half-Halfling bard; Gwenevere, a vain sorcerer; and Martin, a cleanliness-obsessed Druid. All of the characters are outcasts, neither suited to their roles nor particularly powerful.

Gaskell has gathered a team of local independent film talent to create Standard Action. In this interview, she discusses her inspiration, her team and why she decided to create a series for the web.

Watch Standard Action episode 0 on YouTube here.

Members of the Kwantlen Bhangra club practice a routine on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at the Surrey YMCA. (Photo by Talysa Dhahan)

The Kwantlen Bhangra club has been practicing and competing since April 2009, yet it is only now getting some attention.

“It takes time to build up a name. We wanted to make sure we were at a level that would attract some more attention,” said Karamvir Saini, co-founder of the club.

After competing in several competitions last year, the club has grown to include a co-ed group as well as a male group.

Saini started the club in April 2009, because he felt that there was a large number of Punjabi students at Kwantlen and he found that a lot of them were going to SFU to join its bhangra club. He thought that if he started a club here, the students could stay at Kwantlen and be a part of the club at the same time.

All of the members get together and choreograph themselves. The team agrees that the club gives them a group of friends that have similar interests and some of the same goals.

Bhangra’s competitive season is just finishing, so the club is currently working on what they will be competing with next year when the season starts up again in early spring.

And, while the season has ended here, there are still a couple of competition in the United States. Kwantlen’s team is waiting for the event to send out programs, so they can sign up and possibly travel to compete.

“We are always looking for more members, and we encourage anyone that is interested in joining to contact us,” said Saini. The club is currently practicing three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.