Rehearsal started last week for the Belfry Theatre’s new production, The Children’s Republic by Hannah Moscovitch with direction by Christian Barry.
The Children’s Republic is based on the true and inspirational tale of Dr. Janusz Korczak, a selfless advocate for children’s rights. In the Jewish Orphanage, confined within the walls of the Warsaw ghetto, Korczak struggles to protect the children, and save them from the horrors of World War II. A powerful and true story of beauty and heroism in a world devoid of freedom and the necessities of life.
“Hannah Moscovitch is one of the world’s great writers – and this is an exceptionally beautiful play,” said Michael Shamata, artistic director. “Knowing that she wanted to revisit this script, we commissioned her to write a new version. At an exciting workshop in October, Hannah began empowering the children to tell the story – a brilliant reflection of Korczak’s approach to nurturing the young.”
Young actors Lily Cave and Simeon Sanford Blades (who starred in Belfry’s first production of A Christmas Carol, as Fan and Tiny Tim respectively) star with Sophia Irene Coopman and Zander Eke. Paul Rainville plays Dr. Janusz Korczak with Kerry Sandomirsky as Stefa. Sari Alesh who played violin with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra rounds out the cast.
The Children’s Republic premieres Sept. 14. Visit belfry.bc.ca for ticket information.
Celebrate Arts &Music in the Gardens Aug. 26 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Horticultural Centre of the Pacific.
Arts and Music in the Gardens is the HCP’s largest annual fundraiser and has become one of Victoria’s finest art events. It is a magical weekend that entwines music, art, food, and people in an incredible award-winning garden. With over 50 vendors, including artists, musicians, and artisanal food producers, visitors can explore and be entertained. As you wander through the gardens and view the art, you will never be far from music as some of Victoria’s finest musicians entertain throughout the day. In our pavilion there will be a variety of different artisanal food vendors, as well as HCP info, and sandwiches and snacks from the Sidney Bakery. On-site will also be members of the Victoria Floral Artists’ Guild, with some amazing floral art. Look for all of their locations in the gardens and choose your favourite.
The Gardens at HCP is at 505 Quayle Rd.
Accessible parking is available on-site, and a free shuttle will leave regularly from Vancouver Island Tech Park for an easy parking experience. Please note that although your furry friends are allowed in the gardens, they are unable to travel on the shuttle bus.
Victoria Baroque opens its 2017-18 season Saturday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. with a concert of rare chamber works by Bach and Handel.
Players Soile Stratkauskas (baroque flute); Christi Meyers (baroque violin); Katrina Russell (baroque bassoon); and Michael Jarvis (harpsichord and chamber organ) play period instruments to bring the sound of the Baroque world to the audience.
Trio Sonatas by Bach are a bit of a rarity as most of his chamber work manuscripts were not preserved. Victoria Baroque is filling this void by transcribing for chamber ensemble three of Bach’s exquisite trio sonatas for solo organ.
“The Art and Craft of the Trio Sonata” pairs these works with the sensuous and contrasting trio sonatas of another Baroque master, George Frederic Handel. More of Bach’s works can be heard at upcoming concerts on Nov. 12 and March 28, when Victoria Baroque performs with the St John’s Chamber Singers.
On Jan. 12, 2018, acclaimed UK baroque violinist, Kati Debretzeni, returns to lead a virtuosic program of Italian Baroque concerti.
The season finishes May 18 with an orchestral program of brass, winds and strings, crowned by a performance of Handel’s Water Music and featuring the British baroque trumpeter, David Blackadder.
All Victoria Baroque concerts are held at the Church of St. John the Divine. Tickets can be purchased at Munro’s Books, Ivy’s Bookshop (Oak Bay), Long &McQuade (Victoria) or at the door.
GoGo Penguin comes to Oak Bay Sept. 8.
The Victoria Jazz Society is proud to bring this remarkable band back to Victoria after their sold out performance at TD JazzFest 2015.
It’s been an astonishing couple of years for the Manchester, UK based trio GoGo Penguin, acclaimed as one of the most exciting new bands to emerge from the UK in years and in a league of their own when it comes to their take on jazz. Without a doubt, their style is primarily jazz, but with it comes infusions of classical, electronica, and even trip-hop.
As pianist Chris Illingworth explains, “We’re recreating electronic music on acoustic instruments. It’s like a man-made object that has become humanized.”
GoGo Penguin’s trademark mash-up of Nick Blacka’s soaring double bass, Illingworth’s explosively energetic piano chords and arpeggios, and Rob Turner’s strangely perfect blend of drum and bass beat fuel their exhilarating live shows from Manchester to Montreal and Paris to London.
Their second album V2.0 was shortlisted for the 2014 Mercury Prize, the prestigious award for the British album of the year, which earned the band a legion of fans across the world and a three album deal with legendary jazz label Blue Note Records. GoGo Penguin subsequently released Man Made Object in 2016, their debut for Blue Note. 2017 has already seen the band make their debut appearance at the SXSW Music Festival after releasing a new EP, Live at Abbey Road, in February.
GoGo Penguin is at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre at Oak Bay High on Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $29 advance/VJS members | $32 at the door. They’re also available at the Victoria Jazz Society Office no service charges (202 - 345 Quebec Street, in the Harbour Towers Hotel or 250-388-4423), Lyle’s Place, and the Royal &McPherson Box Office (250-386-6121 or rmts.bc.ca)
Kaleidoscope Theatre for Young Audiences partners with educator Nancy Curry to present The Story Wheel, the newest initiative to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn through the arts. Curry is a theatre musician, vocal coach, teacher and parent of a young woman with autism, who has developed the Story Wheel through years of teaching literary theory to young people with learning disabilities who are also gifted intellectually.
The Story Wheel is an applied drama course intended for students on the autism spectrum with no intellectual disabilities or neurological speech impediments. Its purpose is to present children with new opportunities to both stimulate their own creativity, and to develop a framework to study interaction and social dynamics. It does this through the medium of the performing arts, giving children a chance to have fun while learning about drama and how it applies to the real world.
Every class focuses on a story full of classic characters – heroes, villains, sidekicks and mentors – to investigate the reasons why people behave the way they do. They enter into familiar folk-tales, fairy tales, and classic literature, and explore their themes through drama-based activities, such as frozen “sculptures”, “hot-seat” interviews, speaking the inner thoughts of a character, or devising short scenes in small groups, all within the context of the Story of the Day.
The nature of these dramatic activities is rooted in the 5 Cs of Applied Drama: “Cooperation”, “Communication”, “Concentration”, “Commitment”, and “Caring”. To this, we are adding our own 3 Cs: “Creativity”, “Compromise”, and “Conversation”. Together, these eight principles form the root of our studies and presentations.
For more information about The Story Wheel or any of our KPAS classes contact misha@kaleidoscope.bc.ca.
Sept. 27 to Oct. 14, Langham presents Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, a comedy by Morris Panych, directed by Janet Munsil.
As Amahl the goldfish is flushed away, precocious pre-teen Iris savours the final golden hours of herchildhood amid threats of an atomic disaster, the disintegration of her parents’ marriage, and the arrival of a mysterious stranger who washes up on the doorstep.
From Nov. 15 to Dec. 2, see Les Belle Soers a comedy by Michel Tremblay, directed by Judy Treloar.
Montreal housewife Germaine has won a million Gold Star stamps – given out by grocery stores and exchanged for goods like barbecues and lawn chairs – and invites all the women she knows to help her stick them into redemption booklets. As they stick, the women discuss the men in their lives, the church, and their small joys –like bingo. What Germaine doesn’t realize is that while the women are talking, they are also robbing her of herGold Star stamps. This show includes mature themes and coarse language.
Urinetown: The Musical, by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, directed by Roger Carr, runs Jan. 17 to Feb. 3, 2018.
During a 20-year drought and dire water restrictions, private toilets have become unthinkable. Despairing citizens must pay mega-corporation Urine Good Company for the “privilege to pee.” Urinetown is a hilarious satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement,municipal politics – and even musical theatre itself. This show is suitable for all ages.
Sense and Sensibility comes to Langham Feb. 28 to March 17, 2018. Jane Austen’s classic dramatic comedy is adapted by Kate Hamill and directed by Keith Digby and Cynthia Pronick.
This rollicking, ingeniously-staged new adaptation follows the adventures (and misadventures) of the Dashwood sisters – sensible Elinor and hypersensitive Marianne – after their sudden loss of fortune. Bursting with humour, emotion, and bold theatricality, Sense and Sensibility asks: when reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart?
A romantic surreal comedy by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Alan Penty hits the stage April 19 to May 5, 2018. TheClean House is a whimsical romantic comedy centred on Matilde, a quirky Brazilian cleaning woman who hates to clean and would rather be a comedian. It is an examination of our first world values and a poignant look at class, comedy and the true nature of love. The show is suitable for all ages.
A Chorus of Disapproval, is on stage June 6 to 23, 2018. In this comedy by Alan Ayckbourn and directed byWendy Merk, a diffident widower attempts to escape loneliness by joining the local amateur light operatic society. By accident, rather than by design – in fact, by not saying no to anything, be it a request to obtain confidential information from his company or an offer of illicit sex – he advances from a small part to the lead.Parallels are skilfully drawn between The Beggar’s Opera and the day-to-day activities of the society which is performing it. The show is suitable for all ages.
Red, Hot Cole! is at the Blue Bridge Theatre Aug. 1 to 13. Conceived and directed by Darcy Evans, Porter’s incredible songs are front in centre in this joyful new revue celebrating one of Broadway’s musical masters.Featuring such perennial hits as Be a Clown, Let’s Misbehave and Too Darn Hot.
This sizzling new musical tribute will have you tapping your toes and humming these unforgettable songs intothe night.
All evening shows are at 8 p.m. Wednesday matinees are at 1 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2p.m. Visit bluebridgetheatre.ca for details. They’ve added cabaret seating at the Roxy Theatre, 2657 Quadra St.for this show.
Phoenix Theatre season features four shows for only $52.
Oct. 12 to 21, the UVic theatre features a double bill by Histrionics Theatre Company as part of its Spotlight on Alumni.
Celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary with two short solo plays profiling two of our nation’s pioneering spirits. Travel with Catherine O’Hare Schubert in Lady Overlander for a lively first-person account of the legendary woman who – while pregnant – walked from Winnipeg to Kamloops in 1862 with dreams of finding gold and a home in a tantalizing new land called British Columbia. Then, join charismatic American prospector Fred Marshall Wells in The Fred Wells Show, and experience the discovery of the fabled motherlode during BC’s Depression-era gold rush of the 1930s.
Lady Overlander is the first-person account of BC pioneer and legend Catherine O’Hare Schubert, who, with her husband and her young family, joined a group of travelers from the eastern Canada attempting the uncharted overland route from Fort Garry (now Winnipeg) to the Cariboo goldfields. Catherine, an Irish immigrant, was officially the sole adult female Overlander to make this arduous journey, primarily all on foot. Her story is emblematic of a movement in BC’s history when the whole world was focused on this place, this province. The people who came here weren’t just seeking their fortune, but rather a chance to redefine and re-establish themselves in a rapidly modernizing world. British Columbia has maintained a global reputation as the place where dreamers and adventurers seek to live in freedom and acceptance. Catherine’s story represents this quest for the frontier of possibility and the vital presence of women in the settlement of Canada’s westernmost province.
The Fred Wells Show is about a fascinating but little-known true story from BC’s more recent past… As the gloom of the Great Depression fell like a fog over North America in the 1930s, one tiny pocket of prosperity shone like a beacon of hope. High up in the foothills of British Columbia’s Cariboo Mountains an introverted yet charismatic prospector named Fred Marshall Wells had a hunch there might still be gold where the province’s great Gold Rush once boomed in the 1860s. And he was right. While the rest of the world struggled simply to survive, the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine erupted into activity. Soon, thousands of people flocked to the area, and the next Cariboo Gold Rush began. Fred Wells saved countless BC families from the ravages of poverty in the “dirty ’30s” and today the town of Wells, BC – 73 kilometres east of Quesnel – survives as his legacy. A humorous and dramatic monologue of the innermost thoughts of an industrious “man of few words.”
Both plays are recommended for ages 12 and older.
The season continues with The Madwoman of Chaillot (Nov. 9 to 25) by Jean Giraudoux, adapted by Maurice Valency and directed by Conrad Alexandrowicz. Crimes of the Heart runs Feb. 15 to 24, 2018, by Beth Henley and directed by Peter McGuire. William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is on stage March 15 to 24, 2018, directed by Jeffrey Renn (MFA Candidate) with cultural liaisons Mercedes Bátiz-Benét and Fernando Garci-Crespo.
A pair of big names feature in the Charlie White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney.
Nunavut’s first Juno Award winning singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark performs in Sidney’s Charlie White Theatre Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique and leading voices in Canadian music. An Inuk from Arviat, Nunavut, she blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Artic Canada. The emotional depth and honesty of her lyrics; her pure, clear voice and themes of hope, spirit and encouragement have captivated and inspired listeners from all walks of life. Susan has held command performances for HRH Queen Elizabeth, Canadian Prime Ministers Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney, Nelson Mandela as well as other dignitaries. Susan was invited into the Order of Canada and was presented her Officer of the Order of Canada award in September 2005 for her contributed both musically and as a workshop facilitator and mentor in the aboriginal community and was awarded the Governor Generals Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in June 2016.
Aglukark’s musical success is even more interesting when you realize she didn’t start her career until she was 24, with no modern musical orthodoxy to draw on Aglukark was free to respond to the sounds and styles that touched or motivated or inspired her. The (real) appeal of her music is that in an era where the most popular music is often less relevant than style or mood, her lyrics are where she lives. “The songs are driven by the stories. It’s all about the stories.” As much as she writes and sings about her people, the songs Susan Aglukark creates have something in them that speaks to all of us, whether it’s the longing of a woman growing old for the traditional life that she was taken away from, (“Bridge of Dreams”) to an gentle anthem for peace and tolerance, (“O Siem” – joy in community), Aglukark’s artistic vision is ultimately a universal one.
The Mary Winspear Centre presents comedian Shaun Majumder on Sept. 9.
Majumder is an Gemini-award-winning actor/comedian with a lengthy television and movie resume including Harold and Kumar go to White Castle and the TV series 24. Currently Shaun can be seen on the weekly CBC comedy This Hour Has 22 Minutes, a politically heavy sketch and news parody show. He is also a regular host and stand-up comedian on the Just for Laughs circuit. In 2013 Shaun starred in his own documentary TV series Majumder Manor which told the story of his dream to transform his hometown into a high-end, sustainable tourism destination.
Majumder performs Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Charlie White Theatre at Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney. Tickets $68.25 available by phone at 250-656-0275 or online www.marywinspear.ca.
