Arts Guide, September 22, 2022

YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE 2022/23 ARTS SEASON

Nutcracker DANCE VICTORIA PRESENTS

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet + Victoria Symphony

ART • CONCERTS • DANCE • EVENTS • MUSIC • OPER A • PERFORMANCE • THEATRE

WINNER! BEST MUSICAL ALL ACROSS NORTH AMERICA

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 3

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Come From Away lands in Victoria for its premiere engagement

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roadway In Victoria is thrilled to announce that the TONY and OLIVIER award-winning Broadway musical COME FROM AWAY will have its Victoria premiere this May at the intimate Royal Theatre.

Broadway’s COME FROM AWAY is a Best Musical winner all across North America and around the world.

This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of when seven thousand passengers from around the world landed on the doorstep of Gander, Newfoundland … and the folks of Gander “put the kettle on.” When 38 planes were forced to “drain the sky” into this small Canadian community on September 11, 2001 the town’s population doubled in an instant.

While the world witnessed the worst acts of humankind, the stranded passengers had their faith in humanity restored by the spirited people who comforted those who had come from away.

Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but the uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Don’t miss this breathtaking musical written by the Canadian

Broadway in Victoria

wife and husband team, OLIVIER award-winning Best New Musical and Best Original Score and TONY nominated Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Helmed by TONY award-winning Best Director Christopher Ashley and OLIVIER award-winning Best Theatre Choreographer Kelly Devine.

On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.

The New York Times raves, “Even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dryeyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure.”

While the Globe and Mail insists it's, “A powerful celebration of Humanity. COME FROM AWAY lives up to the hype.”

This official Broadway National Tour of COME FROM AWAY will be the exact same production that played for 2 weeks to standing ovations this past summer at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Discover what audiences and critics are raving about as COME FROM AWAY makes its Victoria debut at the Royal Theatre this May. Don’t miss COME FROM AWAY. See tomorrow’s Times Colonist!

Presented by BROADWAY IN VICTORIA.

MATTHEW MURPHY

THE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR OF COME FROM AWAY.

4 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Great cities deserve great theatre

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ince 2009, Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre has had the opportunity to tell stories that take our audiences back in time and around the world. Kicking off our 13th season, we continue our journey with Around the World in 80 Days by Toby Hulse, running November 8-20.

When Phileas Fogg wagers an incredible sum that he can travel around the world in 80 days, he and his valet, Passepartout, set

out on the adventure of a lifetime.

Set in the deeply optimistic 18th century, this play is sure to delight the entire family before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins.

NOV 8-20, 2022

Continue your journey with us in the new year as we visit Shakespeare’s worlds in Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona, (Good Morning Juliet), turn of the century Hungary for The Guardsman by Ferenc Molnar, 19th century Sweden for August Stridberg’s sizzling play Miss Julie, and finally, present day New York with the hit musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown.

Learn more by visiting our website at: bluebridgetheatre.ca.

JULY 4-16, 2023

AROUND THE WORLD THE INBlue 80 DAYS Bridge Repertory Theatre

by Toby Hulse

MAY 30-JUNE 11, 2023

MISS JULIE

by August Strindberg

AUGUST 1-13, 2023

THE LAST FIVE YEARS

GUARDSMANN GUARDSMA

3x3

by Ferenc Molnar

APR 25-MAY 7, 2023

GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA, (GOOD MORNING JULIET)

by Ann-Marie MacDonald

by Jason Robert Brown

bluebridgerep.ca 250.382.3370

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS BY TOBY HULSE, RUNNING NOVEMBER 8-20, 2022

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 5

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Community orchestra Celebrates 25 Years

Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra

“SOOKE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS CONDUCTED

BY NICHOLAS FAIRBANK, APRIL 2022

I

t was 25 years ago that Norman Nelson founded the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra.

During those years the SPO has become one of the finest community orchestras on the Island.

Maestro Nelson is no longer with us, but his strong leadership and inspiring musicianship has ensured the continuity of the orchestra and chorus, the concerto competition for young musicians, the annual Sooke Chamber Music Workshop, and the Harmony Project in Sooke, which offers instruction and mentorship for school-age string and percussion players.

Nelson’s successor, SPO conductor and music director Yariv Aloni, says, “I am proud to lead the dedicated and talented musicians involved in our many SPO activities, which are a major contribution to the cultural richness of Sooke and the Island.”

The 2022-2023 season opens October 29th, with a program featuring Chopin’s Piano Concerto with Carey Wang, winner of the 2022 Don Chrysler Concerto Competition, conducted by Yariv Aloni.

December 3rd & 4th, the Sooke Philharmonic Chorus joins the orchestra for a full presentation of Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Nicholas Fairbank.

The annual and always popular Tea & Symphony concert on February 12th, conducted by Yariv Aloni, will serve a variety of favourites with the traditional Tea. Aloni will also be on the podium for the spring concerts on April 1st & 2nd, featuring Rossini and Mozart as well as Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 3, with guest soloist Nancy Washeim, soprano.

Nicholas Fairbank will conduct Haydn’s Creation on May 6th & 7th.

Concerts take place at the Sooke Community Hall, St. Mary’s Church in Metchosin, and the Dogwood Auditorium at Royal Roads University.

Our season ends July 9th with the traditional Philharmonic Fling! – a free open-air pops concert in Sooke’s Macgregor Park, conducted by Michael Klazek.

For more info, check out sookephil.ca.

2022 - 2023 25TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT SEASON October 29 - 30 | Beethoven, Fauré & Chopin December 3 - 4 | Handel’s Messiah February 12 | Tea & Symphony April 1 - 2 | Rossini, Mozart & Vaughan Williams

Sooke May 6 - 7Philharmonic | Haydn: The Creation Orchestra 3x3Fling!

July 9 | Philharmonic

Yariv Aloni, Music Director Ticket & More Info: www.sookephil.ca | 250-419-3569

6 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Ghostfinger Productions

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

A Night of Bowie -The Definitive Bowie Experience

avid Bowie is one of music history’s most praised and successful artists, with a career that spanned four decades. Bowie continuously sought to reinvent himself, while selling an estimated 140 million albums. His genre-defying journey through a vast array of musical styles, from rock to funk, dance to ballad, always kept fans guessing what he would do next.

A Night Of Bowie is a celebration of Bowie’s extensive list of memorable hits, focusing primarily (but not exclusively) on his peak years from the early ’70s to the early

’90s. The show is eerily close to hearing and seeing Bowie himself.

Since the early 80’s, Victoriabased musician, Syl Thompson and his band, Ground Control, have been paying tribute to David Bowie’s music with respect and pride. Thompson embodies Bowie’s musical style and persona; in fact, he has been acclaimed as providing the most credible and realistic Bowie experience in North America.

A Night of Bowie promises to be an exciting event! Join us at the following theatres and dates to celebrate the life and musical genius of David Bowie. anightofbowie.com

Ghostfinger Productions 3x3

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2022 ALIX GOOLDEN HALL 907 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC Show 7:30PM Tickets are available at the Alix Goolden Box Office, 900 Johnson St., by phone 250-386-5311 or online at alixgooldenhall.com Proudly presented by 100.3 The Q and Ghostfinger Productions

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022 TIDEMARK THEATRE 1220 Shoppers Row, Campbell River, BC Show 7:30PM Tickets are available at the Tidemark Theatre box office, 1220 Shoppers Row, by phone 250-287-7465 or online at tidemarktheatre.com Proudly presented by 97.3 The Eagle and Ghostfinger Productions

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2022 THE PORT THEATRE 125 Front St, Nanaimo, BC Show 7:30PM Tickets are available at The Port Theatre box office, 125 Front St., by phone 250-754-8550 or online at porttheatre.com Proudly presented by 106.9 The Wolf and Ghostfinger Productions

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 7

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Community orchestras offer valuable alternatives

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t is a desirable thing to live in a city with a robust music scene, especially one with a professional orchestra as accomplished as our Victoria Symphony. Equally important to a thriving music community are its volunteer ensembles; musicians who readily donate their time and energy to entertain, educate and inspire. These groups provide support for emerging local musicians and a place for non-professionals to exercise their talents. They also provide great value - if you love to experience live classical music but can’t afford the big venues, community orchestra concerts are a great alternative. Don’t know anything about the genre? Want to introduce your kids to the sound of a cello or bassoon? Community orchestra concerts provide a relaxed atmosphere for exploration!

The Civic Orchestra of Victoria has provided these invaluable services since their inception in 1983. This fall, they embark on their 39th season and welcome newly appointed Music Director, Nathan Jacklin, an accomplished conductor, cellist and teacher.

Between September and May, he will lead the orchestra through themes he says were “planned on the note of optimism and, more specifically, as an optimist living in a time of climate change.”

“The first concert, Music of the Macabre, explores our demons, both personal and societal. While there are certainly notes of darkness, each piece concludes with optimism. In the Faust Overture, Gretchen is saved from Mephistopheles at the end.

Morning breaks and darkness dissipates in both Danse Macabre and Borodin’s Symphony No. 2.

So, while much of the first concert is doom and gloom it ends on a positive note. This note carries onto Portraits of Nature, in which

Civic Orchestra Of Victoria

THE CIVIC ORCHESTRA OF VICTORIA HAS PROVIDED THESE INVALUABLE SERVICES SINCE THEIR INCEPTION IN 1983.

MUSIC DIRECTOR, NATHAN JACKLIN

we look at the physical world.

Beethoven, Nielsen, and de Falla do this in their music, using the orchestra as a vehicle to explore nature’s beauty. The final concert, Celebrating Home, expands this view and applies it to our national communities. Sibelius and Dvo ák wrote Finlandia and My Homeland respectively as homages to their own countries while Jean Coulthard’s Prayer for Elizabeth is a nod to Canada and the British influences in our history.”

“And that's where the program ends, with an appreciation of the world directly around us and, hopefully, with an encouraging view to the future.”

Visit civicorchestraofvictoria. org for more information about these concerts and of course, COV’s perennial favourite, the Sing-Along Messiah!

Civic Orchestra Of Victoria 3x3

8 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra

Yariv Aloni, Music Director

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Expressive, Focused, Adventurous!

S Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra 3x3

ymphonic sounds spring from Baumann Centre in downtown Victoria every Saturday morning!

Sixty-five exuberant young musicians – friends and collaborators committed to their musical craft – make up the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra. Expressive, focused and adventurous, the GVYO is respected as one of the finest youth ensembles in the country.

GVYO players are guided

by Maestro Yariv Aloni and a faculty of Victoria’s top musicians through rehearsals, workshops, and sectional coaching sessions.

They develop musical style, ensemble skills and teamwork.

With commitment and initiative, senior players inspire their younger colleagues, as together they embrace new repertoire with energy, enthusiasm, and imagination. Over the years the GVYO has been further enriched by working with internationally esteemed guest artists such as Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Jonathan Crow, Ben Heppner and Timothy Vernon.

The results are performances of an impressive calibre, and invaluable experience for young people, who mature not only as musicians, but as contributors to their community. For 37 years, the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra has enchanted audiences across Vancouver Island and as far afield as the Kootenays, Haida Gwaii and Yukon Territory. GVYO alumni occupy positions in ensembles, orchestras, and academies throughout the world.

Join the GVYO for three Sunday afternoon concerts at The Farquhar at UVic: November 20, February 5, and April 16. Program highlights include Haydn’s London Symphony, Holst’s Somerset Rhapsody, selections from Bizet’s Carmen Suites, and music by Brahms, Mendelssohn, Borodin, and Grieg.

Phone: 250-360-1121 gvyorchestra@gmail.com Visit: www.gvyo.org

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 9

ADVERTISING FEATURE

20th season opens with: Broadway on Pointe and other works

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allet Victoria invites you to experience dance in a whole new way in its new theatre, located in Kirk Hall at 680 Courtney Street. Experience “Chamber Ballet” with all the production value of a city theatre with a lot more leg room. While seating is limited, there are nine performances running from October 7 to the 23 with a Sunday matinee each week. Tickets are selling fast, so book some great seats now at balletvictoria.ca Opening the program, “Le Banc”, danced to selected cello suites by J.S. Bach, is the story of a park bench which holds various meanings for the people who use it, from a resting place to a meeting place, and more. The second work, “Is This the Real Life” by Andrea Bayne (BV’s former prima ballerina), explores human interactions and connections or the lack of in today’s hyper-connected world. “The greatest thing in life is to love and be loved in return” and here, we see how lost love, personal struggles,

SINGING, DANCING, ACTING! DRAMATIC, BOLD, AND BEAUTIFUL; TWO STARS COLLIDE ON THE ROLLER COASTER OF FAME IN THIS ONE-ACT BALLET TO BROADWAY’S MOST ICONIC TUNES. THE PROGRAM WILL OPEN WITH LE BANC, A SERIES OF VIGNETTES SET AROUND A PARK BENCH CHOREOGRAPHED TO BACH’S CELLO SUITES, AND ONE NEW CREATION. SIMPLY, AN EXHILARATING PERFORMANCE.

Ballet Victoria

and lack of meaningful empathy can affect one’s life. The piece is set to the powerful music of Sample and Jennings’ “One Day I’ll Fly Away”, David Bowie’s “Nature Boy”, and Freddie Mercury’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

For the second act, “Broadway on Pointe” tells the story of two stars, one rising and one setting, who find themselves at odd before befriending each other. Broadway’s most iconic show tunes drive the bold choreography filled with drama, passion, humour, romance, and a few sequins. A program where music and dance become a seamless emotional journey through space and time for all to enjoy.

For classical ballet with a contemporary twist for everyone to enjoy, check out Ballet Victoria’s 20th anniversary season and discover how we breathe new life and meaningful innovation into dance. More info at balletvictoria.ca

Ballet Victoria 3x3

10 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

ADVERTISING FEATURE

A Season of Firsts! Dance Victoria’s 2022/23 Season on Sale

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iscover Dance Victoria’s Season of Firsts: four dance companies presented in Victoria for the first time plus a much-anticipated co-production with the Victoria Symphony. Subscriptions and single tickets to the Dance at the Royal Series are on sale. Save up to $156 over regular ticket prices with a four-show season subscription. Discounted Pay Your Age (ages 12 to 29) and Night Moves (ages 30 to 45) tickets, and the four-ticket discount flex pass offer incredible dance at amazing savings.

Experience four firsts with Dance Victoria’s Dance at the Royal Series: Philadelphia’s BalletX, a contemporary ballet company hailed an “epicenter of creation” (Dance Magazine) and a “place of choreographic innovation” (The New Yorker); LA’s BODYTRAFFIC named “one of the most talked about young contemporary companies nationwide” (Los Angeles Times); the legendary and beloved Dance Theatre of Harlem sharing some of their signature works; and the most sought-after Cuban dance company, Malpaso Dance Company, with a diverse program laying contemporary dance atop intentional storytelling.

Three special presentations can be added to your subscription at discounted pricing. Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker, accompanied by the Victoria Symphony, is a uniquely Canadian perspective on the classic story while Out Innerspace Dance Theatre’s Bygones combines hyperdetailed choreography, ghostly architecture, puppeteering, and illusions with some of the most exciting choreography at the forefront of new west coast dance theatre. Ballet Edmonton’s Music in Motion is the first co-produced by the Victoria Symphony and Dance Victoria, with new choreography by Wen Wei Wang to Max Richter’s treatment of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Ian Cusson’s Le loup de Lafontaine.

Dance Victoria is committed to promoting an appreciation of dance by

developing and presenting diverse local, Canadian and international artists, and engaging the community in the celebration of dance. Dance Victoria is the home of the Chrystal Dance Prize, Canada’s richest dance prize for international collaboration. Over $50,000 is awarded to support independent and emerging dance artists from western Canada making new work or continuing their training at international dance institutions. We offer free master classes taught by world-renowned dancers in our season. Our annual Dance Days offers as many as 70 free dance classes and workshops while our studios in Quadra Village welcome 5,000 young dancers to a diverse range of classes each month.

DanceVictoria.com Box Office: 250-386-6121

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM DANCERS ANTHONY SANTOS, DEREK BROCKINGTON, AMANDA SMITH & DYLAN SANTOS

PHOTO: RACHEL NEVILLE

Dance Victoria

2022/23 Season Now on Sale

ADDITIONAL PRESENTATIONS

BALLETX

NOV. 18 + 19, 2022 • 7:30 pm A fresh, inclusive contemporary ballet program by Philadelphia’s BalletX “that connects to what people want.”

(PHILADELPHIA CITIZEN)

“…personable, eloquent, and technically skilled as they are versatile.” BOSTON GLOBE

BODYTRAFFIC

BALLETX – Photo: Gabriel Bienczycki. BODYTRAFFIC – Photo: Tatiana Wills. DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM – Photo: Rachel Neville. MALPASO DANCE COMPANY – Photo: Nir Arieli.

FEB. 10 + 11, 2023 • 7:30 pm BODYTRAFFIC’s mixed contemporary program by internationally acclaimed artists “suggest invention, attitude and urban edge.” (BOSTON GLOBE) “One of the most talked-about young companies, not just in LA but nationwide.” LOS ANGELES TIMES

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

MARCH 24 + 25, 2023 • 7:30 pm

DEC. 2 + 3 + 4, 2022 • 7:00 pm DEC. 3 + 4, 2022 • 1:00 pm Nutcracker

A snowy pond hockey game, a battle on Parliament Hill, Mounties, and a cast of Canadian critters make this production memorable. Performed to live music by the Victoria Symphony. “…the most visually stunning Nutcracker I’ve ever seen….” TIMES COLONIST

OUT INNERSPACE DANCE THEATRE

JAN. 13, 2023 • 7:30 pm McPherson Playhouse

Bygones Hyper-detailed choreography, ghostly architecture, puppeteering, and illusions — a visually stunning work.

“…exciting, ambitious dance theatre” GEORGIA STRAIGHT

BALLET EDMONTON

CO-PRODUCED / VICTORIA SYMPHONY

The legendary company that continues to be a beacon of inclusion, innovation and moving art, performs a forwardthinking mixed program.

APRIL 23, 2023 • 2:30 pm APRIL 24, 2023 • 7:30 pm Music in Motion

“…grace, athleticism, unparalleled technique…” MONTECITO JOURNAL

Experience two new works by Ballet Edmonton’s Wen Wei Wang to Max Richter’s and Ian Cusson’s compositions plus an instrumental performance of Ravel.

MALPASO DANCE COMPANY

APRIL 28 + 29, 2023 • 7:30 pm The sought-after Cuban dance company collaborates with top international choreographers for a program that lays contemporary dance atop intentional storytelling. "… they could dance just about any genre with jaw-dropping style.” NOW MAGAZINE TORONTO

SEASON SPONSOR

ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET + VICTORIA SYMPHONY

PUBLIC SECTOR

TICKETS 250-386-6121 (weekdays 10am–5pm) DANCEVICTORIA.COM Save with Pay Your Age (12–29 yrs) or Night Moves (30–45 yrs)!

All performances at the Royal Theatre except Bygones.

22/23 programming subject to change.

ibers r c s b u S to save up $156!

ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET – Photo: David Cooper. OUT INNERSPACE DANCE THEATRE – Photo: Alistair Maitland. BALLET EDMONTON – Photo: Nanc Price.

DANCE AT THE ROYAL SERIES

12 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Seek culture, creativity, community. Find it at the Farquhar at UVic

Farquhar Auditorium

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he Farquhar at UVic proudly presents Voices in Circle, a new presenting and engagement series featuring established and emerging Indigenous artists. Performances run September 9, 2022 through March 11, 2023 and feature:

PIQSIQ

PIQSIQ-October 12, 2022 at 7pm - With a style perpetually galvanized by darkness and haunting northern beauty, sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay come together to create Inuit style throat singing duo, PIQSIQ.

SNOTTY NOSE REZ KIDS

Best Hip Hop Artist - WCMAs

PIQSIQ

WEDNESDAY

NOV 30

7:00 PM

Uvic - Farquhar SEBASTIAN GASKIN OCT 12 Auditorium 7:00 PM 3x3

AND FARQUAR PRESENTS SERIES

JOSEPHINE

Variety Show-February 18 2023 at 7pm - variety show of local indigenous artists Sebastian Gaskin-March 11, 2023 at 7pm - Sebastian Gaskin is a multi-instrumentalist R&B singer-songwriter producing

WEDNESDAY

Performing ancient traditional songs and enthralling new compositions

VOICES IN CIRCLE

Snotty Nose Rez Kids November 30, 2022 at 7pm – Popular First Nations hip hop duo composed of Haisla rappers Darren “Young D” Metz and Quinton “Yung Trybez” Nyce, are known for their energetic, inspiring and thought provoking performances.

Winnipeg-based R&B singersongwriter

SATURDAY

MAR 11

7:00 PM

tickets.uvic.ca 250-721-8480

smooth vocals, hits of hip-hop and rap, rounded out with emotive thoughtful lyrics.

ALSO PART OF THE FARQUHAR PRESENTS SERIES: Josephine-October 15, 2022 7pm- This burlesque cabaret dream play is an international award-winning and off-Broadway one-woman biographical musical that combines cabaret, theatre and dance to tell the story of the iconic Josephine Baker.

S N OT T Y

SATURDAY

OCT 15

7:00 PM

INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT

Featuring Itamar Erez, Stephanie Jones, Jesus Guerrero and Jocelyn Gould.

WEDNESDAY

JAN 25 7:00 PM

Z K IDS N OS E R E

International Guitar NightJanuary 25, 2023 7pmThe 2023 tour features Soloist and Chamber Musician Stephanie Jones, Flamenco master Jesus Guerrero from Spain, Canada’s traditional jazz guitarist and vocalist Jocelyn Gould, and Israeli nylon string guitarist Itamar Erez.

If you seek creativity, culture and community, you’ll find it at the Farquhar at UVic. Tickets at the UVic Ticket Centre at (250) 7218480 or visit tickets.uvic.ca.

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 13

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Reinventing the Past

Phoenix Theatre

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By Adrienne Holierhoek

ost plays speak to the period in which they were written. Great plays transcend their time and remain poignant across culture s and eras, while others are reinvented to offer a contemporary approach on their ideas and themes. The Phoenix Theatre’s 2022-23 season shares three plays that delve into the past to give us a new perspective.

The 8-time Tony Awardwinning musical Spring Awakening (November 10-26, 2022) was based on the 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind, yet broke boundaries when it hit Broadway in 2006, forever changing the definition of what a musical could be. The BROADWAY VETERAN MICHELLE RIOS GUESTDIRECTS THE HIT MUSICAL “SPRING AWAKENING” FOR THE PHOENIX THEATRE IN NOVEMBER.

contemporary version by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik presents the journey from adolescence to adulthood through exciting musical numbers that explore timeless ideas with an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock ‘n’ roll.

The Phoenix’s next play timetravels to a 17th-century witch hunt and trial – or does it? With scenes interspersed with modern music, Vinegar Tom (February 16-25) brings the battle of a woman’s autonomy over her own body from the past to speak to current political conversations today. Written in 1970s by acclaimed British playwright Caryl Churchill, Vinegar Tom leads us to question not only the historical

persecution of “witches”, but why anyone persecutes anyone. This is Churchill at her best: raw, satirical, political, and mad as hell! The season concludes in the spring with Mojada (March 16-25), Luis Alfaro’s contemporary reimagining of the Greek classic Medea with Mexican folklore. Euripides’ characters Medea and Jason are now undocumented immigrants caught in the grips of America’s system while they strive for a better life for their family.

In addition to the season, the Department of Theatre is presenting the Inter-Cultural Association of Victoria’s show im:print 2022 (October 6-15), an inspiring evening of multidisciplinary performance that weaves the personal stories of Indigenous, settler, immigrant, and refugee artists.

The Phoenix Theatre’s 3-show package is available for only $46.50, a savings of up to 50% off the cost of single shows. Add im:print 2022 to your package for only $16. All subscriptions have free exchanges to alternative nights or livestream options (when available), offering a peace of mind guarantee when you book tickets to live theatre.

UVic’s Phoenix Theatre phoenixtheatres.ca 250-721-8000

PHOENIX THEATRE’S THREE-SHOW SEASON EXPLORES THREE REINVENTED PLAYS FROM THE PAST

November 10 – 26, 2022

Book & Lyrics by Steven Sater Music by Duncan Sheik Guest Director Michelle Rios Sponsored by

This 8-time Tony Award-winner rocked the theatre world with its electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock ‘n’ roll! Full of literary allusions, poetic depth and emotion, it broke boundaries and explored the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion.

Subscribe

to our season with confidence*

Uvic Theatre Department & Save February 16 – 25, 2023 up to 50% 3x3

By Caryl Churchill Director Francis Matheu (MFA Candidate)

Set in a time when it’s dangerous to be a woman, Vinegar Tom is a wild mash-up that blends a 17th-century witch hunt with modern music that cleverly connects us to today’s current battle over women’s bodies. This is Churchill at her best: raw, satirical, political, and mad as hell!

3-play package: only $46.50

March 16 – 25, 2023

Add the ICA im:print 2022 performance for only $16.

By Luis Alfaro | Guest Director Carmen Aguirre Blending Euripides’ classic play Medea with Mexican folklore, Alfaro examines the tragedy behind America’s immigration system and the destiny of one family caught in its grip.

“Unpretentious and entertaining” – CHICAGO TRIBUNE

* Easy free exchanges for alternate show dates or online streaming (when available).

ADD ON: im:print 2022 October 6 – 15, 2022

Add to your subscription an evening with the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria presenting multidisciplinary performances by Indigenious, settler, immigrant and refugee artists.

Phoenix Theatre

phoenixtheatres.ca 250.721.8000

14 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Kaleidoscope Theatre Production Society

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Announcing our 2022/23 theatre season

LEIF NORMAN.

V KATHLEEN MACLEAN, KRYSTLE PEDERSON, AND MALLORY JAMES IN FROZEN RIVER.

ictoria’s professional theatre for young audiences returns to the stage with a full season of dynamic and engaging entertainment for the whole family. From three stunning and inspiring professional shows, to jam-packed family FUNdays, and a variety of high quality educational programming, there are so many ways to be a part of the drama with Kaleidoscope this season.

Kaleidoscope Theatre Production Society 3x3

“We excitedly return with three wonderful productions that bring us back together as a community.” says Pat Rundell, Kaleidoscope’s Executive and Artistic Director.

“Through them we explore stories about family, about our past, about imagination - and where you’ll find joy, laughter, empathy, and the profound happiness of being back together! And, as always, we aspire to spark meaningful conversation and inspire young people to think critically about the world around them” Kaleidoscope’s first full season since 2019-2020 will kick off with Manitoba Theatre for Young People’s award winning production Frozen River (nîkwatin sîpiy), an exciting new play that explores the ideas of broken promises, reconciliation and connection via a story that spans centuries.

Pablo Felices-Luna, Artistic Director of Manitoba Theatre for Young People says “Victoria holds a very special place in my heart; it’s where I started my training as a director when I first settled in Canada more than 30 years ago.

Being able to bring an important work like Frozen River to the community that shaped me as a person and an artist is very meaningful to me. And I think this play will be very meaningful to all the families and students who will get to experience nîkwatin sîpiy in their hometown. We are all so grateful to Kaleidoscope Theatre for inviting us to share this story.”

The two other shows are Kleine Campagnie and Théâtre de la Pire Espèce’s Clementine: A [True Story, a bright and bubbly table-top puppetry play that tackles a tricky topic with humour,

honesty & optimism, and Oz, an imaginative journey to the land of Oz created in partnership with Vancouver’s Carousel Theatre for Young People and directed by Jessie Richardson Theatre Award Winner and Carousel Theatere’s Co-Artistic and Managing Director Jennica Grienke.

Grienke says “Carousel Theatre is ecstatic to partner with Kaleidoscope on this beautiful reimagining of a beloved classic - marking the first time in our organisations mutual histories that we are collaborating! On a more personal note, I am delighted to return to Kaleidoscope as the director of Oz and to collaborate with the wonderful artistic team at Kaleidoscope.”

In addition to these in-person productions, Kaleidoscope has launched a new initiative called Family FUNdays, a recurring series of free drop-in events for children and families of all ages!

This recurring program will feature storytelling, dress-up, crafts, and lots of imagination, while encouraging creativity and play!

Additionally, young people ages 3-18 can participate in extracurricular classes, camps, and workshops year round though Kaleidoscope’s youth Performing Arts Studio, offering programs in musical theatre, acting, and voice at the Kaleidoscope Arts Centre located in the heart of Victoria’s old town district.

Subscriptions and Single Tickets are now on sale for all productions and can be purchased through the Kaleidoscope Box Office by phone (250-900-8163), online at kaleidoscope.bc.ca, on inperson at the Kaleidoscope Arts Centre located at 613 Pandora Avenue.

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Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 15

Early Music Vancouver DANYLO BOBYK

Reinventing the Past

H

INFUSION BAROQUE - WHO KILLED LECLAIR? (PHOTO CREDIT:

esitant to attend a live concert? Don’t live in Vancouver? These are just two reasons why you might enjoy ‘attending’ Early Music Vancouver’s (EMV) Digital Concert Hall (DCH) this year.

The DCH Season contains seven amazing concerts with renowned artists such as countertenor Reginald Mobley, pianist Olga Paschenko, Infusion Baroque, and June Award-winning soprano Hélène Brunet to name only a few.

There’s even a musical whodunnit to kick off the season. Four of the concerts are from EMV’s 2022-23 live season, one is from last season and two are private concerts filmed last year.

2022-23 DIGITAL CONCERT HALL SEASON WHO KILLED LECLAIR? A MURDER MYSTERY CONCERT Works by Leclair, Locatelli and Cassanéa de Mondonville FROM WAR TO PEACE: HEINRICH SCHÜTZ AND HIS TIME Programme: Works by Schütz, Gabrieli, Widmann and SophieElisabeth von BraunschweigWolfenbüttel FESTIVE CANTATAS: BACH MAGNIFICAT AND BWV 110 Programme: Works by J.S. Bach

Each concert is available for viewing at any time from its opening date through May 31, 2023 and may be viewed as many times as you wish during that period.

Individual concerts are available for $20 each. EMV is also offering all seven concerts in a Digital Concert Hall Subscription Package that includes bonus materials such as ‘Intimate Conversations’ (7-10 extra videos) – interviews with many of the featured artists. Early Bird Price for full Subscription Package, (available to Oct. 21) is only $70 – that’s a discount of 50%. Digital Concert Hall Subscriptions also make wonderful gifts for the music lovers on your list.

THE ODYSSEY OF KRYŠ TOF HARANT Programme: Works by Harant, Murad, Misri, Seyfullah, Mo’men, de l’Estocart and Giray Han CONCERTO D’AMORE: OVERCOMING RIVALRY Programme: Works by G.F. Handel, G. Bononcini, G.P. Telemann, and C.H. Graupner RAISE, RAISE THE VOICE: REGINALD MOBLEY Programme: Works by Bach, Handel, Purcell and Duke Ellington BEETHOVEN & LISZT : A MUSICAL AFFINITY Artist: Olga Paschenko, fortepiano Programme: Works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Schubert-Liszt

Concert details and tickets are available on the Early Music Vancouver website earlymusic.bc.ca click Digital Concert Hall under the Concerts tab and settle in to enjoy magnificent concerts from the comfort of your couch.

Early Music Vancouver 3x5

16 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Storytelling at its best, up close and live at the Royal Theatre!

MIKE ROLLINS

KRIS UGARRIZA

IAN GLASS

Royal OnStage presents National Geographic Live

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ANDY MANN ON ASSIGNMENT FOR NGM IN ANTARCTICA

UNTAMED WITH FILIPE DEANDRADE

The Royal & Mcpherson Theatres 3x3

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MO BECK

ational Geographic ignites the explorer in all of us through groundbreaking storytelling from the world’s best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers, and filmmakers.

National Geographic Live returns to the Royal Theatre for an exciting new season of exploration. Three storytellers are taking centre stage to give you a front row seat to the captivating and important stories that are shaping our world. Every story is accompanied by stunning visual imagery, gripping footage, and an interactive post-show Question and Answer period.

The adventure begins on November 2, 2022, when award-winning filmmaker and photographer Andy Mann takes audiences From Summit to Sea. Dive in with Andy as he details his transformation from climber to diver and tells the story of our rapidly changing planet, from top to bottom.

On January 25, 2023, get an unfiltered look at what it’s like to come face-to-face with wild animals, survive extreme environments, and make unexpected discoveries with wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Filipe DeAndrade in Untamed. Filipe credits animals

with saving his life, and in return, he wants to preserve the wild spaces where they live.

Join paraclimber Maureen Beck on April 25, 2023, as she chronicles her adventures as a onehanded athlete in an Improbable Ascent. With her trademark humour and wit, world champion paraclimber and 2019 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Maureen shares how a little creativity and a whole lot of grit and determination have propelled her to the top of her field.

Join the exploration – tickets are on sale now!

Single tickets start at $41.50 or buy all three and save up to 25%.

To purchase tickets, contact the Box Office (250) 386-6121 or go to rmts.bc.ca.

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 17

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35th Season Celebration

AUTUMN SERENADE ERIK ABBINK, SAXOPHONE OCTOBER 6, 2022 SIDNEY 2:00 PM OCTOBER 9, 2022 OAK BAY 2:00 PM

P

alm Court Light Orchestra, Canada’s premier light orchestra, celebrates its 35th Anniversary Season with concerts at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre, Oak Bay and the Charlie White Theatre, Sidney. The season begins in October, 2022 with Autumn Serenade featuring saxophonist Eric Abbink. In

February 2023 A Valentine for You presents Vancouver soprano Shadan Saul and Sidney tenor Sunny Shams. The season concludes in April 2023 with a concert entitled Musical Theatre in which the Orchestra is joined by students from Oak Bay High School.

Founded by conductor Charles Job, the professional orchestra

Palm Court Light Orchestra

plays a repertoire which includes music from the Edwardian and Victorian eras as well as operetta and musical theatre. It has also performed music by Canadian composers Robert Farnon, Michael Conway Baker, and arranger Percy Faith.

Victoria audiences may recognize today’s Palm Court

Light Orchestra as reminiscent of violinist Billy Tickle and his orchestra who presented tea dances at the Empress Hotel right up to the late 1950s. Information palmcourtorchestra.com

Palm Court light Orchestra A VALENTINE FOR YOU SHADAN SAUL, SOPRANO SUNNY SHAMS, TENOR FEBRUARY 17, 2023 SIDNEY 2:00 PM FEBRUARY 19, 2023 OAK BAY 2:00 PM

Autumn Palm Serenade Court Embracing the Canadian landscape

Orchestra 2x2 Eric Abbink

saxophone Charlie White Theatre Sidney Thurs Oct 6 2:00pm

Dave Dunnet Community Theatre MUSICAL THEATRE GUESTS APRIL 21, 2023 SIDNEY 2:00 PM APRIL 23, 2023 OAK BAY 2:00 PM

Oak Bay Sunday Oct 9 2:00pm

TICKETS:

SIDNEY 250 656 0275 OAK BAY Long & McQuade, Munros Books, INFO: 250 748 9964 At the Door

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18 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Pacific Opera

Live opera returns to the Royal Theatre

CARMEN COSTUME DESIGN PRELIMINARY COSTUME DESIGN FOR CARMEN

BY SYLVAIN GENOIS. MICAELA COSTUME DESIGN PRELIMINARY COSTUME DESIGN FOR MICAELA BY SYLVAIN GENOIS.

Pacific Opera Victoria 3x5

C

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ome back to all your senses with live opera at the Royal Theatre – join Pacific Opera Victoria for a 2022/23 Season celebrating love!

The curtain rises first on Georges Bizet’s Carmen in October 2022 – highly anticipated and originally scheduled for April 2020. Preview the costumes, and tour the set of this production now at pacificopera.ca and book your seats today – tickets are going fast for this popular piece with limited capacity remaining for the Sunday matinee. “The score is constantly ablaze with melodies – you can surely sing a half dozen of them without thinking!” says Maestro Timothy Vernon, Pacific Opera’s Artistic Director, of the piece which he calls “one of the greatest in all of opera – a masterpiece of concision and rising tension right to its famous close.”

The Birds by Walter Braunfels in February of 2023 brings Aristophanes’ classic Greek comedy to the opera stage. When two disillusioned humans journey into the realm of Thrushes, Wrens, and Ravens, in their ill-advised counsel leads to a

MAESTRO TIMOTHY VERNON, PACIFIC OPERA’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,

thunderous reckoning with the gods. Maestro Vernon delights in how “…the vocal writing is graceful in the best way, and the orchestra delivers a web of gorgeous, evocative themes and harmonies that transport us into this magical phantasmagoria.”

The season closes with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s masterpiece comedy Così fan tutte in April 2023, a co-production with Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris, France). This quirky comedy about two men as naughty as Mozart himself and the women who teach them a lesson contains what Maestro Vernon calls some of the most “miraculous music” Mozart ever wrote, adding “Strauss loved Così more than anything in the world of music.

Not hard to understand why.”

Be sure to secure your seat for a season you will not want to miss, as Founding Artistic Director Timothy Vernon conducts Pacific Opera’s productions of these three engaging love stories.

Book your tickets to the opera at pacificopera.ca

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 19

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Enchanting audiences for over two decades.

E

nsemble Laude is thrilled to announce its 2022-23 season!

Known for its musical excellence and eclectic repertoire, Ensemble Laude is an auditioned 60 +/- voice choir for women and non-binary upper voiced singers. For over two decades, Ensemble Laude has enchanted audiences on Vancouver Island with its creative blend of new choral music, ancient song, and commissioned works by Canadian composers. Ensemble Laude is a community united by a passion for choral music and the vision of our Artistic Director, Dr. Elizabeth MacIsaac. They celebrate the beauty and resilience of feminine vocal traditions through the ages and seek to share this art form through joyful, soulful, and life-enhancing performances that gladden the heart, lift the spirit, and expand the mind.

Ensemble Laude has been on hiatus since March 2020 but is launching a new season of exquisite music collected by director Dr. Elizabeth MacIsaac over the past three years.

Ensemble Laude’s winter concerts, entitled Aurora, present a uplifting celebration of our

journey forward together, a time where we welcome new light, new dawn.

Aurora will include several mystical works of Hildegard von Bingen, Winter Sun by Don MacDonald, Jam! By Tracy Wong, O Sister by Kathleen Allan and Lunar Lullaby by Jacob Navarud.

Two seamless concerts of one hour duration will be held on the following afternoons: December 10 2022 and January 7 2023, 1:30 and 3:30 pm. For audience comfort, we will not be selling more than half of available seats, keeping the hall at 50% capacity.

Ensemble Laude has had a tremendous response to this season’s audition call and are back to their full glory of near 70 singers! They will be rehearsing in two groups of 35 to minimize covid risk.

In Spring 2023, our Wellspring concert on April 29 will feature female composers, repertoire which will also be included in our first major recording project since our Inspirata CD in 2011.

We gratefully accept donations to support our renaissance this season. Please see the Ensemble Laude website for more information ensemblelaude.org

Ensemble Laude Choral

Aurora

in 2 concerts Saturday, December 10, 2022 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm Ensemble Laude Choral First Metropolitan Church, Society 932 Balmoral Ave

3x3

Saturday, January 7, 2023 1:30 and 3:30 pm St Dunstan’s Church, 1806 San Juan Ave

Wellspring Alchemist by Jennifer Russel

Saturday, April 29, 2023 7:00 pm First Church of Christ, Scientist

www.ensemblelaude.org For ticket info!

20 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Jaguar Music Group

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A Tribute to Buddy Holly, Elvis and Brenda Lee

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f course, it could have happened, although very unlikely… Buddy Holly and Elvis performing on the same show with Brenda Lee. Buddy Holly was killed in that tragic plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa on February 3rd, 1959 which also claimed the lives of rock’n’roll recording stars Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.

At that time, Brenda Lee was still very much a work in progress and Elvis Presley was serving in the United States Army between March 1958 and March 1960. At the

time of his draft he was the most well-known name in the world of entertainment. Before entering the U.S. Army, Presley had already become a national treasure in the rock and roll music genre.

Zachary Stevenson as Buddy Holly breathes life into his character like no other. He has performed as Buddy in no less than 10 productions of the Buddy Holly Story in North America and also performed the leading role in the sold-out hit musical Red Rock Diner presented by the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver.

Jaguar Music Group 3x3

And, anyone coming of age during the mid-fifties will remember Elvis’ record setting appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ben Klein does a masterful job of recreating this memorable period. Plus, Cassandra Jean is exceptional performing as Brenda Lee.

Don’t miss Buddy’s Holly Jolly Christmas… you’ll hear all the big hits plus a sprinkle of your favourite seasonal songs. Catch this show folks… They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

More information and Video at Legendsofrocknroll.com

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 21

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Simple. Modern. Human.

STOO METZ

Belfry Theatre

IN THE PAST 40 PLUS YEARS THE BELFRY HAS PRODUCED 330 PLAYS, INCLUDING 238 CANADIAN PLAYS, AND MORE THAN 50 PREMIERES.

SEPTEMBER 20 – OCTOBER 16, 2022

T

BEN CAPLAN IN OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY.

he Belfry’s new season opens tonight with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. It is very apt that the central character makes corsets—which sit next to the heart, but whose beauty is hidden.

Intimate Apparel was named by The Independent (UK) as one of the 40 best plays ever written—an honour it richly deserves! Intimate Apparel continues through October 16.

Vigil by Morris Panych had its very first performance right here on the Belfry stage 27 years ago! It has since played around the world, including the West End, in 24 different languages— who knew that blackly comic misanthropes were universal?! Vigil runs from November 15 to December 11.

Yvette Nolan’s The Unplugging—winner of a Jessie Award for Outstanding New Play— celebrates Indigenous women, and their profound connections to their culture, their

ancestors, future generations… and the land. The Unplugging runs from February 7 to March 5, 2023.

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story—the musical that blew the roof off the Belfry during our 2019 SPARK Festival—is an international hit, winning multiple awards on three continents. Best of all, it brings playwright Hannah Moscovitch (Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes) back to our stage, along with the astounding whirlwind that is Ben Caplan! Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story runs from April 18 to May 14, 2023.

This year we are offering you more price options for your subscription package including a Pay What You Can option and an opportunity for you to help others afford to subscribe.

Season and single tickets for all Belfy productions are on sale now.

Visit belfry.bc.ca or call us at 250-385-6815 to learn more.

“…one of the forty best plays ever written.”

BELFREY 3x3

INDEPENDENT, UK

LY N N N O T TA G E

PRODUCTION SPONSORS

SEASON SPONSORS

PUBLIC FUNDERS

Pay What You Can Tickets

250-385-6815 belfry.bc.ca

22 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Inspirational concerts from around the world

CONSONE QUARTET - UK.

Early Music Society Of The Islands 3x3

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he Early Music Society of the Islands presents the soundscape of history: music from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. These were the times when western music was invented and perfected.

EMSI scours the world to bring the finest interpreters of early music to Victoria audiences.

Incorporating authentic vocal techniques and instruments from the time, these amazing artists breathe life into the music of the past with freshness and creative passion.

JEAN DUBRANA

Early Music Society of the Islands

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ENSEMBLE LA RÊVEUSE FRANCE.

Our 2022/23 season includes artists from France, England, Austria, the USA and Canada.

Two nature-inspired concerts bookend our series featuring everything from the intimacy of solo lute to the grandeur of the Vivaldi Gloria.

Take advantage of discounted prices on the season with our Flex Pass. This innovative offering allows you to build your own customized subscription series.

Find out more about the concerts and the Flex Pass by visiting our website: earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 23

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Something for everyone!

M

RG Live is excited to present a wide range of events in our upcoming Fall lineup. From folk to comedy and everything in between, there’s something for everyone!

Following the release of her fifth studio album, The Garden, Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat will be bringing her Canadawide tour to Capital Ballroom on October 15. Bulat has been creating buzz in the indie world over the last 15 years, with her first album notably being short-listed for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize,

which launched a successful series of tours in addition to further albums in the decade to follow.

On October 22, Capital Ballroom will welcome Grammy Award-nominated neo-traditional folk duo The Milk Carton Kids as part of their North American tour with Katie Pruitt. Formed in early 2011 after shelving their solo careers in favour of a collaborative project, Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan have since become known for their rootsy songwriting, virtuosic musicality, and adversarial, Smothers Brothers-evoking comedic banter.

MRG Live

Remaining one of Canada’s greatest musical treasures over the last 25 years, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings are bringing their Fall tour to the Royal Theatre in Victoria on November 10 and the Port Theatre in Nanaimo on November 12. Since forming in 1996 to record what was supposed to be a one-off tribute album to the great Canadian songwriter Willie P. Bennett, the group has organically evolved into one of the finest roots-oriented

bands in North America.

On November 17, Canadian stand-up comedian Jeremy Hotz will bring his Marquis De Sad Tour to the McPherson Playhouse.

With stellar performances at the Montreal Comedy Festival: Just For Laughs and his sold out Canadian theatre tours, as well as performances all over the world, Jeremy continues to grab audiences with his completely original and confused, yet very

MRG GROUP 5x3

astute, observational comedy.

Kicking off the holiday season, we are excited to present EuroDisco group Boney M featuring original member Liz Mitchell at the Royal Theatre on November 26.

Mitchell continues to carry on the group’s 45+ year legacy performing fan-favourite party anthems and holiday classics to crowds all over the world.

Tickets for all shows are available on AdmitONE.com. For an up to date listing of shows presented by MRG Live, visit MRGlive.com.

24 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Moon Coin Productions

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Vegas style shows comes to Victoria!

M

oon Coin Productions is a Vancouver-based production house that has been creating and producing high-calibre, Vegas-style stage shows and tribute acts for over 20 years! They began their legacy with worldrenowned ABBA Tribute Act ABRA Cadabra in 2000 (coming to The McPherson in Victoria on Sept 26th, 2022) and since that time they have created over a dozen different stage productions including “Take It To the Limit” – The Ultimate Eagle’s Tribute (coming to the McPherson in

Victoria on Feb 13th 2023), “The Rocket Man” – A Tribute To Elton John and “The Piano Man” – A Tribute to Billy Joel (both coming to the McPherson in Victoria on March 26th 2023). Other shows on their roster include “The Heroes Of Rock”, “The Atari Radio Stars” (80’s Tribute), “The Country Divas”, “Motown Superstars”, Tributes to Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Shania Twain and their corporate Dance Band “The Moon Coin Show Band”.

Moon Coin Productions is owned and operated by husband & wife team Jonas Falle and

Moon Coin Productions 3x3

Jeanette O’Keeffe who also star in ABRA Cadabra. As performers themselves they are fulfilled to be able to provide steady, highquality work opportunities to dozens of Musicians, Dancers, Vocalists and Technicians in their industry. Their Stage Shows have travelled to many corners of the world and when asked about some of their most memorable past performances, Jonas Falle (CEO of Moon Coin productions) says: “There are many that come to mind but some of them include several shows for the Malaysian Royal Family, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, The Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver (opening

for Boney M), Universal Studios in Florida (opening for Kool & The Gang) and The Esplanade Theatre in Singapore. We also always love coming to The McPherson Playhouse in Victoria. It’s such a beautiful venue and city!”

Jonas added that the mission at Moon Coin is “to promote human connection and spread as much love, joy and positivity as possible through the powerful medium of live music and entertainment.”

For more information on Moon Coin Productions and to view their calendar of up-coming shows, visit www.mooncoinproductions. com or follow them on Facebook or Instagram @MoonCoinLive.

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 25

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Live Nation Canada

NATHAN HARLAND

A Celtic Family Christmas with Natalie MacMaster, Donell Leahy and family.

MACMASTER LEAHY KIDS

CELTIC-FAMILY : JUNO AWARD WINNING FIDDLE VIRTUOSOS NATALIE MACMASTER AND DONNELL LEAHY

T

he Family Christmas show of the Year is coming to the Royal Theatre in November Juno Award winning fiddle virtuosos Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are hitting the road again to bring back their successful concert series, A Celtic Family Christmas.

This intimate and unique show sold out everywhere prior to the pandemic and it will see the duo perform with their incredibly talented children playing Celtic and holiday favourites that are fun for the entire family.

“Christmas is where the whole concept started, and we are very excited to be travelling as a family again” says Donnell Leahy.

“It’s a perfect time to travel with the children and bring light and happiness to families and fans across the country.”

This year, A Celtic Family Christmas, which contains a soon to be revealed theatrical element that will thrillingly traverse time and continents while contextualizing the music and its players, will touch down at marquee venues across Canada. With a lineup of familiar Christmas songs intermingled

with classic Celtic songs sure to warm your heart, A Celtic Family Christmas brings you in the door, and welcomes you in as part of the family.

The accomplished duo has toured extensively over the years both together and separately, selling out venues across the continent. To fans of fiddle music, Natalie MacMaster needs no introduction. The Order of Canada recipient has released 11 albums, won two Juno Awards, 11 East Coast Music Awards and is a Grammy Award nominee. She has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Jesse Cook, Allison Kraus, Johnny Reid and many more.

Donnell Leahy is a 3 time Juno Award winner, with internationally acclaimed music/ dance group Leahy. He is widely recognized as one of the best Celtic fiddlers in the world and is widely known for his high energy playing style.

To avoid disappointment, get your tickets now for A Celtic Family Christmas with the Queen and King of the Fiddle, Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy.

A Celtic Family Christmas is presented by Live Nation

Live Nation Canada Inc. 3x3

26 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

St. Luke's Players Community Theatre

S

t. Luke’s Players Community Theatre is very proud to have been awarded The Best Theatre Group, by Victoria Now’s Best of Victoria 2022.

A friendly and welcoming troupe of over 150 members, providing the community with quality performances for more than 70 years! The energetic, passionate actors and crew, the lovely costuming, incredible sets, creative period decor and furnishings capture our patrons and whisk them away into stories unfolding.

We are so pleased to once again present a full season during which

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More than 70 years of energetic, passionate productions our troupe will produce three plays and our annual Panto.

The 2022/23 season opener is a hilarious romp: The Trouble with Cats, written by Gary Ray Stapp and directed by Jon Scheer. A homeowner intentionally doublebooks her lakefront home resulting in some interesting personality clashes. Add the overly-friendly neighbours’ constant barrage of trivia and candid crankiness, and a trio of sisters with personal problems who are renovating the master suite. And where’s the unidentified P.J. they are supposed to feed?

PLAYON

St Lukes Players 3x3

Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood a Christmas Panto written by Ben Crocker and directed by Heather Lee. The dashing hero Robin Hood vies against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham whose nefarious plans include his orphaned niece and nephew. Meet Friar Tuck and the band of merry men; with feisty Little Joan eager to avenge her father’s death. Audience participation, singing, dancing and bad jokes abound.

March presents an entertaining murderous comedy: The Game’s Afoot – or Holmes for the Holidays. written by Ken Ludwig and directed by Toshic Bukoweicki. It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has

I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER

invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous.

The season winds up in May with Firehoses and Family, a wonderful production written

by Jo and Mitch Barnes and directed by Geli Bartlett and Mitch Barnes. The Stanton family have a wedding going on and timing is everything. The parents haven’t yet met the bride, the youngest son has decided to reveal an intense secret, Mom is anxious about everything and Dad is so distracted that he’s not terribly reliable. How’s this all going to work out? Join us for some laughs, tears, joy and fears.

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 27

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Mastering the Art of the Cocktail

C

ocktails anyone? Oooh, if only James was still alive. The 60s icons are the best. Think pop art (you know Lichtenstein, Warhol, Rauschenberg). Think music - the Beatles, Aretha, Elvis, DIANA ROSS!). Now think of them all together in one bespoke night at Crystal Gardens, and you have ART OF THE COCKTAIL. Yes, it is back. Dressing up (60s mod, of course), quaffing, sipping, slurping (okay, maybe no slurping) and mingling. You remember how to mingle, yes? Well, it’s time to get your practice on if you’ve forgotten.

Victoria Film Festival

October isn’t just for Hallowe’en anymore; it is time for a drink with an edge and some beauty.

With 40+ spirits on hand (thank you, Sheringham, Goldstream, Moon, Lionheart, Sea Cider, and others) and some terrific nosh (Spinnakers, Ten Acres, Q, Justo, Quesava, Wind Cries Mary – my fingers are cramping from typing!

- you know who you are) we’re on for the best night of the year at Crystal Garden on October 15.

Bring your besties. You know you can’t do this alone. General tasting tickets are still available …for now.

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OCTOBER 15 CRYSTAL GARDEN 713 DOUGLAS ST, VICTORIA, BC VIP 5:30 PM // GENERAL 6:30PM

BUY TIX

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28 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

The Sooke Fine Arts Show

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From humble beginnings, comes spectacular success

he Sooke Fine Arts Show is Vancouver Island’s longestrunning, juried fine art show and one of the region’s premier summer arts events. This 11-day art show and

sale transforms Sooke's SEAPARC arena and leisure complex into a stunning 17,000-squarefoot gallery, bringing artists, volunteers, visitors and art patrons together for a festival of the arts.

37TH ANNUAL EVENT

Sooke Fine Arts Society 2x2 2023 3 SHOW & SALE Late July through L August long weekend

“A WORD TO THE WISE”

by Carolyn Houg 2022 Designers’ Choice

Daily Demos Talks/Tours

www w.sookefinearts.com 375+ Original Works of Art

Live Music

Activities For All Ages

SEAPARC Leisure Complex • Sooke, BC • sfas@sookefinearts.com

Victoria Philharmonic Choir 2x2

Approximately 375 works of original island art are carefully selected by three jurors, chosen each year from top arts professionals, gallery curators, and arts educators from BC and Canada. The anonymous selection process ensures that established and emerging artists share equal opportunity to have their works displayed.

The unique artworks encompass paintings, sculpture, ceramics & glass, fibre, jewelry, and digital and traditional photography.

Along with the chance to view and purchase world-class local art, visitors enjoy daily programs of artist demonstrations and talks, guided tours and live music, as well as the opportunity to browse a large gift shop. Special gala events, like the Purchasers’ Preview Night and Artist Celebration Event, add their own special sparkle to the overall experience.

More than 300 volunteers

Victoria Philharmonic Choir

donate approximately 10,000 volunteer hours to make the show come alive, pulling together to complete each stage of the show from gallery construction, design, and setup, through to running most aspects of the show.

Originally conceived and hosted by members of the Sooke Region Museum and Historical Society as a way to showcase the unique art and culture of the area, it has grown in size and scope. Now, as a registered non-profit society, the organization welcomes thousands of visitors from the local area, Vancouver Island, the lower mainland, BC, Canada, the US and abroad to experience the culture

and talents of BC’s coastal island artists.

An event for all ages, and a feast for the senses...come and enjoy some truly world-class local art!

“Such gorgeous art, lovely how you've transformed a skating rink to a beautiful, peaceful haven!”

“Top class art & show! Will be back every year” “Wonderful. This former New Yorker spent 3 hours enjoying the art of my new neighbours & the scones & coffee. Thanks!”

A comforting requiem

F

or its first concert of the 20222023 season, the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, led by Peter Butterfield, presents a work that holds a special place in the hearts of generations of choral singers and audiences: A German Requiem (Ein Deutches Requiem) by Johannes Brahms.

Countless composers over hundreds of years have written Requiems, but unlike those before or since, Brahms chose not to use the traditional Latin Mass text, which is a prayer for the dead and a warning of the Last Judgement. Instead, he uses

words from the Lutheran bible and other sacred texts that console those who are left behind in a time of grief and loss.

Although many scholars point to the deaths of his friend and mentor Robert Schumann in 1856 and his mother in 1865 as the source of Brahms’ inspiration, he always emphasized the work’s universal qualities, even saying he

would be happy to call it A Human Requiem. In a few years he turned a single cantata into a major 7-movement work for choir, soloists and orchestra that brought him public acclaim and the respect of his musical peers during his lifetime and beyond.

The VPC’s performance includes a choir of more than 80 singers, in an intimate arrangement for chamber orchestra with piano.

Please visit vpchoir.ca for full concert details and ticket link, available in early October.

Saturday, November 19/22 7:30 pm, First Metropolitan United Church

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 29

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Pure holiday magic

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol is sure to delight

Wonderheads Theatre Society

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enowned theatrical imagineers the WONDERHEADS return to BC stages this December with A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol, a whimsical reimagining of the beloved holiday classic. The multiaward winning company brings Scrooge’s haunted Christmas eve journey to life with masks, puppets, music, and fantastical theatrical invention.

The WONDERHEADS, who specialize in visual storytelling, have been praised by the CBC as “Pure magic” and the Globe and Mail as “Powerful, surprising, and moving.” For over a decade the WONDERHEADS have toured their productions from Alaska to Hawaii, Shanghai to Los Angeles, and St. John’s to Victoria – all to critical acclaim and sold-out audiences who describe the show as watching animation come to life.

Co-Founding Artistic Director Kate Braidwood, who plays Ebenezer Scrooge, embraces the ‘live-action Pixar’ comparison often used to describe the company’s work: “It’s a real compliment because, like Pixar, we set out to create entertaining and enchanting shows that resonate with all ages.”

Co-Artistic Director Andrew Phoenix adds, “Our take on

DARYL TURNER

A WONDERHEADS CHRISTMAS CAROL’ IS A WHIMSICAL REIMAGINING OF THE HOLIDAY CLASSIC.

Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a moving story about greed and compassion that includes glowing ghosts, joyful giants, and the sweetest Tiny Tim you’ve ever seen; we’re aiming to make each audience laugh, cry, and gasp with wonder.”

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol has become a tradition for thousands of theatre-goers each December and for good reason - WONDERHEADS’ founders have journeyed from California

to Berlin to Japan to hone the company’s craft. The result is something entirely unique, entertaining, and memorable.

A WONDERHEADS Christmas Carol will play December 6 at the Bell Performing Arts Centre, Surrey • December 8 at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, Chilliwack • December 10 at the Massey Theatre, New Westminster • December 11 at the Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver • December 14 at the Mary Winspear Centre, Sidney • December 16 and 17 at the McPherson Playhouse, Victoria • December 18 at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, Duncan • December 21 at the Tidemark Theatre, Campbell River • December 23, at the Port Theatre, Nanaimo. Tour information and tickets are available at wonderheads.com.

Victoria African Caribbean Society 2x2

Wonderheads Theatre Society 2x5

30 | Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022

Sam Productions

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Step back in time with songs that never age

M Sam Productions 3x4

Courtenay Sid Williams Nov 20 - Port Alberni ADSS Theatre Nov 19

usic show producer blames Vancouver Island for him creating a popular touring SHOW. Steve Marshall the creator, producer and drummer of Relive the Music 50s & 60s Rock n Roll SHOW tells his story how this show came about.

Steve Marshall - “For 20 years this show was in my brain but each year I kept putting it off.

Finally in 2018 I made a bet with myself that if the Port Theatre in Nanaimo was available on March 2, 2019 I would create the show. It was available. Yikes, so I doubled down that if I could get 2 more theaters back to back on the island for a 3 show tour it would be worth it.

My musical family thought I was crazy. I created the Logo and put cars I used to own or still want on the poster and threw it out there. The show started to sell big time so now it’s time to put the show together.

The concept was it's a “50s & 60s Rock Opera Musical Concert with a Broadway feel with Band, Singers, Dancers, Tributes, Video and Trivia.” A one of a kind show that takes the audience through Music History, Trivia & Memories.

Then the song starts and the party begins. First set is the 50s and second set the 60s.

One lady said to me “you guys are like the Von Trapp Partridge Family”. I’m the drummer, my wife

Luisa Marshall (World champion, Tina Turner impersonator, appeared on Oprah and ELLEN Tina Turner Impersonator) is a singer along with her sister and our daughter plus our other daughter on guitar.

Here we are 3 years later, 20 standing ovations, sold out shows and touring all over Western Canada this year.

So those on Vancouver Island that attended our original tours we have upgraded the show with new members, more music and lots of crazy fun times.”

6 Shows back to back in November - Victoria, Campbell River, Nanaimo, Duncan, Port Alberni and Courtenay.

ReliveTheMusic.ca Tickets available at each theatre.

Victoria Times Colonist ARTS GUIDE | Sept. 22, 2022 | 31

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Cowichan Performing Arts Centre

Delving into the full spectrum of the human experience

T

he Victoria Symphony (VS) proudly launches its 2022/23 Season with Schubert Unfinished on Sunday September 18 at 2:30pm at the Royal Theatre. Following two years of canceled plans and shifting waves, the programming of the Austrian composer’s incomplete symphony is a tribute to work interrupted. Also on the bill are a celebratory and uplifting duo of works: Stravinsky’s blazing Firebird Suite and Brahms’ virtuosic Violin Concerto performed by VS Concertmaster and audience favourite Terence Tam. Single tickets are on sale now for the opening concert and all programs in the VS 2022/23 season.

FOLLOWING THE OPENING PROGRAM, THE EXPANSIVE VS SEASON WILL PLAY OVER SIX SERIES ACROSS TWO MAIN VENUES (THE ROYAL THEATRE AND THE FARQUHAR AUDITORIUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA). SEASON HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: RETURN OF MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITA, TANIA MILLER, IN A PROGRAM ENTITLED “TANIA MILLER: SCIENCE AND SYMPHONY”. A MULTIMEDIA BLEND OF MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORYTELLING HANDEL’S MESSIAH LED BY VS ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR GIUSEPPE PIETRAROIA AND

“Our season ahead is an exploration of light and darkness. From exuberant joy to exquisite melancholy; from shimmering radiance to moody shadow, we will delve into music that reflects the full spectrum of human experience,” says VS Music Director, Christian Kluxen.

“In our opening concert, we share Firebird Suite - which celebrates the drive and courage that overcome strife and guides us through darkness. We close with Mozart’s Requiem - the ultimate tale of light and darkness, life and death, as equal, inseparable, and inescapable forces. In between, we will strive to offer every facet of the human experience that can be expressed through music.”

INCLUDING FOUR INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED SOLOISTS THE HOCKEY SWEATER AND THE SNOWMAN. A MULTI-MEDIA SPECIAL HOLIDAY EVENT THAT BRINGS THESE UNIQUELY CANADIAN STORIES TO LIFE WITH LIVE MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT THE CONTINUATION OF ”BEING ROBERT SCHUMANN”: THREE ECLECTIC PROGRAMS EXPLORING THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ROBERT SCHUMANN, CLARA SCHUMANN, AND JOHANNES BRAHMS.

THESE CONCERTS INCLUDE THE DEBUTS OF TWO NEW WORKS COMMISSIONED FROM CANADIAN COMPOSERS IAN CUSSON AND CASSANDRA MILLER AS RESPONSES TO SYMPHONIC WORKS BY ROBERT SCHUMANN. BRAHMS’ PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 PLAYED

BY LORRAINE MIN CANADIAN ICON ANGELA HEWITT PLAYING BACH CONCERTI THE VS DEBUT OF AMERICAN PIANIST JEFFREY KAHANE IN A PERFORMANCE OF RAVEL’S JAZZ-INFLUENCED CONCERTO IN G MAJOR

Victoria Symphony

Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony No. 8 remains one of the great mysteries of classical music. Written in Vienna in 1822 in the composer’s own hand, the work boasts only two movements: A joyous, singing allegro moderato and an exquisitely heart-wrenching andante con moto. While scraps of a further movement populate the back pages of the manuscript - and while speculation has abounded for two centuries about the location of the missing movements - the unanswered questions remain unanswered. Despite this, the work stands as a piece of near perfection in its incompleteness - and has become cherished by audiences around the globe and across time.

THE VS DEBUT OF QUEBEC-BASED CELLIST STÉPHANE TÉTREAULT IN SCHUMANN’S CELLO CONCERTO

CHOREOGRAPHIES BY WEN WEI WANG SET TO LIVE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC AND DANCED BY BALLET EDMONTON

THE VS DEBUT OF AMERICAN, STAR SOPRANO, AMANDA FORSYTHE IN A PROGRAM OF MOZART AND HANDEL ARIAS

THE NAT KING COLE SONGBOOK. BELOVED CANADIAN JAZZ ARTIST DENZAL SINCLAIR BRINGS HIS SUPERLATIVE VOICE AND ENGAGING RAPPORT TO AN EVENING OF NAT’S GREATEST HITS

THE CANADIAN DEBUT OF GARY KULESHA’S OBOE CONCERTO PLAYED BY CANADIAN OBOIST BEDE HANLEY, WHO ALSO MAKES HIS DEBUT WITH VS A FIRST TIME COPRESENTATION WITH DANCE VICTORIA INCLUDING NEW

SINGLE TICKETS FOR THE 2022/23 SEASON ARE ON SALE NOW. VIEW THE FULL SEASON AND PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE AT VICTORIASYMPHONY.CA.

THE DOO WOP PROJECT. FEATURING STARS OF BROADWAY SMASH HITS JERSEY BOYS AND MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL, THE DOO WOP PROJECT REVISITS AND RECREATES SOME OF THE GREATEST MUSIC IN POP HISTORY.

Single Tickets for the 2022/23 Season are On Sale Now. View the full season and purchase tickets online at victoriasymphony.ca.

Subscription Sales for the 2022/23 Season continue to be available throughout the season. Regular concert goers are invited to plan their attendance of five or more concerts and receive a 25% discount on their total purchase.

For more information and to purchase a subscription please call the VS box office at 250 385 6515

More details at victoriasymphony.ca