A night of art, music and wine for a good cause?
Doesn’t get any better than that.
Royal City Musical Theatre is holding its Big Splash fundraiser this weekend (Saturday, Nov. 21) at 100 Braid Street Studios.
The two groups are teaming up to present an evening of live music, appetizers and wine for the theatre company’s community of donors, sponsors and anyone else wishing to become involved in the world of musical theatre.
Members of the company’s artistic team will be on hand to talk about its upcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof this spring, and star RCMT alumnus Steve Maddock will be the headline performer of the night. You may remember Maddock from his star turns in Annie, Carousel, The Sound of Music and Guys and Dolls– and those who have heard him sing know his performances never disappoint. Jazz artists Darren Radtkeand Chris Sigerson are also slated to perform for the evening.
Visitors will also have a chance to meet the artists currently practising in the studio – those with space in the beautiful converted winery include painters, sculptors, fibre artists, photographers, jewelry makers and more, so there will be a wealth of art to discover.
And if that’s not enough, there’s also wine tasting by Pacific Breeze and Kalala Organic Estate wineries.
The whole evening costs $75 per person, with a $25 tax receipt.
Check out www.royalcitymusicaltheatre.com for all the details.
THE ART OF CHRISTMAS
It’s beginning to look a lot like… Christmas?
Well, ready or not, the calendar suggests that the holiday season really isn’t all that far away – and Artists in the Boro are helping us all get into the seasonal spirit this weekend.
The arts group is holding its second annual Christmas art and craft sale in the Port Royal Room at the Queensborough Community Centre, 920 Ewen Ave., this Sunday. The sale runs Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Live music will be provided by the father-daughter guitar duo of Roland and Emma Nippfrom noon to 3 p.m., and the talented twosome will have their brand new CD,Twelve Strings of Christmas, available for sale at the event.
Artists will be offering up all kinds of work, from jewelry and paintings to ornaments and original cards. Joining the Artists in the Boro for the occasion will be 10 other Lower Mainland artisans, including Pepper Lane Studios and Kamea Creations.
Entry is free. Check out www.artistsintheboro.ca for more on the group.
A POET’S LIFE
And the winners are …
The Royal City Literary Arts Society has announced the winners of its 2015 Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry.
In first place is Cara-Lyn Morgan for What Became My Grieving Ceremony, published by Thistledown Press.
Jane Munro took second for Blue Sonoma(Brick Books), andBruce Meyer is third for The Seasons(The Porcupine’s Quill).
Also named to the shortlist this year were Joanna Lilley for The Fleece Era(Brick Books) and Susan McCaslinfor The Disarmed Heart (The St. Thomas Poetry Series).
The awards will be presented this Saturday, Nov. 21 in a special ceremony from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in the Anvil Centre, Room 413. Admission is free.
The keynote speaker will be George McWhirter,the judge of the 2015 competition, and the event will be MC’d by society president James Felton and Candice James, New Westminster’s poet laureate.
Check out www.rclas.com for the details.
THEATRE TAKES WING
They took root in New Westminster’s own Vagabond Players – and now they’re launching another season of theatre in a brand-new location.
Alchemy Theatre Ensemble is an emerging theatre group, born from a group of talents who met while working together on the Vagabond Players’ production of Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)in 2014.
After that, they formed their own theatre company and staged their inaugural work at the Bernie Legge Theatre in the summer: Twelfth Night. They came back this past summer for more Shakespeare with A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Now they’ve taken off for the PAL Theatre in Vancouver, and they’re opening their 2015/16 season with Agnes of God, running Nov. 19 to 29.
The production stars Annie Arbuckleas Agnes,Tiffany Markwart as Dr. Martha Livingstone, and Paula Spurr as Mother Superior.
It runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., in the PAL Studio Theatre at 581 Cardero St. (eighth floor).
Tickets are $20 regular or $18 for students and seniors. See www.alchemy
theatre.ca.
INCLUSIVE THEATRE
A New Westminster actor is part of a newly imagined production of a Pultizer Prize-winning play.
Redcurrant/MarigoldsCollective is presenting Paul Zindel’s The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds,running Nov. 18 to 28 at the Skylight Gallery in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
In the cast is local resident Lissa Neptuno as Ruth. Neptuno, a graduate of Studio 58, has worked on the sets of Supernatural, Minority Report andX-Files.
She’s also an artistic producer of the Redcurrant/Marigolds Collective, which was formed to create “innovative and interesting interpretations of familiar and new works, on the platform of promoting diversity in the Vancouver theatre scene.”
“We want to represent a multi-racial canvas for which theatre works, new and old, can be interpreted,” the collective says in a press release.
Skylight Gallery is at 163 East Pender St. Shows are on Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and tickets are $20. Buy online through marigolds.brownpapertickets.com.
JAKE THE SNAKE IN TOWN
And now for something completely different …
Those who followed the WWE may remember Jake the Snake Roberts– and he’s coming to town this week. Roberts is appearing at Lafflines Comedy Club on Nov. 19, where he’s promising to unleash his road stories and tales about the pranks he played on his opponents.
“You may enjoy stories about Andre the Giant, Macho Manand Ravishing Rick Rude,” a press release says. “Whether you are a wrestling fan or not, this one-of-a-kind storyteller will keep you wrapped in his coils and leave you wanting more.”
Show time is at 8 p.m., with doors open at 7 p.m. The $30 ticket price includes a meet-and-greet.
Call 604-525-2262 or check out www.lafflines.com.
BOOK LAUNCH
A Douglas College English instructor is taking a literary look at the impact of Jewish female authors.
Jewish Feeling: Difference and Affect in Nineteenth-Century Jewish Women’s Writing, published by Bloomsbury Academic, is a new book by Richa Dwor.
Dwor is a Vancouver resident who holds a PhD in English literature from the University of Nottingham and teaches English at Douglas.
“What I’ve done is look at the writing of Jewish women to consider how they are navigating religious identity and, in particular, national identity,” she says in a press release.
She’s launching her book Nov. 20 in the Amelia Douglas Gallery at Douglas College, 700 Royal Ave., at 4 p.m. The launch is free and open to the public, with drinks to follow.
She’ll also speak at the Jewish Book Festival on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 1 to 11 a.m. at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, 950 West 41st Ave. Admission is by donation.
CULTURE CRAWL
New Westminster has a presence in the Eastside Culture Crawl this weekend.
Local artisan Martin McLennan is part of the 19th annual crawl, a four-day event that takes place in studios, homes and garages across East Vancouver from Nov. 19 to 22.
It features the work of more than 450 artists in all mediums.
McLennan is a furniture maker who crafts works from wood, steel and other materials, and he’s also an award-winning freelance photojournalist – who happens to hold a PhD in science and technology studies.
You can check out work by McLennan in the Vancouver Community Laboratory at 1907 Triumph St.
The festival is ongoing tonight (Thursday) from 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For the full list of participants in the crawl and details about how to find them, check out the website at www.culturecrawl.ca.
YOUNG STAR RISING
Congratulations are in order for New West actor David Raynolds, who captured an award at the 2015 Joey Awards, presented on the weekend.
The awards for young performers recognize Canada’s best talent in TV, film and live performance.
Raynolds, who was nominated in multiple categories, earned the win as Best Actor in a Short Film for nine- and 10-year-olds, for his work in the film Albert.
New West’s Lorynne Machado was also a multiple nominee.
Congratulations!
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment suggestions to Julie, jmaclellan@newwestrecord.ca, or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
