The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is branching out to New West.
The festival is expanding its experimental night-time weekend series Club PuSh, from its longtime Vancouver hub, the Fox Cabaret, to a second venue: the Anvil Centre in New West.
New West audiences will be treated to three Club PuSh shows from the eight-show series where acclaimed artists from Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. perform in workings ranging from the hip and the queer to the radical and riotous.
“Too often Vancouver is assumed to be the ‘centre’ of all things West Coast. Nothing could be further from the truth; there are many centres, and just as many inspiring arts venues outside of our city,” said Norman Armour, artistic and executive director of the PuSh Festival, in a press release. “Our partnership with Anvil Centre is testament to this.”
Jessica Schneider, representing both Anvil Centre and Massey Theatre, said the move is a win for audiences.
“We have adventurous audiences all over Metro Vancouver who are going to love having Club PuSh a little closer to home,” she said. “This is yet another smart move for PuSh in branching out to New Westminster’s community. Anvil Centre will be a great theatre setting to take in Club PuSh.”
She noted it’s also a win for artists, since adding a second date increases the impact of their visits to B.C., and it expands the audience base by adding an earlier performance time.
Here’s who’s coming to New Westminster:
Unplugged – Dickie Beau (England)
Jan. 19, 9 p.m. at the Fox Cabaret and Jan. 20, 8 p.m. at Anvil Centre
Drag artist Dickie Beau has refined the art of lip-synch playback performances with flawless miming and use of found sound. “Here he drops the mask, and the true Dickie enlightens on Greek culture, democracy and more, laying bare his artistic journey and technique,” a release says.
Joseph Keckler (U.S.A.)
Jan. 26, 8 p.m. at Anvil Centre and Jan. 27, 9 p.m. at the Fox Cabaret
Joseph Keckler is a star of New York’s performing arts scene, who uses his three-octave range to move from opera to pop without missing a beat in what’s described as “a self-deprecating and charming showcase of the lowbrow and highbrow.”
Cris Derksen Trio (Canada)
Feb. 2, 8 p.m. at Anvil Centre and Feb. 3, 9 p.m. at the Fox Cabaret
Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen, armed with loop pedal, drum machine and cello, pulls audiences into the propulsive pounding of powwow music, the head-nodding rhythms of hip hop and the metronome thumps of a techno mix – and more.
Tickets for the three Anvil Centre shows are available in three-show packages for $75, plus service fee. Single tickets ($35 regular, $25 seniors, $18 youth) are also on sale at www.anvilcentre.com (see the link under Events Calendar). Anvil Centre is at 777 Columbia St.
For more about the PuSh Festival, see pushfestival.ca.
