After 3 years of being postponed the Briefs Factory is finally bringing their larger than life show Dirty Laundry to the York Theatre June 9 – 25, 2023. Dirty Laundry is a new show from the world-renowned Australian cabaret collective Briefs Factory. You can expect a mix of circus, drag, dance, burlesque, music and comedy. Led by Briefs Factory director and co-founder Fez Faanana, the show is performed by a collective of talented performers from many disciplines. This is a sexy ensemble that is perfect for a night out for men and women alike. The Cultch’s Executive Director Heather Redfern says “Dirty Laundry is a show that will really heat up everyone’s summer!” To grab your tickets for this sizzling show, visit The Cultch.
What others around the world are saying about their shows:
★★★★★ “The perfect blend of flesh, acrobats, dance, boylesque and brilliance.” FRINGEWORLD 2019
★★★★★ “Briefs is the drag party you always wish you’d be invited to!” Glam Adelaide
The Still Moon Arts Society is looking artists for their 21st Annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival this September. The Festival has become a significant anchor of community creativity and collective neighbourhood identity. It has raised awareness of the history of the Still Creek watershed, resulting in ongoing community stewardship, and the return of salmon to the ravine.
This is an amazing community event that celebrates the full moon, Autumnal Equinox as well as Renfrew-Collingwood’s diverse community and natural environment through interdisciplinary arts events. This year’s theme is Water’s Wisdom. Still Moon is now recruiting artists, musicians and performers for the Harvest Fair and Streamside Lantern Installation. The festival includes live music, ecological arts, shadow puppets, workshops and much more. So if you are a musician, dance group, stilt walker, clown, balloon artist, puppeteer, storyteller or any other performance artist, you are invited to apply to participate in the Moon Festival which takes place on September 23, 2023. To learn more about the event, or to complete an application, we invite you to visit Still Moon Arts Society.
Are you looking to take in some of the beautiful murals and street art in Vancouver? If yes, you may wish to check out the Strathcona Street Art And Mural Tours that start April 29th. This is a 90 minute walking tour of the East End of Vancouver that features local art work along with some history and great stories. Vancouver DeTours is hosting the tours that start at 812 Cordova Street at 11:00 am. The tour is free to book, but payment is based on tipping with a suggested amount being $25. The request is that you pay what you feel the tour was worth. If you can’t make the tour April 29th, not to worry, they will be running the tours monthly throughout the summer. To book a tour, visit Eventbrite.
The Firehall Arts Centre and Savage Society present the remount of Taran Kootenhayoo’s White Noise from Saturday, April 15 to Sunday, May 7, 2023 as part of The Firehall’s 40th anniversary season.
This is a comedy about two families who have dinner together for the first time during Truth and Reconciliation week. White Noise explores what it means to live in Canada from two different paradigms and asks us to consider: How do we deal with internalized racism? Do we keep pushing it away and pretend to live safely in our day-to-day?
“It is so exciting to be bringing White Noise back to The Firehall stage after our close to sold out run last April,” says Firehall Arts Centre’s Artistic Producer, Donna Spencer. “Audiences were so moved by the play and its connection to here and now. White Noise has many comedic moments, is powerful and thought-provoking, and makes us think about our role in reconciliation and our responsibility to gain a greater understanding of the Indigenous people and their history here on Turtle Island and in Canada.”
Tickets are available online at Firehall Arts Centre. Here’s what people are saying about White Noise.
“White Noise is completely frickin’ original. It has vision. And it comes with the slap of urgency.” – Colin Thomas
“Taran Kootenhayoo left us with this beautiful offering. We are lucky that he shared with us the beauty that so clearly lived inside him.” – Eden Fineday, IndigiNews
The Cultch and The Search Party YVR (Vancouver) bring a contemporary adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull, STUPID F*ING BIRD to the stage April 12 – 23. This is a whip smart comedic tragedy about unrequited love, missed connections, lost dreams and the pursuit of happiness. The production features original songs, live music and multi-generational tales that reveal the danger in our own desires and the elusive pursuit of happiness. Tickets are now on sale and start at $25. To purchase tickets online, visit The Cultch.
The Cultch, Urban Ink & Raven Theatre present the world premiere of Corey Payette’s Starwalker, which comes to the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl’ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations February 16 until March 5, 2023, at the York Theatre.
The story follows Starwalker, an Indigi-Queer Two-Spirit drag queen learning the ropes of the East Van Drag community. When Starwalker is introduced to Drag at the House of Borealis, their whole world changes, introducing them to a home they never knew they needed, creating a new persona that blends their grounded Indigenous cultural spirit with drag performance, resulting in an empowering and celebratory experience that only tearing down the patriarchy can provide.
Award-winning interdisciplinary storyteller, writer, composer, and director Corey Payette has gained acclaim for his large-scale contemporary musicals, which bring his Indigenous perspective to mainstream spaces—including Children of God, and Les Filles du Roi (which Payette co-wrote with Julie McIsaac). Both powerful musicals had their premieres at The Cultch’s York Theatre, and have toured extensively, receiving accolades wherever they go.
In 2021, Payette received the inaugural BC Reconciliation Award for his work and commitment to inspiring and making lasting change to reconciliation through the arts. His highly acclaimed musical production, Children of God, has brought conversations on truth and reconciliation to audiences throughout Canada.
Starwalker was commissioned and developed by The Musical Stage Company (Toronto). Their blank canvas offer gave Payette the freedom to explore a side of himself that he hasn’t spent as much time within his other work. It allowed him to express the joy he finds in his Two-Spirit and queer identity.
Starwalker will share a familiarity of style and scope with Payette’s past work, but brings to life a more modern story, presented with a contemporary score combining pop/rock music, with pulsing drums, and powerful vocals from some of Vancouver’s most talented.
The cast includes Dillan Chiblow (known as Tommy/Tom in Children of God), Stewart Adam McKensy (known for his portrayal of Lola in Kinky Boots), and Jeffrey Follis (Drag Queen Urupa)—bring Starwalker’s story to life with choreography from Ralph Escamillan, and musical direction from Sean Bayntun. “I really wanted to look at uplifting some of these voices in a way that was joyous and wasn’t tied to their trauma,” says Payette. “While the characters have experienced hardship, the show is actually about how they are working their way through those issues to find joy, to find love, and to find family and home.”
Tickets for Starwalker are now on sale starting from $25. Note, for self-identifying Indigenous patrons, there $15 tickets available. For tickets, visit The Cultch.
“Starwalker is a brilliant and unique piece that expertly and unexpectedly blends musical styles to tell moving stories in innovative ways.” Playwrights Guild of Canada, Tom Hendry Awards Jury
If you are a star at karaoke and love your 80s tunes, we’ve got a fun night out for you. On February 25th the Firehall Arts Centre is hosting Stayin’ Alive which is an 80s themed fundraiser. You are invited to bring you best 80s attire, learn your favourite 80s tune and get on stage for a lip sync contest. Are you ready for your 5 minutes of fame? Maybe dressed like some memorable 80s musical icons namely Madonna, Prince, Cindy Lauper or Billy Idol just to name a few. There will be prizes, dance demonstrations and a DJ along with good eats and a specially crafted Firehall 1906 Martini from the good folks at Odd Society Spirits. Tickets for this fundraising event are $75 ($50 tax receipt). To grab your tickets, or get more information, visit Firehall Arts Centre.
PushOFF comes to the Russian Hall January 30 to February 4, 2023. PushOFF is an independently produced artist-run curated platform featuring tour-ready work and projects in development. This hyper-local event fosters the artistic practices of a community of artists and allows them to share bold new work with Canadian and international audiences. Now in its 13th season PUSHoff will present live in-person shows at the Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Avenue, between January 30 to February 4, 2023. If you prefer to take in a performance from the comfort of home, you can check out their digital offerings at pushoff.org. Tickets range from $15 to $20 for in person and on-line shows. For more information, visit pushoff.org.
Looking for something fun and different to do for Valentine’s Day this year? Check out this Make A Glass Heart workshop being offered by Terminal City Glass on February 11th? In this workshop, two people will work with a professional glass artist to make a colourful glass heart-shaped paperweight that will be a keepsake for years to come. No experience is required, but you must be a least 16 years of age. There are a number of time slots throughout the day, but note each time slot has a limit of 4 spaces. To register or for more information, visit Terminal City Glass Co-Op.
The Firehall Arts Centre and Victoria’s Puente Theatre bring FADO – The Saddest Music in the World back to The Firehall Arts Centre from Saturday, January 14 to Sunday, February 5, 2023.
Acclaimed Portuguese-Canadian playwright Elaine Ávila’s play, FADO, is a tale of love and ghosts set in the back alleys and brothels of old Lisbon. This musical, which premiered at The Firehall in 2019 and enjoyed a wildly successful run, tells the story of a young woman confronting her country’s Fascist past and her own identity is interwoven with the heartbreaking national music of Portugal known as Fado, which means “fate.”
If you have not experienced Fado music, you are missing out. What is Fado? Wikipedia describes it as “a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fatefulness and melancholia.” We can tell you it is passionate, emotional and relatable. For a taste of Fado music, listen to Amália Rodrigues singing “Abandono” here. To see it live and person, visit the Firehall Arts Centre for tickets which start from $25.
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