By David F. Rooney
Shoulder seasons — those weeks and months in autumn and the spring when little happens to attract visitors or entertain locals — may be a thing of the past.
“I think a lot of what we’re offering is eroding the shoulder seasons,” Revelstoke Arts Council Executive Director Garry Pendergast said Wednesday.
He was referring to the amazing 30-event lineup of concerts, plays, films and other events at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre (RPAC).
There are 30 events booked in the RPAC between Wednesday, September 25, and Saturday, May 24, next year.
And that excludes the new Cornucopia Festival organized for October 1 – 6 by Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Amy Flexman and the Spirit Festival being arranged for next February.
Garry said the Arts Council has 10,000 cards listing the RPAC’s schedule. Those cards have appeared in Revelstoke residents’ post boxes. They are also pushing them out to hotels throughout the city and locations in Golden, Salmon Arm and Vernon.
What’s on tap?
Here’s a list of what The Centre is offering this year and next:
September
The Sapphires, Movies in the Mountains — Film
Wednesday, September 25, 7:30 pm.
The Sapphires was inspired by the true story of an all-Aboriginal female soul quartet that entertained American troops during the Vietnam War. This is a Movies in the Mountains presentation of the Revelstoke Multicultural Society.
John Ralston Saul — ideas
Friday, September 27, 6:30 pm
Internationally-renowned intellectual and author will be speaking in about his book, A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada.
Music of the Louisiana Hayride in Story and Song — music
Sunday, September 29, 7 pm
Go back in History with The Louisiana Hayride featuring Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison and many more! We pay tribute, through story and song, to the classic radio show, The Louisiana Hayride, aired in 1948-1960 on KWKH radio.
October
Kamloops Symphony Chamber Musicians — Classical Music
Thursday, October 3, 7:30 pm
Join us for an intimate fall performance, featuring a trio of Kamloops Symphony Chamber Musicians. Violinist Cvetozar Vutev, cellist Martin Kratky and pianist Naomi Cloutier will present three late romantic piano trios composed within 10 years of each other. They include Sergei Rachmaninov’s elegiaque, Antonin Dvorak’s Dumky Trio and a piece by Johannes Brahms.
Everything Fitz — Music and Dance
Friday, October 4, 7:30 pm
Everything Fitz is a family band featuring the high-energy fiddling and percussive step dancing of four of Canada’s finest young musicians. With roots in the Canadian old-time fiddle tradition and Ottawa Valley step dancing, their unique stage show combines a variety of musical styles — everything from traditional jigs and reels, bluegrass, jazz and swing standards, Celtic, gospel as well as novelty numbers and choreographed dance routines.
Improv Workshops with Loose Moose Theatre Company
Youth (under 18) Improvisation Workshop
Saturday, October 5, 12:30-2:30 pm – FREE
Adult (18+) Improvisation Workshop Saturday, October 5, 3-5 pm – FREE
The Loose Moose Theatre Company is an internationally recognized theatre specializing in improvisation. These classes are designed as an introduction to basic improvisation skills and training techniques.
The Impro Show! by Loose Moose Theatre Company — Comedy
Saturday, October 5, 7:30 pm
The Impro Show is a fast-paced comedy performance where our performers base improvised scenes on information taken from the audience. Just as no two audiences are alike, no two Impro Shows are ever alike. Always fresh and always fun! Improvised comedy deluxe!
Laila Biali — Jazz
Sunday, October 6, 7:30 pm
Award-winning Canadian Jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter Laila Biali has toured with Suzanne Vega, Chris Botti and Paula Cole and recorded with and supported Sting. She takes the best of pop, rock and soul, informs it with her knowledge of Jazz and weaves it into her musical arrangements.
Friday, October 11, Screenings at 6:30 pm and 9 pm
From the creators of the award winning film All.I.Can, Sherpas Cinema is proud to present their newest feature film, Into The Mind. With stunning cinematography and groundbreaking storytelling techniques, the Sherpas blur the lines between dream state and reality, and immerse you into the mind of a common skier as he attempts to climb and ski the ultimate mountain.
Up On Cripple Creek: The Songbook of The Band — Classic Rock
Sunday, October 13, 7:30 pm
The seven-member edition of the Alberta-based Front Porch Roots Revue will take to the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre stage and rock the house with over two-dozen cherry picked selections from the amazing songbook of The Band including the timeless sounds of Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richare Manuel & Robbie Robertson.
No, Movies in the Mountains — Film
Wednesday, October 23, 7:30 pm.
This gripping historical drama from director Pablo Larraín stars Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries, Bad Education) as a savvy young ad exec in 1988 Chile. Engaging, suspenseful and breathlessly paced, No is both a tense political thriller and a vibrant document of Chile’s triumphal return to democracy. This is a Movies in the Mountains presentation of the Revelstoke Multicultural Society.
November
Bergmann Piano Duo — Chamber Music
Friday, Nov 1st, 7:30pmRevelstoke Arts Council proudly presents an entire concert devoted to 2-piano, and piano 4-hand repertoire. Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann became a piano duo while studying in Montréal. This remarkable Duo has since garnered many awards including first prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Caltanissetta, Italy and at The 4th Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition.
Raven Meets the Monkey King— Children’s Theatre
Saturday, November 2, 11 am
JJ, an inquisitive 11-year-old, dreams of becoming a rich and famous treasure hunter and hits the jackpot when she buys a mysterious box from a garage sale. Once she gets home the box magically opens releasing the spirits of the Raven (First Nations) and the Monkey King (Chinese), who were trapped in the box for ninety years. These tricksters, renowned in their respective cultures, share their stories and life lessons and guide JJ to understand that the value of money pales in comparison to the values of family and history. Past and present all join together in a rollicking tale of how our lives are transformed by the people we meet, the choices we make and the stories we tell. Watch a clip of the show here.
The Bills — Folk Music
Thursday, November 14, 7:30 pm
From the beautiful West Coast comes this extraordinary quintet, renowned among folk music fans of all ages for their instrumental virtuosity, lush vocal arrangements, exuberant live performances, evocative songwriting, and refreshingly innovative interpretations of traditional tunes from around the globe. Listen to The Bills here.
Tickets $15 available from the Chamber of Commerce and ArtFirst! in downtown Revelstoke and online.
Babies, presented by the Revelstoke Early Childhood Development Committee — Documentary Film
Wednesday, November 20, 7 pm – FREE
This free film directed by award-winning filmmaker Thomas Balmès, from an original idea by producer Alain Chabat, Babies simultaneously follows four babies around the world – from birth to first steps. The children are, respectively, in order of on-screen introduction: Ponijao, who lives with her family near Opuwo, Namibia; Bayarjargal, who resides with his family in Mongolia, near Bayanchandmani; Mari, who lives with her family in Tokyo, Japan; and Hattie, who resides with her family in the United States, in San Francisco.
Relative Jazz — Jazz
Saturday, November 23, 7:30 pm
Relative Jazz was formed in 2013 with the four members coming together from other groups. John Baker, Wendy Lucas, Bob Fournier and Steve Earle have a common love for jazz, and an interest in forming new connections to investigate various possibilities of restructuring old favourite tunes.
The Fugitives — Poetry and Music
Sunday, November 24, 7:30 pm
The Fugitives are a group of musicians, poets, and multi-instrumentalists from Vancouver. The quartet features the songs of novelist/musician and former Canadian SLAM poetry champion Brendan McLeod, and musician Adrian Glynn, recently nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year at the Canadian Independent Music Awards. Together with their band, they create “dizzying, Arcade Fire-ish crescendos, replete with parallel melodies, complex harmonies and brimming torrents of emotion.”
Kon-Tiki, Movies in the Mountains — Film
Wednesday, November 27, 2013, 7:30 pm. Kon-Tiki is an epic retelling of Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean. With stunning cinematography Roenning and Sandberg’s faithful retelling of Heyerdahl’s expedition is by turns exciting, tense, and, ultimately, triumphant. This is a Movies in the Mountains presentation of the Revelstoke Multicultural Society.
Said The Whale — Music
Saturday, November 30, 7:30 pm
Said the Whale has been on a steady upward trajectory for the past six years, as relentless touring and a string of releases have led to successes including a JUNO Award in 2011 for New Group of the Year and nationally charting singles. Formed in 2007, the band consists of dual songwriters Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester, drummer Spencer Schoening, keyboardist Jaycelyn Brown and bassist Nathan Shaw.
December
Dear Santa, a Revelstoke Theatre Company production — Comedy
December 6-8, 12-14, 8 pm
This Norm Foster comedy sees Santa Claus trying to fulfill a child’s special Christmas wish while his staff attempts to overcome a supply shortage at the North Pole. This is a laugh-filled holiday play innocent enough for the youngest boy or girl, and entertaining enough for adults.
B3 Kings — Jazz
Thursday, December 19, 7:30 pm
The B3 KINGS were formed in 2002 for a Christmas concert at The Cellar Restaurant / Jazz Club in Vancouver, BC. The show was such a huge success the concert has become an annual event. The shows sell out well in advance and their concerts are eagerly anticipated every year
The Revelstoke Coffee House Fundraiser Extravaganza Hootenanny — Folk Music
Saturday, December 28, 7:30 pm
This event celebrates local talent and live acoustic music, This is the Revelstoke Coffee House’s annual fundraising event.
January
Dave Gunning — Folk Music
Thursday, January 16, 7:30 pm
There are stories that wash over you like a tide, and then there are stories that grab you by the heart. Dave Gunning has made a point of finding the latter and wrapping them up in song since he broke upon the East Coast music scene in Canada back in 1997.
February
The Fab Fourever: A Tribute To The Beatles — Music
Tuesday, February 4, 7:30 pm
The Fab Fourever is a musical production that will transport you back in time to the Sixties. That was a time when the music of the Beatles was the soundtrack to a generation.
Aeriosa Dance Residency — Dance
Talkback Event – Saturday, February 1, 7:30 pmDuring Spirit Fest the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre will play host to Aeriosa Dance Society. This aerial dance company has a mission to create unexpected experiences of dance. They do this by dancing in non-traditional environments and proposing unusual performance scenarios to artists and audiences alike. During their time at the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre they will devise and produce an aerial dance performance event for the general public, offer workshops and other educational activities in dance to the community, and offer Revelstokians the chance to go behind the scenes and explore the ‘making of’ a site-specific dance show in their talk-back session.
March
Dissolve — Theatre
Saturday, March 8, 7:30 pm
Ever woken up beside a stranger? What if it was planned that way? shameless hussy presents the acclaimed one-woman, 14 character, theatrical tour de force DISSOLVE by Meghan Gardiner. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, DISSOLVE confronts the topic of drink spiking and drug facilitated sexual assault. Responding to interest from schools and educators, this play has been touring to colleges, universities and high schools throughout North America. DISSOLVE stars Jessie Richardson award winning actress, Emmelia Gordon.
Dog Sees God, a Revelstoke Theatre Company production — Drama
March 13-15, 20-22, 8 pm
An “unauthorised parody,” this play by Bert Royal imagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as teenagers. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relations and identity are among some of the issues covered in this drama. All collide and careen toward an ending that is both haunting and hopeful.
Kamloops Symphony Chamber Musicians — Classical Music
Friday, March 28, 7:30 pm
Program TBA.
April
Greg Frankson a.k.a. Ritallin — Spoken Word Poetry
Friday, April 4, 7:30 pm
Greg Frankson, OCT, a.k.a. Ritallin, is a spoken-word artist with a reputation for delivering powerful poetry that is lyrically appealing, accessible and unapologetically provocative in its socially conscious message. Greg has always written about issues that matter, including social justice, racism, the plight of Africans and empowerment of the disenfranchised. In 2012, Greg was runner-up at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam and a member of the national slam championship team at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.
Ballet Kelowna — Dance
Wednesday, April 9, 7:30 pm
Program TBA.
Deck — Comedy
Friday, April 25, 7:30 pm
Deck examines the fine line between perfectionism and obsession, chaos and freedom and why a piece of 2×6 lumber isn’t really two inches by six inches. Not even close. Deck stars Cliv, a meticulous single parent of two who has been forced to reassess his future after taking major losses in the recent recession. He embraces a new start as a small town, eco-conscious, back-to-the-lander. His attempts at self-sufficiency are hijacked by a bad house buy and he is forced to try his hand at home improvement.
May
The Chairs, a Revelstoke Theatre Company presentation — Theatre
May 1-3, 8-10, 8 pm
In this play by Eugene Ionesco two eccentric old people, isolated in a circular building surrounded by water, pass their empty days remembering a past that shimmers in uncertainty and enacting a present that is populated by imaginary people.
Mothers Day Concert with Sarah Hagen — Music
Sunday, May 11, 4 pm
Canadian pianist Sarah Hagen has been heard in concert halls and on the airwaves to critical acclaim throughout North America and Europe. Her interpretations have been described as “outstandingly inventive,” performed with “infinite skill.”
Animal Adventure — Puppetry
Saturday, May 24, 11 am
Join the Creature Crew on a field trip to a zoo like no other. Find out ways you can help the environment as the comical puppets come to life and make it a field trip to remember! These puppets have traveled and performed from Sydney, Australia, to Saturday morning YTV, and now across Canada!
