Phoenix rises in Chief Sepass Theatre

Kristen Bunyan sings during the Phoenix 24 Hour Festival of the Arts, which took place at the newly reopened Chief Sepass Theatre in Langley Fine Arts School on Jan. 7 and 8.

Kristen Bunyan sings during the Phoenix 24 Hour Festival of the Arts, which took place at the newly reopened Chief Sepass Theatre in Langley Fine Arts School on Jan. 7 and 8.

A failed attempt to burn down the Chief Sepass Theatre at Langley Fine Arts School has succeeded only in sparking the passion of the school’s students and staff.

On Oct. 30, someone broke into the theatre at the Fort Langley high school and set fire to some of the seats.

The damage that resulted from the flames, smoke and water forced the theatre to close its doors for two months, at the cost of 56 performances and almost $12,000 in revenue.

But like a phoenix from the ashes, the students rose above the costly act of vandalism, mounting a massive concert to mark the theatre’s official reopening.

The Phoenix 24 Hour Festival of the Arts took place overnight from Jan. 7 to 8, with more than 100 performances taking place on the Chief Sepass stage between 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 7 and 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8.

Acts and displays included music, dance, drama, video, improv, spoken word, musical theatre, photography and visual arts.

Langley Times