Outside The Box
The upcoming Semiahmoo Peninsula celebration of an often-overlooked idiom – fibre and textile art – is called Outside The Box.
It’s an appropriate title, given organizers have put it together in the space of one year with no funding, no society and no arbitrary division between White Rock and South Surrey venues.
What they have done, instead, is to forge a partnership with the City of White Rock, White Rock Library, White Rock Museum and Archives and the White Rock BIA, along with Semiahmoo Arts, Surrey Public Library and Semiahmoo Shopping Centre.
The result will be a series of exciting events and displays throughout the Peninsula from Sept. 1 to Oct. 21, highlighting fibre and textile art and illustrating how practitioners are pushing the boundaries “outside the box.”
These will include Fiber Fusion, a collaborative mural by more than 20 members of the Virtuosi Infraganti Collective at White Rock Museum and Archives; a main display at White Rock Community Centre; demonstrations and ‘fun with fibre’ displays at the White Rock BIA’s Uptown Summersault Festival (Sept. 10); informative wall texts to accompany the displays, by Langara College students; and an exhibition of art quilts at White Rock Library.
Also on offer will be a day of displays and demonstrations by weavers, spinners and quilters at Semiahmoo Shopping Centre (Sept. 24); plus exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations at Laura’s Fashion Fabrics through September; two evenings of fashion art and flowers presented by Boutique Vasanji and Flowers Chic (Sept. 10, Oct. 2); displays by the Peace Arch Weavers and Spinners at the South Surrey libraries and displays by the South Surrey and White Rock Art Society at Coast Capital Playhouse.
For more information, visit www.outsidetheboxwhiterock.com
Flamenco Del Mar
Tickets are on sale now for South Surrey-based flamenco school and company, Flamenco Del Mar’s 10th anniversary of its annual festival, which returns to the Coast Capital Playhouse Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m.
In addition to dances by the company and founder and instructor Jill Tunbridge, the show will also feature performances by cantaor (singer) Farnaz Ohadi, classical flamenco guitarist Peter Mole, well-known local latin pop and nuevo flamenco guitarist Doug Towle and bailoras (dancers) Bev Montovani (Sept. 2 only) and Veronica Stewart (Sept. 3 only).
Tickets are $20 in advance, and $25 at the door.
For tickets and further performance information, call 604-536-7535, visit whiterockplayers.ca, call 604-542-2096 or email flamencotickets@hotmail.com
Bedfull of Foreigners
The wacky British bedroom farce A Bedfull of Foreigners – directed by Ellie King for her Royal Canadian Theatre Company – continues until Aug. 28 in 8 p.m. performances at the Coast Capital Playhouse (1532 Johnston Rd.).
The high-energy door-slammer, set in a decaying hotel on the border between France and Germany, features strong farceur Sam Gordon as Stanley, a non-too-bright British holidaymaker who must juggle an unexpected roomate Claude (Walter Ekins, in fine bullying form) plus Claude’s wife Helga (the hilarious Wendy Bollard) and his scantily-clad mistress Simone (played extravagantly by Becky Hachey).
Also contributing to the chaos are Gary Peterman (splendid as slothful handyman Karak) and Brett Harrison (funny as inept and randy manager Heinz) and Nicole Smashnuk as Stanley’s wife Brenda (amusing in her responses to Heinz’ flattery).
For tickets, call 604-536-7535 or visit www.rctheatreco.com
Accomplice auditions
White Rock Players Club is auditioning actors for its upcoming season opener, Accomplice, by Rupert Holmes, a nothing-is-what-it-seems English country house thriller with a multiplicity of unexpected plot twists.
Director David Lloyd Austin seeks two females 30-40 years, two males 30-40, and one male 40-50.
Auditions – based on cold readings from the script – will be held Sunday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coast Capital Playhouse, 1532 Johnston Rd., with callbacks Monday, Aug. 29.
The play itself will run Oct. 12 to 29 at the theatre.
For more information, call producer Dave Carroll at 604-531-7739.
Red Beans & Rice
The house band for the White Rock Traditional Jazz Society, Red Beans & Rice, featuring Rice Honeywell, is keeping a reliable staple of the musical diet – the danceable sounds of Dixieland jazz – going during the society’s summer hiatus, with Sunday afternoon sessions at the Royal Canadian Legion, Crescent Branch 240, 2643 128 St.
While the venue is unavailable Aug. 24 because of another event, the band will be back to perform on Sunday, Aug. 28 from 3 to 6 p.m.
Admission is $10 (age 19 and over, only) or $8 for society or legion members.
Small Ritual
Doing its part to present different music locally is the not-for-profit Small Ritual Coffee Society on Johnston Road (just up from Five Corners).
In addition to Sunday night concerts with such emerging local groups as Their There, The Star Captains and Behind Sapphire, music booker Rory Hislop has added a Monday night jazz showcase, including some of Vancouver’s best up and coming talents in the idiom, which is currently experiencing a revival of interest.
Among artists that have graced – or will grace this series – are guitarist Tristan Paxton (Aug. 22), bassist James Meger, drummer Omar Amlani and trumpeter Steve An.
Both Saturday and Sunday evening (usually running 5-9 p.m.) offer a rewarding opportunity for local fans to catch up on the music scene of tomorrow in an agreeably intimate, art-friendly venue on the Peninsula.
For more information, call 778-294-1237.
Swing dancing
The weekly swing dance session presented by South Surrey’s Marie and Peter Welton, of Jump Joint Swing, has switched days from Sundays to every Wednesday (during August) 7 to 11 p.m. at 110-12332 Pattullo Place (in the back of the Pro Draft warehouse, next to Xcalibur Bowling, in North Surrey).
All ages are welcome, and the cost for the live show is $10 (usual session price is $5). Net proceeds benefit the Metro Kids Society.
For more information, visit jumpjointswing.com or call 778-867-1457
Adrian Michael
Adrian Michael, a 16-year-old jazz piano prodigy, will play at Iguana’s on Marine Drive with his trio every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. throughout the summer.
Currently students of Semiahmoo Secondary’s jazz program, Michael and regular bassist Abby David, who usually work with drummer Matt Skepasts (unavailable for the gigs), will be playing with subs – most likely Natalie Yergatian or Michael’s brother Julian.
Michael, who also composes many of his tunes, will also be doing his first studio recording this summer with David and Skepasts.
The Thursday night gigs mark an interesting return to Iguana’s for Michael, who first sat in there with keyboardist Willie McCalder – from whom he learned more than a few blues licks – when he was only nine years old.
Crescent showcase
Crescent Beach Moments, a showcase for several local artists, runs to Aug. 30 at the Upstairs Gallery at Seventh Heaven Art & Beauty Salon, at 12185 Beecher St. (the main street into the South Surrey seaside community from Crescent Road).
Featured artists in the showcase include Judy Jordison, Jim Cowan, Joan McLardy, Ron Glowe, Jackie Neufeld and Luc Charchuk, as well as nature photographer Eric Kehler.
Showcase subjects will include sunsets in popular local areas such as Crescent Beach and White Rock, other landscapes (including west coast shores and forests, Blackie Spit and paintings inspired by the iconic work of artist Emily Carr), and figurative compositions.
The show, co-sponsored by Tiggy’s Folk Art Studio and Seventh Heaven, can be seen during open house viewings every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (other times by appointment).
For more information, call 778-292-0687 or Charchuk at 604-541-3677.
