alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
Double exposure
Semiahmoo Arts is inviting the public to get involved in the dialogue between two artistic disciplines: photography and poetry.
The exhibit/arts event Double Exposure, opened Thursday (March 31) at 7 p.m. at the Turnbull Gallery at South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre – honouring two annual events, the Capture Photography Festival and Canada’s National Poetry Month.
As part of the event, the Double Exposure: Ekphrastic Poetry Project is issuing a challenge for writers and poets to come to the gallery between April 1 and 14 to create poetry inspired by the photo exhibit.
‘Ekphrastic,’ derived from the Greek, refers to poetry that interprets a visual stimulus, and participants are invited to submit their poems online by 5 p.m. April 14 (submissions to info@semiahmooarts.com).
Winners will share their work at the Double Exposure closing ceremony, April 20, where poems will be read by Surrey poet laureate Renee Saklikar.
Thursday’s opening reception will feature a reading by Governor General’s Award-winning poet E.D. Blodgett, accompanied by singer and musician Paul Nash, a member of the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
The South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre is located at 14601 20 Ave.
Wheat in the Barley
White Rock-based Celtic-folk-fusion band The Wheat in the Barley – originally formed for a St. Patrick’s Day gig at Charlie Don’t Surf in 1996 – will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a concert at Coast Capital Playhouse, at 8 p.m. this Saturday (April 2), featuring long-time associates, singer-songwriters Medderick and Neil Harnett.
Leader Steve Gidora (guitar/bouzouki/vocals) said the secret of the longevity of the well-travelled group – and its remarkably stable cast of core members – can be chalked up to many things.
“People have said I have an easy-going leadership quality,” he noted. “But I think the main thing is that we’re all like-minded; dedicated to music and our priorities aren’t materialistic.
“We’re are open to and experienced, with many musical genres,” he added.
“We have a great respect for each other’s backgrounds and our collective experience is our strength as well as our willingness to experiment and mix it up.”
After early Wheat in the Barley gigs with the late bass player Eamon Kroetsch and percussionist Jason MacMillan (both also of Cozy Bones), the ultimate line-up was set within a year – Mark Dowding on reeds, whistles and flutes; Victor Smith on accordion; Nicole Scoffield on fiddle; Mickey Hovan on bass and Ed Johnson on percussion.
The venue is located at 1532 Johnston Rd.
Tickets are available from Tapestry Music, 1335 Johnston Rd., 604-538-0906, or call 604-723-3052.
Beach House auditions
Crescent Beach’s own Beach House Theatre is auditioning actors this Sunday (April 3, 4-8 p.m.) for its upcoming mainstage summer theatre show The Foreigner, which will run Aug. 9-14 on the company’s high-tech tent stage at Blackie Spit.
Eschewing the classical ambience of Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, for its fifth season Beach House has chosen a modern classic The Foreigner, by American playwright Larry Shue.
A hilarious comedy – with timely underlying themes of xenophobia, hatred and intolerance and the counterbalancing possibilities of kindness, hope and redemption – The Foreigner follows the experiences of Charlie Baker, who seeks only peace and quiet at a remote fishing lodge in rural Georgia.
But when everyone mistakes Charlie for ‘a foreigner’ who can’t speak a word of English, their unguarded conversations around him make Charlie a reluctant party to many secrets – including a brewing, evil conspiracy.
Needed are five male and two female non-Equity actors over 19; with British or Southern U.S. accents required for the males and Southern U.S. accents for the females. Actors should prepare a one-to two minute comic monologue from a contemporary play; rehearsals begin in June. Auditions will be held at Alexandra Neighbourhood House, 2916 McBride Ave. (Crescent Beach). For more information, or to book an audition, email auditions@beachhousetheatre.org
White Rock Trad Jazz
The Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch 240 will be jumping to the sound of jazz this Sunday (April 3) as White Rock Traditional Jazz Society’s regular 2 to 5 p.m. session of live Dixieland/Swing returns to the hall (2643 128 St.).
Featured this week are the Dixieland-bebop fusion sounds of trumpeter Bonnie Northgraves and her band, including Peninsula-raised reedman Ben Henriques, a Semiahmoo Secondary grad.
Coming up are WRTJS house band Red Beans and Rice (April 10) and cornetist/pianist/arranger Alan Matheson’s Jambalaya Jazz Band (April 17).
Admission (19 and up) is $10 for WRTJS and Legion members, $12 for everybody else).
The venue is located at 2643 128 St. For more information on upcoming bands visit www.whiterocktradjazz.com or call 604-560-9215.
Dance of Life
A special fundraising evening of jazz, Latin and world music, Dance of Life, comes to the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch 240, Sunday (April 3), 7-11 p.m.
The triple-bill will feature Kit ‘n Kaboodle, an exciting new jazz fusion band including Seventh Heaven owner Chloe Scarf; the evocative South American sounds of Rio Samaya (better known to locals as multi-talented duo Pancho and Sal) and the upbeat world music of Fanny Starchild and Vegari Cendar and The Mystiques.
The evening also features a silent auction. The venue is located at 2643 128 St. Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 at the door) are available through Seventh Heaven, 778-292-0687.
Volunteers needed
Outside the Box, ‘A Celebration of Fibre – Plus’ is commencing preparations for its 2016 city-wide festival. Artistic director Alicia Ballard says OTB is looking forward to expanding the experience this year to all forms of artistic expression – including mixed-media, 3D and food.
To accomplish this organizers are extending an invitation to all local eateries, cafes, and other businesses in the city to get involved, and encouraging new participants, as well as offering a number of volunteer opportunities.
New volunteers are needed for positions in public relations and marketing, acquisitions and sponsorships, media and information technology and videography, as well as volunteers at large.
Contact Ballard at studiogaleria@gmail.com
Morrison Music Nights
Morrison Cafe in Ocean Park will host a regular monthly dinner/concert series, starting in April.
Billed as Morrison Music Nights, the series will begin Saturday, April 9 with music by well-known performers Jason Mitchell and series coordinator Randy Schultz, coupled with a three-course ‘fine dining experience’ in the licensed venue. Dinner is served from 5 p.m., followed by the concert, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tickets ($35) are available at the cafe, at 12855-16th Ave.
For more information, call 604-531-3636 or 604- 721-0872.
