alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
Sun Dogs and Yellowcake
South Surrey author Patricia Sandberg will launch her book Sun Dogs and Yellowcake on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601 20 Ave.
Based on interviews with some 150 former residents of Gunnar, North Saskatchewan, it traces the story of a short-lived but close-knit community (1954-1964) built to house miners, families and support workers at the Gunnar uranium mine on the shores of Lake Athabasca.
In her book, Sandberg – who lived there as a child – has filled in a missing page in the history of Canada at the dawn of the nuclear age, paid tribute to the enterprise and values of the people of Gunnar and also described the Saskatchewan government’s latter-day work to remedy environmental issues left over from an earlier, more innocent era.
Kerry O’Donovan
Peninsula-raised singer, actor, pianist and songwriter Kerry O’Donovan – who cut his performing teeth in Gilbert & Sullivan Society shows, in the EMS-based alt.-rock band Svelte and the musical theatre quartet The Group On Stage – returns to Coast Capital Playhouse Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. for an evening of song with special guests Phil Dickson and Steffanie Davis.
It’s a simple, pared-down, informal evening in which O’Donovan gets to do what he loves best, sing and play the piano, along with guest numbers by singer-songwriter Dickson, a close family friend, and Davis, a frequent musical theatre collaborator.
Coast Capital Playhouse is located at 1532 Johnston Rd.
Tickets ($23 including service charge) are available from the box office, 604-536-7535 (open 1-5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday).
Any Wednesday
Surrey’s newest theatre company, Naked Stage Productions Society, will debut its first no-frills production – the comedy Any Wednesday by Muriel Resnick – Sept. 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. at the Newton Cultural Centre, 13530 72 Ave.
The society’s aim is to present plays in a “readers-theatre” format similar to a radio show – street clothes rather than costumes, no props or lighting.
A 1964 show that clocked 694 performances on Broadway, Any Wednesday may be best known for the 1966 film version starring Jane Fonda, Jason Robards and Dean Jones.
The play chronicles the chapter of accidents that lead four characters to converge on an executive suite in Manhattan – a millionaire businessman, his hoodwinked wife, his disarmingly innocent mistress, and an irate victim of his sharp practice.
The play is directed by Ed Milaney, co-founder of Naked Stage with Jim Trimble and Peter McCreath.
Tickets are $15 at the door or at brownpapertickets.com
The society plans on a performance every two months, and will consider producing works by local playwrights or other Canadian writers. Another goal of the not-for-profit society is to establish scholarships for Surrey drama students by 2017.
For more information, visit www.nakedstage.net
Live at Club 240
A consortium of Peninsula musicians and music promoters – including the White Rock Blues Society – is collaborating with the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch 240 to build the legion’s ‘Club 240’ brand as a dance-oriented venue for live music on Friday nights.
The Semiahmoo Musical Consortium’s ‘Live At Club 240’ program – which plans to offer multiple genres of music to reach the largest audience – starts on Oct. 7 and runs every Friday, except for special holidays (such as Remembrance Day, Nov. 11).
The line-up so far is Big City Soul (Oct. 7), The So Tight Band (Oct. 14), Incognito (Oct. 21), Souled Out (Oct. 28), March Hare (Nov. 4), The Ocean Park Wailers (Nov. 18) and No Quarter (Nov. 25).
The legion is located at 2643 128 St. Doors open each Friday at 7 p.m., with the music starting at 8 p.m.
Tickets ($20) are available at the legion box office (604-535-1043) or online at www.brownpapertickets.ca
Outside The Box
Supported in its sixth year by a grant from the City of White Rock, the Outside The Box festival – originally a showcase of the potential fibre arts – has expanded its horizons to include all forms of artistic expression for “a celebration of fibre – plus.”
White Rock Library (15342 Buena Vista Ave.) features related displays, events and lectures throughout September and early October, among them the ongoing show A Touch of Green by the Cutting Edge Mixed Media Art Group, including works by Judy Alexander, Linda Sharp, Georgina Powell, Wendy Mackinnon, Janet Kugyelka, Lynn Johnson, Angie Gursche, Susan Germain, Jennifer Cooper, Elaine Anderson, Julie Rudd and Kathy McColeman.
Also included will be demonstrations by the Peace Arch Weavers and Spinners Guild, quilts by the Piece Arch Quilters, featured master artists, storytelling for children, and talks by Linda Quigley on ‘The Art of Gardens’ and ‘Fashion In Art’ (for information call 604-541-2201).
At the White Rock Community Centre (15154 Russell Ave., 604-541-2199), Wood Diamonds and Other Eccentricities features work by OTB artistic director Alicia Ballard, Pauline Dutkowski, Elizabeth Carefoot, Kat Siemens, S.C. Sylph, Justine Morley, Lynn Bradford, Thelma Newbury, Karen Kroeker, Mimi Am, Bette Hurd, Matt Streifel, Gail Heaver, Maggie Ma, Sherry Jin, Shelley Wang, Katie Sun, Lorena Kraus, Roger Golden, Heather Quinney, Margaret McCarthy, Suzanne Kendall, Sandy Stevenson and Barbara Carscadden.
At the Arnold Mikelson Mind and Matter Gallery (13743 16 Ave.), Outside The Box Month includes works by Elizabeth Carefoot, Thelma Newbury, Mary Mikelson, Arnold Mikelson, Ashley Jackson, Valerie Grimmel, Eileen Fong, Bob Gonzales, Anita Lindblom, Robert McMurray, Millie Meerheim, Shirley Thomas, Elmer Gunderson and David Kilpatrick.
The gallery is open daily from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, call 604-536-6460 or visit mindandmatterart.com.
