NextGen Cabaret
Peninsula Productions presents NextGen Cabaret, Aug. 19, 8 p.m., at Coast Capital Playhouse.
Peninsula’s NextGen troupe of young performers – aged 15-25 – will be highlighted in this night of musical theatre, improvisation and original dance numbers, along with well-known youth guest artists including singer-songwriter Ava Carich and Mireille Perez.
Supported by the City of White Rock, the City of Surrey and the Canada Summer Jobs Program, the trainee troupe has been busy working throughout this summer, and gaining valuable experience, in a variety of situations, including historical character reenactments at White Rock beach.
Among members are South Surrey resident Mackenzie Claus (who has played leads in such White Rock Players Club pantomimes as Rumpelstiltskin and Babes In The Woods) as well as performers from around the Lower Mainland.
Coast Capital Playhouse is located at 1532 Johnston Rd. For ticket information, call 604-536-7535.
Take Five
A new show this Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 20-21) at the Turnbull Gallery is inviting art lovers to ‘Take Five’ to meet five Semiahmoo Peninsula artists.
Painters Gail Nesimiuk, Sheila Symington, Doris Anderson, Laurie Thomasson and Joanne Ayley – all members of the South Surrey and White Rock Art Society – have very different styles ranging from abstract expressionism to mixed media collage and both realistic and non-traditional landscapes and florals.
But all are kindred spirits, they’ve discovered – sharing a serendiptously similar aesthetic and colour sense that should make for an interesting and inviting display of original work.
As well as larger and medium-sized paintings, the show will also include small pieces, cards and original jewelry by Nesimiuk. The exhibit runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the venue, located inside the South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601 20 Ave.
Concerts at the Pier
The successful TD Concerts at the Pier series – an initiative of the city, the White Rock BIA and primary sponsor the TD Bank Group – wraps up this Saturday (Aug. 20) with free performances by local troubadour Richard Tichelman, Peak Performance Project winner JP Maurice and Harry Manx at the temporary stage beside White Rock Museum and Archives.
Headliner Manx has been called an ‘essential link’ between the music of East and West; his songs are self-contained short stories that fuse blues traditions with the heritage of classical Indian ragas in a subtle, hypnotic way.
He was, as his moniker might suggest, born on the Isle of Man. Raised in Canada, he left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil.
At each stop he picked up influences, continually honing his distinctive music – and dynamic live show – on street corners, in cafes and bars and at festivals.
Five years under the tutelage of Rajasthani Indian master musician Vishwa Mohan Batt left him even more under the spell of Indian music – and gave him a tangible gift in the form of a Mohan Veena, a 20-stringed sitar/guitar hybrid designed by Batt.
Finding ways to use the instrument within traditional Western sound structures was the catalyst for development of Manx’s individual style, which he has shared in shows across Canada and the U.S., in Europe and Australia in venues ranging from festivals to blues clubs and world-class concert halls.
Combined with his instrumental skill, Manx’s warm vocals and melodic sensibility have garnered him seven Maple Blues awards, plus honours from the Canadian Folk Music Awards and the South Australia Blues Society.
For more information, visit http://harrymanx.com
Red Beans & Rice
The White Rock Traditional Jazz Society house band Red Beans & Rice – led by Ocean Park-based cornetist/leader Rice Honeywell – is keeping Club 240 (the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch) jumping with a summer series for listeners and dancers, 2 to 5 p.m. each Sunday during the society’s hiatus.
Next session is Sunday (Aug. 21).
Red Beans & Rice also includes regular sidemen Ray Batten (trombone and vocals), Gerry Green (reeds), Peg Thomson (piano), Don Ogilvie (guitar), Casey Tolhurst (bass) and Scott Robertson (drums).
The band can also be caught some Fridays at 6:30 p.m. at Porter’s Bistro, in Langley’s Murrayville district (for more information, call 604-530-5297).
Admission to the Sunday shows is $10 for WRTJS and Legion members, $12 for everybody else. The venue is at 2643 128 St.
A Passion For Clay
A working ceramics studio and gallery exhibit, A Passion For Clay – bringing together some 40 potters from hosts the Semiahmoo Potters’ Club and the Fraser Valley Potters’ Guild – is the attraction for August in the City of White Rock’s Pop-Up Town space, 1459B Johnston Rd.
During the month-long collaboration, potters’ creations can be purchased, and on-duty members of the two groups will be happy to share information about future events, local class opportunities and studios.
The gallery is open Wednesdays, Saturday and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 8 p.m.
For more information visit A Passion For Clay’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/events/1634917653491265/).
Swing City
Peninsula-based band Swing City – in partnership with Legion 240 Crescent Branch – has been presenting a series of dances for ballroom enthusiasts throughout the summer.
Next date Aug. 26 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Formerly known as the Blue Echoes, Swing City boasts a wide repertoire of fox trots, waltzes and Latin numbers and has built up a following of ballroom-style dancers over the last 20 years.
Admission (at the door) is $15 per couple and $8 for single participants. The venue is located at 2643 128 St.
Blue Frog
If you’re one of those who can’t believe it’s been more than 35 years since The Band’s legendary Last Waltz concert – it’s more than likely you’re primed for the return of Up On Cripple Creek’s tribute to White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m.
Performing classics from Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson’s timeless songbook – including such tunes as The Weight, Stage Fright, The Shape I’m In, Ophelia, and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down – Up On Cripple Creek boasts some of the top musicians in Western Canada.
Four strong singers – Calgary’s JR Shore, Doug Andrew (Vancouver’s Circus In Flames), ‘Crawdad’ Cantera and bassist Ron Rault – take care of vocals, while the troupe is rounded out by longtime Ian Tyson drummer Thom Moon and Gord Matthews on guitar.
The venue is located at 1328 Johnston Rd.; tickets are available at 604-542-3055 or to book seats online – or find information on other Blue Frog concerts – visit www.bluefrogstudios.ca
George Omorean
Peninsula photographer George Omorean likes to explore the many facets and forms of art photography, finding new ways to blend conventional film, alternative process and digital imagery in everything from abstracts to portraits and landscapes.
He’s also a camera collector, and his show at White Rock Community Centre – Half Camera Will Travel: Shooting From The Hip – explores the use of one of his finds, the diminutive, little-known “half frame” camera, which allowed photographers to experience the scenes they were photographing by being much closer to the subjects.
In a series of darkroom-printed, archival quality silver gelatin photographs including both single frames and multiple sequences, Omorean uses the half-frame camera to create unique – and intimate – travel narratives.
For more information on the show, call 604-541-2199.
Mind and Matter
Work by more than 30 artists in media such as acrylics, oils, watercolours, soapstone and wood carving, glass-blowing and glass-fusing, plus ceramics, pottery and Raku, can be seen currently at the Arnold Mikelson Mind and Matter Gallery, 13743 16 Ave.
The gallery is open daily from noon to 6 p.m.
For more information, call 604-536-6460 or visit mindandmatterart.com
Sunshine at night
There’s something special about open mic evenings – not only are you likely to hear a variety of music that most venue programmers can’t present, but you might just catch an early performance by a rising star, or a surprise appearance by an established performer trying some new material.
Semiahmoo Peninsula open mic king Dennis Peterson – a man with a good eye for White Rock and South Surrey’s growing pool of experienced and developing talents – is offering a regular show, 6-9 p.m. most Saturdays at The Good Day Sunshine Cafe, #100-2950 King George Blvd.
With dinner, drinks and dessert also on the menu, it’s a good venue to settle in for an evening of unexpected musical treats, and there’s no restriction on taking pictures of the performers (although Peterson asks that anyone wanting to video record a performance seek advance permission of the artist).
Volunteers needed
There’s an immediate opportunity for those seeking volunteer work – and valuable experience – in the arts throughout the summer, as Outside the Box, ‘A Celebration of Fibre – Plus’ gears up for its 2016 citywide festival, opening Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m. at White Rock Library.
Artistic director Alicia Ballard says OTB is looking forward to expanding the festival this year to include all forms of artistic expression – including mixed-media and third dimensional art.
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, she said.
Organizers are also extending an invitation to all local eateries, cafes, and other businesses in the city to get involved, and encouraging new participants.
Those with enthusiasm and appropriate qualifications are asked to contact Ballard at studiogaleria@gmail.com
Artists interested in being involved should visit http://outsidetheboxwhiterock.blogspot.ca
