The Langley Centennial Museum will host a theatre extravaganza on Saturday, Feb. 23 in conjunction with an upcoming exhibit titled, Voices of the Town: Vaudeville in Canada, opening Jan. 16.
The museum is seeking submissions — in the form of CDs or DVDs — from musicians, performers and actors who want to participate in the unique Vaudeville show.
In an era before television and radio (1870s to the 1920s), vaudeville was the most popular form of entertainment in North America.
Family-oriented, it featured fast-paced variety sketches, comedy routines, songs, dance, acrobatics, amazing feats and unbelievable stunts, on stages across this country.
Some of Hollywood’s greatest early actors began their careers on the vaudeville stage — Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers and Canadians Marie Dressler and Mary Pickford, to name a few.
A visit to one of the opulent vaudeville theatres was often as exciting as the performances themselves.
All submissions will be adjudicated by a selection committee and participants will be informed of the committee’s decision before Jan. 8.
The selection committee will choose acts based on the quality of performance, originality, and historical suitability.
Selected acts will be compensated at a small performance fee per set, plus a percentage of profits based on ticket sales. In order to be eligible, performance sets must be between 15 and 20 minutes, have minimal set up and take down, and be family friendly.
Do you have an act that fits the bill?
Application forms are available at www.langleymuseum.org.
Submission deadline is Thursday, Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Liette Forestell the Arts and Culture Programmer, at 604-532-3536 or lforestell@tol.ca.
