With 2020 in full swing, it’s time to start filling your calendar with culture. Here’s a list of events and goings-on that you can attend with your Valentine, or your just somebody who shares impeccable taste.
PuSh Festival
January 21 – February 9
Various venues
A festival that welcomes boundary-pushing acclaimed international, Canadian and local performance artists and mixes them together with an alchemy that inspires audiences and rejuvenates artists. A feast for the senses, this eclectic mix of the arts is an essential one for 2020. For more information, visit pushfestival.ca.
Clue: On Stage
January 30–February 8
Doors at 7 PM, Curtain at 8 PM
UBC Medical Student & Alumni Centre, Vancouver
Bursting from off the game board, and onto the stage, Clue is a whodunnit without all that tedious dice rolling. Performed by UBC medical student and based on the 1988 movie, this is a comedy that has laughs and twists in equal measure. A hilarious production that will have you caught in a web of alibis and wild, finger-pointing theories. All proceeds from this show go towards Vancouver Native Health Society, benefitting the emotional, physical and spiritual well being of Vancouver’s urban Indigenous community. For tickets, visit Eventbrite.
Noises Off
January 23–February 23
Matinees: 1:30/2 PM
Evenings: 7:30/ 8 PM
The Stanley Theatre, Vancouver
The original open door farce, Noises Off is famous for the screwball antics of its main characters. Following the production of a disastrous play, a director is driven to his limits when he deals with the stress of his bumbling cast. A plethora of pratfalls ensues with characters coming on and off stage at a fever pitch — absurdity at the highest level. For more details, visit artsclub.com.
Laila Biali
February 7, 7 PM
Bez Arts Hub, Langley
A Candian singer-songwriter with a slew of awards under her belt, Laila Biali is bringing her jazz-inspired crooning to Langly. Having toured with the likes of Paula Cole and Sting, her wealth of performing experience gives way to a wonderfully intimate show. Coming off of a number 1 album on Canadian iTunes, Biali is ready to enter the next phase of her success. Catch her now before shes touring in far bigger venues. For more information, visit Tourism Langley.
What You Won’t Do For Love
February 4, 8 PM
The Anvil Centre, New Westminster
As part of the 2020 PuSh Festival, this evening of storytelling follows the relationship between Drs. David Suzuki and Tara Cullis. As they journey through their history of teaching, protesting, and advocating for a better world, the couple shows what it takes to maintain a connection over time. For more information, visit pushfestival.ca.
God’s Lake
February 5-8, 8 PM
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby
A hybrid of live theatre and documentary, God’s Lake tells the story of the resilient population of a remote Manitoban reserve. With each interview from the citizens, we learn more and more about an incident of unresolved justice and the trauma that still haunts them. Raw and unwavering in its vision, this is a show that will challenge you to ask questions about doing what’s right and how Canada can evolve. For tickets, visit tickets.shadboltcentre.com.
Arts Whistler Live! Andrew Collins Trio
February 5, 6:30 PM
Maury Young Arts Centre, Whistler
A master of the mandolin, Andrew Collins, commands the instrument without compare. Defying traditional genres, Collins and his band explore everything from jazz to bluegrass. Through each musical diversion, the band gives a rundown on the characteristics of each shift. An evening of fun musical theory and expert instrumentation. For more information, visit artswhistler.com.
Vancouver Opera: The Barber of Seville
February 13 – 23
Queen Elizabeth Theatre & the Vancouver Playhouse
Enjoy Figaro’s mischievous escapades as he assists Count Almaviva in prising the beautiful Rosina away from her lecherous guardian, Dr. Bartolo. Rossini’s comic masterpiece fizzes with memorable melodies in an entertaining production that proves that the road to true love is paved with theft, lies, bribery, brawling—and wicked comedy. Learn more at vancouveropera.ca.
Madama Butterfly
February 22-29
Matinees: 2 PM
Evenings: 8 PM
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby
One of the world’s most popular operas, Madama Butterfly, is still wowing audiences over 100 years after it’s 1904 premiere. A young geisha falls in love with an American soldier, forcing her to acknowledge the limited possibilities of a future together. Having a son further complicates things as she must consider what’s best for him through the clashing of 2 sometimes opposing cultures. With beautiful music and a universal theme of loving across boundaries, this emotional story is as timely today as it was all those years ago. For tickets, visit tickets.shadboltcentre.com.
Talking Stick Festival: Isitwendam (An Understanding)
February 26-29
Matinees: 1/2 PM
Evenings: 7:30 PM
Where: Roundhouse Performance Centre, Vancouver
Does healing have an expiration date?
Many years after residential schools have ended, a country is attempting to move on. But what of those who are left with the personal experience of these terrible events? Isitwendam (An Understanding) explains what it’s like living with these emotional scars. A mixture of both western and Indigenous storytelling, this show that tells that no matter the cultural background, we’re all able to connect to these harrowing stories on a human level. Despite the subject matter, the show is peppered with humour and levity that will have you spanning the emotional spectrum through it’s run time. For tickets, visit Eventbrite.
Written for West Coast Curated by Mark Shelling