A 16-year-old New York girl gave birth to triplets in 1961, and the three boys were adopted out to three different families, none of whom were told about the other brothers. The boys didn’t learn of each other until they were 19 years old. How it all came about and what happened after their reunion is the subject of an award-winning 2018 documentary, Three Identical Strangers. It’s being screened on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse and again at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10 at Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt. Sunshine Coast Film Society members $5; non-members $9.
Penner plays Pender
Longtime children’s entertainer Fred Penner plays two shows at the Pender Harbour Music Society’s School of Music in Madeira Park on Sunday, Feb. 3. “A touchstone in the lives of three generations, his stories and songs delight all ages, and everyone joins in the sing-alongs.” Penner is doing two shows, at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, but both are already sold out! To see if there are any last-minute cancellations, call 604-883-0237.
Hoard of Ords
High energy klezmer, funk and jazz are on tap at Gibsons Public Market, 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 with the family band Anagram. The first set will feature Graham Ord, on sax, flute and an electric wind instrument, with Anna Lumiere on keyboard. The couple brings in their sons Béla on baritone sax and Noah on flute, trumpet and flugelhorn for the second set.
Cedar and Bamboo
This 22-minute English-language documentary, suitable for all ages, explores the relationships of four people of mixed Chinese and Indigenous ancestry. “Their stories help convey some of the complexities of colonialism, as well as the strength that comes from resilience and cultural pride.”
Gibsons Public Library will show the film on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers Diana Leung and Kamala Todd. The event is free but you’re asked to sign up in advance. Call the library at 604-886-2130.
Hey Doris!
How’s this for a dramatic premise: Annie and her husband are actors who get cast in a two-person play just weeks after he has left her for a younger woman. Annie wants to turn down the role, but the character she was to be in the play (Doris) comes to life and coaches Annie through the process. And that’s only the start of the plot twists in Hey Doris! The play, by actor and playwright Susinn McFarlen, is the latest Off the Page production at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons, where seated actors provide a dramatic reading of the work. Featured readers are Julian Alphibert, Peter Hill, Janet Hodgkinson, Danda Humphreys, Wanda Nowicki and John Payne. Sunday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. Admission is by donation.
Carmen
Considered one of the greatest operas ever, George Bizet’s Carmen is the story of the fiery gypsy who captures the heart of a soldier Don Jose, but Carmen only has eyes for matador Escamillo.
Things then go operatically badly for all concerned in this tragic story acclaimed for its brilliant music and characterization. The Met Opera production, on Saturday. Feb. 1, starts at 10 a.m. at Sechelt’s Raven’s Cry Theatre. Tickets $24; $20 for seniors and students.
Collected Process
Visual artist Katherine Duclos opens her show, Collected Process, at the Kube Gallery in Gibsons on Friday, Feb. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. “I examine elements of my own artistic practice, which includes the collection and reworking of process materials and scraps in order to create something new, as well as the collection and documentation of natural objects that inspire me,” Duclos says in her artist statement. The show runs until Feb. 28 at Kube, #104 - 875 Gibsons Way.
… and Play
Process is also part of the theme of the current show and workshop series at Gibsons Public Art Gallery, States of Art: Play and Process. One of four artists in the show, abstract painter Marlene Lowden, will teach on “blind contour,” a drawing technique that helps us connect our eyes and hands without the interference of our pesky brains, which really can get in the way. Saturday Feb. 2 from 1 to 2 p.m. The workshop is free but space is limited and you’re asked to pre-register at 604-886-0531.
Gel plate printing
As part of the same GPAG exhibition, artist Jan Jensen offers a workshop that “unveils her process – watch play in action as she shows how she prints with gel plates… Enjoy the ride as Jan embodies the equation: Play = curiosity + flow.” Thursday, Feb. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. Free.
Joni 75
Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Graham Nash, James Taylor, Glen Hansard, Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, Kris Kristofferson and Rufus Wainwright are just some of the performers who honour Joni Mitchell for a birthday celebration filmed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles last November. Joni is also on hand to sing. Peter Gabriel appears in a brief video amidst the festivities to wish her a happy birthday, and also to express his condolences to the “poor bastards” who had to sing Mitchell’s songs in front of her. There are two screenings on Thursday, Feb. 7 at Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, $10 for 17 and under.
Submissions
If you have an event you’d like considered for Art Beat, please let us know by 11 a.m. Tuesday at [email protected]. Space is limited.
