A night of laughter with three popular comedians comes to the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt on Saturday, Sept. 24. Comedy on the Coast is the second annual event to be organized locally to raise funds for St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, specifically for paediatric care. Get a good laugh from Derek Edwards, Peter Kelamis and Don Quinn. Tickets include appetizers and beverages served at 6:30 p.m. with comedy show to follow. Tickets are $100 and are available at the Raven's Cry in Sechelt or Laedeli in Gibsons, or by calling 604-989-2010.
Dance
The Sunshine Coast Dance Society will be presenting FLOW, an intimate collection of original contemporary dance works exploring themes of art, science and nature at the Gibsons' Heritage Playhouse this Saturday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m. This year's Dance Society artist in residence, Gail Lotenberg from LINK Dance in Vancouver, will be performing Testing Perception, fresh from its premiere on Gabriola Island. This work is a culmination of years of research on the similarities and differences between how artists and scientists experiment. Acclaimed LINK dancer Darcy McMurray and Kirsten Wiren will accompany her. Guest artist Sylvain Brochu will also be performing a new piece choreographed by Lotenberg, titled Time and Space. It will feature Brochu's ability to sing, act and dance - a romp and a reflective journey in a single package. Local musician Nir Blu composed the uplifting musical score. The show will also feature dancers from the eighth annual residency workshop. Tickets are at Gaia's Fair Trade in Gibsons, Laedeli in Sunnycrest Mall and at the Sechelt Visitors Centre.
This Weekend
The Pender Harbour Jazz Festival opens tonight with a gala dinner and dance featuring the velvet voice of Don Stewart. Many of Saturday's daytime events are free. While you're listening to music, check out the Artisans' Craft Affair outside the community hall in Madeira Park. Many local artists are offering Art Wave V, a Pender Harbour studio and gallery tour, from 11 to 5 p.m.
Benefit
Two months ago artist Bill Baker was diagnosed with a rare illness called Guilliam-Barre Syndrome. Symptoms include total paralysis, and he remains in intensive care in Lions Gate Hospital. His prognosis is a lengthy rehabilitation of up to two years.Claudia Sageele with a group of Bill's friends and family are organizing a fundraising benefit to offer support. It will be an exhibition and sale of drawings and prints and collaborative glass pieces. Visit the studio this weekend, Sept. 16,17 and 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 5546 Nickerson Rd. off Norwest Bay Road. Money raised will go towards caregiving expenses and ongoing therapeutic treatments. If you can assist for a few hours at the benefit, contact Tameer at 604-741-5201 or email: [email protected].
Domingo Concert
Placido Domingo in concert comes to the Raven's Cry Theatre's big screen at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 17. Filmed live on June 4 in high definition, the singer is joined by acclaimed Metropolitan Opera soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in a feast of Italian opera arias and duets performed with the 62-member Black Creek Festival Orchestra and 50-voice chorus.All tickets are $15 at Raven's Cry. Phone 604-885-4597 or seehttp://ravenscrytheatre.com
Green Film
The average Canadian annually produces 340 kilograms of garbage, but Grant Baldwin and his partner Jen could fit an entire year's worth oftheir garbage into a space the size of a microwave oven.
The duo's award-winning film, The Clean Bin Project, comes to Gibsons on Monday, Sept. 19, at the Heritage Playhouse at 7:30 p.m. in a joint sponsorship by Gibsons Green Team, Sustainable Coast Magazine and the SC Film Society. The filmmakers will be in attendance to answer your questions.
Music Day
The first annual international Playing for Change Day on Sept. 17 will be a global day of action when musicians of all levels perform on stages, cafés, city squares and street corners worldwide to raise money to support music in the lives of young people. Playing for Change on the Coast will take place at the Gibsons Legion on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. as a participating event. Local acts performing are: Bonar Harris, The Country Classics (Kevin Crofton, Ian McLatchie, Graham Walker and Andy Amanovich), Bits of String (Mark Lebbell and Kaia Nielsen) and the inimitable Song Butchers. Admission is by donation.All proceeds go to Playing for Change, an organization that provides musical instruments to underprivileged children worldwide. See:www.playingforchange.com
Art Classes
Artist Mary Jean Brown is moving her popular art classes to the old post office building at Grantham's Landing.It's a most inspiring location for a personal, productive and creativeartistic experience. Call her at 604-886-3849 to sign up. Her Big Painting class runs for eight weeks starting Sept. 27. Participants work on a very large canvas and choose between figurative, landscape or abstract. Classes are suitable for beginners or experienced. The watercolour class runs for four weeks starting Nov. 22.See www.maryjeanbrown.com.
Hunt shows
Born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, artist Shawn Hunt has his first solo exhibit at the Blanket Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver. The exhibit shows from Sept. 17 to Oct. 5 with the opening reception this Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. Formally rigorous and socially engaged, Hunt's work is an amalgamation of contemporary and Native realities. See more at www.shawnhunt.net. The gallery is located at 560 Seymour St., second floor, in Vancouver.
Glass Show
Coast artist Miyuki Shinkai will exhibit her hand-blown glass works, Metaphysics and Glass, at the Port Moody Arts Centre as part of a group of exhibits. She and artisan Wayne Harjula are exploring more ways to become greener and leaner with bottle-glass recycling. Over 90 per cent of the glass that she uses is reclaimed from other studios, factories or bottle depots. The show runs until Oct. 29.
Deadline Tuesday
Send items for Art Beat (include who, what, where, when, why and ticket info) to me via email ([email protected]) or phone (604-886-4692) by Tuesday before 5 p.m. for Friday's newspaper. Art Beat covers events up to one week ahead only.
