Arts venues up and down the Sunshine Coast are cancelling or postponing public gatherings due to the risk of contagion from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We understand that we have a role to play in curtailing the spread of infection,” the Sunshine Coast Arts Council said in a release, adding that all events the council sponsors at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre will be postponed until at least the end of March. Among the first cancellations are an opening reception for the exhibition Thread, which had been scheduled for Sunday, March 15, as well as a screening of the film The Price of Everything for the same day. A meet-the-artist event on March 22 also has been postponed.
“Workshops and rental are going ahead as scheduled unless your organizer lets you know differently,” the council’s release said. “Anyone sick or showing any symptoms is asked to not attend.” Curator-director Sadira Rodrigues told Coast Reporter, however, that the Doris Crowston Gallery will be open for regular hours for viewing of exhibits.
Gibsons Public Art Gallery also will remain open for viewing its new youth-art show, Shout Out, but the Saturday, March 14 opening reception has been postponed “out of an abundance of caution,” the gallery said in a release. It also announced the postponement of workshops by artist Hiroshi Shimazaki scheduled for March 15, 21 and 28.
The Sunday, March 15 reading-performance at the Heritage Playhouse of David King’s play How Things Have Changed has been postponed by the organizers, Off the Page.
Singer-guitarist Joël Fafard has cancelled his show on the evening of Saturday, March 14 at the Heritage Playhouse, and has rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10. Fafard said he has also cancelled his upcoming tour dates in New Brunswick and Europe, scheduled for late March and early April.
“We have had quite a few cancellations of renters, however it’s not up to us to cancel shows,” Dianne Evans, board president of the Gibsons Landing Heritage Society, operators of the Heritage Playhouse, said in an email to Coast Reporter.
Added Evans, “We are happy to host events, since we are well below the 250-person public health limit for public events, and we have been practising strict sanitization in the facility. We have been in contact with the Environmental Health Officer who is aware of our procedures, which are consistent and follow public health recommendations. Of course, we rely on people to practise routines such as hand-washing etc., and not to come out if they’re unwell.”
The SC Film Society's planned screenings of the film Parasite have been postponed. "Rest assured that you will still have opportunities to see the film at a future date. As to when that future date might be, along with the fate of our other three upcoming films, it is simply too early to prognosticate," reads a message from the board of directors. Email [email protected] for enquiries about ticket adjustments.
The spring dance with Brickhouse hosted by Pender Harbour Blues Society (PHBS) on Saturday, April 11 has also been cancelled. If you purchased tickets online you will receive a full refund from Paypal. Tickets from Strait Music in Sechelt can be returned to the store for a full refund. EarthFair Books is closed until after spring break. If you would like a refund earlier, call PHBS president Marilyn MacLeod at 604-741-1186 or email [email protected]
MacLeod said in an email, "With the uncertainty of the coronavirus situation, we have decided to wait until early April before we either proceed with the Blues Festival in June or postpone. I wish you all good health, and look forward to seeing you at our next music event."
Coast Reporter has a call into Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt with a request for comment on its plans during the pandemic. The theatre has a capacity of about 240 seats.
Among the other arts and entertainment cancellations and postponements on the Coast are:
• The March 13 Sunshine Coast Music Society’s Friday Night Coffee House at the School of Music in Madeira Park.
• The Saturday, March 21 opening reception for the exhibit of Helen McCall’s photography, and book launch and talk by archivist and author Laura Millar.
• The Sunday Jam March 22 at The Clubhouse Restaurant at Pender Harbour Golf Club.
• The Driftwood Players run of the play Blood Relations at the Heritage Playhouse and Chatelech Secondary School Theatre between April 2 and April 19 (postponed until June).
• The Café Artesia scheduled for Friday, March 27.
• The March 29 concert by the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra at Chatelech Theatre.
• Entertainment events at High Beam Dreams in Gibsons, although planned weddings and other private events likely will still proceed.
