Theatre fun in the sun

It’s June! One of the most exciting times to see theatre in the Okanagan is in the summer.

Just like our divine fruit-and-wine offerings are plentiful and varied, there are so many great places to experience theatre.

As artistic director of New Vintage Theatre, I am so very lucky to be able to pick some of my favourite plays to work on, so here is a round-up of what we have going on this summer and a quick preview of the delicious treats we have in store.

The Great Gatsby — July 13-18; 20-23, 7:30 p.m. at The Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre For The Arts
You are invited you to 1920s New York City where you will discover the wealthy, mysterious world of Jay Gatsby, an elusive man who may have once been a German spy, an Oxford graduate and maybe even killed a man.

One thing is for certain, he loves a girl named Daisy and she is the one person he can never have or can he? The Okanagan premiere of Simon Levy's play is a faithful and thrilling adaptation of unforgettably haunting American classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Directed by Bonnie Gratz, it stars Adam Weaver, Graham Daley, Dana Murphy, Ashley Plomp, Cory Armour, Zach Boyd, Michelle Tillack, Vince Walczak, James Szabo and Emily Friesen. It features the jazz stylings of Joelle Neufeld with classic costumes designed by Angela Bricker of Georgie Girl.  

Tickets, $30-35, available at www.rotarycentreforthearts.com  or at The RCA Box Office.

Grease — July 27- 28, 7:30 p.m. at The Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre For The Arts
It’s The One That We Want!  After the thrill of the televised live broadcast earlier this year and the continued adoration of the 1978 classic, we decided to put on this show for Kelowna. Featuring more of Kelowna’s youngest and brightest talents, this family friendly version of the Broadway play is perfect for all ages. It;s directed and choreographed by Angela Quinn.

It stars Janel Filipiak, Erik Chirkoff, Joelle Neufeld, Kristian Oppenheim, Ashley Johnson, Antony Knight, Katie Dacre, Beamer Wigley, Josie Morrow, Jack Friesen, Emily Friesen, Kaitlyn Anutooshkin, Jason Woodford, Andrew Zender, Graham Daley, Louise Boisvert.

Tickets, $15-25, available at www.rotarycentreforthearts.com or at The RCA Box Office

As The Sun Burns — Live Soap Opera: Body Heat, July 16; and Risky Business, Aug. 13. Shows are 7:30 p.m.at The Black Box Theatre.

The bar is cool and the characters are hot, with terrible, despicable, sexy pasts and they know how to use them. Join us for these interactive, hilarious evenings of live soap opera fun, set in Kelowna. Door prizes for those who dress up in beach wear for our July 16 Body Heat Episode and in 1980s Cruise cool for Aug.13.

It stars Bonnie Gratz, Ashley Plomp, Cory Armour, Dana Murphy, Brock Gratz, Reid Gratz, Gloria Poulette-Helfrick, Sheila Campbell, Kaitlyn Anutooshkin, James Szabo, Graham Daley, Joe Otoo, Victoria Weaver, Tamara Ross, Adam Weaver, David Gadd,  Nelson Elsholtz.

Every Movie Ever Made-July 10 & 24, 1-3 p.m. Parks Alive! For Festivals Kelowna
Can it be? Could it be possible that every movie ever written could be performed in just two hours? New Vintage Theatre promises to take you through a hilarious journey through Every Movie Ever Made from classics like Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz to The Notebook and Fast and The Furious, our team will make Mission Impossible possible in this great free comedy presented as part of Parks Alive outdoor theatre series for all ages.
Tickets are free! Bring your blanket, water and family and friends to Gyro and Rotary Beaches this July.  Check out a full list of performance locations on Festivals Kelowna website.

We also have one more surprise announcement for August that will be coming soon. So pull on the shades, jump into the sun and join us at one of our upcoming fun theatrical events this summer and come and say hi to us at our booths at Canada Day, Arts On The Avenue and Downtown Kelowna’s Block Party. 

A full listing of all of our shows can be found at www.newvintage.ca

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.