Plethora Of Activities

Hello Friends!

Hope you all enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend. Spring has certainly arrived and with it a plethora of cultural activities. Check these out over the next few weeks!

April 20th to 29th, Sunshine Theatre Company winds up its 2005/06 season in style with Joanna McClelland Glass’s life-affirming play, Trying. Loaded with humour and heartbreak, Trying explores the strange and wondrous nature of friendships, and features stellar performances by its cast.

Bringing Francis Biddle’s feisty secretary Sarah to life is Julia Mackey. This will be Julia’s second appearance for Sunshine, having performed in Midnight Madness in 2000. Originally from Montreal, Julia now calls Vancouver her home.

Featured as the curmudgeonly 81-year-old Judge Francis Biddle, is Prince Edward Island native Bill McFadden. McFadden, a 40-year acting veteran, is making his Kelowna debut.

And transforming the Mary Irwin Theatre stage into Georgetown, circa 1967, is Kevin McAllister. Kevin’s stunning scenic and lighting designs have earned him five Jessie Award.

“The show is wonderful,” enthuses Sunshine Theatre’s Artistic Director David Mann. “I was in Kamloops for the Opening Night, and it was a truly magical evening.. The Kelowna audience is in for a treat.”

All shows are at the Mary Irwin Theatre in the Rotary Centre for the Arts. Tickets are available at www.selectyourtickets.com.

“Pay What You Can” on Monday, April 24, to support Seniors Outreach programming in Kelowna.

Volunteer Kelowna, a program of Kelowna Community Resources, wants all citizens to realize and enjoy the health benefits of volunteering. Get Active – Get Involved – Volunteer! is the theme of this year’s local campaign to inspire individuals to volunteer. The formal kick off event for the campaign is the Okanagan Volunteer Opportunities Fair, to be held April 22nd at Orchard Park Mall at 10:00 am with Ron Cannan and Michele Rule officiating. More than 75 not-for-profit organizations are participating this year from all sectors: health, arts and culture, sports and recreation, environment, animal welfare, and social services. The Fair also kicks off National Volunteer Week, April 23-29, 2006.

PUENTE Theatre will be coming to Kelowna on Saturday, April 22, 2006. The performance will take place at the Okanagan College Theatre at 7 pm.

The Intercultural Women’s Educational Network, the Kelowna Community Resources and the Intercultural Society of the Central Okanagan are partnering to host the play “Story Telling Our Lives”. “Storytelling Our Lives” was created as a community play, a form of theatre that is a collaboration between theatre professionals and a community – a way to express its experiences, stories and hopes. It is usually based on a geographical community, a town, a village, or a neighbourhood. Story Telling Our Lives speaks of a community of experience: being a woman, and an immigrant to Canada provides the common ground. The participants feel united, even though they come from diverse cultures, races, nationalities & backgrounds – and so in turn invite their audience to reflect on issues of identity and tolerance, issues that involve us all. Tickets available by calling Elna at 763-9747.

World of Worm Castings farm (2610 Glenmore Rd. N. at McKinley Rd., 1/4 mile north of the land fill) will be hosting an Earth Day Gardeners Festival on Sunday, April 23rd between 11 am & 5 pm. There will be over 25 food, garden and other unique vendors on site, a live music jam lead by Faking David (bring your instruments), speakers forum and “how to” work shops on vermicomposting, compost teas, getting your lawn off chemicals and other leading edge topics, Master gardeners on site to answer your gardening questions, plant and seed swap and a worm farm tour. “Admission is free, this is a real family event, the kids can see the various farm animals and play in the enchanted forest”, says owner Ms. Lynda Schmidt. For more information call 762-5907 or contact Lynda. See you at the farm!

Where Do You Stand? An Exhibition for National Prevention Against Women & Children Week takes place Monday April 24th to Saturday the 29th in the Galleria at the Rotary Centre for the Arts. This special show features numerous Kelowna artists and is open to the public.

The Rotary Centre for the Arts and Off-Centre Magazine bring hilarious, award-winning Live Group Sex Therapist and comedian DANIEL PACKARD to the Mary Irwin Theatre on Sunday, April 30th at 8pm. Single tickets to see comedian Daniel Packard live are now available for purchase through Ticketmaster.

The Bright Lights Foundation is pleased to present Wicked Wordplay, an event that asks young people aged 16 and under to share lyrics to a song that makes them feel amazing, hyped up - in short, inspired. There are powerful, positive influences music can have on people, and Wicked Wordplay wants to give youth an opportunity to share something that has connected with them in a positive way.

Up for grabs is an iPod Shuffle and 4 (count ‘em – 4!!) CD & DVD prize packs of the latest and greatest sights and sounds. All entries received will be entered into a draw, and names will be randomly chosen as winners. Selected entries will be printed in the Capital News between May 14th and 31st, and all entries will be published on the Bright Lights Foundation website.

To enter: fill out the entry form and drop it off at the Capital News (2495 Enterprise Way) by the deadline: April 30, 2006. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.brightlights.ca , or picked up at the Capital News. For more information, please visit www.brightlights.ca.

Hope you enjoy these events! See you around town!
Michele

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