A Burnaby actor will be in the spotlight when the Arts Club Theatre Company stages Billy Elliot in May.
The musical, based on the acclaimed 2000 film, is onstage at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage from May 12 to July 10. It follows the story of 11-year-old Billy, who finds himself unexpectedly drawn to the world of ballet – at the same time as his father and brother are dealing with the 1984 miners’ strikes of Northern England.
Burnaby actor Kirk Smith appears as George in the musical that stars Nolan Fahey in the title role, with Warren Kimmel and Danny Balkwill as Billy’s father and brother.
See www.artsclub.com for information and tickets, or call the box office at 604-687-1644.
Book sale on this weekend
Looking for Japanese books? The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre’s book sale is back.
The free book-lovers’ extravaganza is coming to the centre on Saturday, May 7, running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors will have a chance to browse through more than 30,000 books. There will also be a spring bazaar featuring a variety of Japanese-style items, plus a selection of plants and Japanese foods.
The Nikkei Centre is at 6688 Southoaks Cres. Check out centre.nikkeiplace.org, or call 604-777-7000 for information.
Make art with mom
Want to do something special with Mom for Mother’s Day? Why not drop in to the Burnaby Art Gallery and create some art together.
The gallery is hosting its next In the BAG drop-in on Sunday, May 8. Families can drop in to check out the Michiko Suzuki: Hope Chests exhibition, then get into the studio to create their own work in ink and pastel.
The In the BAG sessions run from 1 to 4 p.m., with new programs starting on the half-hour.
Check out www.burnabyartgallery.ca for all the details. The gallery is at 6344 Deer Lake Ave.
Get a sneak peek of BLOOM art auction
Art lovers, get ready for a sneak preview of the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre’s annual BLOOM art auction.
The eighth annual gala night is coming up on Saturday, May 28. This year’s auction will revolve around the theme of ink, taking its inspiration from the sumie (ink brush paintings) of Takao Tanabe that are on display at the centre until May 8.
Starting on May 17, you’ll have a chance to preview the works online.
On the night of the gala itself, visitors will be able to enjoy refreshments, music, a live shodo calligraphy performance, ink scroll stations and silent auction prizes. The event will be MC’d by Tetsuro Shigematsu.
Check out centre.nikkeiplace.org/bloom2016 for all the details.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment suggestions to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
