Interested in the history of Burnaby? Burnaby Village Museum is once again hosting a series of talks about the city’s history.
The McGill branch of Burnaby Public Library is hosting the first talk tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 7) at 7 p.m. Lisa Codd, the curator of Burnaby Village Museum, will be on hand to talk about the history of Barnet Village.
It’s free, but space is limited, so register at www.bpl.bc.ca/events or call 604-436-5400.
It’s the first of a series of talks planned this fall. Coming up are Burnaby’s Rivers and Streams on Oct. 14; a walking tour of the Masjid Al Salaam Mosque on Oct. 17; Chinese Canadian History in Burnaby on Oct. 21; a walking tour of the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre on Oct. 24; People of the Inlet: Archeology and the Tsleil-Waututh Story on Oct. 28; and Burnaby’s Agricultural Roots on Nov. 4.
Check out www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca for the details – follow the Stories of the Place We Call Home link.
A Doll's House
Three Burnaby residents are all part of a new production of A Doll’s House.
The Slamming Door Artist Collective is presenting Henrik Ibsen’s classic at the Jericho Arts Centre in Vancouver.
It’s directed and produced by Burnaby resident Tamara McCarthy, with fellow local resident Sarah Mabberley as the stage manager and set and props designer. Burnaby’s Corina Akeson is in the cast as Mrs. Linden.
A Doll’s House opens Oct. 8 and runs until Oct. 24 at the Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery St. in Vancouver. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased through www.brownpapertickets.com.
See more at www.jerichoartscentre.com.
Choristers on the move
Well, it’s official: SongSport is a hit.
In the Sept. 25 edition, you may have read about the new program by the B.C. Boys’ Choir, offered right here in Burnaby, that gives boys a chance to combine their love of moving with their love of singing.
The program gives boys a chance to play, move and sing, with rehearsals that mix singing with physical games and choreography.
“It was great to have the boys want to be quiet and still because they were tired, as opposed to me trying to keep them still and quiet when all they wanted to do is move,” said Edette Gagne, associated conductor of the B.C. Boys’ Choir, who’s running the program.
SongSport runs Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Deer Lake School. For more details, check out the website at www.bcboyschoir.org.
Former reporter featured in anthology
A familiar face from the newsroom is making an appearance again.
Christina Myers, a former longtime reporter with the Burnaby NOW, is among 36 students featured in the SFU Writer’s Studio’s annual anthology, emerge 15.
The anthology will be launched Oct. 15 at a gala event at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus.
“Starting to write is like putting on your mountain climbing boots and deciding to go tackle the peak,” Christina said in a press release. “If you don’t put on your boots, you won’t know if it’s easy or beautiful or frightening, but you also don’t risk falling. Putting on the boots is the hardest part.”
Myers’ contribution to the anthology is an excerpts from a non-fiction book exploring her family’s history and her father’s fascination with their family tree.
Emerge 15 is guest edited by author and poet Matt Rader.
You can find out more about The Writer’s Studio at tinyurl.com/SFUWritersStudio.
We be jammin'
Hey, jazz musicians – here’s your chance to jam with the best.
The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts is hosting a new series of jazz jams, hosted by musician Cory Weeds.
Bring your own instrument and join in a night of improvised music-making that’s open to musicians of all ages and abilities.
The next night is set for Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m., and admission is free.
Check out www.shadboltcentre.com for details.
Japantown revisited
The Nikkei National Museum and Heritage Centre is look at the past and future of Vancouver’s Japantown in a new exhibition.
Revitalizing Japantown? A Right to Remain runs from Saturday, Oct. 24 to Jan. 31, 2016 at the museum.
It’s described as a multi-layered exhibition that “looks at the contradictions, co-optation, commemoration, heritage and redress that have shaped the Downtown Eastside,” as unearthed by a three-year research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The exhibition stems from the work of seven research team members who spoke with 51 past and current residents of the neighbourhood and analyzed eight oral histories provided by Japanese Canadian elders.
Some free special events are coming up in connection with the exhibition, starting with an opening reception on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 2 to 5 p.m. Researchers Jeff Masuda and Audrey Kobayashi will be on hand for talks.
On Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m., you can take in a film screening of the Right to Remain documentary by Greg Masuda.
The Nikkei National Museum is at 6688 Southoaks Cres. in Burnaby. See www.nikkeiplace.org for more.
Koerner Quartet returns
Classical music lovers, save the date: the Koerner Quartet has announced its 2015/16 season opener.
The quartet includes cellist Joseph Elworthy, a Burnaby native and St. Thomas More alumnus who’s now the executive director of the Vancouver Academy of Music. Elworthy is joined by violinists Nicholas Wright and Jason Ho, plus Emilie Grimes on viola.
They’re launching their season on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. with Familiar Meets Undiscovered, featuring piano powerhouse Corey Hamm, at the Koerner Recital Hall at the Vancouver Academy of Music. Watch for more as the date approaches.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@burnabynow.com, or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
