Hard as it is to believe, the end of the year is upon us again – which makes it just the right time to take a look back at how the year unfolded in the arts.
Burnaby’s arts community was busy as always in 2015, making headlines and making a difference in the lives of countless citizens.
As has become my annual tradition, I take a look back at the year in the arts and bestow the following “awards” upon some local folks:
BEST FAMILY FUN
There’s plenty of competition for this title in a city like ours, but I have to give the nod to Align Entertainment. After bursting onto the stage with a successful production of Shrek The Musical at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in 2014, Align made its presence felt by earning an Ovation Award for Outstanding Community Production (Large Theatre) this past January.
It then returned to the stage with a successful run of The Addams Family in February, fulfilling its mission to stage new, family-friendly work in large, high-quality productions.
With a production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang slated for February of 2016, it seems Align Entertainment is destined to continue its winning ways into the future. Let’s hope it’s just the beginning of a long and successful life.
Honourable mention:
I’d be remiss not to also note the efforts of Forte Theatre Society, under director Nancy von Euw. The theatre group returned to Burnaby Village Museum for Heritage Christmas this year, presenting Sherlock Holmes’ Christmas Goose – featuring an all-ages cast in a show to appeal to an all-ages audience. It’s a treat to know that local families don’t have to leave town (or spend a fortune) to be entertained.
BEST COMMUNITY MAKER
It was a new idea when it appeared on the scene in 2014, and organizer Yunuen Perez Vertti had no idea what to expect. As it turned out, Living Room Art in the Heights was a success beyond her wildest imaginings, attracting at least 250 people out to a home in the Heights to enjoy an evening of art.
Perez Vertti and a multi-talented, multi-disciplinary crew of artists returned to a new home in the Heights for the second annual event this year, proving once again that art isn’t just for gallery walls: It can be by everyone and for everyone, and it can bring a community together in unforeseen ways.
We’re looking forward to its third incarnation in the year ahead.
BEST NEW TALENT
One of the joys of this job is meeting and talking to young artists of all kinds, and that was certainly true in 2015.
I must give this year’s nod to Carly Ronning, the then-11-year-old Burnaby resident who starred as Oliver at Theatre Under The Stars. The novice performer didn’t let her lack of experience stop her from landing the title role in the musical and delighting audiences all summer long. Besides which, for a brief time at least, she managed to steal the headlines away from that other Ronning who’s been known to grace these pages – her dad Cliff, the famed former NHL hockey player.
We’re pretty sure we’ll see more of this young charmer in the future.
BEST LOCAL TREASURE
We’ve got to give a special salute to our very own Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, which kicked off its 20th anniversary season this year. For two decades, the centre has been a hub for city’s arts and culture community. It continues to offer a wide range of programs for people of all ages – in music, dance, theatre, literary arts, visual arts and more – and it also runs a season of performances with something to appeal to all tastes, from independent theatre to contemporary dance, from jazz to comedy and more.
Burnaby wouldn’t be the same without the Shadbolt Centre to serve as its heart, beating on the shores of Deer Lake.
Happy birthday, dear Shadbolt – and many, many more.
ONES TO WATCH
Burnaby has long been a breeding ground for young talent of all kinds (can anyone say Michael Buble? Michael J. Fox?), and every year we’re privileged to be able to present the stories of the next generation of rising stars.
This year, our roster of rising stars included Rebecca Gilhooley, a professional contemporary dancer, choreographer and teacher now based in New York City. She was among the top eight female contestants on the Netherlands version of So You Think You Can Dance, and she was also one of 12 women selected to attend the prestigious contemporary program at the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival in the U.S. She got her start right here in Burnaby, attending Gilmore Elementary and Alpha Secondary and studying at Danzmode and Pacific Dance Arts.
There was also Ace Dixon, the young indie filmmaker who managed to get his feature film, Mop King, into the lineup at the famed Austin Film Festival – alongside such big names as 12 Years a Slave, Nebraska and the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis. The film is now available on iTunes.
And there was Katie Purych, whose musical theatre appearances included Align Entertainment’s Shrek The Musical and starring roles in Awkward Stage Productions’ Dogfight and DramaNatrix Producions’ The It Girl.
To these and all the other young artists following their dreams to success, we offer a salute and a thank you – and all the best for 2016.
Do you have a favourite memory from Burnaby’s arts scene in 2015? Is there a group or a person you’d like to salute? Send your comments and ideas to Julie, [email protected].
