You could say Emm Gryner's a bit of a space cadet. But the Canadian singer/songwriter who became a YouTube sensation this year thanks to her collaboration with Commander Chris Hadfield will be firmly rooted to the ground at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts Nov. 1.
The thrice-Juno nominated Gryner begins her out-of-the-world show to the Shadbolt for one night only. Her Canadiana folk-roots trio, Trent Severn, became the first band to get a phone call from space when Hadfield dialed in from the International Space Station during one of their shows. In May, Gryner collaborated with Hadfield on his cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," which was partially recorded on the orbiting station. The video has been viewed on YouTube nearly 18 million times.
Not bad, but you wouldn't expect less from an artist who has released 10 carefully crafted albums and earned the envy of no less a star than Bono. The U2 lead singer cited Gryner's sing "Almighty Love" as one of the six songs from the past 20 years that he wished he'd written.
For ticket information is available at shadboltcentre.com, or by calling 604-205-3044.
Golden theatre with Burnaby director
Burnaby born and bred director Anthony F. Ingram is a busy boy on the boards this fall. Ingram is directing Western Gold Theatre's production of Relatively Speaking, a classic farce by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, at the PAL Theatre in Coal Harbour. That production (starring veteran Vancouver actors Annah Hagan and Terence Kelly, both Jessie award winners) runs from Oct. 31 to Dec. 1. Ingram will also direct The Seafarer and Pacific Theatre and play the title role in Blackbird Theatre's Uncle Vanya this season. Check out www.westerngoldtheatre.org for more information.
Spinning yarn
If you want to be part of Burnaby's close-knit community, grab your needles and yarn and make your way to the cozy confines of the Tommy Douglas branch of the Burnaby Public Library for Knit2gether. This informal, friendly group meets monthly to sit, knit, crochet and chat. It's open to all ages and skill levels and is above all, darned fun. Tea is free, but please bring some cookies to share. Next session is Saturday, November 16, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Call 604-522-3971 for more information.
Young opera
Burnaby Lyric Opera and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts present highlights from Gounod's opera, Romeo et Juliet. The concert on Oct. 20 showcases the talents young opera singers from Burnaby, Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Gina McLellan Morel, Martin Sadd, Ed Moran, Julie Duerichen and William Liu tackle this musical masterpiece under the direction of conductor David Boothroyd. For more information, contact the box office at 604-205-3000.
